Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

1) Executive Summary

This report seeks approval to the proposed building designs for the 25 projects within Phase III of the Children's Centres Strategy.

2) Issues Covered in Report

· Although funding for the project has already been approved this report outlines the estimated costs and sources of funding.

· Any significant issues from either the Risk or Combined Impact Assessment which will need to have specific attention in the design or implementation of this project.

· The detail of the proposed design strategy is laid out for approval.

1) Scope of Work:

1.1. This report sets out the building proposals for the development of the 25 Phase III Children's Centres within Hampshire as part of the Government's national strategy to develop 3,500 Sure Start Children's Centres across the country, in order to achieve the objectives set out in the `Every Child Matters' Government programme.

1.2. This report is a combined approval for the Phase III programme and is presented in the same format as was approved for Phase II in 2007.

2) Contextual Information:

2.1. Seven Sure Start Family Centres were developed in Hampshire as part of Phase I of the programme, with a further 53 Children's Centres being provided in Phase II. In order to meet the Government target of a Children's Centre for every community, a third phase of 25 Centres is now being progressed. This will ensure that Hampshire's remaining under-fives will have access to appropriate services and facilities.

2.2. The report provides details of the Phase III projects, demonstrating the different generic types of solution proposed. As previously with Phase II, it is not appropriate to produce 25 separate appraisals covering each project. The projects have again been grouped together into one programme of work to ensure value-for-money and a consistently high-quality approach to briefing, design, procurement and construction.

2.3. The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services has progressed the design of the proposed third phase of Children's Centres and the purpose of this report is to outline the proposals for the remaining 25 projects and seek approval to their design.

2.4. The proposals will maximise wellbeing, enhance the quality of place and make Hampshire safer and more secure for all by providing specialist Children's Centre facilities throughout Hampshire.

3) Procurement and Timing

3.1. The projects have been grouped into seven contract clusters, based on construction types and/or geographical locations. These contract groupings will be procured through a combination of IESE Tier 2 and Tier 3 framework contractors and competitive tendering. This procurement strategy is described in further detail in the separate procurement report to this Panel.

3.2. For each Centre location, signed acceptance of the feasibility study is required from the respective `host' organisation (i.e. School Governing Body, Community Centre Board of Trustees, etc), confirming their agreement to the proposals to locate the new Children's Centre on their site. The preferred projects locations are shown in the confidential appendices. As experienced with Phase II, it is anticipated that some of these preferred locations may not receive approval from the host organisation and therefore may be subject to change prior to the conclusion of the feasibility phase of the Phase III programme.

3.3. The DCSF had originally set a national target of 31 March 2010 for completion of the Phase III projects. The DCSF has recently confirmed, however, that this deadline has been extended to later in 2010, providing that final funding drawdown of all monies is achieved by 31 March 2011. In order to deliver this number of projects within these time constraints, the single project team established for Phase II has been retained and is continuing with the same coordinated approach to design and procurement. Work is proceeding to target as many completions close to March 2010 as can be achieved, with the remainder completed during the summer and autumn of 2010.

3.4. Alongside the Children's Centre programme, feasibility work is progressing on a number of DCSF-funded capital-built projects on County Council-owned sites for early years providers in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector. On two of the preferred Phase III sites, where pre-schools are proposed alongside the Children's Centres, they have been combined into a single project. The Capital Expenditure table shown below therefore includes the funding for the two PVI sites. A separate report on the remainder of the PVI Programme will be made to this Panel later in 2009.

3.5. Some proposed centres are within District Council owned premises or County Council owned sites which are subject to third party occupation under existing agreements. In such cases the County Council will need to enter into appropriate legal agreements which secure the investment made in establishing the centre, and securing occupation and use in the future. In addition, the County Council may also need to enter into formal agreements to secure planning consent for a scheme. To enable the delivery of these centres within the anticipated timescale, it is suggested that the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services be authorised to enter into appropriate legal agreements, with such transactions being reported retrospectively to the Executive Member for Policy and Resources.

4) Finance:

4.1. Capital Expenditure:

a) The Capital Expenditure has already been approved; the following tables outline the breakdown its distribution across the project:

4.2. Sources of Funding:

a) Building Costs @ 01Q09:

Average Net Cost

· New-build = £2,312 per m²

· Extensions = £2,695 per m²

Average Gross Cost

· New-build = £3,076 per m²

· Extensions = £3,640 per m²

b) Furniture & Equipment:

Provision has been made in the budget for fixed furniture and equipment in the planned Centres. This is approximately 4% of the estimated costs of the buildings.

c) Energy Costs:

The estimated annual energy consumption for the new accommodation will meet that required by current Building Regulations.

