Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Finance and General Purposes Committee

Item

30 October 2002

HFRS Training Centre/Headquarters - Accommodation Rationalisation

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Contact:

David Howells, Director of Corporate Services

Tel: 023 8064 4000 Ext 203

1

Introduction

1.1

At its meeting on 10 July 2001 the Committee was informed that a feasibility report on the scheme to rationalise and improve accommodation and training facilities at the Headquarters site would be presented at this meeting. This report presents two options for achieving this, examines the consequential financial implications, but concludes that neither is achievable without reprioritising high priority schemes within the capital programme.

2

The requirements

2.1

The aim is to resolve a number of building problems and accommodation issues. These include:

Training Centre

2.1.1

Improve shower/changing facilities to meet new requirements and increased throughput of trainees in respect of realistic/fire behaviour training.

2.1.2

Improve the balance of male/female shower/changing facilities in order to respond positively to the action plan to improve equality and diversity in the workplace set by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire Services.

2.1.3

Relocate and improve lecture/classroom and training instructors' accommodation nearer to practical facilities and free-up space to rationalise the use of space available for Headquarters office accommodation.

2.1.4

Relocate lecture/classroom facilities used to support the Commercial Services' activities from Eastleigh Fire Station (Steele Close) to the Headquarters site. Apart from improving the logistics of training course management, this will go some way towards reducing the longer-term reliance on the HQ Annex, which is of temporary-build type construction.

2.1.5

Provide a lift to improve facilities for training course delegates with mobility disabilities.

Stores/Vehicle garaging

2.1.6

The co-location of the existing stores area with the Training Centre building is inefficient in terms of use of space. The building suffers from severe condensation problems due to the type of roof cladding. Ideally, it would be best to relocate the stores area to a new building on site and allow the space to be used instead to meet the Training Centre needs (outlined above).

2.1.7

Improving the stores accommodation at HQ will enable the three stores, currently based at Divisional Headquarters, to be rationalised or closed. This would enable more efficient processes/procedures to be introduced; avoid the need to "de-cant" from the main store to smaller stores and free-up accommodation at other locations.

2.1.8

There is insufficient garaging space to accommodate the increased number of vehicles based at Headquarters - particularly those used to support Community Education/Schools activities. It would make sense to include additional garaging as part of a new stores building. It would be possible to provide space for up to ten vehicles.

Office Accommodation

2.1.9

Continue the programme of office accommodation/rationalisation in conjunction with the relocation of space used to support the Training Centre.

2.1.10

Improve the space available for medium to large meetings.

2.2

Making these improvements at this time would enable the Authority to deal concurrently with a number of significant building maintenance issues (eg the condensation problem with the Training Centre roof). This problem would need to be resolved within the next three years in any event.

3

The Two Design Solutions

3.1

The Authority's architectural advisers have produced two possible solutions. Outline plans for these are attached as Appendices 1 and 2.

3.2

Option One

This option would successfully resolve all of the needs described above and would, as a result, deal with all known building maintenance problems.

Essentially it relies on the construction of a new industrial-type unit to provide accommodation for stores and vehicle garaging and a small extension to the existing Training Centre building. The industrial-type building would be similar to that recently provided at Eastleigh Fire Station which was considered to be a most cost-effective solution. By freeing-up space in the Training Centre building it would enable more logical use of space to meet Training Centre needs. It would also enable the eventual closure and/or reduction in stores associated with the current divisional headquarters' buildings.

3.3

Option Two

This scheme would leave the stores in situ. A small extension would be built to link the existing Training Centre building to the Headquarters building.

Although the scheme would go some way to improving the immediate needs of the Training Centre, it would not deal with rationalising stores operations and vehicle garaging.

4

Financial Implications

4.1

The estimated capital costs of the two options can be summarised as follows:

Option 1 Summary

Build

Mech

Elec

Sub total

Pre-lims etc

Total

Extension

200

10

35

245

65

310

Alterations

260

40

91

391

125

516

Mezzanine, etc

35

9

11

55

15

70

Garage/Store

350

63

101

514

135

649

External Works

100

0

0

100

25

125

945

122

238

1,305

365

1,670

Fees @ 12%

200

Total

1,870

Option 2 Summary

Build

Mech

Elec

Sub total

Pre-lims etc

Total

Infill Extension

320

88

118

526

139

665

Alterations

80

26

34

140

45

185

External Works

34

6

0

40

10

50

434

120

152

706

194

900

Fees @ 12%

108

Total

1,008

Costs include:

Prices as at third quarter 2002.

Generally minimal making good adjacent to new works.

Redecoration to rooms with major alterations.

New fittings, wall and floor finishings to showers and toilets.

Costs exclude:

Furnishings and equipment (except lockers in remodeled areas only).

