Agenda item

Elaine Clarke, Community Facilities Project Officer introduced the report to seek approval for a number of proposals relating to a development at the Council’s Ansty Recreation Ground. The report sought the allocation of £100,000 to enable the delivery of a £1.4m project of a new combined Village Hall, Sports Pavilion and Social Club. She highlighted that the project will be delivered in three phases. 

The officer noted that to date the Parish Council, Cricket Club and Social Club has raised over £700k.  The project funding has a shortfall of £100k and the report asks for this to be provided from Council Reserves.

The report detailed the four leases which would permit the use of the current village hall site as a car park, lease the new development and car park to Ansty Village Centre Trust, grant a lease on the groundsman’s store to Ansty Cricket Club and re-grant a lease with amended right of way to Ansty Cricket Club to provide access rights over the Recreation Ground to the Club’s extension. 

The officer noted an amendment to paragraph 8 of the report, it should have read:  ‘’AVHT was awarded a Facility Grant of £17,440 in 2009 towards the costs of re-providing the Village Hall.  AVCT was awarded a Facility Grant of £127,000 toward the project on 30 May 2013 (£16,959 ring-fenced for Stage 2) and a further £214,402 on 29 October 2019, funded through the release S106 contributions.’’

The Leader confirmed that the robust project had taken a while to reach this stage and the aspiration of the Ansty Village Centre Trust was sound.  The project would be beneficial to the District and would provide for the growth of sports facilities including sport for women. 

The Cabinet Member for Community noted the current use of the facilities and that this would increase in the future.  The development will increase the value of the facility to the wider community of Mid Sussex.  He congratulated the Trust.

Several Cabinet Members asked for an assurance that  this would be the final payment from Council Reserves to complete the project and asked what contingencies the Trust had if there was an overspend or delay in construction.

The Officer highlighted the need for the project to commence on site and that construction must be completed by September 2020. She advised Cabinet that Heads of Terms had already been agreed and the legal paperwork should be signed so the Trust can start development in January 2020.  The project had contingencies for unexpected costs and they were reasonable for a project of this scale. 

Peter Stuart, Head of Corporate Resources confirmed that the Trust had been informed in meetings that no more Council Reserves would be awarded to them, and they are satisfied with that arrangement.

The Leader noted that no more Members wished to speak so took them to the recommendation contained in the report, which was agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED

Cabinet resolved to:

    (i)        recommend to Council the grant of £100,000 to the Ansty Village Centre Trust funded through Reserves;

   (ii)        take a 150 year lease of the existing village hall site from the Ansty Village Hall Trust for the purposes of using the land as a car park serving the Recreation Ground

  (iii)        grant a 150 year lease of the site of the new Village Hall, Sports Pavilion and Social Club and Car Park (including the site of the existing village hall) to Ansty Village Centre Trust at a peppercorn rent for the purposes of using the land as a Village Hall, Sports Pavilion and Social Club with ancillary Recreation Ground Car Parking following practical completion of the Scheme.

 (iv)        grant a 28 year lease of the groundsman’s store at Ansty Recreation Ground to Ansty Cricket Club together with ancillary rights to maintain the cricket wicket on the Recreation Ground and use of the cricket outfield

(v)       take a surrender of and re-grant a lease with an amended route to Ansty Cricket Club’s to give them access rights over the Recreation Ground to the Club’s extension to the north of the Recreation Ground