HUNDREDS of council staff could be making the short move from Lampton Park to Hounslow town centre, it has emerged.

The council's headquarters beside Lampton Park are considered too big and expensive to run, especially with recent reductions in staff numbers.

The preferred site for a new civic centre is the car park beside Yates's pub in Bath Road, at the western end of the High Street, though it is likely to be some time before the move happens.

Speculation about the move has been mounting since the council's new-look master plan, approved in principle last month, included proposals for a new 'civic facility' beside Yates's.

The council has previously refused to go into more detail about precisely what this would involve but Councillor Ruth Cadbury today broke the silence and confirmed this was the preferred site for a new civic centre.

"Our civic centre is frankly coming to the end of its days. It's costing a fortune to run and the energy certificate shows its the worst in its category," she said.

"The Bath Road car park is the preferred site but it would take five or six years before the move could actually happen.

"We've done feasibility studies because we know the residents are supportive and anybody with a town centre business would support it because of the extra lunchtime trade it will bring."

The announcement will be welcome news for the Hounslow town centre neighbourhood forum group, which has repeatedly called for the council's HQ to return to the neighbourhood.

The huge slimming down of the council's workforce in recent years means the existing building is considered larger than necessary.

As of January this year, nearly 600 staff had been made redundant since 2006 - including 269 under the current Labour administration.

A three to five-storey building is recommended for the Bath Road site, which could also include an arts space.

The council has not confirmed what it plans to do with the exisiting civic centre should the move go ahead, though the land would be worth a considerable sum should it be sold for housing.