To approve the expenditure of up to £550,000 (capital) to enable the development of Ross Enterprise Park, commissioning the detailed design work and any required surveys to inform a tender for the physical delivery of phase one of the approved scheme.

That:

a) To approve expenditure of up to £550,000 capital to deliver the detailed design stage of the proposed phase 1 development of Ross Enterprise Park;

b) Once detailed design stage completed, to approve and action the procurement of a contractor to complete the required works; and

c) To delegate all operational decisions to the Service Director for Economy and Growth in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Services and Assets to implement recommendations (a) and (b) including the award of the contract to the preferred bidder following conclusion of the procurement undertaken in accordance with the Contract Procedure Rules.

1: Do nothing: Do not develop Ross Enterprise Park and allow the market to meet the employment need of the Ross on Wye locality. This option has been discounted as there is an observed market failure for the delivery of new employment space of any scale within Herefordshire. The opportunity to obtain the benefits of the scheme would be lost. This is not recommended.

2: Utilise an alternative delivery model: No other viable delivery models have been identified, but the proposed development model has been used with success at Skylon Park, Hereford Enterprise Zone. Efforts have been made to secure gap funding and Enterprise Zone status from Her Majesty’s Government however as a result of the highly competitive nature of the initiatives, those applications were ultimately unsuccessful. This is not recommended.