Issue - meetings

Cabinet Members: Business & Customer Services and Children, Education & Families

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/092

Contact: Trevor Askew, Service Manager – Property & Procurement Tel: (01865) 323678

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA19).

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 progressdisclosure 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.

As a consequence of a new 3,300 unit housing development at Great Western Park, Didcot, there is an immediate need to provide a 420 pupil Primary school within the development for September 2015. Outline Planning consent has been gained for the overall development (housing and schools etc.) by the developer; associated with which is a S106 agreement securing land and contributions towards various infrastructure, including the proposed primary school. Work to complete this new school project commenced in June 2013. The Scheme has now been developed sufficiently to pass its first Capital Governance stage, which provides a recommendation for the budget for the scheme, results of the feasibility report, details current risks and the recommended school design to be submitted for planning. The scheme is currently being developed further to enable detailed design to be completed in order to enable construction to start in October 2014, with completion in time to enable pupils to begin school in September 2015.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)            endorse the progress to date

(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 subject to the inclusion of the local councillor in consultations.

The information contained in the annex to the report 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 progressdisclosure 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.

As a consequence of a new 3,300 unit housing development at Great Western Park, Didcot, there is an immediate need to provide a 420 pupil Primary school within the development for September 2015. Outline Planning consent has been gained for the overall development (housing and schools etc.) by the developer; associated with which is a S106 agreement securing land and contributions towards various infrastructure, including the proposed primary school. Work to complete this new school project commenced in June 2013 and the Cabinet considered a report setting out actions so far and the planned approach to enable detailed design to be completed in order to enable construction to start in October 2014, with completion in time to enable pupils to begin school in September 2015.

RESOLVED:           to:

(a)            endorse the progress to date

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