Purpose

Option to acquire the Council’s former site. Land adjacent has already been acquired from the Council and development of phase 1 is nearing completion. The current option land does have planning permission, but the developer now has a prospective tenant who wants a building that will require a change in the planning permission. The current option expires in January 2026 which does not give enough time to redesign and obtain planning permission, so they have requested a 6 month extension to the option period.

Decision

To extend an existing option to purchase by 6 months.

To allow sufficient time for redesign and to seek planning approval for development leading to a purchase and significant capital receipt for the Council.

Alternative options considered

None.