Agenda item

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report AMED-009-2016/17.

The Council’s Asset Management Development Consultant Mr C Pasterfield, presented a report on the current progress with regard to the development of the Epping Forest Shopping Park. Mr Pasterfield was accompanied by Mr A Charalambous of White, Young and Green, the Council’s appointed consultants for the management of the shopping park and the highway works related to the development of the shopping park, pursuant to Section 278 of the Highways Act 1980.

Mr Charalambous advised the Cabinet Committee that earlier that day there had been two site progress meetings, one for the shopping park that he had attended and one for the highways development that his colleague Mr T McLaughlin had attended.

Epping Forest Shopping Park

The date of possession of the shopping park was scheduled for the 26 September 2017 although the contract completion date would be 19 June 2017. There would be hand over phases for the shopping park the units would be handed over approximately 4-5 weeks before the 19 June to accommodate the time scales for the unit fit outs. Some tenants would need only 4-5 weeks whilst other more complex fit outs would need 12-13 weeks to complete. Currently a draft timetable was being prepared and it was envisaged that some units would be open for trading before others.

The Contractors had no major issues and were liaising with the tenants to capture their requirements and planning ahead. The demolition of buildings on the site, stabilisation and ground levelling was almost complete.

Highways Works

The programme of works would be reviewed and aligned to coincide with the completion of the shopping park. The main delay had been with Essex County Council not allowing a sufficient licence to work on the carriageway, this had now been resolved and work had commenced on the highways work.  The main focus was concerning the verge areas and widening of the carriageway, there would be no disruption to the carriageway before Christmas.

Councillor Mohindra asked if the completion date was still on track for the shopping park to open in August 2017.

Mr C Pasterfield advised that the main completion contract date was 19 June 2017 but this was not the date the shopping park would open for trading. The tenants would then have to fit our their units and will be driven by the tenants when they were ready to open. An official opening would be towards the Christmas 2017 period when 80-90% of the shopping park was open.

Councillor Waller asked where the report was, as referenced on page 22 of the agenda, item 8, a report to be considered in Part II due to the commercial sensitivity of some of its content.

The Chairman advised that a report had not been provided as there were no sufficient changes in the tenant situation. When the main report was undertaken it was thought, at that time, a Part II report would be required but there had been no changes since the last meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the current progress report on the development of the new Epping Forest Shopping Park be noted.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

To comply with the previous request of the Cabinet Committee to monitor the development of the Council’s property assets and in particular that it receive regular detailed reports on progress with regard to the development of the Epping Forest Shopping Park.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED:

None, as the progress report was submitted at the specific request of the Cabinet Committee.