Agenda item

Cromer - Marram's Bowls Club, Proposed Redevelopment

Executive Summary

The Council own the premises leased to and occupied by Marrams Bowls Club on Runton Road, Cromer.

 

The Club is managed by Trustees.

 

The external elements of the premises are in dis-repair and will require major capital expenditure by NNDC to consolidate the building structure and ongoing revenue cost to then maintain.  

 

In this paper the potential to demolish part of the property and to refurbish and reconfigure the Clubhouse into a reduced area has been considered and both plans and costs have been provided by external architects and quantity surveyors.

 

The recommended option would provide the opportunity to create a newly refurbished clubhouse and a new bespoke area for up to 3x separate income producing concessions.  

 

 

Options considered

 

The following options have been considered as being possible and implementable;

  1. Termination of the current lease and closure of the Club to provide for redevelopment - discounted
  2. Demolition of the whole and development of a new Clubhouse and restaurant at first floor level – not viable.
  3. Demolish the whole and re-use for concessions and re-provide putting concession – discounted as loss of bowls amenity
  4. Reduced scale of repairs (roof and windows) – discounted as doesn’t meet net zero priorities
  5. Demolition of part and refurbishment of the Clubhouse to provide new community club facilities and space for concessions viable scheme (the recommended scheme). 
  6. Disposal to tenants or 3rd party - discounted

 

Consultation(s)
  1. Planning – the proposal to redevelop or refurbish has been discussed at a high level with the planning team and conservation officer
  2. Several meetings have been held with senior Club members to discuss the options and they have seen the plans for refurbishment being Option 4 above.
  3. Local Members are aware of the proposals albeit at a high level. 
  4. The pitch & putt tenant has been advised of the proposed plans.

 

Recommendations

 

It is recommended to Cabinet to approve:

 

1)The proposal (Option 4) to redevelop the club house to

respond to significant building repair needs

2) Additional capital budget of £350,000 to fund the project alongside the £50,000 of Capital for roof repairs previous allocated.

3)That should there be any further negotiations to the lease

terms, to delegate to the Assistant Director Finance Assets

Legal, s151 officer, in consultation with the portfolio holder,

the ability to amend the lease terms. 

4) The surplus area to be marketed and let to concession

operators

 

 

Reasons for recommendations

 

This recommendation is being made as it provides the best return on the capital to be employed in responding to repairs and maintenance issues at the property and supports the Councils Corporate Plan objectives.

Background papers

 

None

 

 

Wards affected

Cromer Town; Cllr Adams, Cllr Boyle

Cabinet member(s)

1) Finance, Estates & Property Services; Cllr Shires

2) Community, Leisure & Outreach; Cllr Withington

3) Climate & Net Zero; Cllr Varley

4) Sustainable Growth; Cllr Heinrich

 

Contact Officer

Renata Garfoot, Estates & Asset Manager Renata.garfoot@north-norfolk.gov.uk

 

Links to key documents:

 

Corporate Plan:          

The proposals are linked to the following Corporate Plan priorities; 

·         Boosting Business Sustainability and Growth

·         Financial Sustainability and Growth

·         Quality of life

·         Climate, Coast & the Environment

Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)                                

These proposals are linked to the MTFS in that any income generated from this building would be an entirely new income source for the Council and any new lease could pass other ongoing costs to the tenant(s)/concession holders

 

Council Policies & Strategies

The proposals in this report are linked to the Asset Management Plan 2018 and fully support the policies in that plan. Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan.

 

Corporate Governance:

 

Is this a key decision 

 Yes

Has the public interest test been applied

The Exempt Appendix provides information that is commercially and financially sensitive.

Details of any previous decision(s) on this matter

None

 

 

Decision:

Decision

RESOLVED

 

To defer a decision pending the provision of further information on planning constraints, footfall figures and potential concession opportunities

 

Reason for the decision

It was considered that more information was required before members felt able to reach a decision on the future of the site.

Minutes:

Cllr L Shires, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates and Assets, introduced this item. She said that the report related to a much loved asset which was owned by the Council and currently leased an occupied by Marrams Bowls Club, Cromer. The external elements of the premises were in dis-repair and required major capital expenditure by NNDC to consolidate the building structure and ongoing revenue cost to then maintain. Cllr Shires said that she felt that more exploratory work could be undertaken regarding what could be achieved on the site.

