Decision details

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Resources seeking approval for  the acquisition of the Pan Handle Car Park Eastern Dock Southampton and delegated authority for the Senior Manager – Property Procurement and Contract Management to agree detailed terms and to any such action to facilitate the purchase.  

Having complied with Rule 15 of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules:

(i)  To approve the purchase of the freehold interest of the land identified in Appendix 1 – Plan 11ALM19039 and to delegate authority to the Senior Manager Property, Procurement and Contract Management, to agree the final terms and conditions of purchase.

(ii)  To delegate authority to the Senior Manager Property, Procurement and Contract Management in consultation with the Director of Environment and Economy to do anything necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report.

(iii)  To note the level of expenditure of the purchase, which has been previously approved by Cabinet as part of the Platform to Prosperity Capital expenditure programme.

This report is presented as a general exception item in accordance with Rule 15 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of Part 4 of the Council's Constitution.  Amendments to the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to information) (England) Regulations 2012 require 28 days notice to be given prior to determining all Key Decisions. This new requirement was published by Government mid August and comes into effect on 10^th September 2012.  Whilst the report did have the required 28 days notice, the new requirement to indicate potential elements of confidentiality was not complied with as it notification of the decision was published on the 17^th August 2012.

To enable the construction of the Platform to Prosperity road scheme in providing replacement park land following the development of Vokes Memorial Gardens as carriageway.

1.  Do not purchase the property – rejected the City Council has gained public support to the scheme based upon a statement of intent that there is not a net loss of public open space following development of Vokes Memorial Gardens.  This support will be lost if the parkland is not replaced.

2.  Reduce the scheme to within the existing highway boundary removing the need to replace the parkland. This has been rejected as this would not deliver the level of capacity enhancement required to serve peak demands in Port activity, which is a key objective of the road scheme.