Purpose

The purpose of this report is to update the
Executive on the locations for the provision of the two new Special
Education Needs schools within the Borough and agree the proposed
terms of the lease of the site to the Department for
Education.

Content

RESOLVED that the
Executive:
 
1)
Confirmed support for the development and provision of
two new
Special
Educational Needs School at Rooks Nest Farm in Finchampstead (as
per the
Officer’s recommendation having reviewed this site against
all available sites in the Council’s ownership)
 
2)
Gave delegated authority to the Executive Member for
Children’s Services to approve the lease of these sites to
the DfE for use as a Special Educational
Needs school on their model Heads of Terms (a copy is in
Appendix A)
and
delegated, under 5.4.3 [ which applies to all delegations to
officers and individual members below] powers to the Director of
Resources and Assets, in conjunction with the Leader of the
Council, to complete the lease.
 
3)
Approved a supplementary estimate of £1.5m for the
infrastructure and abnormal costs associated with the delivery of
the two new SEND schools. Working with the DfE, the Council will
aim to minimise these costs where possible. Any costs will be
funded from the approved capital contingency budget.
 
4)
Subject to the DfE approval of the Council’s bid to
self-deliver the free school capital projects, give delegated
authority to the Director of Resources and Assets, in consultation
with the Leader of the Council and the Executive Member for
Childrens Services, to approve the capital development of both
schools (5.1.9.2) (b) re Virements over £500k) and the
procurement and awarding of the construction works through a
competitive procurement process, details to be presented and
approved by the Strategic Procurement Board (SPB).
 
5)
Give delegated authority to the Director of Children’s
Services in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the
Executive Member for Childrens Services, to run the presumption
exercise (along with the DfE) to select and enter into leases with a Trust (or Trusts) to manage
both schools.
 
6)
Give delegated authority to the Director of Resources and Assets,
in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Executive
Member for Finance, to approve the infrastructure costs and
abnormals (not funded by the DfE) when these are known.
 
7)
agreed that the whole of the Rooks Nest Farm site, which has
previously been promoted to the Local Plan Update for residential
use with an estimated
residential land value of £19.25M, will now not be used
for residential use, with the residential land value estimation to
be foregone and that the previous
promotion of the site for residential development will be
withdrawn from the Local Plan Update process.