5) Risk & Impact Issues:

Please see Appendix A for a summary of the risk and impact issues considered in relation to the design of this project.

6) Details of sites and existing Infrastructure:

6.1. The proposed new Children's Centres will be sited in a variety of locations, as follows:


· freestanding new buildings, located on County Council-owned school sites

· extensions and/or alterations to County Council school buildings, libraries and community centres

· grants to other local authorities for the development of Children's Centres in local authority-owned community centres

6.2 The preferred locations (as approved under delegated powers by the Children's Centre Board on 11 May 2009) are shown on the confidential map at Appendix C and the confidential schedule at Appendix D.


6.3 The Phase III Centres are based on a reduced version of the `graduated' M4 model brief previously implemented on approximately half of the Phase II Centres. The actual building solutions vary from site to site depending on the particular existing accommodation available in each location, with gross internal floor areas of between 50 and 150m². The size of the multi-purpose rooms are based, where applicable, on the crèche area requirements per child from the National Standards for Daycare.


6.4 Proposals for access also vary from site to site. The key issues that have been considered are as follows:


· respecting and maintaining the security of the proposed sites

· the need for safe pedestrian access

· staff car parking provision

· accessible parking provision

· emergency and refuse vehicle access

· contractor's access for duration of work


6.5 The school sites vary from campuses comprising SCOLA built accommodation to earlier traditional construction. The community centres and third party-owned buildings likewise vary from recently completed buildings to earlier traditional construction.

6.6 Ground investigations carried out on site where extensions or new-build accommodation are proposed indicate that a variety of foundation types appropriate to the local ground conditions will be required.

6.7 For the majority of the new-build proposals, it is anticipated that new mains services will be provided independently of the school buildings. Where extensions to existing buildings are required, it is expected that some mains provision will be sufficient and some will require upgrading. Separate metering or sub-metering will be installed where appropriate.

7) Scope of the Projects:

7.1. A variety of accommodation will be provided either through new-build provision or the adaptation of existing spaces. The following model brief sets out the typical accommodation that could be provided in the Children's Centres, although these will vary according to the particular site constraints.

Phase 3 Model Brief



· main office

· welcome/reception area

· accessible toilet including baby-changing facilities, for use by staff and visitors

· small office/meeting room/confidential room

· multi-purpose room

· small kitchenette

· children's toilet

· cleaner's store, including boiler/electrical distribution

· covered entrance area with small pram/pushchair storage

· small covered outside play area/terrace

· equipment storage

· hard play area

· grassed area

· staff car parking area

7.2. Unlike the Phase II Centres, there is no requirement for daycare within any of the Phase III Centres. Typically covering relatively large, predominantly rural catchment areas with dispersed pockets of population, a key role of a Phase III Centre is to provide a staff base from which outreach activities can be coordinated across the catchment area in other venues. As such, only relatively limited parent/child activities are expected to take place within the Centre itself and the accommodation provided is accordingly compact and flexible in order for it to adapt to a number of different use scenarios.

8) The Proposed Buildings:

8.1. Following the success of the 16 modular-built Children's Centre projects in Phase II, a similar generic design has been developed for Phase III, with each of the six new-build projects sharing a common design and floor-plan template, in order to optimise cost efficiencies. Due to the smaller size and number of the projects, use of modular construction is not anticipated this time, although a panelised pre-fabricated timber-framed system is proposed to maintain some of the benefits achieved in Phase II with off-site fabrication.

8.2. The external walls will generally be rendered, with some areas of timber cladding. The roofs will have a high-performance covering. On certain sites, alternative external materials may be used, with brick facings and a pitched roof, to complement the surrounding buildings. Windows and doors will be composite, with aluminium on the outside and timber on the inside.

8.3. The use of timber-frame construction offers a number of advantages that are beneficial to the Children's Centres programme of works:


· fast-track procurement to meet programme deadlines

· shorter on-site period reduces impact on existing site users, eg schools

· majority of structural frame assembled under factory conditions, with significantly reduced H&S risks

8.4. The buildings will have a minimum structural lifespan of 60 years and external finishes a minimum lifespan of 20 years. This is in line with buildings of this type constructed elsewhere in the County and nationally.

