Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2015/048

Contact: Philippa Patterson, Major Capital Projects Programme Manager Tel: 07891 566051

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA17).

The information contained in the annex is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

3.       Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that where a tender or bidding process is in progress disclosure would distort the proper process of open competition and would prejudice the position of the authority in the process of the transaction and the Council’s standing generally in relation to such transactions in future, to the detriment of the Council’s ability properly to discharge its fiduciary and other duties as a public authority

The Longford Park housing development of 1,070 homes is now being built in Banbury, serve this development a new 1.5 FE primary school, (Admission number 45) is required. In order to ensure that the council has a sufficient supply of school places the new school is required to be complete and ready for use for September 2016.

The school will be built on a site already identified by the county council, using money from the housing developers (Section 106 developer contributions) that has already been negotiated and secured.

Outline Planning consent has been gained for the first phase of this overall development (housing and school) by the developer; associated with which is a S106 agreement securing land and contributions towards various infrastructure, including the proposed primary school.

Funding to construct the primary school has been obtained from a mixture of this S106 developer contributions and funding from Oxfordshire County Council. Design work for this new school project commenced December 2014.

The Scheme has been submitted for detailed planning consent in July 2015 following approval of the Outline Business Case that was granted in June 2015.  The scheme is currently being developed to detailed design to be completed in order to enable construction to start in October 2015, with completion in time to enable pupils to begin school in September 2016.

This report is being submitted for consideration now by the Cabinet in anticipation of an expeditious Final Business Case review and subsequent governance approvals in the third financial quarter 2015, to facilitate mobilisation phases on receipt of the Land transfer agreement expected in July 2015.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)            endorse the progress to date; and

(b)            delegate to the Chief Finance Officer and Director for Environment & Economy in consultation with the Leader the authority to approve the Stage 2 Full Business Case and the award of the construction contract.

Recommendations agreed.

The information contained in the annex is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

3.       Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that where a tender or bidding process is in progress disclosure would distort the proper process of open competition and would prejudice the position of the authority in the process of the transaction and the Council’s standing generally in relation to such transactions in future, to the detriment of the Council’s ability properly to discharge its fiduciary and other duties as a public authority

The Longford Park housing development of 1,070 homes is now being built in Banbury, and to serve this development a new 1.5 FE primary school, (Admission number 45) is required. In order to ensure that the council has a sufficient supply of school places the new school is required to be complete and ready for use for September 2016.

The school will be built on a site already identified by the county council, using money from the housing developers (Section 106 developer contributions) that has already been negotiated and secured.

Outline Planning consent had been gained for the first phase of this overall development (housing and school) by the developer; associated with which is a S106 agreement securing land and contributions towards various infrastructure, including the proposed primary school.

Funding to construct the primary school had been obtained from a mixture of this S106 developer contributions and funding from Oxfordshire County Council. Design work for this new school project commenced December 2014.

The Scheme had been submitted for detailed planning consent in July 2015 following approval of the Outline Business Case that was granted in June 2015. The scheme is currently being developed to detailed design to be completed in order to enable construction to start in October 2015, with completion in time to enable pupils to begin school in September 2016.

Cabinet had before them a report in anticipation of an expeditious Final Business Case review and subsequent governance approvals in the third financial quarter 2015, to facilitate mobilisation phases on receipt of the Land transfer agreement expected in July 2015.

RESOLVED:           to:

(a)            endorse the progress to date; and

(b)            delegate to the Chief Finance Officer and Director for Environment & Economy in consultation with the Leader the authority to approve the Stage 2 Full Business Case and the award of the construction contract.