Issue - meetings

(Report of the Director of Place and Sustainability. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Communities). The report seeks approval to enter into long term leases with the Finsbury Park Sports Partnership Limited for Finsbury Park Track and Gym and Tennis Courts.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Communities, which sought approval to enter into long term leases with the Finsbury Park Track and Gym and Tennis Courts. This followed Cabinet’s decision on 13 November 2012 to authorise the transfer of these facilities to the Partnership.

Exempt information pertaining to the report was considered under agenda item 25.

It was noted that concerns were raised by Friends of Finsbury Park in respect of this item. Cabinet was advised that there was no legal requirement to circulate details of the lease to interested parties.

RESOLVED:

1. That the disposal of Finsbury Park Track and Gym Area and Tennis Courts Area (both of which are shown edged in red on the site plans attached at Appendix 1), be approved, by entering into the Agreement to Lease and Leases (attached as Appendices 4, 5 and 6) with the Finsbury Park Sports Partnership Limited.

2. That authority be delegated to the Director of Place and Sustainability, after consultation with the Cabinet Members for Communities and Finance and Carbon Reduction, to agree any minor amendment to the Leases.

3. That the fallback position (outlined in 4.6 of the original report considered by Cabinet) if the Council was unable to award the full lease to the Partnership, be noted as follows :

‘Whilst we are confident that the Partnership will achieve the milestones, there are a number of risks that they will need to overcome and thus the fallback position would be to seek separate leasehold agreements for the individual sports facilities’

Alternative Options Considered

These were set out in the 8 February 2011 and 13 November 2012 Cabinet reports. 

Reasons for Decision

The decision is required to implement the approach agreed by Members at the 8 February 2011 Cabinet meeting to lease out the facility to local clubs/agencies.

The public consultation completed indicates strong support for a change to park opening hours and improved sports facilities at Finsbury Park.

Cabinet authorised the disposal of Finsbury Park Track and Gym and the tennis courts on 13 November 2012 to the Finsbury Park Sports Partnership on terms to be agreed an in accordance with the key milestones. Risk in adopting this decision is mitigated by the two step approach incorporating the initial ‘Agreement to Lease’ phase.