THE COST of demolishing Monmouthshire's concrete-cancer ridden county hall is likely to be £2million.

Last week, cabinet members approved the expenditure of £1million as their share of the demolition and remodelling of costs, which will be split with the Torfaen authority which owns half the building.

The council, which has to vacate the building by March 31 next year, will operate from various buildings within the county for 12 months, until the authority's new head office is built at Usk.

The council's cabinet members were told that to board the building up and maintain a security presence would cost the authority £200,000 a year, but the cost of demolishing the building and levelling the site would be reflected in the eventual sale value of the land.

Steve Greenslade, the council's director of transition said: " After demolition the site will be worth a lot more than it is at present, even with the building standing on it.

"Effectively we will recoup the cost of demolition by having a more attractive site available to potential developers, which in turn would demand a better price."

Councillor Roger Harris said: "The building should come down and not be boarded up. Bits of it are falling down already and the price we pay a demolition company will include anything it can salvage from within it."

Even the fabric of the council chamber with its teak wall panelling would be left for the demolition company to remove.

Councillor Bob Greenland said that while the council chamber looked appropriate where it was, the idea of reusing at the new headquarters in Usk was not feasible because the chances were that the design would look out of place in the new environment.

Mr Greenslade was asked why the figures for their share of the budget were not issued on private material which would only be seen by members.

He replied: "Torfaen County Council had already published their report over their share of the costs of demolition, so any developer offering a tender would be able to work out what the total budget was.

"Therefore there was no point in being secretive over the issue."