To enter into a development agreement to provide student accommodation on the station approach site.

Cabinet identified, through the one public estate programme, the provision of student accommodation at a council-owned site at station approach as a priority project. On 27 July 2017 Cabinet resolved tobring forward an options appraisal and business case for development of the station approach site as a first phase site of the development and regeneration programme, subject to the council reaching a successful conclusion on the contract negotiations to enter into the overarching agreement, which was achieved in June 2018.

On 27 July 2018 the Cabinet Member contracts and assets authorised the issue of a new project request to Engie, under the terms of the overarching agreement, which specified the council’s requirements and its criteria for the development of up to 220 units of student accommodation on the site;these are capable of being refined as the project moves forward.

A number of workstreams have been progressed since July in order meet a challenging project programme, working back from a scheme which could be open to new students in September 2020. This report updates Cabinet on the output of those workstreams and specifically seeks approval to move the project from Stage 1 (preliminary appraisal stage) to Stage 2 (full business case stage) of the Development and Regeneration Programme, as well as seeking delegated authority to take the project through to legal and financial completion, within the defined parameters set out in this report.