8.5. Where Centres are located in existing buildings, the alterations and extensions will be built of materials and finishes to complement the existing construction. These will vary from site to site, but are generally of traditional brick construction.

8.6. All Centres will be designed to provide a level entrance threshold for pushchair and wheelchair access with automatic entrance doors. Each Centre will include an accessible wc and have a minimum of one accessible parking space.

8.7. Heating within new-build Centres will be by gas-fired condensing boilers serving low-surface temperature radiators. It is anticipated that some mechanical ventilation will be required, but the majority of rooms will be naturally ventilated.

8.8. It is anticipated that existing heating and ventilation systems will be extended to serve the accommodation within existing buildings which are to be extended or altered to facilitate the Children's Centres.

8.9. A generic floor plan and elevations for a new-build project is included in this report in the confidential Appendix E.

9) External Works:

9.1. Car parking provision for the Phase III Centres has been calculated using the current Hampshire County Council Highway Parking Standards for nurseries. This defines a parking space ratio of 1.5 spaces per two full-time equivalent (FTE) staff and includes for parents, visitors and an accessible parking space. The new Centres are expected to have four FTE staff and the typical provision is therefore two spaces plus one accessible space.

9.2. Existing parking provision on each site has been reassessed against the current parking ratios for each site use category, eg primary school, as required by the Director of Environment. It is anticipated that any surplus spaces thus identified will be required to be re-allocated for use by the Children's Centres as part of the parking space requirements listed above.

9.3. Landscape proposals include, where possible, direct access to a secure external play area for the children. Hard and soft landscaping will be used, where appropriate, to provide a suitable setting for the new Centres within their respective contexts and environments.

9.4. Careful consideration has been given to the siting of each Centre with respect to existing buildings and adjoining properties.

10) Planning:

Detailed planning applications are being prepared for the new-build and extension schemes as required. Some of the smaller alteration and extension schemes will fall under the permitted development criteria.

11) Building Management:

Arrangements for cleaning, catering, local management and maintenance arrangements are being developed as part of the overall Children's Centre Programme.

12) Professional Resources:

Architectural Services - Property Business & Regulatory

Quantity Surveying - " " "

Electrical & Mechanical - " " "

Structural Engineering - Consultant appointments

13) Consultations:

The following have been consulted during the development of this project and any relevant feedback can be seen in overview in Appendix B

Headteachers and Governors of the schools; Children's Services Department; Environment Department; Fire Officer; Access Officer; local County Councillors; District and Borough Councils (where freeholders); Community Associations (where applicable); Third Party freeholders.

Recommendations:

That the Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that:

1. Approval be given to the building designs for the 25 projects within Phase III of the Children's Centres Strategy at an estimated total cost of £10,739,604 (including fees of £1,580,103);

2. The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Strategic Manager - Assets and Development) be authorised to enter into appropriate planning agreements, and legal agreements related to the establishment of centres sited on land either not owned by the County Council or affected by third party interests, and to settle terms relating to such agreements.

Appendices

A Risk and Combined Impact Assessment

B Feedback from Consultees

C Map of Preferred Centre Locations

D Schedule of Preferred Centre Locations

E Example of Phase III Children's Centre generic building - plans

Appendix A

RISK & COMBINED IMPACT ASSESSMENT:

Race and Equality Impact assessment

Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

Crime prevention issues

The County Council has a legal obligation under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to consider the impact of all the decisions it makes on the prevention of crime. The proposals in this report have no direct impact on the prevention of crime.

Fire risk assessment

In consultation with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, fire risk assessments have concluded that these are low fire risk category buildings. Therefore sprinkler systems will not be installed.

Health and safety

Design Risk Assessments have been carried out as part of the feasibility studies, addressing issues such as pedestrian and vehicular approach; child security; fire safety; contractors' working areas, associated constraints and temporary conditions; access for buildings and grounds maintenance. These will be developed as the detailed designs for the various projects are progressed.

Climate Change

Across the Children's Centres programme, existing accommodation has been re-used and upgraded where available, to reduce the amount of new-build construction and the resulting carbon footprint. Where possible, materials will be locally sourced to reduce transport impact. Construction will meet or exceed the requirements of the Building Regulations, to maximise the projects' contributions to the County Council's carbon reduction strategy.

Appendix B

FEEDBACK FROM CONSULTEES:

OTHER EXECUTIVE MEMBERS:

OTHER FORMAL CONSULTEES:

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Other Significant Links