The leader of Haringey Council has defended a £12 million revamp of a listed building that was branded a “vanity project” by opposition councillors.

Cllr Joseph Ejiofor said the project to renovate the Civic Centre in Wood Green will provide a “dynamic civic hub” and “community spaces that benefit residents across the borough”.

The planned refurbishment of the Grade II-listed building is designed to provide modern, energy-efficient offices and civic space that will cut carbon emissions and running costs.

But the Lib Dems called on the council to axe the project and spend the money on helping communities recover and rebuild after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Paul Dennison (Highgate), Haringey Liberal Democrat spokesperson for finance, business and local investment, said: “At a time when Haringey’s businesses and cultural sector are on their knees, and there is no certainty about the balance between office and remote working, the Labour council spending £12 million of taxpayers’ money on new buildings for itself is a vanity project, pure and simple. We should be funding the community, not the council.”

Built in the late 1950s, the building was originally Wood Green Town Hall and became the Civic Centre when the borough of Wood Green merged with Hornsey and Tottenham to form Haringey.

According to a report, the refurbishment will allow the council to reduce the use of its other office buildings, which will save money.

While the Lib Dems say they support spending £12 million on repairs, they oppose spending an extra £12 million on offices.

They say the money should be spent on a community and cultural transformation fund that would revitalise high streets by providing cultural and leisure spaces, places to eat and drink, start-up hubs, childcare services, council services and more.

Responding to the Lib Dems’ comments, Cllr Ejiofor said the decision to renovate the building “is not a simple choice between works that need to be carried out on the Civic Centre and our social and economic response to the Covid crisis”.

The council leader said: “The Civic Centre had to be closed for health and safety reasons because it became clear that there were urgent maintenance issues in this Grade-II listed building, and £12 million is the cost of merely fixing the problems that have been identified. This significant expenditure would still leave the building outdated.

“The additional investment into the Civic Centre will create a dynamic civic hub that we can be proud of as well as creating community spaces that benefit residents across the borough.

“We are not prepared to invest money and still see this building decline. Spending taxpayers’ money merely to return to the status quo is not an option.”

Cllr Ejiofor added that the proposed works would create jobs and help the economic recovery, while the budget included plans to invest in young people and support the most vulnerable.

The Lib Dems plan to propose an amendment to the budget at a full council meeting on March 1, arguing that the money should be spent in Haringey’s communities. Details of the meeting are here.