Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors Chris Blow, Colin Cross, Angela Goodwin, Nigel Manning, Ramsey Nagaty, Deborah Seabrook, and Paul Spooner were in attendance.

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors Chris Blow, Colin Cross, Angela Goodwin, Nigel Manning, Ramsey Nagaty, Deborah Seabrook, and Paul Spooner were in attendance.

In accordance with the local Code of Conduct, a councillor is required to disclose at the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) that they may have in respect of any matter for consideration on this agenda.  Any councillor with a DPI must notparticipate in any discussion or vote regarding that matter and they must also withdraw from the meeting immediately before consideration of the matter.

If that DPI has not been registered, the councillor must notify the Monitoring Officer of the details of the DPI within 28 days of the date of the meeting.

Councillors are further invited to disclose any non-pecuniary interest which may be relevant to any matter on this agenda, in the interests of transparency, and to confirm that it will not affect their objectivity in relation to that matter.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 23 March 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 March 2021 were confirmed as correct record. The Chairman signed the minutes.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 March 2021 were confirmed as correct record. The Chairman signed the minutes.

The Leader welcomed the reopening of retail and hospitality outlets and encouraged residents to support local businesses to recover from lockdown.

A walk-in test centre would open from Wednesday 21 April in the Council Offices at Millmead. The centre would be located in the staff canteen and would provide testing Monday to Friday from 8am until 7.30pm.  Free car parking would be available in front of Millmead house, but entry would be via the side entrance, not via reception.

Following the Council’s agreement to review the Local Plan with a view to updating it work would commence shortly to identify and gather evidence and the project plan would be shared publicly as soon as possible.

The Leader welcomed the reopening of retail and hospitality outlets and encouraged residents to support local businesses to recover from lockdown.

A walk-in test centre would open from Wednesday 21 April in the Council Offices at Millmead. The centre would be located in the staff canteen and would provide testing Monday to Friday from 8am until 7.30pm.  Free car parking would be available in front of Millmead house, but entry would be via the side entrance, not via reception.

Following the Council’s agreement to review the Local Plan with a view to updating it, work would commence shortly to identify and gather evidence and the project plan would be shared publicly as soon as possible.

Decision:

To note that the Managing Director, in consultation with the Leader and the Monitoring Officer, used his urgent decision powers on 26 March 2021 to approve the grant of a 99 year lease at a peppercorn to UKPN in respect of a small plot of land at the Midleton Industrial Estate, Guildford.

Reason(s):

The approval of the new lease to UKPN provided a power supply and allowed the development to continue on schedule ensuring that there were no increased development costs caused by the delayed installation of the sub-station.

Other options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the lead or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None.

Midleton Industrial Estate was being redeveloped in four phases, with a total of 37 new industrial units being constructed. To meet the power requirements for the development, a new sub-station was required for the site. UK Power Networks (UKPN) had been instructed by the Council to install the sub-station for the development. However, before this could be installed a lease was required between the Council and UKPN.

The lease would allow UKPN to install and maintain a sub-station on behalf of the Council. The installation had been paid for by the Council at a cost of £132,000 and the supply would only be for the benefit of the Council’s development and the industrial units that were being constructed.

The lead-in time for construction of the sub-station was 34 weeks and work would only begin when the lease had been agreed. The Managing Director had taken an urgent decision under powers within the scheme of delegation to grant a lease to UKPN for 99 years at a peppercorn rent, which would allow rights of access to and from the sub-station.

The Executive

RESOLVED:  That the use by the Managing Director of his urgent decision powers, in consultation with the Leader and the Monitoring Officer, on 26 March 2021 to approve the grant of a 99 year lease at a peppercorn to UKPN in respect of a small plot of land at the Midleton Industrial Estate, Guildford, be noted.

Reasons:

The approval of the new lease to UKPN provided a power supply and allowed the development to continue on schedule ensuring that there were no increased development costs caused by the delayed installation of the sub-station.

Decision:

(1)   That the spending of £300,000 from the carry forward reserve to enable the collection of comprehensive survey data on the existing venue, be approved.

(2)   That the procurement of a range of surveys from suitably qualified specialists, as detailed in paragraph 3.9 (a) to (h) inclusive of the report submitted to the Executive, be approved.

(3)   That the appointment of two fixed-term part-time positions to facilitate this stage of the project, be approved.

Reasons:

This proposed collection of survey data is much more comprehensive than any survey process previously undertaken in respect of the venue. This will allow councillors to make an informed decision about the remaining lifespan of the existing facility and whether that lifespan can be effectively extended, and if so, for how long, within acceptable economic parameters. Any decision to refurbish such an important venue for the community must be made on the best available information as the investment to significantly extend the life of venue is likely to be substantial.

Other options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the lead or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None.

The Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex was a unique and complex building offering a range of sports and leisure facilities. It was noted the complex had been visited around 45 million times. The venue’s original life cycle was expected to be 40-50 years and at 28 years old a revised strategy for its ongoing repair or replacement was required. The venue was the greatest single carbon emissions contributor within the Council’s property portfolio because of the nature of the facilities on site. The impact of Covid 19 in particular and future implications had necessitated a review of all options in respect of the long-term future of the existing building.

Funding of £300,000 originally set aside in 2019 to explore the feasibility of replacing the building remained available since that option was not presently being pursued. The Executive considered a report seeking approval for the transfer of that funding to undertake a range of specialist surveys to assess the anticipated life span of the venue (including the building fabric, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems) and what programme of investment might be required to extend the life expectancy of the building and plant. In addition, the surveys would identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and update the operational technology of the venue. Two part-time fixed-term members of staff in Asset Management and Corporate Programmes would coordinate the procurement of the surveys and the ultimate consolidation of the data into a report for councillors. Thereafter, there could be a need for further senior specialist external advice associated with the consolidation of the diverse data sources.

The Chairman of the Service Delivery Executive Advisory Board informed the meeting that the recommendations as set out for the Executive were supported by the EAB when considered previously.

The Executive requested that the reports and recommendations arising from the studies should be accessible with clear options for the Council to consider.

The Executive

RESOLVED:

(1)   That the spending of £300,000 from the carry forward reserve to enable the collection of comprehensive survey data on the existing venue, be approved.

(2)   That the procurement of a range of surveys from suitably qualified specialists, as detailed in paragraph 3.9 (a) to (h) inclusive of the report submitted to the Executive, be approved.

(3)   That the appointment of two fixed-term part-time positions to facilitate this stage of the project, be approved.

Reasons:

This proposed collection of survey data is much more comprehensive than any survey process previously undertaken in respect of the venue. This will allow councillors to make an informed decision about the remaining lifespan of the existing facility and whether that lifespan can be effectively extended, and if so, for how long, within acceptable economic parameters. Any decision to refurbish such an important venue for the community must be made on the best available information as the investment to significantly extend the life of venue is likely to be substantial.