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Agenda item
Limes Farm Estate - Tender Report Update
Housing & Community – Cllr. H Whitbread (C-006-2022-23) - To agree to appoint Equans Regeneration Ltd.
Decision:
(1) That the Cabinet agreed to appoint Equans Regeneration Ltd;
(2) That the Cabinet noted the SWOT analysis, in particular, the risk to both EDFC and Leaseholders in delaying the project; and
(3) That the Cabinet noted the contribution EFDC is making to leaseholder costs (funding the replacement of front doors).
Minutes:
The Housing and Community Portfolio Holder reported on the tender update and of the need to undertake a major works project at the Limes Avenue and Copperfield estates in Chigwell through the Council’s planned preventative maintenance strategy. The report set out the £6.5 million investment, which was for a mixture of different works, and the financial support for leaseholders. Residents had also had a significant input into the works at the estate and the opportunity to enhance the outdoor areas to help reduce anti-social behaviour and increase the positive mental health of individuals.
The Finance Portfolio Holder asked if this was a fixed price contract and if the contractor was confident on fulfilling the contract at the agreed price. The HRA Project Director, D Fenton, replied this was a fixed priced contract and the contractor had confirmed being able to complete the contract within the contract price. The cost of the contract in the current market was good value.
Councillor S Murray wanted assurance there was no mechanism in the contract for the prices to be revisited by the contractor. The HRA Project Director replied, there was an urgency to agree this decision at this meeting, as this would meet the timeframe for the cost of the contract to stay the same and for the contractor to complete the works.
Councillor S Murray remarked that he would have preferred more details about the residents’ input. The Housing and Community Portfolio Holder replied there had been extensive engagement with the residents’ association. The Estate and Land Management Team Manager, R Smith, led on the engagement side and was building up residents’ associations across the District on the estates. The HRA Project Director offered to produce a paper for members about how the Council was co-creating schemes with residents.
Councillor D Wixley remarked the Debden Tenants Panel no longer existed, so was there any progress to recreate the panel to represent residents in his Debden ward? The Leader replied that the Cabinet could not comment on individual wards.
The Wellbeing and Community Partnerships Portfolio Holder asked about the large price variances of the tender submissions shown in table 1 of the report but the HRA Project Director replied that was the way the tender process worked.
Decision:
(1) That the Cabinet agreed to appoint Equans Regeneration Ltd;
(2) That the Cabinet noted the SWOT analysis, in particular, the risk to both EDFC and Leaseholders in delaying the project; and
(3) That the Cabinet noted the contribution EFDC was making to leaseholder costs (funding the replacement of front doors).
Reasons for Decision:
The proposed major works formed part of the Council’s planned preventative maintenance strategy and were required to be undertaken to ensure the buildings at Limes Farm estate remained compliant, structurally sound and free from water ingress. Delay to the proposal would lead to further deterioration of the building fabric and would increase the cost of remediation.
By executing all works under one contract the Council could recharge Leaseholders under Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
Other Options for Action:
None.
Supporting documents:
- C-006- Limes Tender Report, item 35. PDF 282 KB
- C-006- appendix risk register 1, item 35. PDF 426 KB
- C-006 - appendix risk register 2, item 35. PDF 446 KB