Issue - meetings

The Corporate Director of Economy & Place and Director of Corporate & Customer Services to present a report which seeks Executive approval for the proposed Heads of Terms for a formal agreement between members of the York Central Partnership and for funding to undertake pre-construction site preparations.      

Resolved:  (i)      That the Heads of Terms for the York Central Partnership (YCP) legal agreement be approved and that authority be delegated to the Director of Economy & Place and the Director of Corporate & Customer Services to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the legal agreement.

                   (ii)      That £1.2m of the £155m York Central capital budget, to be funded initially from City of York Council’s capital budget, be committed to undertake pre-construction site preparations, including telecommunications mast and rail line relocation and site segregation from the operational railway and bridge agreements with Network Rail, as set out in paragraph 40 of the report.

                   (iii)     That a further £5m of the £155m York Central capital budget, to be funded from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, be committed, subject to planning and external awards, to commence the enabling works, including site clearance, utility diversions and Millennium Green preparation, as set out in paragraphs 42-43.

                   (iv)    That it be acknowledged that a further report will be brought back to Executive to agree the submission of the reserved matters planning application and to commit the capital budget for delivery of the Phase 1 infrastructure, including:

·        bridge access onto the site

·        a new spine road

·        drainage

·        construction of an additional pedestrian and cycle deck onto Severus Bridge

·        construction of a new rail connection between the NRM and the East Coast Main Line

subject to the award of outline planning permission for the scheme and the final agreement of the external grant funding from both the West Yorkshire Transport Fund and the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Reason:     To ensure the delivery of York Central and to provide funding for enabling infrastructure, including a new access route to York Central, within the timescale of available grant funding.

(v)     That a further report be received, setting out proposals for economic development on York Central.

(vi)    That a business case be prepared for the council to acquire affordable housing on the York Central site as part of the first phase of residential development.

(vii)    That proposals be developed for the next phase of community engagement and a report be brought to Executive to seek financial support for community groups to develop capacity to engage effectively with YCP, with a view to active engagement to deliver social and economic benefits.

Reason:     To ensure that the social, environmental and economic benefits of York Central are delivered and are strongly influenced by community engagement.

The Director of Economy & Place and the Assistant Director of Regeneration and Asset Managementpresented a report which sought approval for the Heads of Terms of a formal agreement between members of the York Central Partnership (YCP), to be developed into a legal contract before construction of the infrastructure began.  It also requested the allocation of funding to begin site preparation works, outlined early work to ensure that York Central delivered significant social and environmental benefits, and proposed a revised approach to community engagement.

The draft Heads of Terms, at Annex 2 to the report, had been worked up from the Memorandum of Understanding agreed by the YCP partners in June 2018.  They outlined how the partnership would operate as the project moved into the delivery phase, including governance arrangements, financial and land contributions and returns, and arrangements for monitoring quality and delivery in the long term.

In December 2018, Council had established a budget of £155m for core infrastructure to allow development to proceed.  To ensure funding deadlines were met, approval was now sought to release £1.25m of the York Central budget to fund the early site preparations works listed in paragraph 40 of the report and a further £5m for the enabling works in paragraph 43, the latter being subject to planning and funding decisions.  Work on securing the social and economic benefits of York Central, including housing, active public spaces and support for economic development, was set out in paragraphs 45-67.  With regard to community engagement, developments were under way to encourage more active and open participation than the current Community Forum, as outlined in paragraphs 69-79.

In response to Members’ questions and comments made under Public Participation, officers confirmed that the agreement represented a fair and equitable sharing of risks and rewards between the partners.  The council would continue to play a significant role in the direction of the project, as both the Highways and the Planning authority and with the Leader and Deputy Leader sitting on the Strategic Board and officers on the Delivery Co-ordination Board. 

Resolved:  (i)      That the Heads of Terms for the York Central Partnership (YCP) legal agreement be approved and that authority be delegated to the Director of Economy & Place and the Director of Corporate & Customer Services to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the legal agreement.

                   (ii)      That £1.2m of the £155m York Central capital budget, to be funded initially from City of York Council’s capital budget, be committed to undertake pre-construction site preparations, including telecommunications mast and rail line relocation and site segregation from the operational railway and bridge agreements with Network Rail, as set out in paragraph 40 of the report.

                   (iii)     That a further £5m of the £155m York Central capital budget, to be funded from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, be committed, subject to planning and external awards, to commence the enabling works, including site clearance, utility diversions and Millennium Green preparation, as set out in paragraphs 42-43.

                   (iv)    That it be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92