Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Evelyn Archer)

Report of the Corporate Director (Regeneration).

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Evelyn Archer)

(Mr T Hamilton-Cox, who had registered to speak on this item in accordance with the City Council’s agreed procedure and Cabinet Procedure Rule 2.7, spoke to this item.)

(The meeting adjourned at 1.05pm and re-convened at 1.25pm.)

The Corporate Director (Regeneration) submitted a report requesting Cabinet to consider the bids that had been received for the sale of the Council’s land at Scotforth Road, Lancaster.

The options and options analysis (including risk assessment) were contained within a report to be found in the exempt part of the agenda.

It was moved by Councillor Roger Mace and seconded by Councillor Shirley Burns:-

“That the report be noted.”

Resolved:

(9 Members voted in favour (Councillors Archer, Barry, Blamire, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) and 1 Member (Councillor Fletcher) abstained.

(1)     That the content of the public report be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Roger Mace and seconded by Councillor Shirley Burns:-

“That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the ground that it could involve the possible disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of that Act.”

Members then voted as follows:

Resolved:

(7 Members voted in favour (Councillors Archer, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) and 3 Members abstained (Councillors Barry, Blamire and Fletcher).

(1)        That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it could involve the possible disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of that Act. 

It was proposed by Councillor Evelyn Archer and seconded by Councillor David Kerr:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the exempt report, be approved.” 

By way of amendment, Councillor Jon Barry proposed and Councillor Jane Fletcher seconded:-

“That the City Council does not agree to sell the land at this stage and that future use of the land be referred to the Local Development Framework (LDF) process.”

Upon being put to the vote, 2 Members voted in favour of the amendment (Councillors Barry and Fletcher) 7 Members voted against  (Councillors Archer, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) and 1 Member (Councillor Blamire) abstained from voting, whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment to be lost.

Members then voted as follows on the original proposition:-

Resolved:

(7 Members voted in favour (Councillors Archer, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) 2 Members voted against (Councillors Barry and Fletcher) and 1 Member abstained (Councillor Blamire).

(1)           That the sale of land to EH Booth and Co Ltd, as outlined in Option 2 of the exempt report, be approved.

(2)           That the proposal to designate the footpath in the Council’s retained land as a permissive right of way or a public footpath be included in the proposals for the overall development and if this cannot be achieved then Officers pursue such designation directly with the County Council. 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Regeneration).

Reason for making the decision:

The reasons for making the decision were as a result of a full option appraisal process, the details of which were as set out in the public and exempt reports.