Issue - meetings

AGREED recommendations.

Reasons for the decision – as detailed in the report

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest / dispensations granted – none

Members of the public asked a number of questions about the number and size of homes to be built, how many of these would be Council homes and which facilities would be available to local schools and the community until the football pitches were completed. Members of the public were assured that any issues of overlooking and proximity of the football pitches to homes would be looked at by Planning Department.  Members of the public were encouraged to respond to the formal consultation on the planning application in due course.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to ongoing gateway reports and financial viability assessments, to:

a) approve commitment of up to £6.75m for fees and Pre-Construction Service Agreement costs up until the end of design stage 3, including amounts already spent as described in Appendix 1 to the report of the Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance, and summarised in Table 1, which represented an increase of £2.85m.

b) approve an increase in the capital budget of £2.65m in respect of fees up to design stage 2, reflecting an increase in budget from £1.6m to £4.25m funded by £0.200m from reduced costs of RIBA stage 3-4 and £2.450m additional borrowing.

c) approve the Council entering into a Pre-Construction Service Agreement, with an estimated value of £0.9m, subject to contract.

d) note that additional Executive approval would be sought prior to submission of a planning application and prior to award of a construction contract.

e) note that the current estimated scheme cost through to construction was estimated at £131.757m (excluding optimism bias) and that there would be a need for additional funding to meet the optimism bias and this amount would be confirmed once a full assessment had taken place.

Reasons for the decision – The redevelopment of Finsbury Leisure Centre aimed to replace the existing leisure centre with new leisure facilities and 200 new homes, of which 100 would be council homes. This was an increase on the 176 home scheme proposed at the point of the last report to Executive. The scheme created a masterplan for the whole site and included a new medical centre and much improved public spaces.

Other options considered – none

Conflicts of interest / dispensations granted – none