Issue - meetings

The Adult Skills and Learning service currently use the Oakdale Learning Centre as a base for the western side of the BCP Council area. This building is life expired and replacement has been a long-held ambition for the Borough of Poole.

An options report which includes a mix of housing and a new adult learning hub for the Oakdale site has been developed but is unaffordable at this time. An alternative site for the Adult Learning Service has come forward at the Dolphin Shopping Centre and subject to the relevant planning approval and with excellent public transport routes would be ideally located for the service users.

Housing options for the Oakdale site will be brought forward when developed.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

(a)          Considers the options set out in the Oakdale Learning Centre Options Report (Appendix 1), to build a new learning centre on Site 2 (or alternative site), and releasing Site 1 for residential housing, to be unaffordable at this time;

(b)          Approves the relocation of Skills & Learning to premises in the Dolphin Centre on a 10 year lease with no break clause;

(c)          Approves a £920k increase in capital investment programme for adaptation work at the new Skills and Learning premises, on the basis that prudential borrowing repayments will be charged to the Skills and Learning service;

(d)          Accepts a contribution of £400k from Legal and General towards the cost of £920k adaptation works;

(e)          Notes the resulting £123k revenue pressure on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan for loss of annual Service Charge income from the Skills & Learning service;

(f)           Delegates authority to the Corporate Property Officer to agree the detailed terms of the lease and all associated documents in liaison with the Section 151 Officer, Monitoring Officer and the relevant Portfolio Holder/(s); and

(g)          Notes that a further paper on housing options at the Oakdale site will be brought forward in due course.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Covid Resilience, Schools and Skills

Reasons

To improve access to employability and enterprise skills, Maths, English, vocational and digital skills, a Job Club, well-being and professional development for unemployed and underemployed people and those with the greatest barriers to learning and work.

To enhance the vibrancy of Poole Town Centre with a dynamic and modern Skills campus likely to attract more passing footfall and increasing awareness of the service among residents and business.

To relocate the service with a reduced overall space requirement having considered the impact of Covid-19.

To ensure the council deliver on the ‘Promoting Lifelong Learning’ objective of the Fulfilled Lives, Brighter Futures and Connected Communities corporate plan by maintaining the delivery of adult community education in Poole.

To resolve the council’s increasing essential maintenance and repairs costs for the Oakdale Centre and register Skills and Learning’s need for suitable alternative accommodation.

To release land for residential development in the Oakdale ward as identified in the local plan.

The Portfolio Holder for Covid Resilience, Schools and Skills presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'H' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet were advised that although the format of learning had currently changed to meet the restrictions and implications of the Covid pandemic with a blended learning model utilising online formats, that the Adult Skills and Learning service currently use the Oakdale Learning Centre as a base for the western side of the BCP Council area, and that this building is life expired and replacement has been a long-held ambition for the Borough of Poole.

Further to this Cabinet were advised that an options report which includes a mix of housing and a new adult learning hub for the Oakdale site has been developed but is unaffordable at this time, and that an alternative site for the Adult Learning Service has come forward at the Dolphin Shopping Centre and subject to the relevant planning approval and with excellent public transport routes would be ideally located for the service users.

In addition Cabinet were advised that Housing options for the Oakdale site will be brought forward when developed.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

(a)          Considers the options set out in the Oakdale Learning Centre Options Report (Appendix 1), to build a new learning centre on Site 2 (or alternative site), and releasing Site 1 for residential housing, to be unaffordable at this time;

(b)          Approves the relocation of Skills & Learning to premises in the Dolphin Centre on a 10 year lease with no break clause;

(c)          Approves a £920k increase in capital investment programme for adaptation work at the new Skills and Learning premises, on the basis that prudential borrowing repayments will be charged to the Skills and Learning service;

(d)          Accepts a contribution of £400k from Legal and General towards the cost of £920k adaptation works;

(e)          Notes the resulting £123k revenue pressure on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan for loss of annual Service Charge income from the Skills & Learning service;

(f)           Delegates authority to the Corporate Property Officer to agree the detailed terms of the lease and all associated documents in liaison with the Section 151 Officer, Monitoring Officer and the relevant Portfolio Holder/(s); and

(g)          Notes that a further paper on housing options at the Oakdale site will be brought forward in due course.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Covid Resilience, Schools and Skills