The Chair welcomed the Assistant Director, Growth & Regeneration and the Future High Street Fund Project Officer, Ms L McCusker to the meeting to provide the quarterly update report.

The Assistant Director reported that the progress since the last report included:

1. The project was working with McBains on the programme, on design, costings, risk management and planning, and also working with external organisations, County council, Highways, Archeology, Ecology.

2. The Council had taken possession of the Co-op building and the demolition application had been submitted.

3. College Quarter, where the Co-op building had been acquired and now working on designs. The project is yet to hear if the College had received their funding from the Department for Education. Working on a planning application which was expected to be made in Spring.

4. Middle Entry, where agreement had been reached with the landowners with the aim to achieve vacant possession from June 2022. Work on the design to remove aspects continued

5. St Edith’s Square, where work continued with county regarding Highways

6. Castle Gateway, still working on structural aspects of the Peel Café and working with the Nationwide and expect the planning application to be made shortly. Survey work had also been undertaken for the Market Street properties.

7. Engagement sessions had taken place with local businesses.

8. A high level review had flagged initial costing concerns; due to two reasons, firstly the cost of raw materials, which was unforeseen two years ago when the bid was submitted, and secondly because the cost consultants add a 20% risk contingency given the project was at an early design phase.

The Committee commented and sought the following clarifications:

1. The options for St Editha’s Square including the potential to pedestrianise St Edith’s Square, or otherwise improve pedestrian and vehicular access

2. How the 20% risk contingency interacted with the design process where it was reported that as the project progressed through the RIBA stages the contingency levels would reduce, as the design became clearer. However, this meant that the project was over budget as a result.

3. Whether further work in this Committee on a strategy for the older buildings could be undertaken once there was more clarity from survey work to understand how to take forward, given this was an area of uncertainty. It was also noted that working with buildings of this age involved working with Historic England, and working within tight timescales.

4. In terms of Middle Entry, further clarification was sought on the details of this aspect of the project which went to Council in 2020, and the proposals which were now under development.

5. The importance of the design aspect of the new college building, and making it a quality and aspirational building. It was noted that there were planning policies and documents which would need to be complied with, and that the building would need to look good on the outside and work functionally on the inside for the college, and this would need to be ... view the full minutes text for item 90

Issue - meetings

Future High Streets Fund Update

Meeting: 07/04/2022 - Cabinet (Item 139)

Meeting: 24/03/2022 - Infrastructure, Safety and Growth Scrutiny Committee (Item 90)

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