THE £100-million project to build the borough's new civic centre was given the go-ahead on Tuesday (March 16).

The new glass building is expected to be up and running by June 2013 and will be built in Engineer's Way, opposite Wembley Arena.

There will be office space for 2,000 members of staff, with 1,600 expected to desk share, as workers are encouraged to work remotely, either on the road or from home.

The building has been designed by award winning architects Hopkins Architects, and will feature a new library and learning centre, a wedding suite, a community hall and roof garden.

The council has promised it will be the greenest civic centre in the country.

Community events and festivals are expected to take place throughout the new building. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has stated he is not concerned by the proposals which means work on the building can proceed. However, the plans have faced criticism in the past from residents like Shahrar Ali, Brent Green Party spokesman for environment and planning and parliamentary candidate for Brent Central, who does not believe the project will be cost effective and says there was not enough public consultation.

But the council says it will save the local authority £2million a year and will be made from materials bought from firms within a 30-mile radius to make sure the local economy benefits.

Speaking after the planning meeting, Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of Brent Council, said: "The new civic centre

presents a host of opportunities for the borough. As well as being an environmentally friendly building, it will provide fantastic new facilities for residents when finished and local jobs during construction and operation phases. Moving out of buildings we rent, selling off old buildings we own and moving most of our services to one building will allow us to save a substantial amount of money."