Purpose

Use of feasibility funding to
undertake station business centre feasibility study.

Decision

ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

RECORD OF OFFICER EXECUTIVE DECISION

 

Date of Decision:

30th May 2024

Title:

Mainline Station Business Centre Feasibility
Study

Decision Maker:
(Including Job
Title)

Andrew Bramidge (Interim Strategic Director
for Regeneration & Environment)

Specific Delegation:
(If any)

19th June 2023 Cabinet meeting -
Finance Update – Feasibility Fund
Recommendation 4: That Cabinet delegates the
decision to allocate and spend the £3m Feasibility Fund to
the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in
consultation with the Leader of the Council and Assistant Director
Financial Services.
 
Approved by Leader: 14th May 2024
Approved by AD Finance: 20th May
2024

Brief Description of
Decision:

The report seeks to exercise the delegation to
the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in
consultation with the Leader of the Council and Assistant Director
Financial Services to allocate £100,000 of this fund for the Mainline Station
Business Centre Feasibility Study.

Reasons for the Decision:

Rotherham Council intend to commission a
feasibility study to understand the potential of investing in the
development of a new Council-owned and operated business centre, at
the heart of the proposed Integrated Mainline Rail Station. The
study will test a number of options and
whether a multi-functional building incorporating the station
facilities into the business centre’s ground floor is
feasible and operationally desirable to key stakeholders.

Details of alternative options
considered and rejected:

Officers considered not moving forward with
the feasibility study for a business centre and simply progressing
a traditional stand-alone station building to solely house the
station facilities. This, however, would potentially miss an
opportunity to contribute to the wider regeneration aims of the
Station project and the Council. 
 
Officers considered not progressing the
feasibility study at this stage. This option was discounted as it
would result in not having the required design information for the
dual functional business centre/station building to input into Full
Business Case for the scheme. This would create uncertainty around
how the scheme is progressed and how the building will be
costed.
 
It is recommended that the study is
commissioned now, in advance of the Full Business Case for the
mainline station project. This is necessary to enable appropriate
detailed design work to be undertaken for the station, either as a
separate stand-alone building, or integrated within the dual
function building. It is recommended that the Feasibility Funding
is utilised to enable this commission to happen within the required
timescale for its completion

Conflicts of interest declared by any
Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to
the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:
(If any)

Part Exempt (App 1 and 2)
 
An exemption is sought for Appendix 1 and 2
under Paragraph 3 (Information relating to the financial or
business affairs of any particular
person (including the authority holding that information))
of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as these
appendices contain information relating to the acquisition.
 
It is considered that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption would outweigh the public interest in
disclosing the information because the negotiations contain
information which, if disclosed, could prejudice the
council’s interests.

Reports or parts of reports
considered

Towns Fund Approval to progress
Station land acquisition as part of Town Deal
Cabinet May 2022 minute 149 re towns fund
implementation.pdf
Decision to allocate and spend the
£3m Feasibility Fund
REPORT TEMPLATE FOR CABINET & COMMISSIONER
(rotherham.gov.uk)
RiDO Business
Centres: https://www.ridobusinesscentres.co.uk/
Rotherham Economic Growth Plan
2015 – 2025
Strategic Economic Plan (SYMCA, 2021 – 2041)

 
I certify that this is a true
record of the executive decision to exercise the delegation to
the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in
consultation with the Leader of the Council and Assistant Director
Financial Services to allocate £100,000 of this fund for the
Mainline Station Business Centre Feasibility Study.
 
Signed by the Decision
Maker  
Dated: 30th May 2024
 
Name: Andrew
Bramidge                                 
Job Title: Interim Strategic
Director, Regeneration & Environment