Agenda item

[Report of the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods]

This report is seeking an approval to appoint a main contractor to develop Marsh Lane site.

 The Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods introduced this report which sought an approval to appoint a main contractor to develop Marsh Lane site.

The Cabinet Member noted that in 2014, Haringey Council’s Cabinet made a decision to relocate its current waste management depot from Ashley Road, London N17 9AZ to 85 Marsh Lane, London, N17 0XB. The Council acquired the Marsh Lane site in 2008.

The Cabinet Member outlined that not proceeding with the contract would be more expensive than proceeding with the contract. Moving the waste management depot to March Lane allowed the Council the opportunity to develop the Ashley Road site for Council homes. The Ashley Road site was identified as one of a number of Council-owned sites that would enter the Housing Delivery Programme. The programme was supported by a successful GLA Building Homes for Londoners funding bid. The Ashley Road site was named in the bid and allocated funding of £8,800,000. The Cabinet Member considered it would be morally shameful to waste such an opportunity for Ashley Road and noted staff would also benefit from the relocation.

In response to a question from the Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Regeneration on the speed of delivery of the relocation, this was as fast as the Council was able to do.

Further to considering the exempt information at item 40,

RESOLVED

1. To appoint Contractor A as a main contractor to develop Marsh Lane site as allowed under Council’s Contract Standing Order (CSO) 7.01 b) (selecting one or more contractors from a Framework) and 9.07.1d (all contracts valued at £500k or more may only be awarded by Cabinet) to the contract sum as set out in Part B.

2. To authorise the Council’s Legal Department to issue a Letter of Intent prior to the formal contract signature for 10% of the total contract amount as set out in Part B to allow work to start as soon as possible.

3. To vire the amount set out in Part B of this report from the approved capital programme contingency to the Marsh Lane project.

4. To approve the delegation of the Contingency budget stated in Part B of this report to the Director of Environment & Neighbourhoods after consultation with the Cabinet Member with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods.

Reasons for decision

The decision is required in order to conclude the relocation of the services at Ashley Road depot as previously agreed and to release the Ashley Road site for housing development. Additional info is set out in Part B of the report.

Alternative options considered

An option not to proceed was considered but rejected on the grounds that the current depot configuration and operation (a split site solution with partial operation at Ashley Road and partial operation from Mash Lane) were only contemplated as being temporary. If the depot is not fully relocated the services being operated there will continue to be more expensive than being located together. Also, the current configuration will not be able to respond to the Climate Emergency due to the inability to reduce carbon emissions and install more environmentally friendly energy sources. In addition, the current configuration will not be able to address the emerging service delivery transformation agenda. Finally, there is a pressing need for the Ashley Rd site to be made available for much-needed housing development. 

Other options discussed in Part B of the report.