MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

Cobtree Manor Estate Committee

 

13^th November 2013

 

REPORT OF THE COBTREE OFFICER

 

Report prepared by Joanna Joyce 

 

 

1.              Cobtree Visitor Centre and Café

 

1.1           Issue for Decision

 

           To consider the Visitor Centre and Café proposal for Cobtree Manor Park .

 

1.2           Recommendation of the Cobtree Officer

 

           It is recommended that the Committee:

 

1.2.1      authorize the final designs for the Visitor Centre and Café to be developed in line with the concept design previously endorsed and set out in Appendix A, that fully supports the delivery of the Charity’s objects;

 

1.2.2      authorize the base option design set out in Appendix B which sets out in further detail the previously approved concept design Appendix A;

 

1.2.3      authorize the contract for the construction of the Visitor Centre and Café to be put out to tender abiding by Maidstone Borough Council’s procurement rules bringing back to this Committee for approval the recommended offer of tender;

 

1.2.4      accept the offer of £300,000 from the Cobtree Charity Trust Ltd. towards the cost of the Visitor Centre and Café and to give delegated authority to the Head of Legal Services to enter into an agreement with the Cobtree Charity Trust Ltd. to this effect;

 

1.2.5      agree to the Cobtree Charity Trust Ltd. having full publicity rights over a plaque or interpretation area to tell visitors how Cobtree Manor Park has been made available for the benefit and use of the general public by the founder Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake;

 

1.2.6      authorize officers to investigate the options for the future management and operation of the Visitor Centre and Café that will deliver the Charity’s objects in order to bring the recommended option back to this Committee;

 

1.2.7      authorize officers to seek approval from the Charity Commission as to the variation of the terms for the way in which the finances for construction of the Visitor Centre and Café are arranged, as previously agreed by the Charity Commission, if considered necessary.

 

1.3        Reasons for Recommendation

 

1.3.1      The Cobtree Trust has generously offered to fund £300k which will enable the Visitor Centre and Café concept design previously endorsed by the Committee to be implemented. Following a quantity survey of the concept design plans the cost has risen beyond that initially budgeted, from £350,000 (£315,000 plus £35,000 contingency) to £439,796. A lower price option of £358,842 has been investigated; however, this doesn’t deliver the iconic building originally envisaged.

 

1.3.2      The original concept design for the Visitor Centre and Café approved by the Committee, provides a space which links closely with the outdoors, gives a larger area of seating, provides storage for park equipment (enabling the current container to be removed) gives a separate baby change (something which has been requested by park users) and more floor space enabling a larger seating area, this base option design is shown as Appendix B. This option also provides a larger area to be used as a separate space which could potentially be rented out to provide income to cover the maintenance costs of the building. Given the large increase in visitor numbers to the park it is recommended that as large a building as can be afforded should be built to cope with the day to day needs during peak periods.

 

1.3.3      The lower price option loses a number of the features originally considered important for the concept design; there are fewer windows, decreasing the view across the park from the proposed café, the roof design has been dramatically altered losing many of the roof lights thereby reducing natural light inside, the sliding doors have been reduced altering the flow of the building between indoors and outdoors and the quality of the finish and installation has been reduced and the floor space is smaller. This lower price option would therefore be very different to that originally approved by the Committee. This design is shown as Appendix C.

 

1.3.4      The higher cost of the building than originally planned is a result of the projected build time being longer than originally anticipated. The Visitor Centre and Café will be project managed and a discussion is underway with the project manager already appointed for the first two phases. Officers have been advised that with successful project management it should be possible to reduce the build time and therefore the cost. Officers will also look to value engineer the project (identify and remove unnecessary expenditure) to bring the overall cost down.

 

1.3.5      The generous donation of the Cobtree Trust will enable the construction of the concept design approved by the Committee shown as Appendix A and in further detail as base option Appendix B to be implemented, without having to reduce the size or quality of the building.

 

1.3.6      The additional funding required over and above the Cobtree Trust donation will come from the funds already allocated to phase three of the Cobtree Master Plan project (“the project”).

 

1.3.7      Funds remaining after the final cost of the building has been budgeted for will be returned to the endowment and a report on the reallocation of the funds resulting from the donation of The Cobtree Trust will be brought to the Committee. The success of the project has meant that some items originally included in the initial master plan have had to be dropped to enable items such as increased car parking capacity to be included in phase two of the project. These original features can only be included if additional project funding is found.

 

1.3.8      The donation could enable additional funds to be released for the remainder of the project, allowing further improvements to the car parking and other items from the original project plan to be included following the completion of the Visitor Centre and Café; it could also be used for improvements to the museum of Kent Life and the Golf Course, subject to the approval of the Charity Commission.

 

1.3.9      It is recommended that an agreement between Maidstone Borough Council and the Cobtree Trust regarding the donation is drawn up in order to give the Cobtree Trust assurance over the usage of the money and its request for the generosity of the founder to be publicized to be ensured.

