Decision details

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet:

a)             approves the proposed CIL strategic infrastructure spend priorities for 2025-29. 

b)             approves that the amount of CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand monies ringfenced for the Three Bridges Station Improvement scheme be increased from £1,100,000 to £2,050,000. 

c)             approves that £432,000 CIL Strategic Infrastructure monies be committed to the A23/ Manor Royal junction project in order for the Highway Authority to draw down the CIL funds.

d)             approves the removal of the Saxonbrook Medical Centre and Pound Hill Medical Group projects from the CIL strategic infrastructure strand priority list of projects for 2025-2029, subject to final confirmation from the NHS that the projects are no longer forthcoming.

e)             delegates authority to the Head of Economy and Planning, in consultation with the Head of Corporate Finance and the Head of Community Services to allocate any unspent Neighbourhood Improvement Fund monies and subsequent CIL Neighbourhood Improvement Strand receipts to enable the delivery of the Unsupervised Play Improvement Programme and noting that funds will then need to be committed to individual projects within the programme through a separate approvals process.

Reasons for the Recommendations

a)             To provide clarity on the way forward for Crawley’s Infrastructure Business Plan and the priority schemes for the CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand spend.

b)             To increase the amount of CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand monies ringfenced for the Three Bridges Station Improvement scheme in recognition of the need for additional budget to deliver the scheme arising from the station change procedure led by the railway authorities and due to increased construction / materials costs.

c)             Approval of £432,000 of CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand monies for the A23 / Manor Royal junction project will allow the Highway Authority to offset the expenditure incurred and to complete the project.

d)             The Saxonbrook Medical Centre and Pound Hill Medical Group projects have previously been listed amongst the CIL Strategic Infrastructure strand priority projects.  However. these schemes appear no longer to be considered to be a priority by the NHS – therefore it is proposed they are removed from the priority list, pending alternative project proposals to be brought forward by the NHS.

e)             The delegation of authority to officers to allocate subsequent CIL Neighbourhood Improvement Strand receipts to the ongoing delivery of the Unsupervised Play Improvement Programme will allow a seamless continuation of the phases of delivery of the programme and it’s roll out across the Borough.  Allocations of monies to individual project schemes will still be subject to the required approvals process. Further information is provided in section 12.2 of this report.

f)               In November 2022, Cabinet approved the implementation of a new “hybrid” model for the Neighbourhood Improvement Strand (NIS), which retained £75,000 from the CIL NIS, to maintain the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund with an annual contribution of £25,000, from the CIL NIS, until March 2025.  It is proposed that any unspent CIL NIS monies from the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund at the end of March 2025 be reallocated to the Council’s Unsupervised Play Improvement programme.