The Interim General
Manager – Alexandra Palace, Andrew Gill, provided a verbal
update on the Alexandra Palace and Park Regeneration Working Group
(APPRWG).
NOTED
- At its meeting on
9th May 2011 the Board received a presentation by the
APPRWG and agreed the key recommendations in the Locum Consulting
team of Colliers International report as detailed below:
The recommendation by the Locum
Consulting team of Colliers International is for the Trustees to
approve the selection of the „Leisure and
Entertainment? Strategic
Concept and pursue a „core use? for the Palace and Park which focuses on „Live
Music?. This is made
alongside two notes:
Firstly, the recommendation focuses only
on the „core use? which
will relate to only part of the overall Palace and Park. It is
anticipated that many other complementary uses will ultimately form
part of the whole destination offer of Alexandra Palace and Park
(many of which are already active) and all of which will embrace
the core themes of community and the rich cultural heritage to
underpin the regeneration strategy and its long term
sustainability.
And secondly, of particular relevance to
other uses is the „Sport and Active Leisure? offer (considered in sections 5.6 and 6
of the Colliers International report) which is recognised to have
clear synergy with the core use of Live Music and which to a
certain extent already takes place through the existing ice skating
rink.
- At its next meeting
on 21st June 2011 the Board will be advised on the
forecast costs and project highlights of the Alexandra Palace and
Park master-plan.
- The Committees were
reminded that the Regeneration Working Group membership included:
Haringey’s Director of Place and Sustainability (who also
chaired the working group), the Interim General Manager –
Alexandra Palace Charitable Trust, the Managing Director - APTL,
Haringey’s Director of Corporate Resources, Rick Wills & Kumar
Muthalagappan (Non-Executive Directors - APTL) and Mark Hopson
(Haringey’s Head of Regeneration and Planning). The working group could co-opt other experts at
meetings as required.
- A Committee Member
expressed support for more music events to be held at the Palace if
the number of exhibitions held at the Palace was in decline. He
asked questions about whether a section of the palace would be
leased to an operator or whether a licence would be obtained by the
operator (rather than an exclusive agreement) and suggested that
the Committees be provided with more details about the “Heads
of Terms” described in the Colliers International
report.
- In response to the
above the Interim General Manager – Alexandra Palace
explained that the decision to provide a lease or a licence to a
future operator of the Palace would be taken at a later stage and
it was also too early to discuss the Heads of Terms, which
in any case could be a commercially sensitive issue.
No such arrangement was currently or imminently being
considered.
- Cllrs Matt Cooke (Chair of the Board) and James
Stewart (Vice Chair of the Board) advised that the intention was to
give all relevant stakeholders the opportunity to input into the
Palace regeneration process; the process was intended to be as open
and transparent as possible although there would be occasions where
certain details will not be available in the public domain.
- The
Chair reiterated that it would be important for the Board to
consult with the CC and SAC (or joint committee) at a formative
stage before any Heads of Terms are agreed and prior to any
commercial commitments.
- Committee Members
expressed the importance of consulting with local residents and
ensuring that any change to hold more live music events would not
have a negative impact on the locals.
NOTED the update.