Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED – that the minutes of the last meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 15 June 2017, be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chair.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED – that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the disclosure of exempt information as defined by Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act.

To consider the enclosed report of the Director of Business, Development and Growth.

Members considered a report of the Director of Business, Development and Growth seeking authority to urgent commissioning works for the Market Walk site in order to meet the programme for the delivery of the scheme and handover to prospective tenants.

The report was presented by Chris Moister, Head of Legal, Democratic and HR Services who outlined the decisions made at Council in July to go ahead with the Market Walk extension and progress towards achieving final agreement with the key retailer in the development.

In order to meet their contractual requirements for completion of the scheme, there was a need to commission urgent works to service the site with new water and gas supplies; to order the materials for site hoardings; and associated consultancy fees. Whilst the cost of these at a total of £100,000 had been included in the overall development scheme, they were outside the Pre Contract Services Agreement. The work needed to be brought forward before final agreements were in place with tenants and Members were therefore being advised of the risks involved, as these costs would be incurred, even if the development didn’t go ahead. There was an added value to the site being serviced, but not necessarily an increase in the monetary value of the site.

In debating the report, Members raised questions around the timescales in signing up key tenants, interest from other retailers, the wish to avoid more discount retailers in the town and whether this would lead to more vacant shops. However the town was keen to attract the right retail offer; there had been a long term wish to attract this particular retailer and a recent meeting of the Town Centre team had heard that the town was bucking national trends. There was a great deal of confidence in the future of the town and its growing population. The Council should therefore demonstrate its commitment to the scheme and progress with the development.

RESOLVED - that the Council authorises the immediate commissioning of the provision of new water and gas supplies to the development site; and to the ordering of site hoardings, on the basis set out in the report.