Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Sustainability

The item was introduced by Councillor McKinlay, Cabinet Member Built Environment as Councillor Whyborn, Cabinet Member Sustainability was not in attendance at the meeting and had given his apologies. The report highlighted that the Friends of Imperial Square Heritage and Conservation (FISHAC) had started to raise the substantial funds required to restore the historic railings to Imperial Gardens. The intention was that Cheltenham Borough Council would then procure and subsequently deliver the works, in three phases. In order for the project to progress to its construction phases it was a requirement that FISHAC entered into a legal agreement with Cheltenham Borough Council which would require funding raised by them to be provided to the Authority.

The Cabinet Member Built Environment stated that the report was not about the design or whether there should be any railings. He said that the purpose of the report to Council was to help Members decide whether to allocate a budget for external funding. This was necessary due to the amount involved and it was therefore, effectively, an emergency item. If passed, the Council would enter into a procurement phase and may have to pay out some of the money before the money is received from FISHAC.

A Member asked about the phasing of the works and questioned whether the payments would also be in three separate phases. The Cabinet Member Built Environment responded that this was detail still to be worked out. He said the work would only be carried out if the money was raised and that money wouldn’t be spent unless there was a guarantee that the money would be received.

One Member suggested there could be a risk that only half the park was  completed if the remaining funds could not be raised.

Another Member thanked Councillor McKinlay for the report and urged him to give the project his support.  

A Member stated that he could not support the recommendation as felt the decision to install railings around an open space such as Imperial Gardens was the wrong one to take. They acted as a barrier to the gardens and ruined the vista. He suggested that it was a good thing that this had taken a year to get through planning as there had been a debate to be had. He said that in Victorian times the railings had been there to help keep undesirables out, however this was not the approach that should be taken in the 21^st century. There was also the potential that people may get their head or limbs stuck in between the railings as the width between each bar is quite large. He told members that he was pleased that the height of the railings had been altered, but stated that ‘we could sleep walk into changing the nature of our best gardens’.

Another Member informed the meeting that getting an agreement from Council was important to FISHAC as it meant they could go forward and get funding from charitable bodies.

One  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12

Report of the Cabinet Member Sustainability

RESOLVED that

1. The reinstatement of the historic railings at Imperial Gardens be approved.

2. the Head of Property and Asset Management be authorised to carry out the procurement to appoint the contractor to carry out the works to Imperial Gardens and a project manager to manage the construction project.

3. The Authority enter into an agreement with The Friends of Imperial Square Heritage and Conservation for the restoration of the railings, to include provision for funding to be transferred to the Authority prior to commencement of each stage of the scheme.

Council be recommended to

4. Allocate the budget for the project and the budget for the external funding within the Authority’s capital programme.

The Cabinet Member Sustainability introduced the report on the restoration of the historic railings to Imperial Gardens which represented a significant and exciting project in the development of Cheltenham town centre. As Cabinet Member his role was to promote the town’s gardens in a way which gave maximum benefit to the largest number of people. He highlighted the public consultation he had undertaken to ensure that there was support in principle and that the project complemented the ongoing development of the area in a way which was ascetically pleasing in a 21^st century setting in gardens which were functional for events such as the Science and Literature Festivals. He explained that the proposed railing design was generally true to the original, apart from a height reduction of 0.35m and this was agreed by Planning Committee in May 2013. There were no plans to fit gates but rather to leave open entrances for best aesthetic design. The Cabinet Member referred to the map which had been tabled and which had been submitted to Planning Committee and which was a more accurate appraisal of entrance sizes.

The Cabinet Member said that whilst the £500 000 scheme had great merit, the Council could not support it financially. The Friends of Imperial Square, Heritage and Conservation (FISHAC) were therefore seeking to raise funds independently. The plan was to divide the project into three phases, with no possibility to start a later phase while an earlier phase remained incomplete. He thanked FISHAC for their forbearance in what had been a long process and said that the council looked forward to working with them in partnership.

Finally, he highlighted that in the context of paragraph 2.9 of the report FISHAC would be responsible for funding ongoing maintenance of the railings. He reiterated that Cabinet was approving the scheme referenced 13/00301/AMEND & 13/00302 LBC and that there was very clear public support to the proposal.

The Leader of the Council highlighted that the funding aspect of the proposal would be submitted to Council on Monday 22 July for approval and explained that the council would ensure the funding stream was in place before committing to the works given the potential liability involved.

RESOLVED that

1. The reinstatement of the historic railings at Imperial Gardens be approved.

2. the Head of Property and Asset Management be authorised to carry out the procurement to appoint the contractor to carry out the works to Imperial Gardens and a project manager to manage the construction project.

3. The Authority enter into an agreement with The Friends of Imperial Square Heritage and Conservation for the restoration of the railings, to include provision for funding to be transferred to the Authority prior to commencement of each stage of the scheme.

Council be recommended to

4. Allocate the budget for the project and the budget for the external funding within the Authority’s capital programme.