Archived decisions
AT A MEETING of the BUILDINGS, LAND AND PROCUREMENT PANEL of the County Council held at The Castle, Winchester on 19 October 2004.
PRESENT:
Councillors: T. K. Thornber, CBE (Chairman); M. F. Cartwright; B. D. Dash;
C. Davidovitz; D. A. Kirk; J. W. Stocks; J. K. West; M. J. Woodhall; D.F. Wright.
Also in attendance: Councillor Mrs E. M. F. Randall for the Disability Discrimination Act Item (Minute 198 refers).
182 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should normally at the time of the debate declare their interest, and having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.
183 MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2004 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
184 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS
The Chairman reported upon a number of priority schemes for possible inclusion within the capital programme. However, to do so would leave an estimated shortfall of £1.5m to be met and this required further consideration by officers in the context of the roll forward of the capital programme. Given this shortfall, the proposed `Wood Fired Boiler' at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Horndean would be reviewed as part of this process.
185 MEMBERS' QUESTIONS
There were no Members' Questions.
186 DEPUTATIONS
There were no deputations.
187 SOUTH HAMPSHIRE RAPID TRANSIT:A3 PORTSMOUTH -WATERLOOVILLE - HORNDEAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY CORRIDOR PROGRESS REPORT AND SECTION 3 WATERLOOVILLE TOWN CENTRE
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 6 in the Minute Book) on a project appraisal in
respect of Section 3 of Waterlooville Town Centre and on progress in relation
to the A3 Project.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the project appraisal in respect of Section 3 Waterlooville Town
Centre, at an estimated cost of £7,250,000, be approved.
(ii) the progress report on the A3 project be noted.
188 FLEET TOWN CENTRE IMPROVEMENTS - PROJECT APPRAISAL
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 7 in the Minute Book) on a project appraisal in
respect of Fleet Town Centre Improvements.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the project appraisal to carry out the Fleet Town Centre Improvements,
at an estimated cost of £3.018 m, subject to approval by the Executive
Member for Environment of the 2005/06 capital programme in January 2005 and, where the scheme involves the acquisition and/or dedication of land, the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Head of Estates Practice) be authorised to settle suitable terms.
(ii) the project appraisal to carry out Fleet Town Centre Improvements
be approved.
189 SMOKING AND PASSIVE SMOKING ISSUES
The Panel considered the report of the Head of Human Resources (Item
10 in the Minute Book) on a proposed review of the Council's existing
smoking policy, following suitable consultation with staff and their
representatives. Members fully supported the proposed way forward in
dealing with this matter recognising the sensitivities involved and need for a
sensible outcome with a set of best principles which could be applied. Also,
they welcomed the intention to support staff who wish to give up smoking.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources to endorse the following:
(i) That Human Resources (HR) be instructed to revise and reissue the
Council's smoking policy.
(ii) That the policy should include the removal of existing smoking rooms
for staff in order to make as many Council buildings as smoke free as possible.
(iii) That flexibility to be built into the policy to enable managers of
residential homes to make appropriate provision for clients who may
wish to smoke.
(iv) That the policy provides for managers locally to manage the issue of
where and when smokers can take smoke breaks and ensure that any
time taken is made up.
(v) That the new policy is returned to the Employment in Hampshire
County Council Committee for final approval in February 2005.
190 DROXFORD JUNIOR SCHOOL, SOUTHAMPTON - DESIGN PROJECT APPRAISAL
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 8 in the Minute Book) on a building design project
appraisal to demolish the existing kitchen, to convert the existing hall to a
classroom and to construct a new hall, kitchen and playground at this school.
It was noted that since the report had been published Councillor Felicity
Hindson MBE had indicated her complete support for the work.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the design project appraisal for the Droxford Junior School, Southampton, at an estimated cost of £729,000, excluding fees, be approved.
191 EAST HAMPSHIRE SPECIAL SCHOOL, BORDON - DESIGN
PROJECT APPRAISAL
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 9 in the Minute Book) on a building design project
appraisal for the new East Hampshire Special School scheme.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the project appraisal for the East Hampshire Special School, at an
estimated cost of £6.184m, excluding fees, be approved.
(ii) the contribution from Policy and Resources capital repairs budget be
determined once the capital receipt from Whitedown School is known.
192 STRATEGY FOR THE BUILT ESTATE - PROGRESS REPORT
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 11 in the Minute Book) on a review of progress
against the management framework for Property Services.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that the update to the Strategy for the Built
Estate be approved and, in particular, the importance of considering how in the
medium to longer term, liabilities are matched by future resources.
193 REVENUE AND CAPITAL REPAIRS 2004/05
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 12 in the Minute Book) giving an update on the
current budgetary position for capital and revenue repairs and on the New
Deal for Schools Condition funding.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that approval be given to:
(i) the budgetary position.
(ii) the capital repairs cash flows in paragraph 3.9 of the report.
(iii) any over-or-under-expenditure for capital and major repairs be
carried forward to the following financial year.
(iv) the proposed additions to the programme as identified in paragraph
3.11 of the report.
