Issue - decisions

AGREED the transfer of Milton Country Park’s assets, including the vehicles, alongside the lease of land to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust, subject to ratification by full Council of the transfer of the park, should a further Council decision be required. 

Council RESOLVED:

(a)               the selection of Cambridge Sports Lakes Trust as the preferred bidder for running Milton Country Park;

(b)               that subject to due diligence by CSLT, the Council’s land should be leased to CSLT for a peppercorn, on a 99-year lease, and the land leased from the Stokes should be sub-leased on a 99-year lease, all subject to the land being used as a country park;

(c)               that at the appropriate time the Council gives notice to the County Council to end the current license and, subject to agreement by the County to lease their land to this Council, that we sub-lease it to CSLT on a 99-year lease for use as a country park, along with the SCDC land;

(d)               as part of the terms of the agreement and lease above, to approve a one-off payment of £250,000 to CSLT to enable them to take on the responsibility of running the park;

(e)               that officers be instructed to pursue the necessary legal and other work to enable the transfer to take place in late 2007 or early 2008; and

(f)                 that an appropriate agreement be entered into to ensure that the one-off payment of £250,000 to CSLT be ring-fenced for expenditure on the park.

Council RESOLVED that the disposal of the SCDC land in the park, and the land on a 999-year lease from the Stokes, be approved in principle, on the basis of a 99-year lease on a peppercorn basis to the organisation which is selected to take on the management.

Cabinet RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that it approve in principle the disposal of the SCDC land in the park, and the land on a 999-year lease from the Stokes, on the basis of a 99-year lease on a peppercorn basis to the organisation who are selected to take on the management.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)               for a negotiated expression of interest procedure to take place;

(b)               the establishment of a review / interview panel in order to select the best option for the Council; and

(c)               that the County Council be requested to confirm its willingness to dispose of its land in the park on a similar basis to South Cambs to enable the public benefit of the park to be secured.

Cabinet would SUPPORT the principle of transferring the Council’s land within Milton Country Park to a new agency, to enable that agency to take on the park’s management, subject to a full consideration of the nature of such a disposal bring brought to a future Cabinet for decision, taking into account the views of other agencies.