Cyflwynwyd gan:Cyng / Cllr. Ioan Thomas
Decision:
It was
agreed to:
·
finance
the funding gap for Canolfan Dolfeurig (£600,000)
·
finance
the funding gap for the former Llanrug school house site (£150,000) and recoup
the majority of the initial investment by selling the house and part of the
land for affordable housing to local people and to make improvements to the
primary school
·
that
a further £2m is provided to commence work on constructing industrial units in
the county
·
wait
to see what the outcome of the discussions held with Welsh Government regarding
Barmouth Promenade will be, before considering any further allocations in the
Asset Plan.
Minutes:
The report was submitted by Cllr Ioan Thomas
DECISION
It was agreed to:
·
finance the funding gap for Canolfan Dolfeurig (£600,000)
·
finance the funding gap for the former Llanrug school house site (£150,000) and recoup the majority of the initial investment by selling the house and part
of the land for affordable housing to local people and
to make improvements to the
primary school
·
that a further £2m is provided to commence work on
constructing industrial units in the county
·
wait to see what the outcome
of the discussions held with Welsh Government regarding Barmouth Promenade will be, before considering any further allocations in the Asset Plan.
DISCUSSION
The report was submitted noting that the Full Council had adopted an Asset Plan for a ten year
period back in March 2019. It was highlighted
that the plan anticipated
the resources the Council would have for
the 10 years and prioritised all of the plans proposed by the Departments. It
was emphasised that the
Plan was live and flexible and that
the resources situation had
changed somewhat since the plan had been approved.
It was stated that there
had been an awareness at the time of preparing the Plan that it would be possible that additional schemes could come
forward and it was agreed to reserve £0.5m per year in order to address
the requirements for small schemes mainly.
It was reiterated that substantial schemes needed consideration for 2021/22. Attention was drawn
to Canolfan Dolfeurig in
Dolgellau explaining that when the scheme was initially considered, a request had been made for £1.2m, but after undertaking
further work, costs were nearer
to £1.8m.
The demand for industrial
units across the county in recent
years was highlighted, and although the North Wales Growth Deal ensured
strategic sites, the need for smaller
units to meet local demand was noted. On the basis
that units would cost approximately £200,000 each (excluding land costs), it was asked for the Cabinet's support to add funding in order
to ensure it.
It was originally stated that the Council had anticipated that £1.6m would need to be spent on the restoration
of the promenade in
Barmouth as a result of damage.
Also, as a result of undertaking much more detailed work, it was highlighted that the cost of restoring would likely be between £16m and £22.5m, which meant that the Council would need
to find £3.75m as a contribution
in order to deliver the work.
At its meeting in
October 2017, the Cabinet agreed
to purchase a piece of land near Ysgol Gynradd Llanrug, in case it would
be required for educational purposes in the future. By now, it was noted that only an
element of the land would be required and that it would
be possible to re-claim an element of the cost by selling pieces of the land for affordable
housing but it was highlighted that a likely gap would need to be funded.
Since
the plan had been approved,
it was explained that the Council had received various grants that could be used
rather than using the Asset Plan resources,
and along with a higher than anticipated capital settlement, over £5.5m was available for the Cabinet to consider how they
wished to use it.
Observations
arising from the discussion
¾ Support
was given to Canolfan Dolfeurig
as there was a real need for a new building
and it was an excellent asset for the south of the county.
¾ Support was noted for industrial buildings as specific support was needed for small businesses.
¾ In terms of Barmouth Promenade and after undertaking further work, it was noted that there was a real need to undertake the work to ensure that the Council kept residents safe, but the additional pressures on coastal councils to fund work of this type were highlighted.
Awdur:Dilwyn Williams
Supporting documents: