Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Error! Bookmark not defined.Finance and General Purposes Committee Item 6

27 July 2006

Error! Bookmark not defined.Asset Management Working Group meeting 22 June 2006:

Headquarters site development - draft outline business case for the relocation of vehicle workshops and associated capital schemes

Report by the Chief Officer

Contact: David Howells Tel: 02380 626834 [email protected]

1

Introduction and summary

1.1

The Asset Management Working Group met on 22 June 2006 and was convened from members appointed to the Group by the Committee at its meeting on 26 July 2005. It was acknowledged at the start of the meeting that membership for the year ahead would need to be determined by the Committee at this meeting. Members present were: Cllrs: Hutcheson (Chairman), Horne, House, Price, Woodhall, Cartwright (ex officio).

1.2

Just one item was considered: the opportunity to relocate the vehicle workshops from Winnall, Winchester to the Headquarters site at Eastleigh. A copy of the (confidential) draft outline business case presented to the Group is attached (for members only).

1.3

It will be noted that the Group were made aware at the outset of their deliberations that there is not a sound business case to justify the relocation of workshops on it own merits. However, when examined in the context of other interrelated estates and building needs it was accepted that, by relocating workshops, an excellent opportunity emerges to relocate and redevelop Winchester Fire Station and thereby provide the quite different accommodation needs required when the duty system at the Station is changed from day-crewing to (continuously) shift-crewing [as approved in the Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan].

1.4

In making their recommendations to the Committee, members were mindful of the following factors:

· Significant operational difficulties will arise in the medium term at both Winchester Fire Station (due to the changes in duty system) and the Winnall workshops (due to limited flexibility) which make their relocation desirable. For members of the Group, these factors ruled out taking no action.

· In the short-term, the lowest-cost option would be to relocate the Fire Station to Winnall and externalise vehicle maintenance. However, the potential gains were considered to be more than offset by the advantages of maintaining an in-house vehicle maintenance capability (as recently confirmed by the recent Best Value review presented to the Authority at its meeting on 31 May 2006).

· It might also be possible to move the workshops to another rented site rather than to Headquarters, but the Authority's ownership of the Headquarters site (hence avoiding rental costs) and the strategic advantages of co-location of facilities on the Headquarters site suggested that this option is not worth pursuing.

· Long-term vehicle maintenance workloads are somewhat uncertain given the drive towards collaborative regional arrangements. However, it is just as likely that a new purpose-built workshop facility would attract additional business from the region and from the increase in the fleet arising from the allocation of the Government-funded Urban Search and Rescue Vehicles. It was also felt that this risk was sufficiently ameliorated in the short- to medium-term by the likelihood that the building - should it prove surplus to vehicle maintenance requirements - could be advantageously used in any future relocation of Eastleigh Fire Station.

1.5

On balance, therefore, Members considered that the relocation of vehicle workshops to new facilities at the Headquarters site and the resultant opportunity to relocate the Winchester Fire Station to a modern building at the Winnall (workshops) site represented a potentially cost-effective solution. It was noted that the funding was available to make the estimated net £3.5m investment and members requested that a full project appraisal should be prepared on that basis.

1.6

Mindful of the need to optimise the use of the Authority's built-estate assets, Members asked that a further recommendation be added (to those set out in the attached report) asking officers to report on the potential benefits of eventually relocating Eastleigh Fire Station (currently at Steele Close, Eastleigh) to the Headquarters site.

2

Recommendations

2.1

That the proposed strategy and outline business case for resolving various building issues and needs, including those arising out of the Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan, be approved; and

2.2

That, in the context of this proposed strategy, a full project appraisal be presented to the Finance and General Purposes Committee and/or to the Authority for the relocation of the vehicle workshops to the Headquarters site, Eastleigh.

2.3

That, in order to obtain the best possible financial information to inform the project appraisal, approval be given to negotiate (without commitment) with the existing contractor on site (Brazier Kier) a tender price for the design and build of a vehicle workshops on the Headquarters site.

2.4

That a project appraisal for the relocation of the Winchester Fire Station to the Winnall (workshops site) be presented to the Finance and General Purposes Committee in due course.

2.5

That officers be requested to present a report (initially to the Asset Management Working Group) on the potential benefits of relocating the Eastleigh Fire Station to the Headquarters site.

3

Equality Impact Assessment

3.1

There are no significant issues contained in this report to draw to the attention of the Committee and the proposals within this report are considered compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Background Information (Section 100D of Local Government Act 1972)

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:

· Confidential report to the Asset Management Working Group at its meeting held 22 June 2006 (attached for members only)

Note: The list excludes: (1) published works; and (2) documents that disclose exempt or confidential information defined in the Act.