Agenda item

This report provides an update on the Angmering sports hub project including the results of the public consultation and preparation of a planning application.

The Principal Landscape and Projects Officer presented a report providing a further update to Members on the Angmering Sports Hub project since the committee’s last update received in July 2024. At that meeting the plans had been presented prior to the public consultation exercise. The report included the results of the public consultation that had been undertaken between 12 July and 2 August 2024 which had been attached to the report at Appendix 1. The updated plans following the public consultation had also been attached showing how they had been adjusted in response to some of the comments received.  

The RIBA Stage 2 concept design had been generally supported at public consultation. Appendix 2 of the report set out the concerns raised and the responses that had been provided to those concerns. Where concerns had been raised, options to address these had been considered as part of the Stage 3 design process and the report listed the changes that had been made to the design where they had been deemed practical and proportionate. These were also read out to the Committee.

The revised plans had been shown in Appendix 3 and included a site layout, building layout and building elevations. Larger copies of these plans were also circulated to the meeting, and it was confirmed that these would be shared with stakeholders and added to the Council’s web site. The Committee was being asked to endorse the updated designs following the public consultation and its subsequent submission as a planning application.

The recommendation was then proposed by Councillor Stanley and seconded by Councillor Andy Cooper.

A range of questions were then asked by the Committee. The first was whether any funds would be received via the Football Foundation. It was confirmed that a meeting with the Football Foundation was taking place soon and that discussions were ongoing regarding their funding application programme/process. The amount of Section 106 funding allocated to the project was approximately £3m with £2m received. A business case would be developed in due course to support the delivery of the project, including funding and phasing options which would be presented to a future meeting of the Committee in 2025 setting out options for the delivery of the project through phasing and how any other required funding might be obtained through borrowing, if not secured by some other source. Work was also underway looking at other sporting organisations in terms of funding.

The Committee outlined its thanks to the Principal Landscape and Projects Officer and the project team for the positively received public consultation exercise and the responding adjustments made to the plans.  The residents of Angmering were desperately looking forward to this project and so a realistic understanding of the financing position and timelines was requested. The Principal Landscape and Projects Officer confirmed that work on site could commence in Spring 2026, assuming that funding was in place.

Following some further discussion,

            The Committee

            RESOLVED

That the design updated following public consultation and its subsequent submission as a planning application be endorsed.