To approve the arrangements for the implementation approach to the first phase of employment land at Ross Enterprise Park (formerly known as Model Farm).

It is proposed that Ross Enterprise Park is added to the development and regeneration programme. This will enable the council’s development partner, Engie, to undertake the remaining feasibility and detailed design work on the project, at a total cost of no more than £375,000. This is an additional £200,000 budget to the previously approved budget of £175,000 for feasibility work. This budget and work will progress the project to a stage where the council can make a decision on the business case for the scheme and develop a project specific agreement for the works, likely to be a design and build. This total budget will take the design/preliminaries to the pre-construction stage and an inclusive fee proposal within this budget has been provided by the council’s development partner.

That:

(a)         the first phase employment land at Ross Enterprise Park, as defined in the plan at appendix 1, be added into the development & regeneration programme. 

(b)        Engie Regeneration is requested, under a new project request, to provide a development and regeneration programme stage 2 submission including the costings to support the development of the full business case and to develop a project specific agreement for the works, likely to be a design and build contract at a cost to the council of no more than £375,000 (inclusive of the previous decision).

1.           The council could choose not to procure this work through the DRP Programme, however, a competitive procurement process would delay the implementation of the phase 1 employment land that could have a significant implication to the programme and the realisation of benefits. It is a requirement of the development and regeneration project to formally add projects to the programme via an appropriate council decision.

2.           An alternative commissioning option exist for the project, which would include a competitive tender process for the initial feasibility work and an EU Tender for the full design and build contract. The proposed approach was recommended as it would leverage the work undertaken to procure a development partner and the partnership approach will allow the council to take advantage of its partners’ expertise to ensure the success of the project.