Issue - meetings

Appendix C to this report is contained within the exempt section of the agenda at Item 16.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services introduced a report on proposals to lease the former Rectory Road Library to the Royal British Legion (RBL) and, as part of the arrangement, for the Council to acquire the site in Rectory Road currently owned and occupied by the RBL with a view to developing it for residential purposes. 

By Minute 17 (25 June 2013), the Cabinet had approved the use of the former Rectory Road Library as a Territorial Army (TA) Centre.  For a number of reasons the TA did not take up the option and the building had remained vacant until recently when it became occupied under license by the local Leaping Toads children’s educational group while the group sourced more permanent accommodation in the Borough. 

The Cabinet Member advised that the RBL had expressed an interest in relocating to the former Library premises and wished to sell its current site to fund the relocation.  The current RBL site was flanked by Council-owned land which meant that, if the site was purchased by the Council, there would be a number of options open to the Council regarding future development. 

The Cabinet Member referred to the legal and planning issues that needed to be resolved regarding the former Library and the current RBL site and the market valuation for the freehold of the RBL site. 

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the granting of a 10 year lease for the former library site in Rectory Road, as shown in Appendix B to the report, to the Royal British Legion on market terms and, in doing so, amended the decision made by Cabinet under Minute 17 (25 June 2013);

(ii)  Approve the acquisition of the Royal British Legion site in Rectory Road as shown in Appendix A to the report following formal valuation and consultation with Planning officers, in line with the arrangements set out in section 4 of the report;

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, the Strategic Director of Finance and Investment and the Cabinet Members for Finance and Regeneration, to agree terms and negotiate the contract documents to fully implement and effect the sale and lease of the sites; and

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Director of Law and Governance, or an authorised delegate on her behalf, to execute all of the legal agreements, contracts and other documents on behalf of the Council.