Purpose

Capital investment for Phase One of the roof
replacement project

Content

RESOLVED
 
KEY
DECISION
 

That
the Executive:
 

a)     
Recommended to Council the approval of the
budget of £6,807,000 to be added to the
Capital Programme to fulfil the Executive’s longstanding
commitment to replace the Kettering Library roof and to commit to
repair the roof of the Art Gallery.

 

b)     
Delegated authority to the Executive Member for
Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, in consultation with the
Director of Public Health and the Director of Place and Economy, to
procure the necessary works to replace the Kettering Library roof
and undertake any actions required to deliver the project within
the approved financial envelope
 

 
Reasons for Recommendations:
 

·       
The library building is Grade II listed and it is
the responsibility of the Council as the owner to maintain
it. Further, the Council has
various statutory enforcement powers to require the owners of
listed buildings to keep listed buildings in a good state of
repair. It is therefore important that the Council demonstratesits
preparedness to tackle the condition of listed
buildings.

·       
If the building is not made watertight as soon as
practicable there is a risk that further water ingress will
compromise the structure of the building and cause damage to the
internal fabric, library stock and equipment.

·       
To enable the Council to continue to deliver its
full statutory library functions within Kettering town
centre.

·       
Over the weekend 13th/14th October 2023
further heavy rain caused the ceiling to collapse in a section to
the right of the side doors of the library. This resulted in the
library having to close whilst urgent remedial works and a clear up
are undertaken and assessment is made as to the safety risks in
re-opening the library to staff and the public. The frequency and
likelihood of this re-occurring increases whilst the building
remains exposed to the elements with the roof in the condition it
is in. Options are now having to be
considered to relocate the library until the building is
watertight.

·       
Cornerstone cannot open in its
entirety until the building is watertight, due to
water ingress into the new space on the ground
floor, where the old roof meets the new. Inability
to fully open Cornerstone compromises the
Council’s ability to comply with the funding agreement in
place with SEMLEP and exposes the Council to a risk that some of
this funding will be clawed-back. The
Council submits twice yearly monitoring reports to SEMLEP and so
they are aware of the current challenges and have been supportive
to date but want to see Cornerstone fully open as soon as
practicable.

·       
The Gallery has a revenue cost to the Council and
the intention, should Cornerstone be open, is for the new spaces to
generate an income that will offset some of these costs.

·       
Whilst Cornerstone remains closed the Gallery
Collection is not accessible to the public.
 

Alternative Options Considered:

 

·      
Not undertaking the work to replace the library
roof
This would
result in the permanent closure of the library building and the
need to permanently relocate it to another town centre location.
Even if such a location, with the right footprint, could be found
the cost of the relocation would be increased due to the need to
connect any new space with the former County Council IT network, on
which the library management systems operate.
 
Even if
the library could be relocated the Council would still be left with
a Grade II Listed Building in
need of repair and it could prevent the opening of Cornerstone as
originally intended. This would risk SEMLEP clawing back some or
all of the funding committed to the
Cornerstone development.
 

·      
Not using Collyweston Slate
This has
been discussed at length with the Conservation Officer on more than
one occasion and advice has also been sought from Historic England,
as listed building consent would be
required, and using an alternative slate on this
roof is not an option.
 

·      
Not tenting the building while the roof is
replaced.

Despite the cost being higher for the
option to tent the building, it is the preferred option for the
following reasons:

 

It
is the much less risky option in terms of NNC’s control over
the programme of activity and ability to mitigate unknown risks.
The timeline for replacement without tenting is much more weather
dependent.
It
protects the internal fabric of the building including those
renovations already complete and the new extension.
It
protects the internal contents of the buildings.
Without the tent, once the slates and felting are removed, even
in sections, the timbers will be exposed, there will be a risk of
further damage through increased water
If the
Council were to open Cornerstone without a tent, there is a risk of
further leaks, if water ingress from the library roof
worsens.
Tenting
will allow for Cornerstone to fully open sooner, if deemed safe to
do so, and to start to attract an income to offset the annual
revenue cost to the Council.
Once
tented, if there are unforeseen delays to the roof replacement
phase of the project, these will not compromise the operation of
the Library and Cornerstone as they will be protected.