Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with at items 9 & 18 below)

There were no new items of unrestricted urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no such items.

i.              To confirm the unrestricted minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 7 February 2013 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

ii.            To receive the minutes of the Alexandra Park and  Palace Advisory  Committee meetings held on 15 January, and 13 May 2013, and to consider any recommendations from that Committee.

iii.           To receive and consider the minutes of the informal joint Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee, and Alexandra Park and  Palace Advisory  Committee held on meetings held on 15 January, and 13 May 2013.

In noting the recommendations of the SAC and joint meeting in respect of the design issues relating to Little Dinosaurs and the advertising consent application for the Palace, the Board was advised that these items had been for discussion from the landlord’s point of view, and still had to go through the formal processes for Planning and Listed Building Consent.

RESOLVED

i)             That the unrestricted minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 7 February 2013 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings.

ii)            That the minutes of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee meetings held on 15 January and 13 May 2013 be noted.

iii)           That the minutes of the informal joint Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee, and Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee meetings held on 15 January and 13 May 2013 be noted.

To receive the report of the Chief Executive, Alexandra Palace, detailing:

·        The regeneration programme and the successful HLF bid.

·        The events calendar.

·        Progress with the fabric repair programme.

·        Views on the impact of the possible introduction of a local Controlled Parking Zone on free parking on free parking on Alexandra Palace Way.

The Chair prefaced this item by welcoming the HLF announcement that they were supporting the development of the Trust’s £16.8m lottery funding application by granting £844,800 in funding for the design phase, and it was anticipated that this would lead to success at the next stage of funding. The Board acknowledged the huge amount of work that Duncan Wilson and his team had carried out to achieve this, and expressed its thanks and congratulations to them and everyone who had supported this process both at Alexandra Palace and the Council. Duncan Wilson recognised in particular the contributions of Anne Kaiser, Louise Johnson, Melissa Tettey, Isobel Aptaker and Kerri Farnsworth within the team effort.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive, introduced the report as set out:

HLF Major Heritage Grant Application

·        Development of the second phase of the application would be a lengthy process; procurement requirements meant that it would be around 6 months before a design team was appointed, and then a further year for development of the proposals to be completed. It was hoped that stage 2 would be submitted by October 2014, although the deadline for submission was 2 years from the granting of stage 1 funding, namely April 2015.

·        The approval of the round 1 application was recognised as a significant moment for the Palace. It was noted that the development of the Palace as a learning asset was an important factor of the application, and that cultural partnerships would be key.

·        It was noted that the announcement provided a compelling boost for the wider regeneration programme at the Palace, and should be capitalised on.

·        In response to a question regarding the difference between the funding sought from the HLF and the total project cost, it was reported that it was hoped that some of the shortfall would met by funding from external organisations such as charitable trusts, foundations or bodies such as the GLA and Arts Council.

HLF “Remembering the First World War” Grant Application

·        In response to a question from the Board regarding whether the recent successful stage 1 application for HLF funding may affect the chances of this smaller application being successful, it was felt that a decision would be made on the strength of the project.

·        While the funding stream being applied for in this application related to the WW1 anniversary specifically, it was noted that the Palace was home to a number of technological developments associated with WW2.

Property advice

·        It was reported that Knight Frank had begun soft market testing, an evaluation of which would be brought to the next scheduled meeting of the Board.

·        In response to a question regarding the assessment of the market testing, it was reported that Knight Frank were speaking with 20 suggested organisations initially, and would form a judgement based on the outcome of these discussions. In the event that there was some firm interest, it would then be possible to test the market on a more confident basis.

Strategic workshop – 14 May 2013

·        The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 281.

The Board to note the contents of the report and to consider and approve the Park Furniture Design Guide, subject to any advice from the Advisory and Consultative Committees.

Mark Evison, Park Manager, presented the report as set out:

Rose Garden Fountain

·        The repairs to the fountain in the rose garden were due to start after the forthcoming half-term holiday. Following this, work was to take place on developing interpretation information on the history of this area of the Park.

Design Guide for Park Furniture

·        The draft Design Guide for Park Furniture was appended to the report. It was noted that discussions were ongoing regarding the colour scheme to be used, with the current proposal a dark green rather than the 1980s colour scheme as set out at the end of the report for reference.

·        It was also proposed to run a scheme for local groups to donate funding for individual benches, to be marked with plaques. The cost of each bench would be approximately £400.

·        There was no proposal for a wholesale replacement of all benches in the Park, new furniture would be installed over a period of time as older items required replacement.

·        It was reported that discussion of this issue at the Conservation Area Advisory Committee had looked at the issue of the colour scheme. The meeting had felt that there had been a rationale behind the 1980s scheme, which may have been based on historical research, and that it would be a concern if this were to be abandoned without proper consultation. It was acknowledged that no information had yet been found as to how the 1980s scheme had been decided, but that any decision to change the colour scheme would not be made lightly.

