Issue - meetings

David Mathews to present the report.

DECISION

1.    To agree to the change request to split the delivery of the Former North Wales Hospital project into two phases with Denbighshire County Council acting as the Project Sponsor for Phase 1 Essential Demolition and Remediation Works and Ecological Mitigation Measures and Jones Bros remaining as the Project Sponsor for Phase 2. (The remaining demolition and remediation works, construction of commercial units and conversion of the
Main Range Listed Building into apartments and enabling the development of 300 homes).

2.    To agree the release of an initial £2m in funding for Phase 1 to Denbighshire County Council with the option of providing a further £1m delegated to the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Chair, Vice-Chair, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer having regard in particular to the matters in Section 4.3 of the report.

3.    To note that the completion of Phase 1 will enable the project to have full visibility of costs associated with Phase 2 and that this could result in a request for further funding but this would be subject to a separate decision in the future if required.

4.    To authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Chair, Vice Chair, Section 151 and Monitoring Officer to agree and enter into a funding agreement with Denbighshire County Council for Phase 1 subject to completion of the Subsidy Control assessment.

The report was presented by David Matthews, Land and Property Programme Manager.

RESOLVED

1.     To agree to the change request to split the delivery of the Former North Wales Hospital project into two phases with Denbighshire County Council acting as the Project Sponsor for Phase 1 Essential Demolition and Remediation Works and Ecological Mitigation Measures and Jones Bros remaining as the Project Sponsor for Phase 2. (The remaining demolition and remediation works, construction of commercial units and conversion of the Main Range Listed Building into apartments and enabling the development of 300 homes).

2.     To agree the release of an initial £2m in funding for Phase 1 to Denbighshire County Council with the option of providing a further £1m delegated to the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Chair, Vice-Chair, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer having regard in particular to the matters in Section 4.3 of the report.

3.     To note that the completion of Phase 1 will enable the project to have full visibility of costs associated with Phase 2 and that this could result in a request for further funding but this would be subject to a separate decision in the future if required.

4.     To authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Chair, Vice Chair, Section 151 and Monitoring Officer to agree and enter into a funding agreement with Denbighshire County Council for Phase 1 subject to completion of the Subsidy Control assessment.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

1.     There was a need to progress Phase 1 works imminently in order to provide cost certainty on Phase 2 and to address urgent health and safety matters on site as a result of the deteriorating state of the buildings that needed to be demolished anyway regardless of health and safety matters.

2.     By bringing the demolition of these buildings forward, safe access could be achieved to the Main Range Listed Building (MRLB) allowing: 

i. them to be inspected to obtain up-to-date assessments of conversion costs, viability of the overall project etc. 

ii. Any urgent works can be carried out to the MRLB to limit any further deterioration in its structural integrity

iii. momentum/confidence to be built in the project in terms of the other milestones that needed to be achieved.

3.     All parties have agreed that the clearance of the buildings to be demolished should be the priority. Whilst these works were ongoing, negotiations regarding the content of the S106 relating to giving planning permission would continue.

DISCUSSION

The Report was discussed.