Issue - items at meetings - Future Libraries Investment Programme

The Assistant Director, Customer & Communities to present a report which provides an update on the Future Libraries Investment Programme and asks Executive to approve the new budget for the Programme, along with a number of property disposals, leases and other matters related to the Programme.

Resolved:

In relation to Project Finances (as detailed in Table 1)

(i) That the Chief Operating Officer (COO) be recommended to approve the new overall Programme Capital Budget of £7.701m, including:

· Additional borrowing of £1m to fund the Programme, subject to approval by Budget Council in February 2022.

· Allocation of £0.3m from the council’s Climate Change budget to the new overall Programme Capital Budget.

· Allocation of £0.8m from the Education (Basic Needs and SEND programmes) to the new overall Programme Capital Budget.

· The ring fencing an re-investment in the new overall Programme Capital Budget of all future land sale income from the disposal of the existing Clifton Library site and housing land disposal as part of the CWJS site, assumed at the date of this report to be £400k for the existing Clifton Library site and £375k for the CWJS development housing land disposal.

In relation to Property Matters

(ii) That the COO be recommended to approve the open market disposal (by freehold sale or long lease) of the existing Clifton Library site, as shown edged red on the plan at Annex E. Such land not be disposed of until the CWJS development is complete.

(iii) That the COO be recommended to approve, with effect from 1 August 2022, the appropriation of the former Clifton Without Junior School (CWJS) site, as shown red on the plan at Annex G, from being held for the purpose of school / education, to:

· Library and ancillary social / community purposes in respect of that part of the site shown edged in green on Annex G;

· Housing purposes in respect of that part of the site shown edged in blue on Annex G.

(the 8 year restriction period imposed by Paragraphs 4 and 6 of Schedule 1 of the Academies Act 2010 (“AA 2010”) requiring that the consent of the Secretary of State for Education is obtained for the disposal or appropriation/change in use of land which was used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a school/academy will expire by the end of July 2022 as any use for education purposes (non-sport/non playing-field use) ceased by 18 July 2014 according to confirmation received from Hope Sentamu Learning Trust).

(iv) That the COO be recommended to approve the principle of disposal (by freehold sale or long lease) of that part of the former CWJS site shown edged in red on the boundary plan at Annex I for the purpose of affordable housing provision, including negotiation of the terms of and entering into any legal documentation including the requirements set out in paragraph 36 of the report, which shall be amended to read as follows:

· The purchaser of the site will be required to adhere to all statutory permissions governing the development of the site, including planning considerations such as ecology (which shall include an objective to retain the majority of the Fairway hedgerow), Tree Protection Orders, landscaping, all other ecology issues and character of the scheme.

(v) That the COO be recommended to approve ... view the full decision text for item 85

The Strategic Services Manager presented a report which provided an update on the Future Libraries Investment Programme and asked Executive to approve the new budget for the Programme, along with a number of property disposals, leases and other matters related to the Programme.

In April 2019, Explore had been awarded a new 15 year contract to operate the council’s library estate. Since the last report to Executive on 26 October 2019 (Minute 56 of that meeting refers):

· Haxby & Wigginton (H&W) Library had come within the scope of the Programme;

· the Clifton Without Junior School (CWJS) site had been selected for a new Clifton Library Learning Centre;

· Feasibility studies had been completed for H&W and Clifton Library sites in respect of development size and costs;

· An Explore revenue business model had been completed;

· Public consultations on H&W and Clifton Libraries had begun.

The Programme was now ready to move forward to the construction delivery phases for H&W and Clifton Libraries, and to public consultation on Acomb Library. Full details were set out in the report and its annexes.

In commending the proposals to Members, the Executive Member for Culture, Leisure & Communities responded to the comments made under Public Participation on this item and the written submissions, and proposed an amendment to the recommendations to address the issues raised regarding the hedgerow on the former CWJS site.