Published Tuesday, 02 October 2012
The new office will house the 'supercouncil' from 2015. (© UTV)
The renovated building will house the new 'supercouncil' following the planned merger between Down and Newry and Mourne District councils in 2015.
Councillor Mickey Coogan of DDC has welcomed the move.
He said: "This project is vitally important to the citizens of Down district as our plans to create a community campus on the Downshire site in Downpatrick, I believe, will be key to retaining public sector employment and quality public services within the district.
"This project has been a major boost for the Down district area, bringing new jobs followed by modern, accessible facilities and potential future investment."
The renovated and extended hospital building includes additional office space, accommodation for the Housing Executive and state of the art training facilities.
The merger in three years time is part of plans to reduce the number of councils in Northern Ireland from 26 to 11.