EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL
CABINET MEETING – 20 MAY 2015
DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS FUND – APPLICATION BY BONNYTON
THISTLE FOOTBALL CLUB
Report by Depute Chief Executive & Chief Financial Officer
Economy and Skills
PURPOSE
1
To present to Cabinet for determination a grant application to the Developers
Contribution Fund from Bonnyton Thistle Football Club. The application is for
grant funding (above the delegated limit of £15,000) in support of the payment
of various professional fees and costs associated with the development of a
new 3G football pitch at Townholm, Kilmarnock.
BACKGROUND
2
On 23 June 2010, Cabinet agreed revised governance arrangements for the
operation of the Developer Contributions Fund. This included the requirement
for applications over £15,000 to be considered by Cabinet. The necessary
revisions to the Scheme of Delegation were approved by Council at its meeting
on 23 September 2010. At a subsequent meeting on 2 December 2010 with the
Leaders of the SNP, Labour and Conservative Groups and the Planning
Spokesperson, the process for ascertaining the views of Elected Members on
submitted applications to the Developers Contribution Fund was agreed.
3
Council on the 12 March 2015 agreed to approve the asset transfer of land at
Townholm, Kilmarnock to Bonnyton Thistle Football Club with proposed lease
terms agreed comprising a rental charge of £80 per annum subject to the club
demonstrating that they can secure the necessary funding to undertake the
complete project.
BONNYTON THISTLE FOOTBALL CLUB
4
Summary of Proposal – The club wish to develop a new high quality football
facility including a full size floodlit 3G football pitch with changing facilities at
Townholm, Kilmarnock. This will enable the club to better engage with the local
and wider community in its activities. The club expect that this project will attract
significant external funding. Approval has been obtained for the Community
Asset Transfer in respect of the particular area of disused land at Townholm
Kilmarnock. The project aims to increase involvement in sport, and healthy
lifestyles for the local community and increase the membership of the club,
whilst also supporting improved performance of the club members. The facility
will also help to regenerate an area of the town that is currently in a derelict
state. The requested grant will be used to cover feasibility, engineering,
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
architectural design, infrastructure surveys and contract administration costs
and will allow the club to develop their proposals as part of their application to
Sports Scotland.
5
Estimated Cost of Fees and Proposed Funding Package by Applicant : The
total estimated cost as per the application is £25,920 and the proposed funding
package is as follows:£920 Contribution from Bonnyton Thistle Football Club
£25,000 Grant Requested from the Developers Contribution Fund
6
Previous Developer Contribution Fund Awards to applicant: The group have
had no previous award from the Developer Contributions Fund. However, they
have received funding of £9,636 in relation to the Community Asset Transfer of
the land at Townholm, Kilmarnock.
7
Assessment Outcome: The assessment is positive on the basis that the club
will be utilising funds presently shown in their bank account in support of the
Sportscotland application for the main project and will also be undertaking
extensive fundraising to deliver the wider building project. The Council’s Vibrant
Communities Team is working closely with the club, together with Sport
Scotland, and the Scottish FA and they are in regular dialogue with well-known
sports consultants PSD.
8
Elected Members Views: Elected Members supported an indicative allocation
of £25,000 for this project at the Development Contributions Fund meeting of
20 February 2013.
9
Proposed Source(s) of Funding from Developer Contributions: In the event of
the application being approved by Cabinet, it is proposed to fund the full amount
of £25,000 from available funding in the Northern Area Fund.
10
Recommendation: That the application for £25,000 is approved subject to the
Council’s standard grant conditions.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
11
Proposals to utilise monies paid to the Council in terms of Policy TLR5 of the
East Ayrshire Local Plan 2003 are required to support sport, leisure and
recreational projects, having regard to the terms of the agreement which gave
rise to the payment to the Council, in order to minimise any potential challenge.
12
Any offer of grant will be issued to the applicant following the appropriate
authorisation, subject to the Council’s standard conditions and any specific
conditions proposed.
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
FINANCIAL/HUMAN RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS
13
In the event of Cabinet being minded to approve this application it is proposed
that the contribution be paid from the following sources:
(i)
£25,000 from the current indicatively allocated balance of £62,099.86
remaining from the Developer Contribution Northern Area Fund.
Sufficient funds are available to meet the application. There are no direct
implications in relation to human resources.
COMMUNITY PLANNING AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
14
The proposed project is in accord with the Community Plan. In particular, the
proposed facility will allow more of the community to actively participate in sport
thus improving health and wellbeing.
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
15
There are two risks associated with this project that should be mentioned at this
stage. The first is that the project does not go ahead and the grant funds are
effectively lost. This is not considered to be a significant risk as the
consultations and responses to date carried out by the club with the help of
Council officials have all been positive. Nevertheless it would be prudent to
ensure that the appointment and development work carried out by the
consultants is satisfactory before grant is released. Secondly as with all
construction projects there are significant risks associated with implementation
of the project. However the grant assistance will help to ensure that
professionally competent advice is obtained by the club to develop and fully test
the feasibility of the project, identify the risks and detail how they can be suitably
addressed. Accordingly and as a condition of the grant, professional advisors
will be required to have appropriate product liability/professional indemnity
insurance and will be required to provide evidence of same.
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
16
The grant will be utilised to design a facility that will cater for all abilities within
the community.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that Cabinet agrees:
(i)
a grant award of £25,000 to Bonnyton Thistle Football Club from the
Developer Contributions Fund for professional assistance, surveys
and contract administration costs to develop a full size 3G floodlit
football pitch and clubhouse at Townholm, Kilmarnock, subject to
the Council’s standard grant conditions and those detailed in
paragraph 15 above; and
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
(ii)
to otherwise note the content of the report.
Alex McPhee
Depute Chief Executive & Chief Financial Officer
Economy and Skills
14 May 2015
(CMcK/KD) FV – MK
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS
1. Cabinet Report – 23 June 2010: Developer Contributions Fund and Developer
Contributions Sports, Leisure and Recreation Fund
2. Cabinet Report -18 February 2015: Transformation Strategy – Property and
Estate Rationalisation Workstream –Response to East Ayrshire Leisure Trust
Service Reviews.
Senior officers wishing further information should contact Karl Doroszenko,
Development Planning and Regeneration Manager, on 01563 576751.
Implementation Officer: Michael Keane Head of Planning and Economic
Development (01563) 576767.
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED