Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

30^th May 2024

Title:

Mainline Station Business Centre Feasibility Study

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Andrew Bramidge (Interim Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment)

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

19^th June 2023 Cabinet meeting - Finance Update – Feasibility Fund

Recommendation 4: That Cabinet delegates the decision to allocate and spend the £3m Feasibility Fund to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Assistant Director Financial Services.

Approved by Leader: 14th May 2024

Approved by AD Finance: 20^th May 2024

Brief Description of Decision:

The report seeks to exercise the delegation to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Assistant Director Financial Services to allocate £100,000 of this fund for the Mainline Station Business Centre Feasibility Study.

Reasons for the Decision:

Rotherham Council intend to commission a feasibility study to understand the potential of investing in the development of a new Council-owned and operated business centre, at the heart of the proposed Integrated Mainline Rail Station. The study will test a number of options and whether a multi-functional building incorporating the station facilities into the business centre’s ground floor is feasible and operationally desirable to key stakeholders.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Officers considered not moving forward with the feasibility study for a business centre and simply progressing a traditional stand-alone station building to solely house the station facilities. This, however, would potentially miss an opportunity to contribute to the wider regeneration aims of the Station project and the Council. 

Officers considered not progressing the feasibility study at this stage. This option was discounted as it would result in not having the required design information for the dual functional business centre/station building to input into Full Business Case for the scheme. This would create uncertainty around how the scheme is progressed and how the building will be costed.

It is recommended that the study is commissioned now, in advance of the Full Business Case for the mainline station project. This is necessary to enable appropriate detailed design work to be undertaken for the station, either as a separate stand-alone building, or integrated within the dual function building. It is recommended that the Feasibility Funding is utilised to enable this commission to happen within the required timescale for its completion

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

Part Exempt (App 1 and 2)

An exemption is sought for Appendix 1 and 2 under Paragraph 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as these appendices contain information relating to the acquisition.

It is considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption would outweigh the public interest in disclosing the information because the negotiations contain information which, if disclosed, could prejudice the council’s interests.

Reports or parts of reports considered

Towns Fund Approval to progress Station land acquisition as part of Town Deal Cabinet May 2022 minute 149 re towns fund implementation.pdf

Decision to allocate and spend the £3m Feasibility Fund REPORT TEMPLATE FOR CABINET & COMMISSIONER (rotherham.gov.uk)

RiDO Business Centres: https://www.ridobusinesscentres.co.uk/

Rotherham Economic Growth Plan 2015 – 2025

Strategic Economic Plan (SYMCA, 2021 – 2041)