that 106 agreement of that size would certainly see a super asset for Oakham residents.
Rutland County Councils Tory Cabinet will meet on the 8th January 2013 to scale down
the project and possibly syphon of money for the Deputy leaders crazy Ashwell Business Park
project.
The recommendation is the council approves a smaller £500,000 build freeing money for
sport facilities at the Ashwell Park, when I last heard Cllr Kin speaking rubbish about the prison site he was telling the full council the site already had superb facilities previously used by inmates and a organisation known to him was very keen to move in. Is Rutland County Council going to do
what Oakham Town Council did with a quarter of its income this year? Is the County Council going to spend nearly a million of public money setting things up for another private enterprise?
106 payments tend to be agreed in the early stages of planning, so I wonder why the council
has only now just recognised it has no funds to run a community hall? members of this
cabinet have the cheek to call me an idiot.
It is no surprise to me Oakham Mayor Cllr Dewis says they are in a pickle.
It seems to me Rutland County Council is similar to Oakham Town Council but on a much larger
scale, Oakham Town Council admitted this year it is income led rather than project led.
The council appears to lack the ability to plan past the pound signs they see in their heads.
Oakham will obviously get its first community hall with no money to run it. surely they should be seeking consent to use some of the funds for that purpose?
Have any funds been set aside to run any new facility at Ashwell? NO
http://www.rutland.gov.uk/council_meetings/cabinet.aspx
REPORT NO: 01/2013
CABINET
8 January 2013
OAKHAM NORTH COMMUNITY HALL
Joint Report of the Strategic Director for People and Operational Director for Places
STRATEGIC AIM:
Creating an active and enriched community
Meeting the health and well being needs of the Community
Building our infrastructure
KEY DECISION
YES
DATE ITEM FIRST APPEARED ON
FORWARD PLAN
December 2012
1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
1.1 This report presents information regarding the Hawksmead development in
Oakham and the terms of the Section 106 Agreement secured to develop a
range of facilities for the growing community in the area of Oakham North.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1 That Cabinet RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL agreement is sought on the
provision of a smaller hall on-site and part contribution for off-site
expansion and improvement in a broader range of community and
sports facilities to meet the future needs of the growing community of
Oakham North.
2.2 That Cabinet agree to a consultation with sport, leisure and activity
clubs to identify a range of investment opportunities to inform the
prioritisation of future capital funding for community and sports
facilities
3. REASONS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 The Hawksmead development has agreed planning obligations and
developer contributions set out in a Section 106 Agreement for a range of
provisions including a Community Building in Oakham North.
3.2 The Agreement sets out that the developer is to provide a ‘Community
Building’ of no more than 1,115m
2 on an agreed area of the development
site not exceeding a total cost of £1,338,000 OR a contribution of
£1,338,000 for the provision or maintenance of community facilities in the
locality of the development. A decision is required on whether a hall of this
size, a smaller hall or no hall should be provided on the site.
3.3 A corporate capital investment strategy is being developed which will include
the requirements for sports and leisure facilities across the county but a
decision on the community facilities is required in advance of this being
completed.
4. PROJECT PROPOSALS
4.1 The Hawksmead development in Oakham is a significant growth area with
the creation of up to 1,096 dwellings over a 15 year period. This will result in
more than 2,200 residents requiring a range of services, and seeking to
participate in a diverse programme of activities and as a result will require
sufficient community facilities.
4.2 A range of services have been involved in developing the detailed
requirements for a community building but the potential breadth of activities
for a multifunctional building has made this challenging and raised queries
over whether the investment in community facilities should be in a new
building on site or into improvements in existing provisions.
4.3 The Council is required to comply with the Section 106 Agreement by
submitting an outline and detailed brief for the ‘Community Building’. Both of
these deadlines have been met albeit with some agreed extensions in time.
However, challenges were raised by the developer to the detailed brief
which have remained outstanding whilst consideration has been given to the
scope and scale of the requirements for a community hall on the
development site. As the date for the finalised detailed brief has passed the
developer has now stated it is their intention to make payment of the
Community Building Contribution under the terms of the Agreement in the
sum of £1,338,000 (in five payments at occupation of the 225th, 300th, 375th,
450th and 500th dwelling). An alternative provision for on-site facilities as
proposed below may be preferred, should this be the case there may be
scope for challenge on the current position. Legal opinion is being sought.
5. REVIEW OF PROVISIONS AND ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL
5.1 The initial proposal for this community facility was to provide a multipurpose
building that would be the focus of community activities in Oakham North
and the surrounding area. However, since the initial planning a number of
concerns have been raised regards future development. These include:
The overall size of a community building
The management arrangements for the running of a community
facility
Uncertainty over revenue funding to operate a community building
The future sustainability of a community building when considered
alongside other community provisions within the locality
Considering who the service users would be and who would utilise
the facility.
5.2 In reviewing the Culture and Leisure Survey completed in May 2012, the
overall conclusion supported that there is a requirement for a smaller
community/village hall of a reduced specification to the detailed plan
submitted previously. The most important identified activities are those that
are most suitable to be delivered in a community/village hall provision e.g.
youth clubs, uniform group activities. In addition the survey confirmed that
community/village hall improvements and new provision needs to be
prioritised for development. A recently completed Sport Structures report
covering leisure and activity needs in the future recommends the option of a
smaller hall.
5.3 Discussions have taken place regarding the size, available facilities and
sustainability of a community hall on the Hawksmead site. In addition, a
number of surveys have been completed which have provided valuable
information to inform a decision making process regarding future
development. The outcomes of this confirm the need for a smaller hall. Of
note also is that since much of the Oakham North development is yet to
commence, meaningful community consultation has yet to occur.
