Issue - items at meetings - Contractual Arrangements for Strengthening the King's Road Arches

Report of the Strategic Director; Place (copy attached).

1.                  That the urgency and essential nature of the initial strengthening works to the seafront Arches and the additional, associated opportunities and benefits that these works present regarding the delivery of the i360 viewing tower be recognised;

2.                  That the award of the scheme contract for the urgent and essential strengthening works to the seafront arch structures between Alfresco’s Restaurant and the West Pier (referred to as Arch Numbers 36-61), under the ‘Coast Protection and Highway Structures Maintenance Framework Agreement 2012 – 2015’ be approved; and

3.                  That it be agreed that priority should be given to identifying and allocating funding from within the council’s budgets to enable the planned strengthening works and internal refurbishment to be undertaken during 2012/13 to 2014/15, to coincide with the planned construction programme for the i360 viewing tower.

125.1    The Strategic Director; Place introduced the report which detailed the council’s responsibility for the management and upkeep of the seafront structures.  He stated that strengthening works had had to be undertaken and approval was now being sought for the overall contract for strengthening works to be carried out in association with the i360 development.

125.2    Councillor Peltzer Dunn referred to recommendation 2.2 of the report and queried whether sufficient information had been included in the report in regard to the contractual arrangements that were being agreed.

125.3    The Lead Commissioner, City Regulation & Infrastructure stated that an existing contract for the overall improvement works had been previously approved and the proposal was to expand the necessary works between Alfresco’s restaurant and the West Pier to take account of the urgent strengthening works and the works required that were associated with the i360 development.

125.4    Councillor West stated that the proposed works would also bring a number of the seafront arches back into use which would benefit the area.

125.5    The Chair then put the recommendations to the vote.

125.6    RESOLVED:

(1)         That the urgency and essential nature of the initial strengthening works to the seafront Arches and the additional, associated opportunities and benefits that these works present regarding the delivery of the i360 viewing tower be recognised;

(2)         That the award of the scheme contract for the urgent and essential strengthening works to the seafront arch structures between Alfresco’s Restaurant and the West Pier (referred to as Arch Numbers 36-61), under the ‘Coast Protection and Highway Structures Maintenance Framework Agreement 2012 – 2015’ be approved; and

(3)         That it be agreed that priority should be given to identifying and allocating funding from within the council’s budgets to enable the planned strengthening works and internal refurbishment to be undertaken during 2012/13 to 2014/15, to coincide with the planned construction programme for the i360 viewing tower.