Agenda and draft minutes

The Clerk to the Committee – Mr Hart, advised the Committee that as this meeting was the first quorate meeting of the Municipal Year 2006/07 the first item of business on the agenda was to elect a Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee. 

Mr Hart informed the meeting that in line with previous years the Chair was nominated from amongst the nominated Association representatives, and the Vice-Chair from the appointed Councillors of the Advisory Committee. Mr Hart then advised that in the absence of the current Chair – Mr Liebeck he would firstly seek nominations for the position of Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/07.

Councillor Newton nominated Councillor Oatway as Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee.  There being no other nominees it was:

RESOLVED

That Councillor S. Oatway be duly elected as Vice-Chair of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/2007.

In the absence of the current Chair Councillor Oatway took the Chair.

Councillor S. Oatway in the Chair

The Vice-Chair sought nominations for the Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/07.

Ms Myers nominated Mr Liebeck as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/2007.

There being no further nominations it was:

RESOLVED

That Mr D. Liebeck – Warner Estate Residents’ Association be duly elected as Chair of the Alexandra Park and Palace Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/2007.

            The Clerk to the Committee – Mr Hart advised that at a pre-meeting on June 20^th 2006 of the qualifying Associations to the Committee, the appointed Association representatives considered the appointment from amongst their number to the 8 allocated places that the qualifying associations were able to appoint to on the Advisory Committee. Mr Hart also advised of an additional association qualifying for membership of the Advisory Committee – Palace View Residents Association whose nominated representative had been Ms P. Lacroix. Mr Hart advised that following due deliberation the allocation of places was as stated in the NOTED resolution below. 

            RESOLVED

i.          that additional membership of the Palace View Residents Association as a qualifying association on the Alexandra Palace and Park Advisory Committee be noted.

ii.         That the allocation of the 8 places from the qualifying Associations to the Alexandra Palace and Park Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/07 as detailed below be noted:

Association                                                              Allocated places/named

                                                                                  representative

Alexandra Residents’ Association                          2 places-

Ms Hutchinson/Mr Wastell

Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association            1 place - Ms Myers

Palace Gates Residents’ Association                   1 place - Ms Baker

Palace View Residents’ Association                     1 place – Ms LaCroix (Ms Rees as deputy)

The Rookfield Association                                       1 place - Mr Frith (Mr Hilton as deputy)

Warner Estate Residents Association                   2 places - Mr Liebeck/Mr Aspden

            The Chair asked if there had been any apologies given.

            The Clerk advised that apologies for absence had been received on behalf of Mr Liebeck, Councillor Cook, and Councillor Engert (for whom Councillor Demerci would be substituting for when he arrived). 

To appoint 2 Councillor representatives and 2 Residents’ Association representatives to the Urgency Sub-Committee, and appoint a Chair and Vice-Chair of the Urgency Sub-Committee from the confirmed representatives appointed thereto.

The Clerk to the Committee – Mr Hart informed the meeting that it was necessary to appoint Members of the Advisory Committee to its established Urgency Sub-Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/07.  Mr Hart advised that the composition of the Urgency Sub-Committee was 2 resident association representatives, and 2 Councillor representatives of the Advisory Committee.

Mr Hart sought nominations for the positions.

Ms Hutchinson nominated Mr Liebeck as one association representative, and Ms Myers nominated Ms Hutchinson as the other association representative.

Councillor Dobbie nominated Councillor Oatway and himself as Councillor representatives.

There being no further nominations it was:

            RESOLVED

That the following Members be appointed to the Urgency Sub-Committee of the  Advisory Committee for the Municipal Year 2006/07 as detailed below:

Ms J Hutchinson

Mr D Liebeck

Councillor A. Dobbie

Councillor S. Oatway

There were no declarations of interest.

            The Clerk advised that following discussions at a meeting of the Committee in early April 2006 it was agreed that a group of Association Members of the Advisory Committee would have a one-off meeting to discuss the matter of revising the current rules of procedures.  The group met in late April 2006 and as a result the TABLED ‘rules of procedures’ were before the Committee for consideration and adoption.

            There being no questions it was:

            RESOLVED

            That the revised rules of procedures as TABLED be agreed.

The Chair asked the General Manager – Mr Holder to give his verbal update to the meeting.

           The General Manager – Mr Holder advised that he was tabling a letter from the Board’s Project Team legal advisers in respect of the negotiations with the Firoka Group in respect of the lease, and the letter outlined the current state of play.

The Chair felt that the Advisory Committee should consider the contents of the letter prior to the General Manager commencing his introduction.  The Committee then took an approx. 10 minute break from 19:50HRS to 20:04HRS to consider the contents of the letter.  Members drew the General Manager’s attention to the fact that on the very last page there appeared to be some text missing from their copies.

Mr Holder then read out the details of the missing text which were suitably annotated by those present.

In a succinct introduction Mr Holder advised that the Board of Trustees would consider the draft lease, draft project agreement and draft employment and pension agreement at its special meeting on 24^th July 2006. Mr Holder advised that the recommendations in the brief overarching report to those documents were  -  that the board formally resolve to request from the Charity Commission an order under sec. 36 of the Charities Act  allowing the lease to be granted and  - that authority to settle any outstanding drafting issues be delegated to the General Manager.

Mr Holder advised that this was the last opportunity for the Advisory Committee to provide its advice to the Board prior to that formal consideration and resolution. Mr Holder stressed that there will, of course, be ample opportunity through subsequent processes for comment about the actual plans once these were completed by Firoka.

Mr Holder went on to state that the letter before the Advisory Committee was almost the same as the one being presented to the trustees as an interim report on 24 July., though the letter had been sanitised to the extent that commercially confidential information arising in the bid process had been removed. The content of the letter was consistent in all other respects.  Mr Holder commented that the entire negotiations had been based on the complete footprint as attached to the statutory instrument providing the wider powers of leasing. The same footprint was also publicised throughout the Park following the resolution of the Board on  27 March 2006 to seek sec.36 (6) representations. Having received those representations the board considered them at its meeting on 4^th July. The board resolved not to vary its previous resolution in respect of the total development footprint.

In taking the Committee through the letter’s contents Mr Holder highlighted that in essence it set out the current state of play. Mr Holder felt that it should be noted that all discussion and negotiation with Firoka had been on the basis of the concepts originally described and there had been no changes from those submitted. The letter also provided an explanation of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.