Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance

RESOLVED THAT

1.    The release of the restrictive covenant described in the report on the  land owned by Clifton Diocese described in the Background paper be approved in order to secure  a long lease of land at Alstone Croft Playing Field for  Gloucester Road Primary school as consideration for the release of certain requirements for the provision of a playing field contained  in an Agreement dated 21 December 2001 with Gloucestershire County Council

2.    Authority be delegated to the Head of Property and Asset Management, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance and the Borough Solicitor to negotiate and conclude such documents as may be necessary or advisable to put into effect the transaction described in recommendation 1.

Having declared an interest in this item Councillor Jeffries left the room and did not participate in the debate.

The Cabinet Member Finance introduced the report and said that if Members wished to discuss anything in the exempt Background Paper, then Cabinet would need to go in to closed session. She explained that in October 1956 the Council conveyed land to Clifton Diocese. The conveyance imposed a restriction on the Diocese “not to use the land for any building other than for religious worship”. On the 21^st December 2001 this Council entered into a legally binding agreement with the County Council to provide a school playing field for Gloucester Road primary school. The reason that CBC entered into this agreement was to facilitate and bring forward the Waitrose Development.  The main driver for the proposed agreement was for CBC to provide the school with a playing field. The land owned by CBC at Collett’s Drive was considered to be unsuitable for the purpose. The Council had still to fulfil its obligations under this agreement. In the meantime Gloucester Road Primary School had been using a sports ground at Alstone Croft on a short term lease, half of Alstone Croft Playing field was owned by Clifton Diocese, and the remaining half owned by Gloucester Diocese.

Clifton Diocese had indicated that it was willing to provide a 125 year lease to the county council, which would be sufficient to meet the playing field requirements under the 2001 Agreement, provided CBC released the restriction set out in paragraph 1.1. The county could then offer Gloucester Road School a playing field at Alstone Lane on a more permanent basis; in return this council would require its obligations under the 2001 Agreement to be deemed satisfied.

The Cabinet Member Finance added that CBC was effectively acting as a broker between the diocese and the county council. Finally, she wished to put on record her thanks to Abigail Marshall, Estates Surveyor for her considerable work in bringing forward this proposal. The Leader added his thanks and acknowledged that it had been a long and complicated process.

RESOLVED THAT

1.    The release of the restrictive covenant described in the report on the  land owned by Clifton Diocese described in the Background paper be approved in order to secure  a long lease of land at Alstone Croft Playing Field for  Gloucester Road Primary school as consideration for the release of certain requirements for the provision of a playing field contained  in an Agreement dated 21 December 2001 with Gloucestershire County Council

2.    Authority be delegated to the Head of Property and Asset Management, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance and the Borough Solicitor to negotiate and conclude such documents as may be necessary or advisable to put into effect the transaction described in recommendation 1.