·        The Chief Executive advised that they would be happy to discuss the issue of the colour scheme further with the SAC/CC.

·        In response to a question regarding the railings, the Park Manager advised the s106 process was taking some time, but officers were working on this and would bring details back for consultation.

Dog Control Orders (DCOs) – update from the Board meeting 7^th February

·        Subsequent to the report having been circulated to the Board, a detailed response to this issue had been provided by the Council, and the Park manager would work together with the Council on developing solutions to address the unique position within Alexandra Park.

·        It was reported that problems with dogs in the Park appeared to be worsening, and there had been incidents of involving out of control dogs. It was noted that this was also an issue that had been highlighted by the local MP. The Palace had submitted number of detailed policies to address these issues, and would now work with the Council on implementation and enforcement of these regulations. The Park Manager advised that he would discuss with the Council which staff could be empowered to issue Penalty Charge Notices.

·        The Board asked about community dog-walking businesses; the Park Manager advised that the current Borough-wide DCO set a limit of 6 dogs per person, but this was a tricky issue as two people together could have up to 12 dogs with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 282.

To advise the Board of the provisional financial results for the year ended 31^st March 2013.

Nigel Watts, Finance and Resources Director, Alexandra Palace, presented the report on the provisional financial results for the 12 months ended 31^st March 2013:

·        With regard to the delay in the start of the English Heritage funded Colonnade works, the underspend associated with which the Trust had requested to be carried forward, it was reported that work on site had commenced in February 2013. Had the work been commenced as scheduled in October 2012, it would have been significantly affected by the poor weather over the winter period.

·        The Board welcomed the more accessible format of the accounts, and the Finance and Resources Director advised that it was intended that the published accounts would be made clearer in respect of expenditure and activity, for further ease of understanding.

·        In response to a question from the Board regarding the Palace income variance set out in the first line of the management accounts appended to the report, it was reported that this was mainly as a result of leases being renegotiated, and the loss of some subletting income following the merger of two tenants. The Palace was seeking legal guidance regarding this issue.

·        In respect of the expenditure relating to the Learning Officer post, it was reported that this cost had so far been associated with the HLF bid.

·        Ice Rink income was presented in the Trading Company accounts, while the costs associated with the depreciation and interest relating to the prudential borrowing for the refurbishment of the ice rink were in the Trust accounts.

·        It was noted that the figures reported were positive, and that in light of the public amenity offered by the Palace, it should not be viewed as a ‘drain on resources’

·        It was agreed that the title of the park expenditure line could be amended to read Park and Road, in order to reflect that this included the costs associated with the road, for clarity.

·        The Finance and Resources Director advised that much of the work of APTL could be viewed as fulfilling the Trust’s charitable purpose, and reported that the Palace was working with its auditors to find ways of making this more explicit.

·        In response to a question from the Board, it was confirmed that re-classification of the funding received from the Council would have no impact of the Palace’s tax position. It was noted that the financial arrangements between the Palace and the Council had been extensively reviewed from a legal position, and care had to be taken that any changes in this treatment did not go beyond that which had already been established.

NOTED

There were no items of unrestricted business.

16 July 2013

29 October 2013

13 February 2014

The Board noted the scheduled dates for the meetings of the Board for the forthcoming municipal year:

16 July 2013

29 October 2013

13 February 2014

Items 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 are likely to be subject of a motion to exclude the press and public from the meeting as they contain exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972; Para 1 – information relating to any individual, Para 2 – Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual and Para 3 - information relating to the business or financial affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of agenda items 11 – 18 as they contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972; Paragraph 2 – information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual and Paragraph 3 – information relating to the business or financial affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

SUMMARY OF EXEMPT ITEMS

APBO287   MINUTES

RESOLVED that the restricted minutes of the Alexandra Palace and Park Board held on 7 February 2013 be approved as a correct record.

APBO288   FINANCIAL ITEM – HISTORIC DEBT

The recommendations of the report were agreed.

APBO289   RECOMMENDATION OF APPOINTMENT OF NEW ADVISORY MEMBER OF THE BOARD

The recommendations of the report were agreed.

APBO290   FINANCIAL ITEM – VAT (OPTION TO TAX)

The recommendations of the report were agreed.

APBO291   2013-14 APPCT BUDGET

The recommendations of the report were agreed.

APBO292   DESIGN PROPOSALS, WITH STATUTORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE ADVICE

The recommendations of the report were agreed.

APBO293   ANY OTHER EXEMPT BUSINESS THE CHAIR CONSIDERS TO BE URGENT

The Board considered a tabled report and a verbal update from the Chief Executive, Alexandra Palace. The recommendations of the report were agreed, and further work was requested in respect of the verbal update received.

The meeting concluded at 22:20hrs.