The Cabinet considered a joint report of the Executive Director (Growth and Housing) and the Executive Director (Finance and Resources) setting out the range of opportunities the Victoria Centre presents in the context of the City Centre, the centre itself and other parts of the Council’s operational estate including the Civic Campus and the Tickfield Centre.

Resolved:

1. That the following guiding principles to develop plans for the work to proceed, be approved:

(a) The Victoria Centre provides a thriving mix of uses right in the heart of the City Centre with opportunities for businesses to thrive, and residents and visitors to shop, play, live and work.

(b) That the Council will seek to move administrative (and where appropriate other) functions into the Civic Centre, to establish the optimum volume and type(s) of space required for its future operations and then, subject to detailed feasibility, relocate the Council to the Victoria Centre.  This will in turn release the Civic Campus for regeneration and provide opportunities to redeploy, sell, develop or lease other buildings with the Council’s estate vacated as part of the rationalisation and to exit leased-in premises.

2. That a feasibility budget of £250,000 to support the next stages of work and enable the propositions to be developed and progressed, be approved.  This will be funded by £75k from existing Civic Centre efficiencies capital budget with the balance of £175k met from the Business Transformation Reserve initially.  This budget will be paid back through estate efficiencies and capital receipts as the project progresses.

3. That the procurement options be developed.

4. That the officers actively seek out external funding sources which may support this work.

Reasons for decision:

1. To provide officers with a clear set of principles to plan and work towards.

2. To enable the Council to ensure its administrative estate is right-sized, efficient, centrally located for easy access and to optimise the opportunities for increased footfall and linked spend in the City Centre.

3. To support the diversification and evolution of the Victoria Centre and make a clear, long-term statement of commitment to the City Centre.

4. To release brownfield land for development to help to meet the growing housing delivery challenge while also reducing its carbon footprint and occupational costs through rationalisation of the operational estate.

5. To enable planning, feasibility and strategy development and preliminary stages of delivery to move ahead.

Other options:

Not to agree the principle of relocation of the main administrative centre to the Victoria Centre and remain in the existing Civic Campus, acknowledging that it is far too large, inefficient, and expensive for the level of current and anticipated use and declining the regeneration opportunity presented.  This would leave the spaces in the Victoria Centre available for leasing to generate further income.

2. To lease out floors of the Civic Centre again with a view to staying longer-term.

Note: This is an Executive Function

Eligible for call-in to: Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee

Cabinet Member: Cllr Collins