 

The Estates and Asset Strategy Manager said that several options were possible and implementable, with the recommended option providing an opportunity to create a newly refurbished clubhouse and a new bespoke area for up to 3 separate income producing concessions. The proposals would also comply with the Council’s Net Zero policy.

 

The Chairman said that he felt Cabinet would like to see more explanation regarding the reasons why a bigger, more profitable scheme was not being pursued and he asked whether there were any planning constraints preventing this. He also said that there was some anxiety around how footfall into the concessions would be captured and ensure that they were successful, thus mitigating any costs incurred by the Council. He felt that this additional information would be helpful in informing members ahead of reaching a decision.

 

Cllr A Varley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, said that the preferred scheme did have merit but he had concerns that the proposed redevelopment could have an impact on the reduction of the Council’s carbon footprint. He said that he was supportive of Cllr Shire’s suggestion that more exploratory work should be undertaken.

 

Cllr L Withington said that this was a significant site as well as a community asset and it was important that any work did not impact negatively on the Bowls Club. The Chairman added that there was a water supply issue that affected both sites and this needed to be considered. He said that it was hoped that a way forward that respected the importance of the site to the community, whilst maximising revenue could be found.

 

Cllr W Fredericks said that if the works were undertaken, then consideration should be given to other community groups having access to the facilities. The Chairman replied that there were a lot of community facilities in Cromer but it was possible that the Clubhouse could be used by other groups.

 

Cllr Shires said that she would like more information on the following;

-        How the concessions would be promoted in terms of footfall and directing visitors to the site

-        Assurance that revenue was being maximised on the site

-        Clarification regarding planning constraints

 

On this basis, she said that she would propose deferral until the above information could be provided. Cllr L Withington seconded the proposal.

 

Cllr N Dixon referred to the recommendation on page 146 and the proposal to proceed with Option 4 in the report. He said that this option proposed a ‘reduced scale of repairs such as roof and windows’ and was discounted as not being compliant with Net Zero priorities. He asked how this could therefore be recommended as the preferred option. Cllr Shires agreed and said that it must be an error. Cllr Dixon replied that if something as straightforward as this was incorrect, then he had concerns about the rest of the report.

 

Cllr Dixon said that for a building that had been known to be in a poor condition for several years, he wondered what forward funding provisions had been made in the Property Services budget and maintenance plan. Cllr Adams said that the issues with this particular structure had been known for some time and work had been ongoing to address the various assets and concessions along the seafront. Some had been empty for some time and it had been challenging to find tenants. He added that the building was in a very exposed location.

 

Cllr Shires said that the Council’s estate had largely been under-invested in prior to 2019. Repairs were prioritised according to need.

 

Cllr Dixon said that it was key to plan ahead and the report didn’t seem to have the hallmarks of forward planning about it. It was about anticipating any issues so that requests for additional funding were not sprung on members at a late stage. He went onto say that he welcomed the build-up sheets that were included in the report. They were very informative and it would be helpful to have them included in future reports, adding that this level of detail would have been very helpful when the proposals relating to the North Walsham Heritage Action Zone came forward for consideration.

 

The Chairman said that he also welcomed the inclusion of the build up costs in the report. He went onto say that planning constraints on the site had been raised before

but he would like to ensure that its full potential was explored.

 

Cllr Cushing said that he could not see any internal costs set out in the report – such as legal fees, planning charges etc. The Estates and Asset Manager replied that £50k had been allocated for planning and legal costs and £350k would cover the cost of the refurbishment.

 

Cllr Cushing said that the report mentioned a rent review for the Bowls Club and income streams from the concessions but there were no forecasts included. He asked for more information on this. The Chief Executive replied that this information was included in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the exempt appendix. This was because any concessions would be let on a commercial basis, following bids made to the Council. He added that many of the Council’s seafront assets had limited commercial potential due to limited seasonality. In Cromer, Sheringham and Mundesley there was therefore a limit in terms of the rental income that could be generated which in turn had an impact on the amount of money that the Council could invest in refurbishment.

 

It was proposed by Cllr L Shires, seconded by Cllr L Withington to defer a decision pending the provision of further information on planning constraints and the ability to deliver sustainable concession opportunities on the site.

 

RESOLVED

 

To defer a decision pending the provision of further information on planning constraints, footfall figures and potential concession opportunities

 

Reason for the decision

It was considered that more information was required before members felt able to reach a decision on the future of the site.

Supporting documents: