The planning stages of a prospective wetland site involve a range of technical assessments to establish the suitability of the land being considered, as well as the optimum position and area needed. This work includes preliminary assessments of the site, interpretation of the results from the surveys and site investigations commissioned separately by the council and some preliminary design work and recommendations based on the findings. It is essential that this work is completed before any commitment is made to purchase land to ensure that it is suitable and adequate for development into a functioning wetland.

The council has previously entered into a contract with the Wye and Usk Foundation to provide this technical support, based upon an agreed schedule of rates. The original contract value was based on an estimate of the number of hours of support required. As the evaluation of sites has progressed and the ongoing survey results have emerged, the nature of the sites and the technical constraints associated with them has become clearer. It has therefore been necessary to revisit the estimate to better reflect the level of support needed in order to achieve the level of certainty at which purchase of land can be considered.

This decision is necessary to allow progress towards acquisition of land for wetland development to continue.
The refined work will give us a more accurate assessment of the land we need to buy which will help project certainty and avoid under or over committing on size of land take.

When seeking tenders for the future wetland design services, the preliminary design work carried out can be provided to prospective bidders as part of the tender documentation. A reduction in the cost of those tenders would be anticipated to reflect the removal from scope of the preliminary design work now being carried out under this contract.