Elgin’s Procurator Fiscal office is going green to tackle climate change.
The premises in South Street will close from August 14 for up to nine months to allow extensive decarbonisation works to be carried out.
Renovations will include replacing all windows, installing a new heating system, and insulating all external walls.
And the aim is to enable the office to further adopt renewable energy sources – and at the same time cut costs to the public purse.
During the work, the Procurator Fiscal office will be temporarily relocated to the town’s police station in Moray Street to allow the improvements to be completed.
A small operational team will work within the police office annexe, with the remaining staff working from home until the project is completed.
Signs will also be displayed in public areas within Elgin Sheriff Court and public areas within Police Scotland Elgin to ensure the public remain properly informed.
This will ensure the work of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) can continue uninterrupted while the renovations take place.
The work, which is budgeted to cost £2.2m, is part of a Scotland-wide commitment by the COPFS Estates Strategy to embrace the drive towards utilising renewable energy.
Crown Office staff are passionate about tackling climate change and helping COPFS meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions in COPFS premises by 2.5% each year and become carbon neutral by 2040.
Coupled with the Future Ways of Working (FWOW) model, this will create modern, ecologically efficient, and futureproofed working environments for COPFS staff.
And it also aligns with Scottish Government commitments set out in Holyrood’s draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan 2023, which has set challenging targets for public sector organisations to realise a Net Zero Carbon estates operational target by 2038.
Alison McKenzie, Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen, has been delighted with Elgin’s role as part of the drive by COPFS to tackle climate change.
She said: “We can be enormously proud of the pioneering role our staff in Elgin are playing in helping COPFS to decarbonise.
“In Elgin, the installation of solar panels is already helping us to embrace renewable energy.
“It is reassuring to know that year-round, but especially in Spring, Summer and Autumn, our solar panels are providing a sizeable proportion of our energy needs.
“This is just one of the ways that we can reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. And this work to decarbonise the Procurator Fiscal premises in Elgin will further improve our renewable energy credentials.
“COPFS is committed to transforming workspaces to create modern, ecologically efficient and environmentally friendly spaces.”
Robert Green, COPFS Head of Business Support Services and Estates, said: “This is a very positive step which will establish a blueprint for future applications for the remainder of our owned estates.”
For all relocation and general COPFS enquiries, call the COPFS National Enquiry Point: 0300 020 3000