Issue - meetings

(i)       to note the individual project updates at 3.2 in this report;

(ii)       to agree to withdraw the offer of grant of £100,400 to the Living Wall Project due to timescales;

(iii)       to delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth, in consultation with Chief Officer - Finance and the Conveners of City Growth and Resources and Capital Programme Committees, to vire budgets between the approved Town Centre Fund projects to ensure delivery within the timelines set out under the grant conditions, and agrees to allocate any remaining funds to the progression of land assembly in support of the Queen Street project; and

(iv)      to instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth, to investigate alternative ways to deliver a living wall in the city centre and to report back to the May meeting of the Committee.

With reference to article 10 of the minute of the previous meeting of 28 October 2020, the Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – City Growth which (1) provided an update on the progress of the Town Centre Fund allocated projects; (2) provided details on any uncommitted funding, or funding at risk of being unspent; and (3) presented options of how this may be allocated.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the individual project updates at 3.2 in the report;

(b)      agree to withdraw the offer of grant of £100,400 to the Living Wall Project due to timescales; and

(c)      delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth, in consultation with Chief Officer - Finance to vire budgets between the approved Town Centre Fund projects to ensure delivery within the timelines set out under the grant conditions, and agrees to allocate any remaining funds to progression of land assembly in support of the Queen Street surface car park land acquisition.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendations (a) and (b);

(ii)        to delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth, in consultation with Chief Officer - Finance and the Conveners of City Growth and Resources and Capital Programme Committees, to vire budgets between the approved Town Centre Fund projects to ensure delivery within the timelines set out under the grant conditions, and agrees to allocate any remaining funds to the progression of land assembly in support of the Queen Street project; and

(iii)      to instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth, to investigate alternative ways to deliver a living wall in the city centre and to report back to the May meeting of the Committee.