Agenda and draft minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no additional declarations of interest.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, members of the public may submit one question each on matters relating to the work of the Committee. Questions seeking clarification of the details of a report on the agenda may be accepted within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda – by 5.00pm on Thursday 11 April 2024

No questions were received.

The Committee considered the following reports on the Part 1 (Public) agenda for the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 18 April 2024:

Report HPR2024/013

The report provided details of an indicative grant allocation from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities towards housing schemes and summarised how this grant would be allocated. The report also set out how any additional funding from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities could be utilised if secured.

In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Regeneration explained that the term ‘transitional accommodation’ had been formulated to reflect the high quality of the planned temporary accommodation.  The quality of the proposed scheme was in line with the Local Authority’s permanent housing stock and would comprise separate units with integral kitchens and bathrooms, but would not be compliant with the Mayor of London’s minimum size standards for permanent homes.  A Member asked about the four-bed settlement unit, which was a requirement of the grant, and was advised that the expectation was that this four-bed unit would be located within the Borough which was the requirement unless it could be demonstrated that this was not possible.  Another Member asked for an update on additional funding and the Head of Regeneration confirmed that the Local Authority would receive notification of the grant outcome during the week commencing 8 May 2024.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to propose to Full Council the addition of Manorfields to the capital programme and to agree as follows:

1)  Approve the acceptance of DLUHC LAHF Round 3 funding estimated at up to £27.4M (made up of an indicative allocation of £13.9M and a request for a further £13.5M) for the schemes set out in Paragraph 3.5 of Report HPR2024/013, noting some schemes will require further reports; and authorise the Assistant Director of Legal Services to sign and execute all relevant legal documents arising in connection with acceptance of the LAHF;

Based on the Council’s request for funding being approved, as detailed in Paragraph 3.5:

2)  Approve the addition of Manorfields to the Capital Programme at a value of £5.2M; officers will then proceed to procurement via an officer gateway for a multidisciplinary team to design the major repair and refurbishment of Manorfields into Transitional Accommodation. The funding for the Manorfields scheme will be met by LAHF grant of £4.313k, with the balance of £888k to come from the existing Operational Property Review (OPR) capital programme budget;

3)  Approve the appointment of two Senior Project Managers to support the delivery of the schemes set out for a fixed term of two years. These posts will be financed by the Revenue funding in the grant of £111k supplemented by capitalised funding allocated to the relevant schemes; and,

4)  Approve an increase in the Council’s capital programme budget of £638k towards the purchase of a four-bed settlement unit. This will be funded through £284k of LAHF grant, with the balance of £354k to be met from capital programme resources. Note that this purchase is required to meet the grant requirements, and none of the grant can be secured without  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74a

Report HPR2024/015

The report provided an update on the delivery of the Crystal Palace Park Regeneration Plan and requested approval to proceed to procurement on a 60% quality and 40% price basis for a main contractor to deliver the capital works of the next phase of the Plan.

In opening the discussion, the Chairman advised that a written statement had been received from Councillor Ruth McGregor and Councillor Ryan Thomson, Ward Councillors for Crystal Palace and Anerley, as follows:

“As ward councillors we are supportive of the regeneration plan but have some concerns which we would like to see addressed.  We do not have any objection to the proposed route for procurement of contractors for the capital works; however, we do have a number of concerns regarding the detail of the plans so want to ensure that the London Borough of Bromley will continue to consult with interested parties.  We would like to request an update meeting with the Regeneration Team at a convenient time.  We are aware of concerns which have been raised with regard to the design of the information centre and the ongoing maintenance of the dinosaurs as well as other concerns.  These concerns have been raised by the Friends of Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs, so the Council are aware, and we want to ensure that these considerations are taken into account.”

With regard to ongoing maintenance of the dinosaurs, the Assistant Director: Culture and Regeneration was pleased to announce that Historic England had assembled an expert team to advise on the restoration of the dinosaurs and develop a longer-term maintenance plan.  The Crystal Palace Park Trust would be responsible for the maintenance and conservation of the dinosaurs moving forward and there was a budget line for conservation in its business model.  In response to a question from a Member, the Heritage Capital Project Manager advised that the park’s business model had been developed in comparison with parks of a similar size and character.  Visitor numbers and events income had been projected using conservative estimates and had already been exceeded with respect to events income which would help ensure the long-term sustainability of the park.  The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre was on a long lease to the Greater London Authority and GLL, and the Mayor of London had committed to the regeneration of the sports centre in the medium to long-term.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Proceed to procurement, as set out in Paragraphs 3.12 to 3.26 of Report HPR2024/015, for a main contractor to deliver the capital works at a total estimated contract cost of £17.7M; and,

2)  Agree and recommend Full Council increase the budget of the Crystal Palace Park Regeneration Plan already on the Capital Programme by £19.096M. The scheme will be funded through a £5M grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the capital receipts from the sale of the two areas of parkland which are estimated to achieve £19.36M.

Report HPR2024/004A

The report requested approval to proceed with construction works within the Leisure Centres Major Works Programme for the West Wickham and Walnuts Leisure Centres.

The Chairman welcomed the proposals which had been developed following extensive consultation with local residents and represented a significant investment in delivering high quality leisure services in the Borough into the future.  The Portfolio Holder agreed, adding that the Leisure Centre Major Works Programme was being primarily funded by the Local Authority via the Operational Property Review Capital Budget with additional funds secured from other sources including the Tenant Operator and various grants and as such, it would be crucial to proceed with the works in a timely manner to de-risk against any loss of funding.  Whilst the vast majority of members of the public had expressed support for the proposed improvements to the Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centres, a number of questions or requests for clarification had been received and a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions document was in development and would be published shortly.

In response to a question from a Member, the Senior Regeneration Programme Manager explained that the timeframe for the planned programme of works had not changed but that an additional period had been scheduled for enabling works at West Wickham Leisure Centre in relation to identified structural issues for which additional funding had been requested.  There was no reduction in the level of funding allocated for the programme of works at the Walnuts or West Wickham Leisure Centres.  Another Member asked whether any part of the Walnuts Leisure Centre would be permanently closed.  The Senior Regeneration Programme Manager reported that the existing learner pool would be closed, representing 3% of the on-site footprint, but that the soft play, sports hall and studio areas of the site would remain in use in their current form.  A Member asked how cost escalation would be dealt with if further issues were identified at the Walnuts or West Wickham Leisure Centres and the Head of Regeneration advised that a further report would be brought to the Committee and the Council’s Executive where any such concerns were identified.

With regard to the use of the two leisure centres during the period of works, the Senior Regeneration Programme Manager clarified that West Wickham Leisure Centre had already closed due to structural issues and could not reopen until construction works had been completed.  The Walnuts Leisure Centre currently remained open and works on this site would be phased between wet and dry facilities, allowing a certain degree of access during the construction period.  A Member queried whether operating hours could be extended at other leisure centres during the closure periods, and the Senior Regeneration Programme Manager confirmed that discussions were ongoing with Mytime Active on how additional users could best be accommodated.  Mytime Active members already had unlimited access to swimming, gym and exercise classes at all of Mytime Active’s centres.

The Senior Regeneration Programme Manager was pleased to advise that accessibility had been a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74c

RESOLVED that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business referred to below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

The following summaries

refer to matters involving exempt information

The Committee considered the following reports on the Part 2 (Exempt) agenda for the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 18 April 2024:

The Committee considered Part 2 (Exempt) information on the Leisure Centre Major Works Programme.