Agenda item

This report provides an update on progress made on this project since the withdrawal of the planning application, outlines the process to be adopted to review the Council’s options and to select an appropriate way forward and asks Members to give a steer as to which options should form the basis of a more detailed appraisal.

RESOLVED: (i) That the contents of the report be noted.

(ii) That it be noted that the following high-level approaches are the options available to the Council:

a) a single site in the city centre (within the inner ring road);

b) a single site on the edge of the city centre;

c) a split site in the city centre;

d) a split site combination of city centre and edge of city centre (e.g. Monk’s Cross).

(iii) That the content of the high level appraisal at Annex F to the report be noted.

(iv) That the following detailed appraisal criteria, as outlined in paragraphs 32 and 33 of the report, prioritising and / or weighting as appropriate, be used in evaluating the short-listed sites identified in Annex F:

a) availability;

b) deliverability;

c) accessibility and suitability (to include sustainability);

d) finance;

e) risk;

f) qualitative assessment.

(v) That the proposal to set up a ‘Design Consultation Group’, and the use of experts and public exhibitions, be approved in principle.

(vi) That a clear communications strategy be developed to inform the public of the sequence of decisions and the work that is being undertaken to develop a solution.

(vii) That Officers be requested to provide to Members updates of the financial appraisal of the options referred to in Resolution (ii) above.

REASON: In order to progress this project and ensure that the best result is achieved on behalf of the City, taking account of the need to keep within existing budgets and to ensure objective assessment of, and proper consultation on, the available options.

Members considered a report which provided an update on progress made on the Council Headquarters project since withdrawal of the Hungate planning application and outlined the process to be adopted to review the Council’s options and select an appropriate way forward.

The report re-iterated the benefits of the project, which remained unchanged, and the response from English Heritage that had led to the withdrawal of the planning application on 11 July 2008. A review had since been undertaken of the leadership and project management process and of the roles taken within the Council and by partners. This had enabled the Council to consider lessons learnt and to prepare future strategies. It was now proposed to consider setting up a ‘design consultation forum’ and to undertake further work on a communications and engagement strategy for the ‘external audience’.

The Project Team had undertaken a high level analysis of a long list of available sites, which had highlighted four site options with the potential to meet most of the Council’s needs. Details of the evaluation were attached as Annex F to the report. Members were now asked to confirm or otherwise comment on this initial evaluation and to provide a steer on the prioritising and / or weighting of the detailed appraisal criteria set out in paragraphs 32 and 33 of the report, in order to develop some scheme solutions.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was