Issue - meetings

Recommendation on page 34

RESOLVED – That -

(1)       Executive agree to contribute £262,500 (£250k + 5% contingency) from the Council’s Transformation Reserve into the Capital Programme towards the cost of the 3G FTP at The Arc, with the Football Foundation contributing the remaining £500,000 to the project.

(2)       A replacement pitch fund be created to contain annual contributions for 10 years from income received from the pitch,

(3)       Executive delegate powers to the Head of Service - Transformation & Organisation to enter agreements and contracts associated with and ancillary to project.

(4)       It be recommended to Council that the scheme be added to the Capital Programme.

(5)       The above resolutions be subject to the issues raised Derbyshire Wildlife and the Environmental Health service being addressed as part of the full planning application.

Executive considered the report of the Portfolio Holder – Partnerships and Leisure which requested capital funding from the Council towards the cost of a full size floodlit 3G Football Turf Pitch (FTP), with the majority of the cost funded by the Football Foundation. Approval was also sought to engage with the Football Foundation to start the process of developing the proposal at The Arc.

The proposal had arisen following a local demand study which identified The Arc as a strategic site. Members considered it a great opportunity to develop another top class facility at The Arc alongside the leisure facility.

A feasibility study was to be carried out and it was hoped that this would be submitted to the Football Foundation by October 2020. A decision from the Football Foundation on the matched funding was expected by January 2021.

Members noted that initial consultations had taken place with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Environmental Health as part of pre-application advice provided by the Planning service and that any issues would be addressed as part of a full planning application.

Moved by Councillor Mary Dooley and seconded by Councillor Duncan McGregor

RESOLVED – That -

(1)       Executive agree to contribute £262,500 (£250k + 5% contingency) from the Council’s Transformation Reserve into the Capital Programme towards the cost of the 3G FTP at The Arc, with the Football Foundation contributing the remaining £500,000 to the project.

(2)       A replacement pitch fund be created to contain annual contributions for 10 years from income received from the pitch,

(3)       Executive delegate powers to the Head of Service - Transformation & Organisation to enter agreements and contracts associated with and ancillary to project.

(4)       It be recommended to Council that the scheme be added to the Capital Programme.

(5)       The above resolutions be subject to the issues raised Derbyshire Wildlife and the Environmental Health service being addressed as part of the full planning application.

REASON FOR DECISION:

As the project was one of the priority projects in the Local Football Facility Plan for Bolsover to meet demand from local clubs for an all-weather facility it was recommended that the Council work with the Football Foundation to develop a 3G FTP at The Arc.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

The retention and improvement of the existing pitches had been considered, but given the cost of carrying out the necessary works, the limited additional benefit they would provide in terms of availability and the lack of sufficient additional rental income meant that this option was rejected.

(Director – Corporate Resources)