 

1.3.10   It is the generosity of Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake that has endowed both the Cobtree Charity Trust Ltd. and the Cobtree Manor Estate Charity with the finances and estate for the benefit and use of the people of Maidstone. It is fitting therefore that the Cobtree Trust has asked that this be recognized in the Visitor Centre and Café in some way. Given the generosity of their donation it is reasonable that they should be granted full publicity rights for this particular project.

 

1.3.11   It is recommended that detailed designs are drawn up from the concept design already approved by the Committee and set out in Appendix A to enable the construction of the Visitor Centre and Café (subject to planning permission being granted) to proceed and to ensure the designs support delivery of the Charity’s objectives.

 

1.3.12   Using the Maidstone Borough Council procurement process for the construction of the Visitor Centre and Café will ensure that the appointment of the contractor is robust.

 

1.3.13   Once planning permission is granted and the budget has been finalized it will be important to get phase three of the project moving swiftly if possible. A further report will be brought to the Committee to outline the recommendations arising from the conclusion of the procurement process. Ideally officers would like construction to be completed by the school summer holidays next year, which is the busiest time in the park. If this is not possible the overall impact of the build may need to be considered and it is possible it would need to be delayed until the autumn.

 

1.3.14   The visitor centre and café is a new building which will require a new way of running compared to the existing café, whose lease expires in May 2014. It is recommended that officers investigate now all the available options in order to ensure it operates efficiently and provides the best facility possible and that a recommended option is then brought to the Committee for approval. Overall income generation from the café will be considered as part of this future report as the facility has the potential to be self funding in terms of running costs and could potentially generate income for the Charity. The new method of operation may result in the need to undertake a procurement process. The length of the tender process and the need to have the successful operator ready to operate the facility by the time the building is completed means it is important this is considered early on in the process.

 

1.4           Alternative Action and why not Recommended

 

1.4.1      The alternative action is not to accept the offer of £300,000 from the Cobtree Trust. This is not recommended as this will mean the concept design previously approved by the Committee cannot be afforded and a low budget option would instead need to be investigated.

 

1.4.2      Additional external funding will enable some of the funds originally directed towards the Visitor Centre and Café to be redirected to improve other parts of the project. Rejecting the offer of additional funding will mean that these additional items cannot be afforded.

 

1.4.3      Not permitting final designs to be worked up, and tender of the building contract for the Visitor Centre and Café to commence will result in a delay to the building of the new Visitor Centre and Café. This building is now needed urgently as the current facility struggles to cope with the number of visitors now using the park and the facilities are of such poor quality that it is now the main source of any complaints regarding the park that are received.

 

1.4.4      The lower cost option could be chosen however this would result in a smaller facility which would not meet the original requirements and would result in the need for a storage container to remain onsite for equipment.

 

1.5           Impact on Charity Objects

 

1.5.1      The Visitor Centre and Café provide a facility to benefit all park users and therefore directly support the charity’s objects. All funds generated by the Visitor Centre and Café will go back to the charity and will help to fund maintenance, running costs and further park improvements.

 

1.6           Risk Management

 

1.6.1      There is a risk that if the project is not suitably managed that the costs could overrun and the building would not be completed, however phases one and two of the project have been successful and with suitable project management the final phase three should also be a success.

 

1.7           Other Implications

1.7.1                    

1.        Financial	x
2.              Staffing	X
3.              Legal
4.              Equality Impact Needs Assessment
5.              Environmental/Sustainable Development	X
6.              Community Safety
7.              Human Rights Act
8.              Procurement

 

1.7.2      The financial resources on the Visitor Centre and Café have been approved as part of the master plan project. Final costs for the Visitor Centre and Café and any remaining project items will need to be budgeted according to the funds remaining. The original approved budget was £1.065 million, the spend to date on phases one and two is £637,000 leaving approximately £400,000 for phase three. Most of this phase three budget will be available to be returned to the endowment and reallocated if the offer of £300,000 from the Cobtree Trust for the Visitor Centre and Café is accepted.

 

1.7.3      Staffing implications for the Visitor Centre and Café will be considered under recommended options in the further report to the Committee.

 

1.7.4      The building concept is designed to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. This is an important part of the final design and links closely to ensuring the park is as sustainable as possible.

 

1.8                        Relevant Documents

 

1.8.1                   Appendices

 

                   Appendix A: Visitor Centre and Café concept design.

                   Appendix B: Base option design floor plan.

                   Appendix C: Lower price option floor plan.

 

1.8.2                   Background Documents

 

                   There are none.

IS THIS A KEY DECISION REPORT? x     Yes                                               No     If yes, when did it first appear in the Forward Plan?   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..     This is a Key Decision because: ………………………………………………………………………..   …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….       Wards/Parishes affected: …………………………………………………………………………………..   ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..