14 August 2024 - Estate Management & Planning Committee
Ruskington Parish Council
Minutes of an Estate Management and Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday 14 August 2024 at the Parish Office at 11.30am.
Present: Cllr M Trolley (Chairman of Committee), Cllr D Conway, Cllr O Ditch,
Also in attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council), Kirsty Sinclair (RFO)
Apologies: Cllr Tomlinson
A letting agent arrived at 12 noon.
The Chairman opened the meeting 11.32am.
1. To elect a Chairman for the remainder of the civic year.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to elect Cllr Trolley as the Chairman for the reminder of the civic year. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Ditch and approved unanimously.
2. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Cllr Tomlinson had been unable to attend the meeting and had sent valid apologies.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to accept Cllr Tomlinson’s apologies. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
3. To receive declarations of interest and consider applications for dispensations in relation to DPIs. Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests is to be in accordance with the Localism Act 2011.
None were declared at this time.
4. To elect a Vice-chairman for the remainder of the civic year.
A vice-chairman was not elected as not all committee members were present.
5. To approve the notes of the Committee meeting held on 16 July 2024 as accurate Minutes.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the notes of the meeting. Proposed by Cllr Ditch. Seconded by Cllr Trolley and approved unanimously.
6. To receive an update on the renovation of the parish office.
The Clerk advised that on 9 August 2024, the contractor’s electrician had activated the fire alarms and removed the alarm dust covers throughout, and installed fire safety signs where required. No other work had been completed. The flooring contractor would be fitting the floor coverings in the week commencing 16 September 2024.
Action: The Clerk to ask the contractor for the start and end date for the outstanding work.
7. To agree the questions for a meeting with a commercial estate agency on 14 August 2024 regarding the leasing of the office units at the rear of the parish office.
Questions had been collated and circulated prior to the meeting.
Action: The Committee agreed the questions to ask the letting agent. The RFO advised that, as a local council, no income tax would be payable on net profit received from letting the offices.
At 12 noon, a letting agent arrived at the meeting to share their expertise and answer the Committee’s questions.
The Chairman, with the Committee’s approval, adjourned the remainder of the meeting until a conversation with the agent had taken place. The surveyor answered the Council’s questions on the letting of the office spaces at the rear of the building. The letting or licensing of the office was discussed in detail and with reference to the NALC’s Legal Topic Notes 48, 49 and 75 on this subject.
The Chairman thanked the letting agent for their time and expertise.
At 1.15pm, the letting agent and RFO left the meeting.
The meeting resumed at 1.20pm to discuss the matters below.
8. To consider the following and agree recommendations for Council to consider: -
8.1. Whether to let the office units furnished or unfurnished.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council the professional advice of the surveyor which was to let the office spaces unfurnished. The tenant would be responsible for providing their own furniture, installing broadband and for the cleaning of their offices. Utility bills would be included in the fees as the entire building only had one meter. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
8.2. The fees for renting the offices at the rear of the property for recommending to Council.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the fees recommended by the letting agent. The Committee would recommend to Council that, in the first instance, all four offices plus the waiting area would be advertised for lease as one unit, as advised by the letting agent. Access to the rear door and the solar panel control unit at the top of the rear staircase would be agreed in the lease or licence agreement. If no expressions of interest were received, the offices would be advertised as four single units with shared communal spaces (waiting area, rear staircase, kitchen and toilet). Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Ditch and approved unanimously.
8.2. The fees/costs for the management of the leasing/licensing of the office units.
The leasing versus licensing of the office units was discussed at length. Information and the costs had been circulated prior to the meeting.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that due to the complexity and legalities of letting office spaces that a letting agency be used to manage the letting of the offices at the fees quoted. The Committee would draw up a Head of Terms for Council’s approval which would be reviewed by Council’s solicitor prior to drawing up a lease agreement. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
8.3. The management of the offices at the rear of the property, including the booking and payment system. (Legal information circulated prior to the meeting).
The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the management of the offices including letting, vetting, and other legal checks to be undertaken by a letting agency due to the complexity and legalities involved and as recommended in NALC’s Legal Topic Notes. Proposed by Cllr Ditch, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
8.4. Advertising the office spaces.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the advertising would be undertaken by a letting agency once the carpets and kitchen were installed and photographs could be taken. The letting agency would draw floor plans and obtain a quote for the required EPC certificate. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Ditch and approved unanimously.
9. To consider the quotes received for creating architectural plans for the pavilion.
Cllr Trolley, Cllr Cox (Chairman of the Recreation and Environment Committee) and the Clerk had met with an architectural design consultant at the pavilion on 7 August, at the consultant’s request, to discuss the plans prior to submission of their quote. It was noted that Council’s interior plan of the pavilion was inaccurate.
One quote had been received so far, another was expected by 5 September and a third had been requested to be available by 5 September 2024.
The Committee expressed concern over the loss of changing facilities and the proposed plan did not fulfil the requirements of the public consultation which was to renovate the pavilion to include disabled changing facilities and a community café However, it was noted that that the proposed men’s and ladies’ toilets could swop positions to allow a larger space for the ladies’ toilet and both spaces could include a toilet, changing area with benches and clothes hooks, and a shower.
Action: The Clerk to contact the letting agent to ask for a quote for drawing up the existing and proposed plans for the pavilion. Once the architect had been chosen, the plans could be revised and finalised as required.
9.1. To receive an update on the pavilion refurbishment and agree the next steps.
The Committee was unsure if it was responsible for the pavilion renovation or if this was the responsibility of Recreation and Environment Committee. According to the Committee’s Terms of Refence, the Estate Management and Planning Committee was responsible for the pavilion building. Two councillors sat on both committees. The refurbishment and quotes would be considered at a committee meeting prior to the Council meeting on 10 September 2024. It was requested that Cllr Tomlinson be present at the meeting and the date and time of the meeting would be agreed with him.
Action: The Clerk to liaise with Cllr Tomlinson and arrange a meeting for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th of September 2024.
10. To receive an update on the renovation of the lychgate and its funding.
This was deferred until the next committee meeting. The Clerk had emailed an update prior to the meeting to advise that the quote for the renovation had been received and pre-application advice had been sought from the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund. Evidence of support for the project was required.
11. To consider any planning applications received since the ordinary meeting on 16 July 2024.
This was deferred until the next committee meeting.
12. To agree a date for the next committee meeting, or a date for a working party meeting, to consider the cemetery regulations, and cemetery fees to inform the budget for 2025-2026.
The date of a committee meeting when the cemetery regulations and fees would be reviewed to be confirmed. Please see item 9.1, above.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 2.20pm.