RESOLVED:

That the following be approved:

(1)   the appointment of the following consultants on the design and delivery of the new offices, in accordance with the terms of the Wirral Growth Company Partnership Agreement:

(a)  Building Contractor- Morgan Sindell

(b)  Architect - AHR Architects Limited

(c)  Civil and Structural Engineer- Curtins Consulting Limited

(d)  Fire Engineer - Design Fire Consultants Limited

(e)  M&E Engineer, BREEAM and Acoustics- Hannan Associates Limited

(f)  Contract Administrator- Walker Sime Limited

(g)  Quantity Surveyor- Abacus Cost Management Limited

(h)  Health and Safety Auditor - Walker Sime Limited

(i)  Landscape Architect – Gillespies LLP

(j)  Ecology – United Environmental Services Limited

(k)  Highways - Vectos

(l)  Rights of light and Party Wall -GIA

(m)  Planning - Barton Willmore Planning Limited

(2)  the granting of authority to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Director of Regeneration and Place to:

(a)  negotiate and agree and finalise the terms of a lease  of the land shown edged red on the plan attached at Appendix 2  to Wirral Growth Company LLP  or such funder as may be appointed by Wirral Growth Company LLP  together with a lease back to the Council of the land and/or the completed office development (of approximately 150,000 sq. ft)  within the  following parameters:

(i)  the land acquired or to be acquired at Milton Pavements shall be added to the Option Agreement with the Wirral Growth Company LLP on the basis that the Wirral Growth Company LLP may not acquire it at less than the amount the Council pays for it and on the basis of the existing option agreement conditions, with such specific changes as may be needed to accommodate the proposed structure of the annuity lease;

(ii)  the lease back to the Council from the Wirral Growth Company LLP or the funder  shall be at no more than the rent per square foot set out in the approved  Partnership Business Plan as set out in the exempt Appendix 1 to this report; and

(iii) the conditions that apply to the option agreement currently shall apply to the sale and leaseback arrangement so that the viability tests and planning tests and other tests that apply to the working arrangements of the Wirral Growth Company LLP apply to the annuity lease structure.

(2)  negotiate and agree and finalise amendment of the Milestones in the Partnership Agreement and the Partnership Business Plan to reflect the revised timescales for the entering into of the agreement for lease as follows:

  ‘agreement for lease to be entered into by 30 June 2020 albeit the parties have informally agreed an extension on that date to 31 August 2020.’