Agenda and minutes

(1)       Proposed by Mrs Stockell, seconded by Mr Ridings and

(2)       RESOLVED that Mr A J King be elected as Chairman of the Property Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2013 are a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

(1)       Mr Cheverton, Head of Estate Management and Disposals, introduced the report which considered the background and options for the future of Swanley Library and sought endorsement from the Property Sub-Committee to take a new long lease of the entire building.

(2)       He said KCC is the freehold owner of the site which was leased to Swanley Town Council in 2004 for a term of 126 years and part of the site was used as a library.  The proposal is to surrender the existing long lease on the ground floor of the building, take a similar length lease on the entire building and invest £600,000 to modernise and extend the building to facilitate the creation of a Gateway.  He also said the reference to 2015 in the recommendations in the report should read 2025. 

(3)       In response to questions, Ms Spore, said there were two decisions to be made; one related to the lease and refurbishment of the property; and the other decision was to build a Gateway.  At this stage, only the decision relating to property was being considered and it was important to have this decision in place to avoid delay if a decision were made to build a Gateway.  She also confirmed that the future of Gateways was being reviewed, the decision relating to the property was subject to the Gateway going ahead and the proposed Gateway could not be accommodated without the adaptations proposed.

(4)       Ms Spore said that Sevenoaks District Council was involved in the development of the Gateway and was not referenced in this report because it is not involved in the lease of the building.  In response to a question she confirmed that both a survey and EqIA had been completed.

(5)       In response to a question Mr Cooke said the project would be completed within the budget.

(6)       Members’ views that Gateways were a good way of providing services were noted.

(7)       RESOLVED that the proposed decision to surrender the existing long lease of the ground floor of Swanley Library and take a new similar length lease of the entire building to expire in 2025, to facilitate the creation of a new Gateway with Swanley Town Council as partners subject to the Gateway Capital Project proceeding be endorsed.

RESOLVED that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

(1)       Mr Cooke, Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services, introduced the report which considered the proposed disposal of Laleham Gap School, Margate and the acquisition, by way of a land exchange, of Site 1, Eurokent, Ramsgate to enable Laleham Gap School, Margate and Laleham Gap House School, Broadstairs to be relocated to new facilities at Eurokent.

(2)       In response to questions, Ms Spore, said that Eurokent supported the proposal to develop the site for educational purposes and considered that it complemented other plans for the rest of the area.  

(3)       Mr Lemerle said that both pieces of land involved in the land swap had been independently valued.

(4)       In response to questions it was confirmed that: 

(a)       Sufficient land was being retained to meet the needs of Cliftonville Primary School;

(b)       Land at Laleham Gap would be developed for residential use;

(c)        Access, suitable for disabled students, would be made on the Eurokent site;

(d)       There was no proposal for the special school to share facilities with the Marlowe Academy;

(e)       The public consultation for the proposed relocation of the school was due to finish on 28 July 2013, a public meeting at the school had been very well attended and it was generally considered that the relocation would address the significant issues with the current site.

(5)       Ms Carey said that the proposal appeared to be a low risk, imaginative solution to the difficulties identifying a suitable site.

(6)       RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member’s proposed decision to dispose of Laleham Gap School, Margate in exchange for Site 1, New Haine Road, Eurokent, Ramsgate to enable new school facilities to be provided be endorsed and that authority be given to the Director of Property and Infrastructure Support to adjust the site extent, if necessary, to reflect any subsequent financial imbalances.