Issue - items at meetings - Saltdean Lido

Joint report of the Assistant Chief Executive and the Executive Director for Finance & Resources (copy attached).

(1)               That the Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company be awarded preferred bidder status and Freedom Leisure be released from their position as reserve bidder;

(2)               That the Heads of Terms relating to the Lido for the Agreement for Lease, the 60-year Lease and Library Lease back to the council as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be agreed and the Head of Legal Services be authorised to complete the Agreement for Lease substantially in accordance with the Heads of Terms;

(3)               That the proposed Heads of Terms between SLCIC and Wave Leisure set out in Appendix 2 to the report be noted and it be agreed that they are satisfactory;

(4)               That the indicative programme referred to at paragraph 3.10 of the report be noted.

87.1         The Assistant Chief Executive introduced the report which sought approval to appoint the Saltdean Lido Community of Interest Company (SLCIC) as the preferred bidder for a 60-year lease of the Saltdean Lido site.  She stated that this was the next stage in the process following the tender exercise and that should approval be given, then SLCIC would submit a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding and should hear the outcome of the first stage in that process early in the New Year.  She noted that the second stage would be around April 2014 and that the company’s success would be dependent on the success of the bid.

87.2         Councillor A. Norman welcomed the report and stated that she hoped the bid would be successful.  In regard to the Heads of Terms she sought further clarification in respect of the cost of the post referred to as she had anticipated that as a result of awarding the lease there would be no on-going subsidy from the council.

87.3         Councillor Lepper also welcomed the report but queried whether the financial implications as detailed in paragraph 7.2 were correct as she believed that the Section 106 funding attributed to the whole of the Saltdean area and not just the Lido.

87.4         The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that match funding of £20k was a potential one-off cost that had been identified and that the Economic Development & Culture Committee had previously taken a decision to ring fence the Section 106 funding to match that of the Heritage Lottery Bid.  However, she would confirm the matter with Councillor Lepper.

87.5         Councillor Davey stated that it had been a long journey to reach the current position and he hoped that it would come to fruition now that the asset would be in the hands of the community.

87.6         The Chair stated that he wished the company every success with their proposals and welcomed the community ownership of such an asset.  There had been a process to follow and it now appeared that it was reaching its conclusion.  In regard to the Section 106 Agreement, he noted that it was usual to have a number of categories that related to the proposed use of the funding and that the ED&C Committee’s decision would be condition that was taken into account.  He then put the recommendations to the vote.

87.7         RESOLVED:

(1)               That the Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company be awarded preferred bidder status and Freedom Leisure be released from their position as reserve bidder;

(2)               That the Heads of Terms relating to the Lido for the Agreement for Lease, the 60-year Lease and Library Lease back to the council as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be agreed and the Head of Legal Services be authorised to complete the Agreement for Lease substantially in accordance with the Heads of Terms;

(3)               That the proposed Heads of Terms between SLCIC and Wave Leisure set out in Appendix 2 to the report be noted and it be agreed that they are satisfactory;

(4)               That the indicative programme referred to at paragraph 3.10 of the report be noted.