Agenda item

The council’s Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre and associated buildings require significant investment to bring them up to a reasonable standard and funds are not currently available to do this.  However the council has been in discussion with the owners of the adjoining Unisys site (General Mediterranean Holdings-GMH) and it is proposed to sell part of the Bridge Park site to GMH to fund the design and build of a completely new sports centre paid for out of the proceeds of residential and commercial development on the Unisys and on the Bridge Park site.  This report looks at a range of other development options and uses for the Bridge Park site.  It recommends that the council enters into an agreement with GMH to redevelop the Bridge Park site.

(i)         that the council pursue the option of GMH (and its subsidiary company) developing the Unisys and Bridge Park sites for residential and commercial development to fund a new Bridge Park sports centre;

(ii)        that agreement be given to the draft Heads of Terms as set out in appendix 3 of the report from the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects to form the basis of the detailed sale agreement between the council and GMH and instruct the Director of Regeneration to complete terms for a land sale between GMH, its subsidiary company and the council as set out in Appendix 3 subject to suitable parent company guarantees to the satisfaction of the council;

(iii)       that agreement be given to the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the freehold interest and other relevant legal interests of the Car Breakers site which for identification purposes is shown edged on the plan attached to this report at Appendix 1(a) (“the CPO Land”) under Section 226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, to facilitate the carrying out of the redevelopment scheme (“the Scheme”) and any new rights in the CPO Land which may be required under section 13 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976;

(iv)       that approval be given to the submission of the CPO, once made, to the Secretary of State for confirmation, whilst the Council at the same time seek to acquire the land by private negotiated treaty, funded through funding from GMH under a separate agreement with the council;

(v)        that agreement be given to the making of one or more general vesting declaration(s) or service of Notice to Treat and Notice of Entry (as appropriate) pursuant to the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981 and the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 respectively, should the CPO be confirmed, if determined by the Director of Regeneration & Major Projects on the advice of the Director of Legal & Procurement Services, as necessary in order to implement the CPO;

(vi)       that authority be delegated to the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects to undertake the following:

(1)       Enter into agreements and make undertakings on behalf of the Council with the holders of interests in the CPO Land or parties otherwise affected by the Scheme setting out the terms for the withdrawal of their objections to the confirmation of the CPO, where such agreements are appropriate; and

(2)       Service of all requisite notices on the holders of the CPO Land including rights in the CPO Land relating to the making and confirmation of the CPO; and

(3)       Remove from the CPO any plot (or interest therein) no longer required to be acquired compulsorily for the Scheme to proceed and to amend the interests scheduled in the CPO (if so advised); and

(4)       To acquire land and/or new rights by agreement either in advance of the confirmation of compulsory purchase powers, if so advised, or following the confirmation of compulsory powers by the Secretary of State; and

(5)       To seek to acquire for the Council by agreement any interest in land wholly or partly within the limits of the CPO Land for which a blight notice has been validly served; and

(vii)      To undertake public consultation on the development proposals with local residents, interest groups, users and tenants; and

(viii)     To procure an architectural practice to design the new sports and community centre and submit plans with Unisys; and

(ix)       that approval be given to the procurement of a design and build contractor to build the new sports centre through an appropriate contractor/developer Framework or by way of an OJEU advertisement, or by the use of a design, build and operate contract; and

(x)        that officers undertake public consultation on all four options for the sports centre.

The report from the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects referred to the need to bring Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre and associated buildings up to a reasonable standard and which would require significant investment funds for which were not currently available.  It advised that the council has been in discussion with the owners of the adjoining Unisys site (General Mediterranean Holdings-GMH) and it was proposed to sell part of the Bridge Park site to GMH to fund the design and build of a completely new sports centre paid for out of the proceeds of residential and commercial development on the Unisys and on the Bridge Park sites.  The report looked at a range of other development options and uses for the Bridge Park site and recommended that the council entered into an agreement with GMH to redevelop the Bridge Park site.

