Demolition work is to start as a project to build new council offices gets underway in Colwyn Bay.

Welsh Government economy secretary Ken Skates visited the site at the former DWP building in Conway Road on Monday as the council handed the keys to contractors.

Members of Conwy’s office accommodation project board, Colwyn Bay councillors, the deputy mayor of Colwyn Bay and the chair of the Business Improvement District met developers Muse Developments and lead contractor Bowmer and Kirkland for an overview of the development.

Ingrid Lewis, Colwyn Bay town manager, said: "It is great for local businesses, great for the town and it is a huge vote of confidence by Conwy County Borough Council in Colwyn Bay.”

The new four-storey office building will accommodate 750 staff and replace 13 existing offices.

Cllr Dilwyn Roberts, leader of Conwy County Borough Council, said: “This new building will streamline our office accommodation, but it’s also a key part of our vision to revitalise the town - bringing people into the heart of a town brings vitality, footfall and spend.”

Wes Erlam, development director at Muse, said: “We’re working with the council to deliver this important development which will help them to operate more efficiently and reduce their carbon footprint by bringing a number of key services together into one energy-efficient and accessible building.”

Bleddyn Evans, Conwy County Council project manager for office accommodation strategy, said: "This building is empty - if we hadn’t bought it to build this new office you'd see potentially an eyesore.

He added the council’s existing Civic Centre near Eirias Park will be transferred to Muse, who want to convert it into a hotel and housing.

The contractors will move into the town centre site later in the week with demolition expected to take 12 to 16 weeks, starting in mid-December. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2017, with completion in autumn.