Agenda item
BOSTON LEISURE PROJECT - FULL BUSINESS CASE FOR TOWNS FUND
A report by Mike Guildersleeves, Assistant Director – Planning and Strategic Infrastructure
Minutes:
|
|
|
|
DECISION
|
Portfolio Holders and Officer NW/MG
|
||
REASON FOR DECISION Councillor Nigel Welton Portfolio Holder present the report advising that These proposals form part of the Heads of Terms for a Boston Town Deal which were confirmed in March 2021 for £21.9m and subsequently seven projects were confirmed with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), including improved Leisure facilities for Boston. The Leisure project has been allocated £2,425,092 of Towns Fund monies, pending Full Business Case approval due to be submitted in March 2022. The Boston Leisure project proposes to transform the existing Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre site, through significant remodelling and refurbishment. The central aim is to provide improved and remodelled facilities to support the wider area's health and wellbeing. The Boston Leisure project is proposed to be brought forward in collaboration with the Mayflower (Boston College) which is the flagship Towns Fund project. The proposed location of the Mayflower centre is adjacent to the Leisure Centre and is providing a distinct opportunity to enable the wider regeneration of both sites including Rowley Road and the areas adjacent to the Maud Foster Drain. This combined project would aim to a single site/campus/village - with the potential to address Boston’s health, education, leisure and well-being needs, as well as meeting the requirements of the Towns Fund for the regeneration of place and providing improved facilities for residents both in the immediate area and wider Borough. Both the Council and Boston College have vested interests owing to existing land holdings, but also an established operational relationship between the two sites. This report is a follow on from the report presented to Cabinet in January 2022 (Boston leisure project: Towns Fund - Mayflower and Leisure campus). The five case business case is based on the Towns Fund Delivery Partner Stage 2 template and is comprised of the Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Management Case. The business case sets out the required information to enable DLUHC to approve the funding allocated to this project. Following approval of the Council. Once approved the Council will be able to draw down the funding required within the overall timeframe of the Towns Fund deal. It is important to note that the business case document is not a delivery plan at this stage. There will be further development of the business case and other project milestones before the Council commits to the building contract. These future milestones will enable the Council to further review the overall development costs, in use revenue costs, and operating model for example. The Business case should be read in conjunction with the following documents to provide the overriding context for investment into the project and delivery of the stated objectives:
|
OTHER OPTIONS OR ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED Do nothing. This option would require the project to be withdrawn from the Towns Fund programme and seek DLUHC approval to reallocate the funding to another project within the Town Investment Plan for Boston, or lose the opportunity of the funding. Given the messaging from DLHUC recently regarding project variations and the need for the Business Cases to be completed promptly, there is a significant risk that the funding could be lost. The allocated match funding would also be removed from the Council’s capital programme. This option is not recommended as the project has significant benefits for the residents of the Borough, and is part of a wider regenerative opportunity including the flagship Mayflower project. Considering both projects together has the potential to deliver much greater benefit. The scheme is considered to be deliverable subject to the identification of funding and as set out in the business case, offers value for money and will provide the catalyst for the rejuvenation and reinvigoration of an important asset for the town. The proposals contribute to a number of areas where the town scores lowly (including health and well-being indicators) and encouraging footfall to the town. Doing nothing would lose this opportunity as the Council would be unlikely to be able to fund and support such a project were it not for the Towns Fund. This option would also erode the partnership with Boston College and undermine the Councils reputation. Doing nothing over the medium to long term will also reinforce a sense of decline in the local community. The visual amenity of the local built environment will remain low and deter the ability of local partners and businesses to attract repeat visits to the local area. It will represent a failure to deliver the opportunities for our local communities included within the Boston Town Investment Plan and Heads of Term offer from HM Government.
|
RECORD OF ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None. |
RECORD OF ANY DISPENSATION GRANTED
None. |
Note: the above item has been granted exemption from Call-In on the grounds of urgency.
Supporting documents:
-
Boston Leisure Project - Full Business Case for Towns Fund, item 64.
PDF 346 KB
-
Boston Leisure Project Business Case, item 64.
PDF 7 MB
-
Appendix 6 - Geoff Moulder LC Competitor Analysis, item 64.
PDF 640 KB
-
Appendix 7 - High Level Cost Estimate, item 64.
PDF 477 KB
-
Appendix 9 - FBC Programme - March 2022, item 64.
PDF 464 KB