Agenda item

Piries Place car park - potential replacement

To receive the joint report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets and the Cabinet Member for Local Economy

Decision:

RESOLVED

(i) That the proposed redevelopment of Piries Place Car Park be approved, subject to satisfactory funding and satisfactory planning permission.

(ii) That the Director of Planning, Economic Development and Property be authorised to enter into the contract for the construction of the facility within the approved budget figure.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That a supplementary capital budget of up to £7,250,000 be approved for the proposed redevelopment of Piries Place Car Park, phased across 2017/18 and 2018/19, provided that if the smaller scheme is approved the budget shall not exceed £6,250,000.

REASON

To replace an existing multi-storey car park, which has significant shortcomings, with a new larger facility which will meet modern standards and customer expectations.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Members for Local Economy and Finance & Assets reported on a proposal for the demolition of Piries Place Car Park and its replacement with a new larger car park with improved usability and additional spaces.

The car park currently comprised 330 spaces and, whilst it was a popular car park within the town centre, it had a number of operational shortcomings which detracted from user experience:

· Narrow ramps with poor visibility

· Heads of ramps met with the need to give way (i.e. down traffic conflicted with up traffic)

· A high number of internal columns, which needed to be manoeuvred in order to park and exit

· Approximately 50% of the spaces were sub-standard with a width of less than 2.4 metres

· Difficult to access corner bays made some spaces unusable

· Cul de sac zones

· Poor lighting

· Tired appearance

Piries Place Shopping Centre was being redeveloped to create a new restaurant, cinema and hotel destination, due for completion in January 2019, and there was an opportunity to redevelop the car park within the same timescale, to achieve a coordinated opening with this major evening and leisure destination.

Consultants had been commissioned to undertake a review of parking capacity in Horsham and their report concluded that, whilst at present there was spare parking capacity within the town centre car parks, the effect of present and future development meant that this surplus was diminishing and would be taken up between 2018 and 2023. The consultants had therefore identified a requirement for between 200 and 380 new spaces by 2031.

The spare parking capacity that currently existed within the town centre would provide headroom whilst the car park was closed for redevelopment, although a mitigation strategy would be required during this period to manage peak demand.

Plans had been prepared which showed that, subject to planning approval, redevelopment of the car park could achieve from 113 to 230 additional spaces, including extra spaces for disabled drivers and parents with children.

It was proposed that the redevelopment of the car park would be procured through a Scape Group framework in order to meet the time constraints of coordinating this project with the Piries Place development. Scape Group was a public sector owned organisation which operated OJEU compliant frameworks and, with a Scape framework, a contractor was selected to undertake the work on a design and build basis. To achieve programme, design development would take place alongside the planning and Council approval process, which meant there was a risk of abortive fees being incurred by the Council if, for example, planning permission were refused.

It was estimated that the capital cost of the project would be between £6,250,000 and £7,250,000 depending upon the option finally chosen and appropriate sources of funding would be identified by the Director of Corporate Resources (S151 Officer). Details of the resource consequences of the proposal were reported.

The proposal had been considered by a joint meeting of the Local Economy and Finance & Assets Policy Development Advisory Groups and their comments were reported.