194 SERVICES TO SCHOOLS
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 13 in the Minute Book) on the development of
services to schools as part of the comprehensive service level agreement.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the
Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the development of services
to schools as part of the comprehensive service level agreement be approved.
195 RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE BUILT ESTATE -ANNUAL REVIEW
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 14 in the Minute Book) on the annual review of the
Risk Management Strategy for the built estate and seeking approval to a
Design Model for the installation of sprinklers in the Nursing Care and Older
Persons' Residential Homes. It was clarified that the allocation for resources
shown in recommendation (ii) should read £1.6m and not £1.08m as shown.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the
Executive Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the revised Property Services Strategy Risk Register for 2004/05 at Appendix 2 in the report be approved.
(ii) the allocation of £1.6m, as detailed in paragraph 2.1 and Appendix 3 of the report be approved.
(iii) the Design Model is adopted as the technical solution for the installation of sprinkler systems in the Nursing Care and Older Persons' Residential Homes and developed in the future to address all properties in the built estate where sprinkler provision has been agreed.
196 PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 15 (a) in the Minute Book) on an interim review of the arrangements for the current financial year of all present procurement initiatives, including the Framework for Major Schemes and other Strategic Partnerships. Members noted that it was the intention to work towards centralising procurement within the County Council with the aim of reducing costs, particularly those associated with social care procurement.
RESOLVED:
That the Panel note the following:
(i) the projects to be undertaken through the Framework for Major
Schemes and Programmes of Work as identified in Appendix 2 of the
report.
(ii) the appointment of Strategic Partners for Quantity Surveying
Services.
(iii) the appointment of Landscaping Consultancy Partners.
That the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that approval be given to:
(i) the procurement initiatives that have been implemented this year as
set out in Appendices 2 and 3 of the report.
(ii) the procurement initiatives set out in Appendix 4 of the report relating
to the:
· replacement of Wet Cooling Towers - Winchester response after Fires and other Urgent Works
· Hiltingbury Infant School - Improvements
· replacement of uninterruptible power supply to the IT suitefire suppression and alarm systems in the IT suite
· replacement of Warwick windows at Swanmore and Hayling Schools
(iii) the appointment of Asbestos Surveying Consultancy Partners.
(iv) the appointment of both Town Planning and Urban Design and
Transport Planning Strategic Consultancy Partners.
(v) the appointment of lead design consultants and key specialists for the
redevelopment of Ashburton Court and the process to select a
contractor for the project.
(vi) the arrangements following the fire at Eggars School, Alton
(vii) the appointment of Elliot Group Ltd and SGB Rovacabin for the
supply, transfer and hire of temporary buildings with effect from
1 November 2004 as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report.
(viii) the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services
report to a future meeting of the Panel on centralising the County
Council's Procurement initiatives and functions in particular those
associated with social care.
197 ASSESSMENT OF COUNTY COUNCIL BUILDING PROJECTS AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES OF RETHINKING CONSTRUCTION
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 15 (b) in the Minute Book) giving an assessment of the current position of procurement and project management processes for County Council building projects against the principles of the Rethinking Construction agenda.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the report be noted.
(ii) the further development of the Hampshire Procurement Model be reported to future meetings of the Panel.
198 DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT
(Councillor Mrs E.M.F. Randall declared a Non Pecuniary Interest as Honorary Vice-President of the Association for the Blind).
(i) Notes of Meeting
The Panel received the Notes of the Members' and Officers' Disability Discrimination Act Working Group held on 15 September 2004. (Item 16 (a) in the Minute Book).
(ii) Disability Discrimination Act Access Audits and Improvements Strategy
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 16 (b) in the Minute Book) on the progress, timescales and resource implications of this strategy and seeking the Panel's views on the Members' and Officers' Disability Discrimination Act Working Group's recommendation for installing Braille signage to all WC doors.
Councillor Mrs E. M. F. Randall referred to the outcomes of the
Members' and Officers' Disability Discrimination Act Working Group
and highlighted the importance of parking for disabled people to gain
access to public buildings and that removing the WC signs to install
Braille signage was unnecessary.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the progress on the Disability Discrimination Act Access Audits and
Improvements Strategy be noted and the current funding of £180,000
per annum from the Policy and Resources capital repairs budget
continues to ensure completion of phases 1 and 3.
(ii) subject to a further funding contribution from Recreation and
Heritage, additional funding of up to £50,000 in 2004/05 be approved
to enable the current commitments in Phase I to be completed.
(iii) the Panel noted that Councillor Mrs E. M. F. Randall had been invited
to chair future meetings of the Members' and Officers' Disability
Discrimination Act Working Group in place of former Councillor
W. H. Wheeler and that the comments made by her at the Panel
would be further investigated by the Director of Property, Business
and Regulatory Services and reported back to the next Meeting of the
Working Group.
199 CORPORATE PROCUREMENT - PROGRESS REPORT
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 17 in the Minute Book) giving a further update on corporate procurement.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the work to establish an overview of procurement within the County Council and to implement a corporate improvement plan be approved.
(ii) the wide range of procurement savings that have been and will continue to be made, is closely linked to the County Council's budget strategy.
