Agenda item

(The Leader of the Council) To consider the attached report (C-066-2009/10).

(1)        That the relocation of the Grounds Maintenance section, Vehicle Workshop MoT and Servicing Bays and the Waste Management Team to an alternative site on the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate be agreed in principle;

(2)        That a detailed report on the construction and relocation costs arising from the decision in (1) above be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet before a final decision be made;

(3)        That the relocation of the Refuse and Street Cleansing Contractor from the Langston Road Depot be timed to coincide with the renewal of the current contract in 2012 or 2014;

(4)        That the request by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) for a six months extension of their existing lease at the Langston Road Depot from April to September 2011 be refused, and steps taken to terminate the lease in April 2011;

(5)        That a District Development Fund supplementary estimate for 2009/10 in the sum of £15,000 be recommended to the Council for approval in order to procure specialist external advice on the development potential of key sites within the District; and

(6)        That an existing sum of £10,000 currently allocated for consultancy fees in connection with Council Car Parks be reallocated for use in 2009/10 in connection with the key sites work arising from the decision in (5) above.

The Leader of the Council presented a report concerning the future development of Langston Road and other key sites within the District owned by the Council.

The Leader outlined a strategy for the relocation of Council services away from the Langston Road depot. This would include the relocation of the Waste Management service provider when the current contract expired in either 2012 or 2014, and there were implications for the current external tenants, including the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS). The aim of the strategy was to solve short term operational problems and to achieve the medium to long term strategic objective of either selling the site or, as an alternative, redeveloping the site to achieve new streams of revenue income. The Cabinet was also asked to reallocate some existing District Development Funding in 2009/10 and further supplementary funding to conduct initial feasibility studies and associated work in respect of a number of key sites within the District that might be suitable for development. However, it was emphasised that no decision had yet been made about the possible sale of land at North Weald Airfield to the County Council for a depot.

The Portfolio Holder for Legal & Estates added that the key sites listed within the report were simply being put forward for consideration for possible development by the Asset Management Coordination Group, which itself was not a decision-making body. The intention was to conduct feasibility studies for all the listed key sites at this stage. The Portfolio Holder stated that, as the WRVS was not co-operating with the Council over vehicle parking conditions at the Langston Road site and had ignored similar conditions imposed by the Council as part of its lease in the past, it would be preferable if the current lease was not renewed when it expired in April 2011 and that the request for a six-month extension should also be declined. A proposal to that effect was put to the Cabinet and agreed. The Portfolio Holder emphasised that the current lease did not expire for 14 months and that this would be ample time for the WRVS to find new premises.

Decision:

(1)        That the relocation of the Grounds Maintenance section, Vehicle Workshop MoT and Servicing Bays and the Waste Management Team to an alternative site on the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate be agreed in principle;

(2)        That a detailed report on the construction and relocation costs arising from the decision in (1) above be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet before a final decision be made;

(3)        That the relocation of the Refuse and Street Cleansing Contractor from the Langston Road Depot be timed to coincide with the renewal of the current contract in 2012 or 2014;

(4)        That the request by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) for a six months extension of their existing lease at the Langston Road Depot from April to September 2011 be refused, and steps taken to terminate the lease in April 2011;

(5)        That a District Development Fund supplementary estimate for 2009/10 in the sum of £15,000 be recommended to the Council for approval in order to procure specialist external advice on the development potential of key sites within the District; and

(6)        That an existing sum of £10,000 currently allocated for consultancy fees in connection with Council Car Parks be reallocated for use in 2009/10 in connection with the key sites work arising from the decision in (5) above.

Reasons for Decision:

To mitigate outstanding health and safety issues in relation to overcrowding at the depot in Langston Road.

To make progress in achieving the Council’s objective of vacating and selling the site or as an alternative redeveloping the site to achieve increased revenue income.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To do nothing, however this was not a viable option for reasons of health and safety associated with the daily operations at the Depot and also complying with the Council’s policy to dispose of the site.

To relocate the Council’s services to another site(s) elsewhere in the District, however there were no sites within the Council’s ownership that would meet the operational requirements or would be suitable for the relocation of these services.

To accept the request from the WRVS for a six-month extension to their current lease in April 2011, however this would ensure a continuation of the current problems regarding vehicle parking at the Depot in Langston Road.