Agenda item

This report seeks approval for the design brief and procurement strategy for the Sunken Gardens project and the public realm at Place St Maur, Bognor Regis.

Cabinet

RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL – That

(1)  The design brief for public realm improvements at Place St Maur, Bognor Regis, be approved which will form the basis of the tender process for the project;

(2)  Delegated authority be given to the Director of Services to procure consultants to undertake RIBA stages 0-7 to enable the delivery of the Place St Maur project;

(3)  Subject to approval of recommendation (2), funding of up to £235k be vired from the Sunken Gardens project to this project for the associated project cost;

(4)  Enhancement proposals for Place St Maur be prepared for public consultation; and

(5)  These new proposals rescind all previous decisions taken on the Hothampton site.

The Chairman presented this report and outlined that it was originally seeking approval for the design brief and procurement strategy for both the Sunken Gardens project and the public realm at Place St Maur in Bognor Regis.  Further options for the Sunken Gardens were still being worked upon therefore the Place St Maur was the project which had been identified as a priority to be taken forward.  The recommendations within the report would enable consultants to be procured to prepare enhancement proposals for the site.  The Sunken Gardens project would be reported to a future Cabinet meeting due to the complexity of the site.

The Principal Landscape Officer was then invited to outline the key highlights of the report.  She stated that the Place St Maur was an important public space in Bognor Regis and was situated in a key location lying adjacent to the seafront. At the moment the site was not fulfilling its potential and so it was planned to appoint a Consultant to enhance this area.  Full details of the design brief had been set out in Appendix 1 of the report.  This confirmed the strategic objectives which were to complete the enhanced public realm link between the seafront and the Town Centre; to create a high quality, welcoming space for visitors to spend time in; and to create a flexible venue for outdoor events.  The proposed features were to enhance hard surfacing; provide areas of soft landscaping; water jets; seating; and flexible space to accommodate a variety of events.  The Consultants appointed would be for the duration of the whole project including concept design; public consultation and overseeing the work on site.  It was outlined that the construction procurement would be a separate exercise.  The capital cost for delivering this project was anticipated to be in the region of £1.5m and there was no budget set aside for this work.  It was proposed to vire £235k from the Sunken Gardens budget to enable the procurement of the consultants and survey work to be undertaken. 

The Chairman commenced the debate on this item acknowledging that the site, as it stood now, was untidy and unkept and was an uninspiring open space.  He also outlined that any work undertaken on the Place St Maur would not be allowed to impact discussions taking place on the remainder of the Regis Centre site. 

            The views put forward by Cabinet were that the Place St Maur was well overdue a makeover given its key location.  The objective to provide a flexible venue for outdoor events was especially welcomed and all were in favour of the provision of water jets.  It was agreed that the project would provide a welcome addition for tourists visiting Bognor Regis to enjoy and in the right location.  It was acknowledged that with the Christmas Ice Rink, the redeveloped site had the potential to be a real draw for the community and would provide the key link between the seafront and the rest of the Town.  This was vital from an economic perspective and was a hugely exciting project.  A request was made to consider adding coloured lighting to the proposed features.

The Chairman confirmed that Councillor Gunner had requested to speak, and this was approved by Cabinet.  Councillor Gunner stated that he was pleased that this project was progressing but referred to the section of the project brief outlining stakeholder needs stating that the Council needed to be more collaborative in terms of the way it made decisions.  He felt that this item should have been reported first to the Bognor Regis Regeneration Sub-Committee and he asked how other Members of the Council would be able to contribute to such an important item.   It was outlined by the Director of Services that the brief did detail the expected programme for the project and showed that there would be a full public consultation exercise which everyone would be welcome to take part in ensuring that an open and inclusive consultation exercise would be undertaken.  The Chairman agreed and stated that he was sure that as the project developed reports would be submitted to the Bognor Regis Regeneration Sub-Committee and the Bognor Regis BID, the project brief had also set out when the Consultant would be required to report and update Members on each stage of the project.

The Cabinet

                        RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL – That

(1)          the design brief for public realm improvement at Place St Maur, Bognor Regis be approved which will form the basis of the tender process for the project;

(2)          delegated authority be given to the Director of Services to procure consultants to undertake RIBA Stages 0-7 to enable the delivery of the Place St Maur project;

(3)          subject to the approval of Recommendation (2) above, funding of up to £235k be vired from the Sunken Gardens project to this project for the associated project costs;

(4)          enhancement proposals for Place St Maur are prepared for public consultation; and

(5)          these new proposals rescind all previous decisions taken on the Hothamton site.

The Cabinet confirmed its decision as per Decision Notice C/042/090320, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of the Minutes.