Councillor Crane (Lead Member, Regeneration and Major Projects) advised that the council would have full control over the design and build of the sports centre, that options for the existing occupiers were being considered and also drew members’ attention to the land sale agreement. Under the proposed arrangements the current sports centre would be able to remain open until the new facility was operational. Councillor Crane assured that the council would be consulting widely with residents, businesses and development partners. He commended the recommendations to the Executive.

Members welcomed the re-development proposals, particularly the opportunity to regenerate the Unisys site which was long awaited and also the extensive consultation that would take place. Members heard that the sports centre would be council run, open to the local community and that the previous covenant that had placed restrictions on the use of the site had been removed. Members drew attention to the nursery and church group currently operating from the site, the need for them to be involved in consultation at an early stage and for the nursery to be actively supported in their relocation. The Director of Regeneration and Major Projects advised that in terms of timescales, public consultation was planned to be completed by the end of July/August followed by dialogue with the parties involved and consideration of the finances involved. He assured that all interested parties would be consulted.

The Executive had before them an appendix to the report which was not for publication as it contained the following category of exempt information specified under Schedule 12A(3) of the Local Government Act 1972:

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED:

(i)         that the council pursue the option of GMH (and its subsidiary company) developing the Unisys and Bridge Park sites for residential and commercial development to fund a new Bridge Park sports centre;

(ii)        that agreement be given to the draft Heads of Terms as set out in appendix 3 of the report from the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects to form the basis of the detailed sale agreement between the council and GMH and instruct the Director of Regeneration to complete terms for a land sale between GMH, its subsidiary company and the council as set out in Appendix 3 subject to suitable parent company guarantees to the satisfaction of the council;

(iii)       that agreement be given to the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire the freehold interest and other relevant legal interests of the Car Breakers site which for identification purposes is shown edged on the plan attached to this report at Appendix 1(a) (“the CPO Land”) under Section 226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, to facilitate the carrying out of the redevelopment scheme (“the Scheme”) and any new rights in the CPO Land which may be required under section 13 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976;

(iv)       that approval be given to the submission of the CPO, once made, to the Secretary of State for confirmation, whilst the Council at the same time seek to acquire the land by private negotiated treaty, funded through funding from GMH under a separate agreement with the council;

(v)        that agreement be given to the making of one or more general vesting declaration(s) or service of Notice to Treat and Notice of Entry (as appropriate) pursuant to the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981 and the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 respectively, should the CPO be confirmed, if determined by the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects on the advice of the Director of Legal and Procurement Services, as necessary in order to implement the CPO;

(vi)       that authority be delegated to the Director of Regeneration and Major Projects to undertake the following:

(1)       Enter into agreements and make undertakings on behalf of the Council with the holders of interests in the CPO Land or parties otherwise affected by the Scheme setting out the terms for the withdrawal of their objections to the confirmation of the CPO, where such agreements are appropriate;

(2)       Service of all requisite notices on the holders of the CPO Land including rights in the CPO Land relating to the making and confirmation of the CPO;

(3)       Remove from the CPO any plot (or interest therein) no longer required to be acquired compulsorily for the Scheme to proceed and to amend the interests scheduled in the CPO (if so advised);

(4)       To acquire land and/or new rights by agreement either in advance of the confirmation of compulsory purchase powers, if so advised, or following the confirmation of compulsory powers by the Secretary of State;

(5)       To seek to acquire for the Council by agreement any interest in land wholly or partly within the limits of the CPO Land for which a blight notice has been validly served;

(vii)      that public consultation on the development proposals be undertaken with local residents, interest groups, users and tenants;

(viii)     that an architectural practice be procured to design the new sports and community centre and submit plans with Unisys;

(ix)       that approval be given to the procurement of a design and build contractor to build the new sports centre through an appropriate contractor/developer Framework or by way of an OJEU advertisement, or by the use of a design, build and operate contract;

(x)        that officers undertake public consultation on all four options for the sports centre.