Issue - meetings

This reports presents the Executive with the findings of the feasibility work for a community stadium.

Note: An additional annex to the above report, Annex 15, was published on-line with this agenda on 5 July 2010.

RESOLVED: (i)         That, having considered the options and findings of the Business Case prepared by Officers and noted the site preferred by the Council’s partner organisations, the view that Monks Cross be developed as the location for the new City of York Community Stadium and that new athletics facilities be provided at the City of York Sports Village on Hull Road be endorsed.

REASON:      In accordance with the evidence presented in the Business Case.

                        (ii)        That the Director of City Strategy be asked to develop a procurement strategy that will enable the delivery of the community stadium and its component uses on a prioritised basis, to ensure the delivery of the highest quality and most commercially sustainable development with the greatest community benefit, which can be delivered with the most cost-effective use of resources and in the shortest time frame.

REASON:      To ensure the delivery of a high quality facility and the most efficient use of resources.

[See also under Part B minutes]

Members considered a report which presented a summary of the business case for a community stadium.  Further information was provided in the annexes to the report, which drew on more detailed feasibility work and studies that had been commissioned.  An additional annex (Annex 15), setting out Officers’ responses to questions raised by Council Members and responses received to on-line public consultation, had been published on the Council’s website and was circulated at the meeting.

The report illustrated that there was a cost effective, commercially sustainable business case for the development of a community stadium in York which would meet the project objectives whilst maximising the potential for external funding, income generation and community benefits.  However, delivery of the project was entirely dependent upon the ability to close a funding gap of between £4m and £15m, principally by means of enabling development.  Options for closing the funding gap, were examined in paragraphs 76 to 105 of the report.

As a minimum, the project could deliver a stadium and county standard athletics facilities.  There was a strong case for the inclusion of additional components to ensure social and economic benefits.  The facilities considered had been determined as either ‘essential’ or ‘desirable’ and the following two facility mixes had been established, with the potential to include the additional options of flexible office space, commercial health & fitness and a cycle track:

Facility Mix A – 6,000 all-seat stadium, athletics off site

Facility Mix B – as above, plus 3G pitches and a budget hotel.

A site selection exercise had identified the following site options for the stadium, as detailed in paragraphs 67 to 74 of the report and in annexes 1-5:

Site 1 – Bootham Crescent / Dunscombe Barracks

Site 2 – Hull Road / Heslington East

Site 3 – Mille Crux / Nestlé North

Site 4 – Monks Cross

Having noted the comments of the Labour Group Spokespersons on this item and the additional information provided in Annex 15, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That, having considered the options and findings of the Business Case prepared by Officers and noted the site preferred by the Council’s partner organisations, the view that Monks Cross be developed as the location for the new City of York Community Stadium and that new athletics facilities be provided at the City of York Sports Village on Hull Road be endorsed. ¹

REASON:      In accordance with the evidence presented in the Business Case.

                        (ii)        That the Director of City Strategy be asked to develop a procurement strategy that will enable the delivery of the community stadium and its component uses on a prioritised basis, to ensure the delivery of the highest quality and most commercially sustainable development with the greatest community benefit, which can be delivered with the most cost-effective use of resources and in the shortest time frame. ²

REASON:      To ensure the delivery of a high quality facility and the most efficient use of resources.