Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Councillors Asvachin and Begley declared an interest in this item they are both trustees of the Wonford Community Hub. Both Councillors left the room and did not return for the remainder of the meeting.

The Leader moved, and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations.

The Strategic Director for Place presented the report, making the following points:

·        the project had been paused due to insufficient funding previously;

·        Sport England had had a major contribution in the design process;

·        a variety of options have been looked at, and all costed between four and seven million pounds;

·        only two of the proposed options were considered supportable by Sport England;

·        the proposed design was not too different from previously granted planning permission;

·        pictures created with CGI showed the outlook through the development onto Ludwell Valley Park;

·        no new planning permission was required, but amendments to the existing planning permission would be needed;

·        the business case could not be completed without the design being confirmed;

·        to receive the funding agreement, Exeter City Council needed to match funding provided and deliver the project by Summer 2028;

·        this was a critical project, and is eligible for CIL funding;

·        after four years, the income generation would break even, which would be helped by not using capital borrowing;

·        the process could not be started until funding was secured,;

·        they would be looking for opportunities to limit carbon emissions;

·        the gateway to Ludwell Valley Park was a key part of the design; and

·        there was potential for broader community use, which could help to improve health outcomes.

In response to questions from Members, the Strategic Director for Place provided the following responses:

·        there would be minor amendments to the planning permission which would be delegated to officers;

·        the recommendation for this report had not changed following the funding announcement last week;

·        he would be meeting with the Place Partnership (Sport England) Manager to finalise decisions;

·        transport for the site would be dealt with through the planning process;

·        the application to amend the planning permission had yet to be submitted but there had been lots of engagement with the planning team;

·        s106 funding was included in the overall funding  of the scheme;

·        in order to complete the project, part of the building needed to be demolished so the lease needed to be ended;

·        a business plan would include the leisure services, and community element;

·        conversations would be had with the community to establish how this would work for them;

·        the tender process and costs would be dealt with as part of the next stage of the project;

·        5% contingency was the industry norm and the risk would be managed through the design process;

·        a risk remained in the procurement process but ultimately costs could be revised if necessary;

·        Devon County Council would be involved in the conversation about the lease;

·        Exeter City Council offered a subsidised leisure service to try and ensure that leisure was accessible; and

·        there were not a large number of external sources for funding, but there was still  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19