Knowle relocation project: Cabinet to consider 'options' >>> Wednesday 5th March

The District Council's political leadership did not get what it wanted from its planning committee back in December:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: planning application REFUSED by District Council >>> further reports

It is now seeking to move forward - and will consider various options at a Cabinet meeting next Wednesday 5th March. Although it seems to have already made up its mind, as the agenda states:

Office Relocation Decisions

Following the refusal of planning permission and appreciating the continued strategic and operational drivers for relocation, the Office Accommodation Executive Group tasked officers with taking a refreshed review of the Council’s options.  

1. Cabinet recommends to Full Council that; 

i. Option 1, as detailed in the report, is adopted and that the Council proceeds with the construction of a new HQ building at Honiton Heathpark, and 
ii. The Deputy Chief Executive – Development, Regeneration and Partnerships is delegated authority, in consultation with the Office Accommodation Executive Group, to commence works and deliver the new HQ building. 
iii. A budget is agreed of £8,692,000 to provide a new HQ building at Honiton Heathpark, which when added to the approved Exmouth Town Hall refurbishment budget of £1,669,000 gives a total gross budget of £10,361,000. 

2. If Cabinet agrees that it wishes to relocate to a new HQ in Honiton then Cabinet is asked whether it wishes to recommend approval of a further sum of £225,000 to fund the addition of a direct access road to the new HQ building past the East Devon Business Centre This is a more direct approach to the building rather than bringing traffic through the Heathpark business park south of the building and does not affect the conclusions in this report in relation to viability and ranking of options for the sale of the Knowle site. 

combinedcabagenda050417publicversion.pdf

The combined Overview and Scrutiny Cttees will also consider this on 18th April:
Committees and meetings - East Devon

Here is comment today from the Save Our Sidmouth site:

EDDC Cabinet to agree Knowle option at next week’s meeting.

March 29, 2017 by sidmouthsid Leave a comment

East Devon District Council has been obliged to rethink its relocation ‘ambition’, since its Development Management Committee (DMC) rejected Pegasus Life’s planning application for Knowle. New options will be discussed and decided at Cabinet* next Wednesday (5th April, 2017, 5.30pm ), for consideration at a special Joint Overview, Scrutiny and Audit & Governance meeting (18th April, 6pm).

Public may attend and make audio or video recordings of the meetings, which will be held in Knowle Council Chamber.

SOS understands that one option for discussion is for a retrenched EDDC HQ in the modern parts of Knowle, plus the Chamber and Members’ Lounge. A second smaller office would be in the refurbished Exmouth Town Hall.

*Current Cabinet membership, as listed on EDDC website:

Iain Chubb, Conservative
Paul Diviani, Conservative – Leader of the council
Jill Elson, Conservative
Andrew Moulding, Conservative – Deputy leader of the council
Geoff Pook, Independent
Philip Skinner, Conservative
Ian Thomas, Conservative
Phil Twiss, Conservative
Eileen Wragg, Liberal Democrats
Tom Wright, Conservative

EDDC Cabinet to agree Knowle option at next week’s meeting. | Save Our Sidmouth
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