Agenda item - Major Projects (Station Gateway and York Outer Ring Road Business Case)

To receive a report from the Director of City Development providing an update on the design, delivery and current progress of York Station Gateway and York Outer Ring Road, including their funding status.

Resolved –

That Executive:

a) Notes the status and funding position of the YSG and YORR programmes.

b) Approves the continuation and completion of the YSG scheme – (YSG Option 3), including the allocation of an additional sum of £18.5million, to be funded through a reprioritisation of a combination of external grants and contributions from the rail industry.

c) Approves the review and renegotiation of any existing grant funding arrangements in relation to the YSG and YORR schemes and delegates authority to the Director of City Development, in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, to conduct that review and renegotiation and to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the resulting agreements.

d) Approves £2.8m of CYC BSIP1 funding to be allocated to the YSG scheme and delegates authority to the Director of City Development, in consultation with the Executive Member, Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, to take such steps as are necessary to enter into any resulting agreements.

e) Approves the procurement of contractors and specialist support services to enable timely completion of the YSG project and delegates authority to the Director of City Development, in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, to procure such contractors and/or consultants and to take such steps as are necessary to award and enter into the resulting contracts (including any and all planning agreements and/or highways/land agreements as required; however for the sake of clarity this delegation is not for any requirements of either the Local Planning and/or Highways Authority). The delegations given in this recommendation must be exercised within the budgets approved within this report.

f) Approves the proposed phased approach to delivering the YORR scheme – (YORR Option 3), prioritising infrastructure that unlocks housing and underpins the Local Plan objectives.

g) Approves the procurement of contractors and specialist support services to enable timely delivery of future phases of the YORR programme and delegate authority to the Director of City Development, in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, to procure such contractors and/or consultants and to take such steps as are necessary to award and enter into the resulting contracts (including any and all planning agreements and/or highways / land agreements as required; however for the sake of clarity this delegation is not for any requirements of either the Local Planning and/or Highways Authority). The delegations given in this recommendation must be exercised within the budgets approved within this report.

h) Approves the application for and acceptance of funding bids necessary to deliver the YSG and YORR schemes and delegate authority to the Director of City Development, in consultation with the Executive Member, Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, to apply for and accept such funding bids, and to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the resulting agreements and any subsequent modifications and/or extensions thereto.

i) Notes the financial and delivery risks associated with both schemes and the mitigation measures proposed.

j) Notes the lessons learned to date and instruct officers to carry out a formal lesson learned process post completion of YSG Phase 2 and YORR Phase 1.

Reasons:

The agreement of the above recommendations will enable the following outcomes:

a) The completion of key strategic transport and regeneration infrastructure projects that are central to the delivery of the Council Plan 2023–27, the Local Plan, and ‘Our City Centre’ vision.

b) To secure the regeneration benefits of YSG, including improved active travel links, a transformed public realm, more efficient public transport to and from York Station.

c) To unlock the delivery of over 3,557 homes (based on local plan allocations) and critical infrastructure through a phased YORR programme, while managing financial risk and maintaining delivery momentum.

d) To ensure appropriate governance and delegation for the pursuit of funding opportunities that will enable both schemes to be delivered within an affordable and sustainable framework.

e) To ensure that we have the correct skills and resources to deliver world class regeneration outcomes as befits a globally renowned city.

The Director of City Development submitted a report which provided an update on the design, delivery and current progress of York Station Gateway and York Outer Ring Road, which included funding status.

The following information was appended to the report:

- Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA);

- Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA); and

- Detailed Package Details.

The following officers attended the meeting and responded to members’ questions and comments:

- Garry Taylor, Director of City Development; and

- Patricia Salami, Head of Regeneration.

The main areas of discussion were:

· The Executive Member referred to comments made in relation to the item on public participation and at a recent Scrutiny Committee meeting. A response was to be provided by officers, particularly addressing technical aspects that had been raised. In relation to Station Gateway, this was considered an extremely important project which would deliver significant improvements. It was acknowledged that it had been a complex and challenging project. Governance arrangements had been strengthened with increased reporting to overcome potential barriers and ensure greater transparency.

· One member highlighted the important role of scrutiny in addressing key areas of concern and the need to establish a suitable timeframe for scrutiny to report back its concerns.

· In response to a query, confirmation of the funding arrangements was provided by the Director of City Development in relation to the York Outer Ring Road. It was advised that verbal confirmation had been received from the Department for Transport that the grant allocation as detailed in the report was £25m.

Resolved (unanimously) –