291 Update on Council Owned Sites in Wood Green PDF 528 KB
[Report of the Director for Customers, Transformation and Resources. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Regeneration]
This report updates Cabinet on the work underway to develop a long-term strategy to make the best use of Council owned sites in Wood Green and describe the impact of the current Covid 19 pandemic on the programme.
This report will set out a timetable for decisions to be made about Council owned sites in the medium term.
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Regeneration introduced the report which set out the work underway to develop a long-term strategy to make the best use of Council owned sites in Wood Green and described the impact of the current Covid 19 pandemic on the programme.
It was noted that , prior to Covid 19, work was underway to prepare a business case for redeveloping the Library site to include a new library and customer services, office accommodation, and potentially additional services including democratic space and a Leisure Centre. The Council had also been considering longer term options for the Civic Centre, keeping in mind its listing, as part of the accommodation strategy.
The Cabinet Member outlined that the Covid 19 crisis has meant that the Council has had to take a step back and pause while the longer-term effect and requirements were reviewed. This was possible now with the recent acquisition of Alex House which met the Council’s short- and medium-term accommodation needs.
It was noted that from consultation with residents, businesses and stakeholders, there was interest in changing Wood Green. The Council was a major landowner and needed to play a key role. The report set out pending decisions about Council accommodation property in the town centre which could lead to better use of Council land to support existing and new communities. The report further set out a timetable for decisions to be made about Council owned sites in the medium term.
In response to questions from Cllr Ogiehor and Cllr Mitchell, the following information was provided: