Agenda and minutes

Moved by Councillor Jeanne Raspin and seconded by Councillor Jane Yates

RESOLVED that Councillor Duncan Haywood be elected as Chair for the meeting.

Councillor Duncan Haywood in the Chair

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Mark Hinman, Tom Kirkham, Deborah Watson and CEO Karen Hanson.

To note any urgent items of business which the Chairman has

consented to being considered under the provisions of Section 100(B)

4(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no urgent items of business to consider.

Members should declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable

Pecuniary Interest and Non Statutory Interest as defined by the

Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of:

a) any business on the agenda

b) any urgent additional items to be considered

c) any matters arising out of those items and if appropriate, withdraw

from the meeting at the relevant time.

There were no declarations of interest made.

To consider the minutes of the last meeting held on 11^th December 2023.

Moved by Councillor Will Fletcher and seconded by Councillor Jeanne Raspin

RESOLVED that the Minutes of a Local Growth Scrutiny Committee held on 11^th December 2023 be approved as a correct record.

The Monitoring Officer went through the items on the List of Key Decisions and Items to be Considered in Private document.

The Chair highlighted the Delivery Update on pages 10-16 and opened the floor to questions.

One Member asked why the Roseland Crematorium was currently off track to achieve its completion date, why it was off track to achieve its approved contract sum, and which cost saving measures were being identified by the project team to bring it under budget.

The Director of Property and Construction replied that most of the delays were structural, as the architectural team’s designs had been found to be unsuitable, and that the project team had needed clearer direction in place.

The Director of Property and Construction highlighted that the architectural designs had specified certain materials like Italian marble and Zinc, materials that could be replaced with for more affordable substitutes without a reduction in appearance or longevity. Another example was the use of loose tumbled stone for a wall, the appearance of which could be achieved for less.

A Member asked if these cost saving measures would ultimately increase the time and capital of the delay.

The Director of Property and Construction stated they could only advise but insisted that to achieve what the architectural team had sought was not a financially viable option.

There was also the issue of securing these more expensive materials in the first place, as their prices and availability were changing frequently.

A Member asked about the completion date, and how far off track the project was.

The Director of Property and Construction answered that the project programme has had to be redone, but the period after the original expected date of completion had been allocated for the extended testing of the facilities and for staff training purposes. As a result, there will be no real detrimental impact to the completion date.

Moved by Councillor Will Fletcher and seconded by Councillor Jeanne Raspin

RESOLVED that the Dragonfly Development Limited (DDL) Delivery Update be noted.

The Director of Property and Construction and Councillor John Ritchie left the meeting.

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer highlighted pages 22-23 of the Local Growth Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2023/24, with one more meeting scheduled for the municipal year. They also stressed that this Committee had a fluid programme and that if there were any issues the Members wished to investigate, they could do so.

One Member noted that the next meeting would be an extended one.

The Monitoring Officer agreed, adding that the minutes of the internal Dragonfly Development Limited Report would be included.

Moved by Councillor Will Fletcher and seconded by Councillor Jeanne Raspin

RESOLVED that the Local Growth Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2023/24 be noted.