Neither option could be accommodated within current plans for the Capital Programme. Existing provision totals only £691,000 comprising:

£'000s

Existing Capital programme provision for the scheme

490

Supplementary Credit Approval (for quality/diversity works)

141

Anticipated contribution from mobile communications tenant

60

Total

691

4.2

It would be possible to consider proceeding with the scheme if borrowing approvals currently being set aside for the scheme to build a second fire station in Basingstoke were to be used (scheme estimated to commence in 2005/06). This would involve taking the risk that the new arrangements for capital expenditure controls announced by the Government would be more flexible in the future and avoid the need to `store-up' sufficient Basic Credit Approvals. Alternatively, but still a risk at this stage, it might be reasonable to anticipate that the Basingstoke Scheme could be funded from a partnership arrangement (in terms of borrowing approvals) with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. This has already been identified as a distinct possibility.

4.3

The impact on the Capital Programme (over the next three years) for both options is set out as Appendix 3.

4.4

Apart from the capital financing charges there would be other revenue budget implications.

The significant ones are estimated to be as follows:

£'000s

Business rates:

£11,000

Cleaning costs:

£6,500

Heating/Lighting costs:

£7,000

Total

£24,500

There would be no increases in staffing costs.

4.5

One of the consequences of not proceeding with the scheme would be the loss of the Supplementary Credit Approval (£141,000) granted to the Authority to carry out `equality and diversity' related improvements (essentially improved access for the disabled and improved shower facilities for female trainees/course delegates). It was always envisaged that these works would be carried out as an integral part of the wider scheme to improve Training Centre/Headquarters accommodation.

4.6

It would be possible to reduce the scope of both options and phase the works over a longer period, but it needs to be emphasised that an incremental approach on a scheme that has so many interdependent buildings issues is likely to cost significantly more in the long run.

For example, it would be feasible to provide only the new stores/vehicle garaging building, but this would leave insufficient funding to tackle the refurbishment of the higher-priority Training Centre needs. However, these needs cannot successfully be dealt with unless additional space is made available by way of an extension to the building (something recommended in both options).

5

Conclusion

5.1

Notwithstanding the significant improvements and rationalisation in the day-to-day use and occupation of the headquarters and divisional headquarters buildings that would result from pursuing Option 1 (and to a lesser extent from Option 2); it is anticipated that the Committee would find it difficult to justify the consequential delay in progressing other priorities in the capital programme.

5.2

It is therefore recommended that the Authority's architectural advisers be asked to report back as soon as practically possible on the feasibility of a scheme that can be wholly contained within the existing provision for just the Training Centre improvements - notably the need to improve showers and changing room facilities. Advisers would be asked to provide outline plans and cost estimates: (a) on the assumption that the £141,000 Supplementary Credit Approval (SCA) can be utilised in 2003/04 (i.e. a maximum of £691,00 in total); and, (b) for a scheme that assumes that SCA cannot be carried over to next year (i.e. a maximum of £550,000 in total).

6

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

6.1

The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 and considered in the light of the Race Relations (amendment) Act 2000.

Recommendation

That the Authority's property and architectural advisers be asked to report back as soon as practically possible with revised options for dealing with only the most urgent needs at the Training Centre; and at a total cost that can be accommodated within the current capital programme without detriment to other priority schemes.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report.

HFRA Finance and General Purposes Committee 10 7 2002 - Property Maintenance Programme (Confidential report)

NB The list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

Appendices 1 and 2 - Outline Plans

Appendix 3 Impact on Capital Programme

HFRA Finance & General Purposes Committee

30 10 2002

Appendix 3

HFRS Training Centre/HQ - Accommodation Rationalisation

Capital Programme

1

Estimated resources and payments before taking account of the training centre/headquarters project.

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

£'000

£'000

£'000

Resources brought forward

707

1,378

1,333

BCA/SCA Approvals

1,231

1,231

1,231

Capital receipts

603

0

0

Payments

-1,163

-1,276

-189

Resources available at the end of the year

1,378

1,333

2,375

2

Net requirement on available resources of training centre/headquarter project over 2003/04 and 2004/05.

Option 1

Option 2

£'000

£'000

Payments

1,870

1,008

Less SCA and anticipated contribution from mobile communication tenant

201

201

Net requirement on resources

1,669

807

3

The existing capital programme includes a provision of £490,000 compared with the net resources requirement of £1,669,000 for option 1 and £807,000 for option 2. The impact on the Basingstoke fire station project would be to delay the start by about a year if option 1 is approved or about two months if option 2 is approved, unless other means are found for the Basingstoke project.

Dir.fin: HFRA FGP 30 10 2002 - HQ Training 22 10 2002