Issue - meetings

This report updates Committee on the Wells site following the Council’s Planning Committee on 9 July 2020.  It recommends a feasibility study be undertaken to enable Committee to consider the cost and layout implications of a revised scheme.

Following consideration, it was resolved that the Committee:

(1)      Agreed to the preparation of additional feasibility work on options for a revised scheme;

(2)      Approved a budget of up to £25,000 to cover the costs of the feasibility work, to be funded from the Corporate Projects Reserve;

(3)      Agreed to a report being brought back to this Committee as soon as the feasibility work has been completed.

The Committee received a report updating it upon the Wells site following the Council’s Planning Committee on 9 July 2020.  The report recommended a feasibility study be undertaken to enable Committee to consider the cost and layout implications of a revised scheme.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Proposed amendment. A Motion to amend the recommendations of the report was moved by Councillor David Gulland and seconded by Councillor Kate Chinn. The Motion proposed that the following wording replace the recommendations in the report:

“The Committee is asked to:

(1)   Agree to the creation of joint working party to include residents of the Wells Estate to prepare options for a revised scheme;

(2)   Approves a budget of up to £25,000 to cover the costs of any required professional support to investigate such options, to be funded from the Corporate Projects Reserve;

(3)   Agrees to a report being brought back to this Committee as soon as the feasibility work has been completed.”

During the consideration of this Motion the Committee considered the following matter.

·         Consultation with residents. Following a question from a Member, The Head of Property and Regeneration informed the Committee that a consultation open to residents of the Wells estate had been held in October 2018. Following that Officers had met with a group of residents. The consultation responses and discussions with residents had shaped the size of the community facility and parking facilities put forward in the planning application.

Following consideration the Committee resolved that the proposed amendments be rejected, with 3 Members voting for the Motion, 6 Members voting against the Motion and the Chairman not voting.

b)            Finance for feasibility work. Following a question from a Member, the Committee was informed that although £25,000 of the original budget for the Wells redevelopment would not be spent, it could not be utilised for the feasibility work proposed by this report. The Committee was requested to approve a separate budget of £25,000 for the feasibility work proposed by the report.

c)            Terms of reference for feasibility study. Following a question from a Councillor, the Committee was informed that detailed terms of reference for the feasibility study would be produced for the tendering of the works. These would be available to Councillors once the tendering process had been completed.

Following consideration, it was resolved with 6 Members voting for, 3 Members voting against and the Chairman not voting, that the Committee:

(1)      Agreed to the preparation of additional feasibility work on options for a revised scheme;

(2)      Approved a budget of up to £25,000 to cover the costs of the feasibility work, to be funded from the Corporate Projects Reserve;

(3)      Agreed to a report being brought back to this Committee as soon as the feasibility work has been completed.