5.4 On the basis of feedback and survey evidence, the Council is now in a
position where it may determine a smaller hall is the preferred option and
that it should seek to vary the Agreement to allow this alternative. A smaller,
fit for purpose, community hall built on the Hawksmead site would serve the
future community of Oakham North, plus provide an element of the
developer contribution for investment in off-site facilities. The provision of a
smaller village/community hall would increase the economic sustainability for
the hall to be managed by a Community Management Committee when the
hall is completed (the aspiration would be that a management committee
would be made up of local volunteers, if this is not forthcoming links would
need to be made with other voluntary groups). As the costs for the
village/community hall are likely to be in the region of £300,000 - £500,000
this could release a residual element of the Community Building Contribution
of circa £800,000 - £1,000,000 that would be able to be used to support
sports and leisure development within the local area. Detailed costings will
be required to confirm the final provisions and may be lower to account for
the land value.
5.6 A change in the size of the hall and part collection of the contribution is not
set out in the Agreement and as such can only be by way of agreement with
the developer to vary the current Section 106 Agreement. As stated at
paragraph 4.3, the current position being stated by the developer is that the
payment will be made in lieu of an on-site provision as the detailed brief was
not fully agreed by the deadline date given the deliberations on the scope
and scale of the facilities needed. Should Members wish to have an on-site
facility and support the smaller hall proposal dialogue with the developer will
be required to challenge their current stance and seek agreement to a
variation on the Agreement.
5.5 As part of the Section 106 Agreement a number of contributions were
confirmed for library services, museum and archive services and off site
sports facilities. They were all under the heading Community Amenities and
there is some flexibility within the Agreement on the expenditure of these
contributions and will be the subject of further review and recommendations.
6. PRIORITIES FOR SPORTS AND LEISURE DEVELOPMENT
6.1 In reviewing the feedback from the recent survey and reports the three
highest priorities for site location are identified as follows and ordered in
increasing distance from the site:
(i) Further development and contribution towards
improvement/refurbishments of the old Catmose sports hall and/or
contribution to refurbishment, re-build of the Catmose swimming pool.
(ii) Further development and contribution towards sports and leisure
facilities at the Rutland County College site.
iii) Development of sports and leisure provision at the Ashwell Business
Park.
All above are within a reasonable distance of the Hawksmead development
and would provide a range of sport and leisure opportunities that meet the
future needs of the growing Oakham community.
6.2 In reviewing the feedback on the priorities for sport, these are as follows:
(i) Swimming pool provision.
(ii) Outdoor sports facilities e.g. cricket, football, rugby, children’s play
areas, bowling greens.
(iii) Indoor activities include aerobics; keep fit, martial arts, table tennis.
7. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
7.1 Section 106 developer contributions have been secured as part of the
Hawksmead development – this includes the building of a community hall on
the development site of up to a total cost of £1,338,000.
7.2 If an on-site facility is not provided under the current provisions of the
Agreement a contribution of £1,338,000 will be made as set out above in
paragraph 4.3. This will enable the Council to invest in improvements in
existing facilities in the locality of the development site which is likely to
support many more sporting, leisure and recreational activities and clubs
providing a wider range of improvements and opportunities for the growth in
population. This is an attractive option as it will provide maximum flexibility
for investment in off-site community facilities.
7.3 As the detailed building specification for the large hall has been submitted
but not agreed by the deadline dates the fallback position for the developer is
to provide the full payment.
7.4 The alternative option if it can be agreed with the developer would be to
include a reduced build specification for a village/community hall on-site plus
part of the contribution. Details would need to be drawn up in order to agree
the contribution which may be less in total that the £1,338,000 as the
opportunity cost of the land may be included. It should be noted that
variation to the Agreement may not be able to be reached with the
developer.
8. RISK MANAGEMENT
RISK IMPACT COMMENTS
Time Medium Effective planning and agreement to ensure timely
delivery in line with growing demand from a growing
population.
Viability High Whilst funding is available to complete the capital
projects there is no revenue funding identified to secure
the sustainability of the new hall, however revising the
overall size of the community hall will reduce the risk.
Having no on-site provision and using the contribution for
improving existing facilities is low risk.
Finance High Capital funding available via Section 106 contributions.
No revenue funding secured for a new hall.
Having no on-site provision and using the full contribution
for improving existing facilities is low risk.
Profile High The proposed provision of additional facilities is likely to
create substantial public interest.
Equality
and
Diversity
High The possible provision of additional community facilities
will extend the sports and leisure opportunities in
Rutland. An EIA is to be completed.
Background Papers Report Author
Sport England community/village hall guidance Sarah Bysouth
Hawksmead Section 106 Agreement Head of Service: Lifelong Learning
Victoria Brambini
Operational Director for Places
e-mail: enquiries@rutland.gov.uk
Tel: 01572 722577
A Large Print or Braille Version of this Report is available
upon request – Contact 01572 722577.
Current Tory Cabinet Membership
- Councillor Roger Begy (Leader of the Council) - Museum & Castle Development and Housing
- Councillor Terry King (Deputy Leader of the Council) - Finance and Places Asset Management (covering Environmental Services and Planning)
- Councillor Kenneth Bool - Education and Children's Services
- Councillor Christine Emmett - Health and Social Care (from the 18th September 2012 this Portfolio will be managed by Councillor Begy until further notice)
- Councillor Gene Plews - Youth, Sport, Community Safety and Culture (excluding Museum & Castle Development)
- Councillor Martyn Pocock - Resources and Places Operations (covering Highways and Waste Services)
