Issue - meetings

PLEASE NOTE: Should the Council wish to discuss the detail of Appendix 4 it will be necessary to exclude the press and public and move into exempt session. If applicable, the following resolution should be moved:

“That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs such interest in disclosing the information.”

RECOMMENDED that Council agrees: -

(a)  the disposal of the south section of the car park on the open market, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes once the South Car Park is formally closed;

(b)  to delegate authority to the Corporate Property Officer, in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Director of Law and Governance and the Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places to select the preferred offer and finalise the detailed terms of the disposal; and

(c)  to support the reprovision of the car park and the development of a business case by the Director of Infrastructure for the modernisation and improvement of the retained car parking area, based on the use of prudential borrowing, in consultation with the Director of Commercial Operations, the Ward Councillors and the relevant Portfolio Holder.

Councillor M Cox, presented the report and recommendations as set out on the agenda.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor V Slade.

Council moved to a vote where the motion as follows was carried.

RESOLVED that Council agrees: -

(a)    the disposal of the south section of the car park on the open market, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes once the South Car Park is formally closed;

(b)    to delegate authority to the Corporate Property Officer, in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Director of Law and Governance and the Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places to select the preferred offer and finalise the detailed terms of the disposal; and

(c)    to support the reprovision of the car park and the development of a business case by the Director of Infrastructure for the modernisation and improvement of the retained car parking area, based on the use of prudential borrowing, in consultation with the Director of Commercial Operations, the Ward Councillors and the relevant Portfolio Holder.

Voting: For - 34; Against - 5; Abstentions – 13.

Beach Road Car Park is a public pay and display surface car park in Canford Cliffs with c.316 car spaces currently marked out. Many of these spaces are not compliant with BCP Parking Standards and due to land slips, tree encroachment and related surface breakage, they are unusable.

The whole of the car park is under-utilised and closed for six months of the year (30th September to 1st April) and the south section of the car park, fronting Pinecliff Road was declared surplus, most recently by Cabinet on 8 March 2023.

This report seeks approval to dispose of the south part of the site, shown outlined red in Appendix 1, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes, retaining the rear in its existing use as a car park.

 It is the council’s intention to make improvements to the retained rear car parking area, including consideration of the scope to increase current capacity and provide more compliant spaces. This will be subject to a separate business case and cabinet report, to be led by the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the Director of Commercial Operations.

RECOMMENDED that Council agrees: -

(a)           the disposal of the south section of the car park on the open market, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes once the South Car Park is formally closed;

(b)           to delegate authority to the Corporate Property Officer, in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Director of Law and Governance and the Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places to select the preferred offer and finalise the detailed terms of the disposal; and

(c)           to support the reprovision of the car park and the development of a business case by the Director of Infrastructure for the modernisation and improvement of the retained car parking area, based on the use of prudential borrowing, in consultation with the Director of Commercial Operations, the Ward Councillors and the relevant Portfolio Holder.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places

Reason

Offering the front part of the site for sale as a residential redevelopment opportunity on the open market will:

·      Contribute to the council’s corporate strategy priorities.

·       Optimise the use of a public land asset in accordance with its

·       allocation in the Local Plan and ensure best value is achieved.

·       Encourage more sustainable forms of travel.

·       Generate a capital receipt to support the funding of the

·      council’s Transformation Investment Programme.

The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'F' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that Beach Road Car Park is a public pay and display surface car park in Canford Cliffs with c.316 car spaces currently marked out, and that further to this many of these spaces are not compliant with BCP Parking Standards and due to land slips, tree encroachment and related surface breakage, they are unusable.

Cabinet was informed that the whole of the car park is under-utilised and closed for six months of the year (30th September to 1st April) and that the south section of the car park, fronting Pinecliff Road was declared surplus, most recently by Cabinet on 8 March 2023.

Cabinet was advised that the report sought approval to dispose of the south part of the site, shown outlined red in Appendix 1 to the report, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes, retaining the rear in its existing use as a car park.

Further to this Cabinet was informed that it is the council’s intention to make improvements to the retained rear car parking area, including consideration of the scope to increase current capacity and provide more compliant spaces, and that this would be subject to a separate business case and cabinet report, to be led by the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the Director of Commercial Operations.

The Ward Member for Canford Cliffs addressed the Cabinet expressing serious reservations regarding the sale of the car park, and in relation to this the Ward Member highlighted the following areas of concern with regards to the disposal of the south section of the car park: -

-       the car park currently provides the overspill parking for Rockwater

-       questioned that this was a sustainable location as cited within the report as there is a lack of public transport

-       stressed that an increased visitor numbers to beaches with an increasing need for car parking provision.

Comprehensive discussion then took place with regards to the use of the car park.

It was requested that the possibility of opening the northern part of the car park during the winter months be explored.

RECOMMENDED that Council agrees: -

(a)           the disposal of the south section of the car park on the open market, subject to a future Cabinet resolution to appropriate the site for planning purposes once the South Car Park is formally closed;

(b)           to delegate authority to the Corporate Property Officer, in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Director of Law and Governance and the Portfolio Holder for Dynamic Places to select the preferred offer and finalise the detailed terms of the disposal; and

(c)           to support the reprovision of the car park and the development of a business case by the Director of Infrastructure for the modernisation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86