To request that, given the significant inflation in construction costs in the last six months, Cabinet approves a transfer of £272,383 from the Business Investment Fund to the Starlings project. 

To also request that demolition of the Milton Road Car Park is postponed and an options paper is brought forward for the site during 2022/23. In the interim that at least £74,000 of the sum to demolish Milton Road Car Park be reassigned to the Starlings project, to enable the scheme to proceed. Further, that up to £12,000 of budgeted demolition costs for Milton Road are used to commission a report to determine the carpark’s current condition and structural stability and the maintenance requirements and costs.

RESOLVED that Cabinet agrees to –

a)     place an additional sum of £272,383 in the Capital Programme from the Business Investment and Growth Fund towards the Starlings Project;

b)     postpone demolition of Milton Road Car Park and bring forward options for the site later in 2022/23; 

c)      approve up to £12,000 from the funding allocated to demolish Milton Road Car Park to commission a report into the current condition of the Car Park and its immediate maintenance requirements and costs to safely operate;

d)     the allocation of the remainder of the Milton Road Car Park demolition costs from the original 2019 September Budget to the Starlings project; and

e)     note that Officers will proceed with procurement of the contractor.

Cabinet had before it a detailed joint report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder (A.5) which requested that, given the significant inflation in construction costs in the last six months, Cabinet approve a transfer of £272,383 from the Business Investment Fund to the Starlings project. 

The joint report also requested that demolition of the Milton Road Car Park was postponed and an options paper be brought forward for the site during 2022/23. Furthermore, that in the interim at least £74,000 of the sum to demolish Milton Road Car Park be reassigned to the Starlings Project, in order to enable the scheme to proceed. Further, that up to £12,000 of budgeted demolition costs for Milton Road be used to commission a report to determine the car park’s current condition and structural stability and the maintenance requirements and costs.

Cabinet recalled that, at its meeting in July 2019, it had approved the strategy for the revitalisation of Dovercourt town centre, which set out a positive vision to guide development and identified twenty projects to attract residents and visitors, and to improve the image and quality of the centre (called the ‘Dovercourt Masterplan Revisited’). The Cabinet had also agreed at that meeting to the preparation of a detailed business case for the redevelopment of the Starlings Site and Milton Road Car Park.  That business case had been considered by Cabinet in September 2019 and Cabinet had approved the acquisition and redevelopment of the Starlings site and the demolition of the Milton Road Car Park. Cabinet had also allocated £1.595m funding to the project from existing budgets. £86,000 of that fund had been allocated to the demolition of Milton Road Car Park.

Starlings

Members were aware that the works aimed to bring back into productive use a vacant and derelict site, which currently blighted and had a negative impact on Dovercourt High Street. The new Starlings Car Park would provide 51 parking spaces with four disabled bays and a minimum of four charging points for Electric Vehicles, able to charge up to eight cars.

It was considered that the project had significant benefits. It would create a more accessible public car park and provide the potential for a multi-use ‘event space’ in the town centre. It was felt that this would improve footfall in the town and reduce opportunities for crime and disorder. This investment should create confidence in the market to encourage private sector investment within the town centre and give the town’s existing traders the confidence to invest in their businesses and in their property. It would bring new amenity into the town centre with new toilets, and a high quality design scheme for the public realm.

It was reported that Phase 1 of the Starlings redevelopment had been completed with the initial feasibility, survey and site investigation. A Portfolio Holder decision dated April 2020 had provided authorisation to proceed with the land acquisition and detailed design and the land for the Starlings site had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120