(iii) Councillor C. Davidovitz be nominated to participate in the proposed review of corporate procurement performance and organisation.
200 FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL'S INTERESTS IN THE LAND AT MANYDOWN, NEAR BASINGSTOKE
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 18 in the Minute Book) on matters relating to the
future management of the County Council's interest in the land at
Manydown, Near Basingstoke.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the progress made in promoting the land at Manydown for inclusion in
the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan as a Major Development Area be noted and the Manydown Development Framework document be endorsed.
(ii) the change of the Manydown Joint Management Committee to the
Manydown Joint Development Committee be approved.
(iii) expenditure of up to £74,500 in the current financial year for the
preparation of submissions to the Public Inquiry into the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan Review be approved.
(iv) the Minutes of the Manydown Joint Management Committee meeting on 3 September 2004 be approved.
201 GYPSY AND TRAVELLER SERVICES
The Panel considered the report of the Director of Property, Business and
Regulatory Services (Item 19 in the Minute Book) on work being undertaken
with other local authorities in Hampshire to identify sites with the potential for
the provision of short-stay sites for Gypsies and Travellers.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources to approve the following:
(i) the actions undertaken to investigate the provision of short-stay and transit accommodation through the Joint Authorities Gypsy and Traveller Panel.
(ii) the additional expenditure of £13,300 from the Capital Repairs budget for site improvement works on the permanent residential sites as set out in the report.
(iii) the expenditure of £20,000 from the Capital Repairs budget to undertake feasibility studies on prospective short-stay, temporary and transit sites in the South-West of the County.
202 EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
RESOLVED:
That, by virtue of paragraph 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded for the remainder of the meeting.
203 NURSING CARE ACCOMMODATION - PROGRESS REPORT
The Panel considered the confidential report of the Director of Property,
Business and Regulatory Services (Item 21 in the Minute Book) on progress with regard to nursing care accommodation and the refurbishment schemes. The Panel supported the development of the refurbishment schemes up to the
proposed level with the scope of the work to include a further £800,000 of
funding.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive
Member for Policy and Resources that:
(i) the progress on the implementation of the schemes and the cost and risk management strategies be endorsed.
(ii) the selection of contractors for the last four schemes be approved as follows:
Brazier Construction for Bickerley Green and Westholme
Balfour Beatty for Emsworth House
HBG Construction for Tatchbury Mount
(iii) the approach to enhance the refurbishment schemes as noted in section 4 of the report be approved.
(iv) the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services determine the scope of the maintenance and refurbishment schemes within
(v) existing budgets to include a further £800,000 of work as outlined in the report.
204 FORMER ROOKWOOD COUNTY INFANT SCHOOL, EASTLEIGH - DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND
The Panel considered the confidential report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 22 in the Minute Book) on the opposed disposal of surplus land at the former Rookwood County Infant School, Eastleigh.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that approval be given to:
(i) the disposal of a site of approx 0.5ha (1.2 ac) comprising the unused grounds of the former Rookwood County Infant School, Eastleigh to Swaythling Housing Society, subject to detailed planning permission and a financial contribution from Eastleigh Borough Council as set out in the report.
(ii) the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Head of Estates Practice) being authorised to settle detailed terms and conditions of the sale including such adjustment to the purchase price that may be agreed following any minor amendments to the scheme and/or the outcome of any Section 106 Planning Contributions between the purchaser and the local planning authority.
205 FORMER RAILWAY STATION, GOSPORT - PLANNING AND MARKETING BRIEF
The Panel considered the confidential report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 23 in the Minute Book) seeking approval to the marketing strategy in respect of the former Railway Station at Gosport. Members noted the unsolicited interest in the site by a local hotelier and agreed that discussions in relation to this should continue.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the following be approved:
(i) the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Head of Estates Practice) be authorised to make minor alterations to the Brief in response to further comments by Gosport Borough Council and public consultation.
(ii) the site be declared surplus to all County Council requirements and marketed with the benefit of the approved Development Brief and the results of the marketing exercise be reported to the Executive Member for Policy and Resources at a future meeting.
(iii) that alongside (i) and (ii) above, the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Head of Estates) continue to investigate the unsolicited interest in the site by a local hotelier.
206 CONTRACTING MATTERS - CORPORATE CONTRACTS FOR WASTE COLLECTION AND ENERGY
The Panel considered the confidential report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 24 in the Minute Book) on information relating to the key contracting activities of County Supplies. The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services drew Members' attention to the increase in price for the supply of electricity to large County Council sites which reflected current trends in the market.
RESOLVED:
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that approval be given to:
(i) the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services being authorised to conclude contract arrangements in line with the options set out in this report for the provision of waste collection and recycling services for an initial period of four years commencing in April 2004.
(ii) the contracts for waste collection being mandatory on corporate departments unless there are exceptional, operational or financial circumstances to prevent this.
(iii) awarding the contract for the provision of security services at the Headquarters complex to Shield Security Services Limited at an approximate annual cost of £88,000.
(iv) a short-term contract be awarded to the lowest bidder for supplying electricity to large County Council sites on the most advantageous terms and conditions that can be negotiated.
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