Agenda item

North Norfolk Visitor Centre Letting

Executive Summary

Following the Cabinet decision 20/01/25 to cease operation of the visitor information provision at the North Norfolk Visitor Centre (NNVC) and advertise it to let.

 

This report has been prepared to allow Cabinet to review the offers received for the property and make a decision on its future use.

 

Following advertising of the premises on the open market, eight bids were received for the lease of NNVC.  Due diligence has been undertaken on each of these bids with Proposal 1 being considered to offer the best financial consideration and offers wider social and economic benefits to the district. If Proposal 1 does not progress it is recommended options 2-8 should be reconsidered.

 

 

Options considered

 

A variety of bids with different use options have been received and considered in detail.

 

  1. Proposal 1 (Dentist) outlined in the exempt Appendix A would demonstrate best financial consideration in accordance with s.123 Local Government Act 1972 and is the option recommended by officers

 

  1. The remaining proposals are not considered to present the best financial consideration. They should however be considered in the event that the lease for Proposal 1 is not secured.

 

An alternative option to dispose of the premises was considered and discounted due to the lettable space forming part of the public convenience which the Council wishes to retain and the potential for the space to generate a good level of rental income.

 

Consultation(s)

Cllr Lucy Shires - Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services.

Cllr Tim Adams- Leader of the Council - Portfolio Holder for Executive Support & Legal Services.

Tina Stankley- Director for Resources & S151 Officer

Cara Jordan - Monitoring Officer

Steve Blatch – Chief Executive

 

Recommendations

 

Resolution for Cabinet to approve:

 

  • Approval to enter into the lease set out Proposal 1 as outlined in the Exempt Appendix A which demonstrates best consideration and in accordance with s123 of the LGA Act 1972, with delegated approval granted to the Asset Strategy Manager to agree the exact terms for the legal agreement.
  • Approval to grant delegated approval to the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services in consultation with The Chief Executive to enter into one of Proposals 2-8 in the event that Proposal 1 does not proceed.

 

Reasons for recommendations

 

 

Leasing the property utilises the space made available by ceasing the tourist information centre provision generating income that can be used to fund Council Services.

 

Granting delegated approval to the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services in consultation with The Chief Executive to enter into one of Proposals 2-8 in the event that Proposal 1 does not proceed allows a decision to be made in the event that neither Proposal 1 does not progress to avoid unnecessary delay.

 

Background papers

 

NA

 

 

 

Wards affected

Cromer Town being the ward in which the property is located, but the future use has the potential to impact on surrounding wards and the wider district.

 

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Lucy Shires

Contact Officer

Milo Creasey (Surveyor)

Renata Garfoot (Estates and Asset Strategy Manager)

 

 

Decision:

Decision

RESOLVED to approve

 

  • To enter into the lease set out Proposal 1 as outlined in the Exempt Appendix A which demonstrates best consideration and in accordance with s123 of the LGA Act 1972, with delegated approval granted to the Asset Strategy Manager to agree the exact terms for the legal agreement.
  • To grant delegated approval to the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services in consultation with The Chief Executive to enter into one of Proposals 2-8 in the event that Proposal 1 does not proceed.

 

Reason for the decision:

 

Leasing the property utilises the space made available by ceasing the tourist information centre provision generating income that can be used to fund Council Services.

 

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced this item in the Portfolio Holder’s absence. He reminded members that there were exempt appendices and the meeting would need to go into closed session if any matters within these documents were discussed.

 

He began by explaining that  decision was taken by Cabinet on 21th January 2025 to cease operation of the visitor information provision at the North Norfolk Visitor Centre (NNVC) in Cromer and advertise it to let. This report had been prepared to allow Cabinet to review the offers received for the property and to make a decision on its future use.

 

Eight bids had been received for the lease of NNVC.  Due diligence had been undertaken on each of these bids with Proposal 1 being considered to offer the best financial consideration as well as wider social and economic benefits to the district. If Proposal 1 did not progress it was recommended options 2-8 should be reconsidered.

 

He reassured members that investment was still being made in support of tourism promotion and this was evidenced by the increase in visitor usage of the Council’s car parks during April. He said that displays and artefacts relating to the Deep History Coast project would be donated to the Sheringham Museum.

 

The Chairman said that there had been a lot of interest in the site and it was reassuring to see so many businesses keen to invest in Cromer. However, in terms of service provision it was felt that an NHS-backed dentist would present the most advantageous outcome for residents.

 

The Chairman invited members to speak:

 

Cllr J Toye welcomed the proposals and said he was reassured by the reference in section 3.2 of the report which said that officers had ‘assessed the bids for best consideration taking into account the requirements of Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 and the General Disposals Consent Order 2003 which considers issues of economic, social and environmental well-being’.

 

Cllr A Fitch-Tillett sought confirmation that it would be an NHS dentist. The Chairman said that it was NHS backed and would be valuable in the local context. Cllr Fitch-Tillett welcomed this and said that Cromer in particular lacked a full dentistry offer, with even the private practices being full.

 

The Chairman confirmed that it was a reputable company with several successful practices in operation. He added that if, for any reason, this option did not proceed then there were several other bids that could be considered. He added that the public toilets which were based in the building, would remain operational.

 

Cllr J Boyle, spoke as the local member for Cromer. She said that it had been challenging to lose the tourist information centre but she said that as the Council’s representative on the Norfolk Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (NHOSC), dentistry was one of the biggest problems in the County and this presented the best outcome for local residents.

 

It was proposed by Cllr T Adams, seconded by Cllr J Toye and

 

RESOLVED to approve

 

  • To enter into the lease set out Proposal 1 as outlined in the Exempt Appendix A which demonstrates best consideration and in accordance with s123 of the LGA Act 1972, with delegated approval granted to the Asset Strategy Manager to agree the exact terms for the legal agreement.
  • To grant delegated approval to the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services in consultation with The Chief Executive to enter into one of Proposals 2-8 in the event that Proposal 1 does not proceed.

 

Reason for the decision:

 

Leasing the property utilises the space made available by ceasing the tourist information centre provision generating income that can be used to fund Council Services.

 

Supporting documents: