Decision details

Approval, pursuant to CSO 17.3 and 9.07.1(c), to enter into a Funding and Works Agreement (FWA) with the managing trustees (Rev. Stephen Poxon and Mr. Charles Agyemang-Duah) of St Mark’s Methodist Church, New River Circuit (SMMC) in relation to the SMMC Public Realm works. The FWA will enable a grant of £466,550.12 to be given to SMCC;
Noting that under the FWA, SMMC will make a nil contribution to the Public Realm works but will grant a licence to the Council to carry out the works; and,
Noting also that SMMC will then make a substantial contribution (about 20%) to the costs of the works to the SMMC building, which will be the subject of a separate FWA, the approval of which will be the subject of a report to Cabinet in February 2024.

The FWA with SMMC will enable the Council to deliver the SMMC Public Realm works.
The SMCC project forms part of the wider Tottenham High Street Heritage Action Zone (HS HAZ) regeneration scheme, a partnership between Historic England and Haringey Council with the aim of boosting the local economy by investing in Bruce Grove’s heritage assets.
The SMMC site is identified as a key priority within the HS HAZ Programme Design, which forms part of the Council’s Funding Agreement with Historic England and has become one of the flagship schemes of the Tottenham HS HAZ.
Funding for the HS HAZ programme comes from a £2.012 million grant from Historic England, with £2.598 million of match-funding from Haringey, in addition to third-party/owner contributions. The Funding Agreement also stipulated that the programme must close by March 2024.

Approximately 50% of the total costs of the Public Realm workstream are to be externally funded by Historic England. There is thus a great deal of urgency surrounding the need to deliver the Public Realm workstream of the project before programme closure, or there is a risk that Historic England grant funding could be withdrawn and the affordability of the project compromised.
The FWA thus allows the Council to fulfil its obligations under its Funding Agreement with Historic England and its commitment to residents and businesses of Tottenham by investing in a locally significant heritage building, while supporting a local community group and five businesses providing vital services to local residents.

The following alternative option was considered:
‘Do Nothing’
This option would be for the Council not to enter into the FWA with SMMC for the Public Realm works. This would prevent the Council from delivering this critical element of the Tottenham HS HAZ programme and providing much-needed investment into the local economy and support for the local community. It would also limit the programme’s ability to invest in a locally significant heritage building at the centre of the town centre and make good on its promises to the diverse community and businesses housed within the building by supporting the vital services they provide, in accordance with High-Level Outcomes of the Corporate Delivery Plan.