Issue - meetings

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

a)    Noted the work to date undertaken to assess the proposal brought to the council from Network Rail and Blocwork.

b)    Approved “in principle” the key terms as set out in Appendix A for entering into an Agreement for Lease and Subsequent Lease new MSCP at Northampton Railway Station.

c)    Delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, the Monitoring Officer and the Executive Director Place and Economy to take the final decision, take all necessary steps and complete the necessary documentation related to the new MSCP at Northampton Railway Station subject to (d)

d)    Agreed that the Council should only proceed with the proposed lease arrangements subject to gaining approval from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone (NWEZ) Board that the business rates from the proposed development can be retained for use on the project.

REASONS RESOLVED:

The council had been approached by Network Rail and Blocwork with a proposal and that proposal needed to be considered. The proposal would help to achieve a number of key objectives including helping to meet an identified undersupply of car parking and providing a new income stream for the council. Meeting an undersupply of car parking at this site would support economic growth and the prosperity of the town and make significant enhancements to the overall environmental laity and pedestrian connectivity of the surrounding area. The recommendations would enable the scheme to proceed, whilst there remain outstanding risks and interdependencies, without these approvals, the project could not continue at this stage.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

None

The Chair advised that three of the appendices to this report were exempt and as such any conversation around this would need to proceed in a closed meeting.

At the Chairs invitation Councillor Lizzy Bowen presented the report. The report was explained in detail and the committee was advised that the project was a very complicated one. It was noted that there was a clear need for more parking at the train station, this extra parking would be the catalyst for further development.  It was advised that the Executive Director of Place & Economy and the Executive Director of Finance had met with key funding investors to attain the best deal for this project. It was advised that many of the top bids had committed to the Council’s green causes, this had been a key criterion. The recommendations were then discussed.

Councillors made the following comments.

• The loss of the Buckton Fields park and ride was a disappointment.
• It was important for WNC to think green when choosing an investor.
• It was requested that the parking charges be sensible and fair.
• Would there be charging points for electric cars available?
• It was queried whether WNC would be creative with the design of the new car park, an urban habitat was given as an example.
• It was questioned whether there had been any discussion about the building of social housing on that site.
• It was noted that the giving of delegated powers would be a concern due to the size of the project.
• The construction would occur in the middle of one of the most historic areas of Northampton, this should not be overlooked.

Councillor Lizzy Bowen made the following comments in response to the queries raised.

• The loss of the park and ride had been noticed and a way forward was under review.
• It was confirmed that WNC would choose a green investor.
• The idea of a more creative design was noted as something to investigate.

• With regards to social housing, it was confirmed that all options were on the table.
• Councillors were assured that the delegated powers would not be granted to one person alone but various and there would be consultation with colleagues.
• It was advised that this option had been the less risky of the two available.

Councillor Adam Brown advised that he was not aware of any discussions regarding NPH housing on that land.

Councillor Phil Larratt requested that appropriate disabled parking and accessibility be provided on the new site, it was then confirmed that there was a plan in place for this. 

The Executive Director of Place & Economy made the following comments.

• Should there be any change in the direction of the project it would return to Cabinet.
• Any risks had been explained in the report, without WNC underwriting the project it could not go ahead.
• It was advised that any work carried out on Network Rail land would be challenging.

The recommendations were put to Cabinet.