The Leader and the Portfolio Holder for the Town Centre and Regulatory Services have been invited to discuss this matter following the information received at the previous Board meeting..
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed the Leader of the Council, Councillor M. A. Sherrey, and the Portfolio Holder for the Town Centre and Regulatory Services, Councillor R. L. Dent, to the meeting together with Councillor D. W. P. Booth, as the former Portfolio Holder with responsibility for the town centre. Following the delivery of a detailed presentation by Officers on the subject of the town centre redevelopment process at the previous meeting of the Board the Chairman explained that Members were now invited to consider the contents of the relevant minute from the meeting of the Board on 25th September, which were tabled at the meeting, and to ask the Portfolio Holders a series of questions.
The following points were discussed during the course of a question and answer session:
· After receiving formal notice from Opus that the company would no longer be able to proceed with the scheme Officers had been working through the alternative options for the redevelopment.
· The Council needed to review the options available in the context of the current market.
· Officers had been working with the town centre redevelopment team, the legal team and marketing experts to identify the options for the site. A meeting was due to take place in November to discuss the outcomes of this work.
· The withdrawal of Opus would not place the redevelopment back at the initial stage of the process as the investigative works, particularly in relation to the geography of the site, would be transferable to any scheme.
· Officers were aware that there also remained considerable interest in the site.
· The former Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader and the previous Portfolio Holder responsible for the town centre had been involved in the original negotiations for the site and it was anticipated that this would happen again for the current negotiations.
· Officers would need to report back to Cabinet in due course as the original decision that had been made by Members on the subject related to the development of the scheme by Opus. A special meeting of Cabinet would be called, if necessary, to ensure there were no unnecessary delays.
· Until all of the options had been properly investigated Officers were unable to provide more details for the consideration of the Board as this could potentially undermine the Council’s negotiating position.
· Briefings would be provided to the group leaders in the forthcoming weeks to ensure that Members were as fully briefed as possible on progress with this matter.
· Members discussed the potential to enter into confidential session in order to discuss a number of key issues in further detail but took the decision for the meeting to remain open to the public.
· The Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council had been notified on the same day of the decision by Opus to withdraw from the scheme.
· The strategic plans for the redevelopment remained on track. This phase of the redevelopment process would form one part of a 15 year plan to redevelop the town.
· There was continuing commitment to retaining a cinema in the redevelopment of the town centre if at all possible.
· The deadline for the Recreation Road development was also discussed. Members were advised that the planning application for this development was due to be submitted shortly.
· The development of the Sainsbury’s site was also considered. Members were advised that the supermarket remained committed to the town in the medium-term.
RESOLVED that the content of the discussion be noted.