Decision details

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Barry)

 

Mrs Karen Kay who had registered to speak on this item in accordance with the City Council’s agreed procedure and Cabinet Procedure Rule 2.7, spoke on behalf of Morecambe Festival Market traders and responded to questions from Cabinet Members.

 

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Environmental Services to provide information in order for Cabinet to agree a direction for improving market provision in Morecambe and also Lancaster.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

In terms of strategic options there were in outline basically three-

 

STRATEGIC OPTION 1- DO NOTHING (MAINTAIN EXISTING FACILITY) - the fabric of the facility will still need some investment to maintain it and address any existing problems; the extent will be informed by the conditions survey.  This may have some impact on the financial standing of the market and the contribution that the market can make towards the Council’s corporate plan. It may mean a lost opportunity to take advantage of the much greater sum of the parts that adopting a strategic view to market provision could offer. This option may also be inconsistent with the MAAP, but it may prove to be the only affordable option.  It would still involve appraisal of current rents.

 

STRATEGIC OPTION 2- CONSIDER OPTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE EXISTING FACILITY AT MORECAMBE- based on the condition survey currently being undertaken a range of costed solutions for improving the current facility in Morecambe could be brought forward. These would be combined with realistic plans for ensuring the sustainability of the Council’s markets as a whole. It is expected that to implement these considerable investment would be required and market rents would need to increase, so ultimately any options may prove financially unworkable. This option assumed that the best place for a market in Morecambe is the existing location. Development of this option would need to take into account the MAAP.

 

STRATEGIC OPTION 3- CONSIDER ALL OPTIONS- this differs from OPTION 2 in that it does not assume that the only location for a market in Morecambe is where it currently is. In preparing this option consideration would be given not just to how the current Festival Market could be improved (as per OPTION 2) but to what other options there could be for providing a sustainable market in Morecambe. As with OPTION 2 realistic plans for ensuring the sustainability of the Council’s markets as a whole would also be developed. This option was most consistent with the MAAP, but again it may prove unworkable financially.

 

Both options 2 and 3 would require an officer working group to develop the options. It was expected that in developing the options consultation would take place with a wide range of stakeholders, obviously including traders, Elected Members, Morecambe Town Council, business representatives, shoppers etc.  To take forward options 2 and 3 thoroughly and within existing resources, it was expected that reports would be available in order to inform the 2014/15 budget process.  Options 2 and 3 would clearly take some time to develop and implement, if approved. Besides the 3 strategic options outlined above Cabinet might wish to consider some short term options for the Market. These included-

 

SHORT TERM OPTION 1- Provision of coach drop off point- this would require the removal of approx 15 car parking spaces and associated revenue and some lining work to be undertaken.  Traders felt it would increase the amount of coach parties that visit the market and there was anecdotal evidence to suggest that coach companies also agree this would be advantageous. If Cabinet wished to consider this option it could be appraised more fully and implemented if appropriate, from within existing budgets.

 

SHORT TERM OPTION 2- Amendment of car parking charges for the Festival Market car park. This would have a much more significant budgetary impact than the provision of a coach drop off point. It would also be likely to increase the amount of vehicles in the area, require new car park equipment and create other unintended consequences. If Cabinet wished to consider this option again it could be built in as an option in the car parking fees and charges report that would be considered as part of the budget process.

 

SHORT TERM OPTION 3- Look at different ways of marketing the market. This would require a look at how best to promote the market(s). Consideration would need to be given to the resource required to undertake the work as it couldn’t be done from within existing resources. The resource implications would be brought in through the budget process.

 

SHORT TERM OPTION 4- Look at some short term practical ways of improving the insulation of the market. The aim of this would be to reduce the winter extremes of temperature. Additional resource would be required to establish what the option were and further additional resource would be required were any of the options to be implemented. The risk of this though is that adopting a piecemeal approach to the maintenance issues affecting to the market became more costly in the medium / long term.

 

Overview and Scrutiny Committee formed an informal task group to consider the Festival Market. At its meeting on 10^th September 2012 Members of the group requested that the following be considered by Cabinet-

 

(1)        options for insulating the Market's roof particularly with polystyrene materials.

 

OFFICER COMMENT- See SHORT TERM OPTION 4 and STRATEGIC OPTIONS 2 and 3 above

 

(2)        wind protection and draft stopping, particularly around the Market's doors including the possibility of installing barriers in front of each door.

 

OFFICER COMMENT- See SHORT TERM OPTION 4 and STRATEGIC OPTIONS 3 above

 

(3)        installing a coach drop off in the Market car park.

 

 

OFFICER COMMENT- See SHORT TERM OPTION 1 above

 

(4)        marketing (including coach companies) and the signage of the Market.

 

OFFICER COMMENT- See SHORT TERM OPTION 3 above

 

(5)        the cost of re-wiring introducing 3 phase electric in the Market.

 

OFFICER COMMENT- See STRATEGIC OPTIONS 2 and 3 above

 

The officer preferred strategic option was STRATEGIC OPTION 3. The options that came forward were likely to provide the best strategic options for delivery of a market within Morecambe, would take account of the MAAP, and would be designed to complement market provision as a whole, but it must also be recognised that it might still prove financially unworkable. It was also envisioned that in developing this option Officers would bring forward the building issues identified within the commission survey and costed options for resolving them. This option would avoid a piecemeal approach to dealing with the maintenance issues affecting the building.  The officer preferred short term options were SHORT TERM OPTION 1 and SHORT TERM Option 3. 

 

Councillor Barry proposed, seconded by Councillor Blamire:-

 

“(1)      That Cabinet strongly supports the continuation of Morecambe Festival Market.

 

(2)        That with regard to strategic options, Cabinet approves Strategic Option 3 – to consider all options.

 

(3)        That with regard to Short Term options, Cabinet supports Options 1, 3 and 4:

q       Option 1  – Provision of coach drop off  point – to include considering the use of the lay-by and improving pedestrian access to the market from the lay-by.

q       Option 3 – Look at different ways of marketing the market

q       Option 4 – Look at some short term practical ways of improving the insulation/heating of the market.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

(1)        That Cabinet strongly supports the continuation of Morecambe Festival Market.

 

(2)        That with regard to strategic options, Cabinet approves Strategic Option 3 – to consider all options.

 

(3)        That with regard to Short Term options, Cabinet supports Options 1, 3 and 4:

q       Option 1  – Provision of coach drop off  point – to include considering the use of the lay-by and improving pedestrian access to the market from the lay-by.

q       Option 3 – Look at different ways of marketing the market

q       Option 4 – Look at some short term practical ways of improving the insulation/heating of the market.

 

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Head of Environmental Services

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

Morecambe Market is a well established market facility and Cabinet strongly supports the continuation of this facility.  The decision will enable realistic plans for ensuring the sustainability of the Council’s markets to be developed as well as addressing short term issues including parking, and marketing.