A VACANT office in Ellesmere Port will be brought back to life by housing association Plus Dane Group.

The organisation taking over the management of the 5,800 Cheshire West and Chester Council-owned homes in Ellesmere Port and Neston is to open a new office in the town next month, bringing a vacant office space in the town back into use.

The office on 7-9 Civic Way will be the new base for about 60 of the council’s housing staff transferring to Plus Dane as part of the £100m contract, which will see the housing association take responsibility for providing housing services for the 15,000 Cheshire West and Chester Council tenants in Ellesmere Port and Neston and a repairs and maintenance service for about 5,800 homes from July 1.

The office will open in July and work is already well under way on the transfer of 180 employees to the group, which owns and manages more than 13,000 homes across Merseyside and Cheshire and employs more than 560 people.

The current housing office based at Neston Town Hall will also be used, along with facilities at Joseph Groome Towers and the Rossfield Road depot in Ellesmere Port.

The office will replace the housing customer reception at the council’s offices at 4 Civic Way and will be the new place for tenants to contact and visit for anything to do with their homes and housing services as well as their neighbourhood in general.

Peter Shaw, Plus Dane’s managing director for Ellesmere Port and Neston, said: “We have been working closely with staff moving into 7-9 Civic way to give them a say in the look and feel of their new office.

“I’m sure our new colleagues will feel very welcome within the group and we’re looking forward to getting started.”