Issue - meetings
Leasing of Unit 2 Barham Park, 660 Harrow Road, HA0 2HB
Meeting: 12/04/2017 - Barham Park Trust Committee (Item 8)
8 Property Update, Barham Park Building Complex, Unit 2, 660 Harrow Road, Wembley PDF 80 KB
To update the Trust on the granting of a lease for Unit 2, The Snooker and Billiards Room.
Decision:
RESOLVED:
i) That the request by the Veterans for a statutory right to an automatic renewal of the lease at the end of the proposed 4 year term of the lease be agreed provided that the lease is completed within six weeks from the date of the meeting, 12 April 2017; and
i) That if a lease is not completed within the period specified in i), authority be delegated to the Strategic Director Resources, in consultation with the Chair or Vice Chair of the Committee, to take such steps as are necessary to terminate the current basis of the Veterans’ occupation of Unit 2 including taking, or responding to any formal action or legal proceedings.
Minutes:
Sarah Chaudhry (Head of Property Services) introduced a report updating members on the granting of a lease for Unit 2 (the Snooker and Billiards Room) of the Barham Park Building Complex to the Barham Park Veterans Club. The report provided a summary of the activity undertaken since the Trust approved the granting of a lease to the Veterans at its meeting on 28 January 2015. Members were informed that on 20 March 2017 the Veterans had requested a statutory right to renew the lease at the end of the term, a variation to the previously agreed terms. Given that the Veterans had been in occupation of Unit 2 for over 40 years, Officers recommended that the Trust accede to the request provided that the lease was completed within six weeks of the date of the meeting. In all the circumstances, this was considered to be fair and reasonable and the Veterans’ solicitors had confirmed that this was a realistic timeframe for completion. If a lease was not completed within that period, the Trust was requested to delegate to the Strategic Director Resources the power to take such steps as may be necessary to terminate the current basis of the Veterans’ occupation of Unit 2.
In the subsequent discussion, the committee sought confirmation that equalities concerns previously raised regarding the Veterans had been resolved. Officers confirmed that work undertaken by the council’s equalities officer had been reported to the trust previously to members’ satisfaction but that further monitoring was required to ensure long term compliance. Members further queried whether the Veterans would retain an automatic right to renew the lease if the club’s membership fell to one or two members. Officers advised that this point would be addressed in the work going forward on the lease.
The committee discussed the proposed arrangements to be followed if the lease were not completed within the set period and considered that it would be appropriate that the Chair and Vice Chair of the committee be consulted before any actions were taken.
RESOLVED:
i) That the request by the Veterans for a statutory right to an automatic renewal of the lease at the end of the proposed 4 year term of the lease be agreed provided that the lease is completed within six weeks from the date of the meeting, 12 April 2017; and
i) That if a lease is not completed within the period specified in i), authority be delegated to the Strategic Director Resources, in consultation with the Chair or Vice Chair of the Committee, to take such steps as are necessary to terminate the current basis of the Veterans’ occupation of Unit 2 including taking, or responding to any formal action or legal proceedings.