Purpose

To consider the report of the Leader of the Council seeking approval for the full budget requirement for the Revetment Project.

Decision

(i)  Approve an additional capital budget allocation to the Mayflower Park Revetment project of £2.38M in 2026/27 and an increase of £0.61M in 2027/28, to create an updated budget of £8.08M in 2026/27 and £1.77M in 2027/28, funded by Council Resources

(ii)  Provide approval to spend a total of £8.08M in 2026/27 and £1.77M in 2027/28.

Reasons for the decision

1.  Due to degradation caused by wash from the Port, the Mayflower Park revetment is being undermined, and its condition is in a rapid state of decline. Reconstruction of this asset is therefore required to mitigate risk to the health and safety of the public and the requirement for ongoing patch repairs.

2.  Installation of inclined pre-cast concrete slabs (‘mattresses’) and the use of sheet pilling was the design option approved at the Council Capital Board in December 2023.

3.  In February 2025, Council and Cabinet approved an overall project budget of £7.00M in addition to the already approved £0.43M, to a total of £7.43M. This enabled to project to progress through to detailed design.

4.  The approved design is currently undergoing RIBA Stage 4 development with early contractor involvement (ECI) under an NEC4 Professional Services Contract (PSC) with Balfour Beatty. Balfour Beatty have been called off under the SCAPE Infrastructure framework and are to be appointed to complete the main works. Drafting of the NEC4 ECC Option C main works contract is therefore underway.

5.  During the course of the design work progression Balfour Beatty advised of an increase in the construction cost estimate creating a shortfall of £2.99M from the £6.58M remaining budget. The following factors contributed to the increase in the construction estimate and subsequent budget shortfall:

·  A shorter piling window than anticipated (due to ecological constraints imposed through the planning and MMO consent process);

·  The inability to probe pile ahead of the piling window (due to ecological constraints, this also poses increased ground risk);

·  Updates to construction methodology due to the accelerated condition degradation as the design progresses at RIBA stage 4;

·  Confirmation of the pile design specification as the design progresses at RIBA stage 4; and

·  Inflation.

This increase raises the total project budget requirement to £10.43M.

6.  Procurement advice has been taken and, having regard to the existing SCAPE framework route, the programme constraints, the MMO / ecological piling window and the health and safety risks arising from the deteriorating revetment, the project team considers that progressing through the SCAPE framework route with Balfour Beatty remains the most appropriate and deliverable route.

7.  Additional project budget mitigations will include regular monitoring as part of the main works contract such as reviewing the activity schedule and value of work carried out. The project currently reports to the Non-Housing Programme Board although consideration to a dedicated reporting board may be taken forward to ensure this project has sufficient management controls and governance in place during the main works contract.

8.  Further, due to the imposed piling window, it is imperative that construction commences on 1 December 2026 to avoid delay of the works to winter 2027. There is therefore insufficient time to revisit the market and tender through an alternative approach and also achieve this start on site date.

9.  This report therefore requests approval for the additional £2.99M budget to cover this shortfall to allow SCC to enter into the main works contract with Balfour Beatty.  

10.If the main works contract is entered into before the Cabinet decision is effective, the contract will include a condition precedent preventing commencement of the main construction works unless and until the necessary Cabinet/budget approval is confirmed. Any pre-approval activities will be limited to those expressly authorised and within existing approved budget, including the advance sheet pile order and associated preparatory activities. 11. There may be cost savings as RIBA stage 4 design progresses over the coming months and once materials requirements are better known, however this is not presently known and so the additional budget requirement represents a “worst case”

Alternative options considered

Alternative options include:

·  Reduce Scope / Length of Revetment Repair: To deliver revetment repair works within the current budget. However that will require adjustments to the current design and likely necessitate a future return, at which point costs will have risen, as well as re applying for all the consents needed. This is therefore not recommended.

·  Reduce Scope – Omit ABP Section – The section of revetment not in SCC ownership could be omitted from the works, however a technical review advised that the SCC owned repair needed to also include an element of the ABP owned revetment to succeed. This option is therefore not recommended.

·  Re-tender works and find an alternative main contractor – It could be possible to find an alternative contractor to carry out the works, however this would result to a delay in starting works into winter 2027, with the likelihood of further increased costs. This option is therefore not recommended.

·  Do Nothing: To not repair the revetment, however its condition is known to be deteriorating and risks closure of this part of the park to the public including the numerous events that take place there. This is therefore not recommended.

The preferred option is to take forward the current scheme to repair the revetment which has planning consent and is in the process of RIBA stage 4 design and obtaining the remaining consents needed.