Issue - meetings

This report provides a further update on the position with regard to the Barbican Auditorium following the Council’s termination of the conditional development agreement with Absolute Leisure and seeks the views of the Executive on the next steps.

Note: a revised version of the above report, correcting some errors in the original version, was published with this agenda on 25/2/09.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report be noted, that the further work to be undertaken Officers be approved and that a further report be requested for April 2009, this report to provide feedback from both commissioned pieces of work and, as a result, clearer recommendations for the Executive on interim and long term options for the Auditorium site.

                        (ii)        That Option B be endorsed as the preferred model for any interim use.

REASON:      To enable future plans for the Barbican Auditorium to be developed and progressed.

                        (iii)       That Officers be requested to ensure that the exterior of the Barbican is maintained in line with ‘York Pride’ standards and that a professional programme of passive and proactive communications with residents, about the building, its future and alternative leisure opportunities available in the City, is implemented immediately.

REASON:      In order to improve the external appearance of the building pending future developments and to ensure that residents are kept informed.

Members considered a report which provided a further update on the position of the Barbican Auditorium, following termination of the conditional development agreement with Absolute Leisure, and sought advice on the next steps.  A revised version of this report, correcting some errors in the original version, had been circulated, and published with the agenda on the Council’s website, on 25 February 2009. 

The report outlined progress made since the first update report to the Executive, on 20 January 2009.  After an initial analysis of the physical condition of the site, a specialist local partner, LHL, had been commissioned to undertake a full condition survey, focusing on the needs of the building for the next five years and also looking forward to a thirty year time-frame.  On 2 February, Drivers Jonas had been appointed as entertainments specialists to provide advice on the future use of the auditorium.  Reports from both LHL and Drivers Jonas were expected by the end of March 2009.

Interim use of the building would be dependent upon the findings of the specialists’ reports, but based upon current analysis there were two potential ways forward, on which Members were invited to comment, namely:

Option A – the Council operating the Auditorium or

Option B – a partner operating the Auditorium.

At this stage, Officers considered that Option B had the greatest potential for success in bring in acts and / or events that would add to residents’ leisure and entertainment choices and contribute to ongoing running costs. 

Costs implications of the work to date and the proposed interim use were set out in paragraphs 23 to 25 of the report.  Minimum annual costs for rates, security and insurance had been built into the 2009/10 budget proposals.  Consultancy costs would be funded through virements from surpluses within corporate treasury management budgets in 2008/09.  Additional funding of up to £70k might be required for interim use options.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item and the comments made under Public Participation, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report be noted, that the further work to be undertaken Officers be approved and that a further report be requested for April 2009, this report to provide feedback from both commissioned pieces of work and, as a result, clearer recommendations for the Executive on interim and long term options for the Auditorium site.¹

                        (ii)        That Option B be endorsed as the preferred model for any interim use.

REASON:      To enable future plans for the Barbican Auditorium to be developed and progressed.

                        (iii)       That Officers be requested to ensure that the exterior of the Barbican is maintained in line with ‘York Pride’ standards and that a professional programme of passive and proactive communications with residents, about the building, its future and alternative leisure opportunities available in the City, is implemented immediately.²

REASON:      In order to improve the external appearance of the building pending future developments and to ensure that residents are kept informed.