To consider withdrawing the current offer to transfer Oakhurst and Shamrock Close play areas, Churchdown.

That Officers continue negotiations with a view to transferring the play areas at Oakhurst and Shamrock Close, Churchdown to Churchdown Parish Council on the basis of the original offer made in 2010 with the proviso that negotiations be concluded by the end of December 2017.

13.1           The report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 98-101, advised the Committee of the current situation regarding the transfer of play areas to Churchdown Parish Council. Members were asked to agree to withdraw the current offer to transfer Oakhurst and Shamrock play areas in Churchdown at nil cost along with the grant of £20,000 to maintain them. 

13.2           The Head of Finance and Asset Management explained that, in April 2010, the Executive Committee had agreed to transfer, at nil value, three play areas in Churchdown in order to rationalise the Council’s asset holdings and bring them in line with resource and capacity availability. In the seven years since that decision, one play area had been transferred to Churchdown Parish Council leaving the other two in Borough Council ownership. In that time, the Borough Council had managed and maintained the play areas. Given the lapse in time from that original decision, the current management arrangements, the current maintenance programme and the future anticipated expenditure on the sites, it was felt that the original terms of transfer on offer, including a grant of £10,000 per play area, did not represent the most efficient solution for the Borough Council. With this in mind reduced terms had been offered to the Parish Council but it had declined; it was therefore recommended that the offer to transfer the play areas be withdrawn.

13.3           A Member indicated that the play area in Shamrock Close, which was located at the rear of Coriander Drive in Churchdown, was quite large and in an appalling state - even surrounded by razor wire - and it really needed a lot of attention to bring it up to standard. She was aware that Churchdown Parish Council had already taken on other play areas from the Borough Council and they were all maintained to a very high standard. She felt it was a real shame that, in comparison, the play areas in the Borough Council’s ownership did not appear to be maintained at all. In terms of the Shamrock Close play area, she felt, given its location in an area of deprivation in the Borough, it was unacceptable that it should be left in such an awful state. She understood there was an issue in that no sooner had the play area been checked than the equipment was broken again but she was of the view that this was even more reason to transfer it to the Parish Council, with the original grant of £10,000 per area, as it would be able to look after it more effectively.  A number of Members agreed that it would be a mistake for the Council to hold onto the play areas given the high costs which were involved in maintaining them. Accordingly, it was proposed and seconded that the play areas at Oakhurst and Shamrock Close be transferred to Churchdown Parish Council with a grant of £20,000 to maintain them. The Head of Finance and Asset Management advised that the Shamrock Close play area had a number of issues with litter and flytipping. The equipment, whilst old, was monitored on a weekly basis and was up to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) standards. He felt that, if Members were minded to transfer the area, they may wish to include a timescale within which the transfer should take place.

13.4           A Member questioned the reason for the delay on the part of the Parish Council and, in response, the Head of Finance and Asset Management explained that there appeared to be delays in communication between the Parish Council’s solicitors and the Borough Council. The process had been extremely frustrating for Officers and it was felt that it needed to be drawn to a conclusion one way or the other.

13.5           Having considered the information provided, and the subsequent discussion, it was