Agenda item

Fakenham Leisure And Sports Hub

Executive Summary

To advise Council of Government funding for the proposed Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub facility and outline the steps the Council will now take to deliver this large and exciting project in the coming months

Options considered

 

·         Proceed with the development and delivery of this exciting sport and wellbeing project for Fakenham with the Government funding pledged towards the project

 

·         Resolve not to proceed with the project

 

Consultation(s)

The original plans for the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub proposal were the subject of extensive consultation with overwhelming public support expressed for the proposed facility.  As the project is taken forward there will be further consultation and engagement with key stakeholders and partners and the public details of which are provided in the report.

Recommendations

 

It is recommended that:-

 

1.    Full Council welcomes the Government funding of £9.856million awarded towards the cost of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project.  The Council further recognises that confirmation of the Government funding will allow plans for the new facility to be taken forward in the coming months.

2.    Council approves the establishment of a Capital Budget of £11million for the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project within the Capital Programme.

3.    Council approves the funding of this project made up of £9.856million of Levelling Up Fund (central government) monies, £0.408million Section 106 monies, £0.575million from the Football Foundation and the value of the land contributed by Fakenham Town Council.  Any shortfall in this funding will need to be funded by the Council, for which borrowing will be taken.

4.    Council approves the project management and governance arrangements for the project as outlined in Section 3 of the report.

5.    Council agrees that a traditional procurement process would disadvantage the Council due to the timescales involved and supports an exemption under the Contract Procedure rules to appoint the consultants, FMG Consulting, who have previously worked on this project, as principal advisors to the Council in the development and delivery of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub proposal.

6.    Subject to recommendation 3 above, delegated authority is given to the Director of Communities to appoint FMG Consulting to advise the Council on the detailed design, construction and tender processes for the project including the submission of a planning application for the development.

7.    Council requires that tender prices received are reported to Council for approval before any construction contract is awarded as a key “gate” point in the delivery of the project.

Reasons for recommendations

 

To establish the necessary project management and  governance framework and financial monitoring arrangements for the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project

Background papers

 

Report to Full Council – 27th July 2022

 

 

Wards affected

Fakenham wards (Lancaster North and South); and wards in the west of the district including Briston, Priory, Stibbard, Stody, The Raynhams, Walsingham; Wells with Holkham.

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Tim Adams, Leader of the Council

Contact Officer

Steve Blatch, Chief Executive

Email:- steve.blatch@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Tel:- 01263 516232

 

Links to key documents:

 

Corporate Plan:          

The 2023-2027 Corporate Plan themes - Developing our Communities and A Strong, Responsible and Accountable Council

 

Corporate Governance:

 

Is this a key decision 

Yes

Has the public interest test been applied

Yes – there is no private or confidential information to be considered by this report

Details of any previous decision(s) on this matter

N/A

 

Minutes:

The Leader, Cllr T Adams, introduced this item. He said he welcomed this initiative and the work that would be carried out by officers at the Council. There was a lot of work to do before the site could be developed and the report set out how this would be carried out. NNDC had met with Fakenham Town Council and residents were very excited about the project and the benefits it would bring to the town.

 

Cllr L Vickers spoke on behalf of Cllr C Cushing, member for Lancaster North, who was unable to attend Full Council due to family illness. She said that he was fully supportive of the proposals and had been pushing for swimming facilities in Fakenham since the closure of the previous swimming pool in 2014. New swimming facilities would bring immeasurable benefits for the town and it was ideally located for the new urban extension and a 3G pitch supported youngster in the area. She concluded by thanking all members and officers for their help in drafting the bid and Jerome Mayhew MP for his hard work and support. Cllr Vickers said that she would second the proposal.

 

Cllr J Punchard echoed Cllr Vickers sentiments and said that the new facilities were much needed in the western part of the District.

 

Cllr T FitzPatrick said that he was pleased to support the proposals. Currently, the only way that residents could currently learn to swim in the Fakenham areas was to pay for lessons in small private pools. He said that over the years lots of work had been done to try and progress with a new swimming pool and he welcomed the boost in funding. He said that the new facilities would provide a real benefit for the whole area, swimming was a vital skill for young people, especially in a coastal area.

 

It was proposed by Cllr T Adams, seconded by Cllr L Vickers and

 

RESOLVED that

 

1.    Full Council welcomed the Government funding of £9.856million awarded towards the cost of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project.  The Council further recognised that confirmation of the Government funding would allow plans for the new facility to be taken forward in the coming months.

2.    Council approved the establishment of a Capital Budget of £11million for the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project within the Capital Programme.

3.    Council approved the funding of this project made up of £9.856million of Levelling Up Fund (central government) monies, £0.408million Section 106 monies, £0.575million from the Football Foundation and the value of the land contributed by Fakenham Town Council.  Any shortfall in this funding would need to be funded by the Council, for which borrowing will be taken.

4.    Council approved the project management and governance arrangements for the project as outlined in Section 3 of the report.

5.    A traditional procurement process would disadvantage the Council due to the timescales involved and supports an exemption under the Contract Procedure rules to appoint the consultants, FMG Consulting, who have previously worked on this project, as principal advisors to the Council in the development and delivery of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub proposal.

6.    Subject to recommendation 3 above, delegated authority is given to the Director of Communities to appoint FMG Consulting to advise the Council on the detailed design, construction and tender processes for the project including the submission of a planning application for the development.

7.    Tender prices received to be reported to Council for approval before any construction contract is awarded as a key “gate” point in the delivery of the project.

 

 

 

Supporting documents: