Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Convener advised that he had agreed to accept an urgent notice of motion by Councillor Houghton onto the agenda in terms of Section 50(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and that it would be considered as the next item of business.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the position.

“That the Committee -

1.    Notes the announcement of the Eurovision Broadcasting Union that the organisation is considering the United Kingdom as the host of Eurovision 2023 should Ukraine be unable to host the competition due to the unacceptable Russian aggression against Ukraine. 

2.    Notes the awarding decision will be made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) should Ukraine be unable to host the competition. 

3.    Agrees the Event Complex Aberdeen opened in 2019 is the largest capacity venue in Scotland and is well suited to host the event. 

4.    Notes Aberdeen’s success in hosting previous significant cultural events such as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. 

5.    Notes the significant interest shown by politicians of all political parties in hosting this event in Scotland, agreeing that Aberdeen is without doubt the best place to hold such a European event given Aberdeen remains the Energy Capital of Europe. 

6.    Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to engage with all relevant stakeholders including the BBC, UK government, the devolved Scottish Government and others to ensure a bid from Aberdeen is advanced quickly and efficiently should it become clear Ukraine are unable to host the competition. 

7.    Agrees to allocate £30,000 from contingencies to support a bid from Aberdeen and instruct the Chief Executive to write to both the UK and Scottish Government notifying them of Aberdeen’s intention and asking for their support. 

8.    Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to bring a report back on progress to the next meeting of this Committee.”

The Committee had before it an urgent notice of motion by Councillor Houghton in the following terms:-

          “That the Committee -

1.    Notes the announcement of the Eurovision Broadcasting Union that the organisation is considering the United Kingdom as the host of Eurovision 2023 should Ukraine be unable to host the competition due to the unacceptable Russian aggression against Ukraine. 

2.    Notes the awarding decision will be made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) should Ukraine be unable to host the competition. 

3.    Agrees the Event Complex Aberdeen opened in 2019 is the largest capacity venue in Scotland and is well suited to host the event. 

4.    Notes Aberdeen’s success in hosting previous significant cultural events such as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. 

5.    Notes the significant interest shown by politicians of all political parties in hosting this event in Scotland, agreeing that Aberdeen is without doubt the best place to hold such a European event given Aberdeen remains the Energy Capital of Europe. 

6.    Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to engage with all relevant stakeholders including the BBC, UK government, the devolved Scottish Government and others to ensure a bid from Aberdeen is advanced quickly and efficiently should it become clear Ukraine are unable to host the competition. 

7.    Agrees to allocate £30,000 from contingencies to support a bid from Aberdeen and instruct the Chief Executive to write to both the UK and Scottish Government notifying them of Aberdeen’s intention and asking for their support. 

8.    Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to bring a report back on progress to the next meeting of this Committee.”

Councillor Hutchison advised that he had a connection in relation to the matter by virtue of his employer Kevin Stewart MSP having called for Aberdeen to host Eurovision, however having applied the objective test he did not consider that he had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor Nicoll advised that he also had a connection by virtue of his wife, Audrey Nicoll MSP, having raised the matter, however having applied the objective test he did not consider that he had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

The Convener advised that he also had a connection by virtue of his employer Jackie Dunbar MSP having signed a letter on the matter, however having applied the objective test he did not consider that he had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor Radley advised that she also had a connection by virtue of her employer Jackie Dunbar MSP having signed a letter on the matter, however having applied the objective test, she did not consider that she had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor Farquhar advised that she also had a connection by virtue of her employer Douglas Lumsden MSP having raised the matter previously, however having applied the objective test she did not consider that she had an interest and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

The Convener proposed that the Committee consider items 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3, as undernoted, with the press and public excluded from the meeting. The Convener also proposed that the Committee consider item 13.1, as undernoted, in public.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business:-

·         13.2 - Proposed Disposal of Lang Stracht Site

·         13.3 - Proposed Disposal of 11/13 Belmont Street

·         13.4 - Proposed Renunciation of Bon Accord Indoor Bowling Hall Lease

·         13.5 - Proposed Disposal of Site 15 Denmore Road

·         14.1 - External Funding - Exempt Appendices

·         14.2 - Roads and Transport Related Budget Programme 2022-2023 - Exempt Appendices

·         14.3 - ABZ Works Employability Plan - Exempt Appendix; and

(ii)          to consider item 13.1 (Extension to Term of New Lease - Request from Inchgarth, Loirston and Old Torry Community Centre Management Associations) in public.

Councillor Grant declared interests in relation to agenda items 9.3 and 14.1 (External Funding) by reason of being a former Chairman of the Tillydrone Community Development Trust and due to his employment by Aberdeen Inspired. Councillor Grant considered that the nature of his interests would require him to leave the meeting prior to consideration of the item and advised that Councillor Graham would join the meeting as his substitute.

Councillor Grant advised that he had a connection in relation to agenda item 13.3 (Proposed Disposal of 11/13 Belmont Street) by virtue of having been in discussions with one of the stakeholders involved in the report, however having applied the objective test, he did not consider that he had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

Councillor Houghton advised that he also had a connection in relation to agenda item 13.3 by virtue of having previously been in discussions with one of the stakeholders involved in the report, however having applied the objective test, he did not consider that he had an interest and would not be withdrawing from the meeting.

The Committee noted that deputation requests had been received from Mr Paul O’Connor (Inchgarth Community Centre) and Mr David Fryer (Old Torry Community Centre) in relation to agenda item 13.1 (Extension to Term of New Lease - Request from Inchgarth, Loirston and Old Torry Community Centre Management Associations), however they had been received beyond the deadline for submission set out in Standing Orders.

The Committee resolved:-

to suspend Standing Order 14.1 to hear the deputations.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 3 February 2022.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Committee had before it the Committee Business Planner prepared by the Chief Officer - Governance.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to note the reasons for the reporting delay in relation to items 6 (Flood Risk Management Strategies), 11 (City Centre Multi Storey Blocks - Option Appraisal), 12 (Aberdeen Community Wealth Building), 13 (Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub - Site Selection) and 22 (Sustainable Drainage System (SUDS) Section 7);

(ii)          to transfer item 19 (International Trade Plan 2022-2023) to the Council Business Planner;

(iii)         to note that the Chief Officer - City Growth would discuss item 48 (Impact on Aberdeen of Scottish Government Funding) with the Chief Officer - Finance and report back on the outcome;

(iv)         with regard to item 53 (External Transportation Links to Aberdeen South Harbour), to request the Chief Officer - Capital to provide a service update on whether the timelines could be shortened in relation to the project following the appointment of consultants; and

(v)          to otherwise note the content of the Committee Business Planner.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Finance which provided the full year actual financial position of the Council against budget for the financial year 2021/22, including (1) General Fund and Housing Revenue Account revenue and capital accounts; and (2) Common Good Revenue Account and Balance Sheet.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           note the unaudited final outturn position for financial year 2021/22 as detailed in Appendix 1;

(b)           note that the General Fund had recorded an operational surplus of £1.310m for the year 2021/22, which had been added to the earmarked sum set aside for Covid resilience. The uncommitted General Fund reserve remained in line with the approved Reserves Policy;

(c)           note that the Housing Revenue Account had recorded a surplus of £0.500m for the year, in line with budget and increasing the uncommitted working balance for use in future years;

(d)           note that the Common Good had recorded an operating surplus of £1.620m for the year, which was better than the approved use of cash reserves. After investment valuation changes and capital receipts were included cash balances increased by £5.378m and remained in line with recommended levels;

(e)           approve the various transfers for 2021/22 between Council Reserves and Earmarked sums for the General Fund, Housing Revenue Account, Common Good and Statutory Funds as of 31 March 2022, as detailed in Appendix 1;

(f)            approve the reprofiling of the 2022/23 - 2025/26 capital programmes to take account of the year end position and that the outcome of this is incorporated into the 2022/23 Quarter 1 reporting; and

(g)           note that the unaudited Annual Accounts for 2021/22 would be presented to Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee on 30 June 2022, including the Annual Governance Statement and Remuneration Report for the year.

The Convener moved, seconded by Councillor Hutchison:-

That the Committee approve the recommendations contained within the report and record its thanks and gratitude to Council staff involved in ensuring the Council meets its quarterly budgetary targets throughout a particularly challenging environment in 2021/22.

Councillor Houghton moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Farquhar:-

          That the Committee -

(1)       approve recommendations (a), (b), (c), (e), (f) and (g);

(2)       revise recommendation (d) as follows - note that the Common Good had recorded an operating surplus of £1.620m for the year, which was better than the approved use of cash reserves. After investment valuation changes and capital receipts were included, cash balances increased by £5.378m and remained in line with recommended levels. Welcome that the Common Good cash balances had increased by £32.747m over the life of the previous Council Administration (2010-2022);

(3)       agree to award Sport Aberdeen £100,000 in support of provision for swimming related activities from the Common Good Fund;

(4)       acknowledge that the decisions made by the previous Administration to deliver a major transformation programme through the Target Operating Model had been critical to ensuring the Council, one of the lowest funded in Scotland, could meet its obligations, balance its budget  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Committee had before it a joint report by the Chief Officer - Capital and the Chief Officer - Commercial and Procurement which provided an overview of current market conditions and supply chain volatility and the risks and impacts to the Council financially and in terms of the procurement workplans.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)         note the global external factors that are having a negative impact on capital and revenue costs, including the delivery of Capital programmes/projects in terms of their budget and delivery timelines;

(b)         in light of these external cost and time pressures, instruct the Chief Officer - Capital to review the approved General Fund and Housing Capital   programmes/projects in terms of timeline delivery and financial viability and to consider the impact on service delivery as a result of revised delivery timelines.

The review will be informed by the following criteria:

·            Investment, why are we doing it / meeting outcomes

·            Economic, value for money

·            Commercial, procurement / delivery mechanism

·            Environmental, inclusive of Net Zero

In addition, cognisance will be taken of where each project currently sits within its full life cycle; i.e. is it at feasibility stage, design development or construction and whether there are any interdependencies;

(c)          instruct the Chief Officer - Capital to report the outcome of the review, following completion of recommendation (b), to the Council meeting on 24 August 2022, within the report being prepared by the Chief Executive on the Policy Statement “Working in Partnership for Aberdeen” and its impact on the Council’s Commissioning Intentions, Service Standards and Budgets for 2022/23;

(d)         in advance of a report detailing the outcome of the review in (c) above, approve that the Director of Resources may reprofile capital projects in consultation with the Chief Officer - Capital and the Chief Officer - Finance and the Convener and Vice Convener of the City Growth and Resources Committee where supply chain volatility may lead to additional costs or revised timelines;

(e)         note that the Council will request an opinion from our external auditors on the impact of this from a value for money perspective;

(f)           note the mitigation actions to be adopted as detailed in paragraph 3.19 to 3.27;

(g)         note that the Chief Officer - Finance instructed a London Stock Exchange (LSE) announcement in respect of this report, drawing attention to the potential it has to impact upon the financial resources of the Council;

(h)         note that the Chief Officer - Finance will include an estimate of the financial implications of supply chain volatility in the Quarter 1 financial performance report that will be reported to this Committee on 4 August 2022;

(i)           instruct the Director of Resources to identify, implement or recommend appropriate actionsin addition to those already identified in this report, to mitigate the impact of the issues described in this report to ensure a balance budget is maintained for 2022/23;

(j)           instruct the Director of Resources to include the issue of ongoing uncertainty re inflation within bid documentation and request  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Convener proposed that item 13.1 on the agenda (Extension to Term of New Lease - Request from Inchgarth, Loirston and Old Torry Community Centre Management Associations) be considered at this juncture and this was agreed.

Originally identified as an exempt report at 13.1 on the agenda, however the Committee agreed to consider the report in public.

(A)      The Committee received a deputation from Mr Paul O’Connnor of Inchgarth Community Centre.

Mr O’Connor expressed his disappointment at not having seen the report until it was made public and stated that he would categorically reject every change, clause and burden placed on Inchgarth Community Centre and other centres. In particular, he referred to utility bills and the proposal that community centres should have to pay, which he found offensive to the volunteers who ran community centres, and if those costs were passed onto community centres they would be forced to close.  

Mr O’Connor explained he was seeking support for a 25-year lease for Inchgarth Community Centre and called on the committee to back their vision to expand. He emphasised the excellent services his community centre provided and was of the view that the Council could not provide such services physically or financially. He added that Inchgarth Community Centre delivered 170 classes a week which was ‘water into wine’ in terms of value for money for the Council.

Mr O’Connor asked the committee whether they valued what community centres offered to the city or whether they viewed them as a burden. He acknowledged that there were challenges, however there needed to be a change in approach and called on members to reject the report’s recommendations with regard to proposed changes to the terms and conditions. He implored the committee to match the ambitions of community centres and underlined that if they approved the recommendations, it would kill the enthusiasm of volunteers and centres would shut.

Mr O’Connor emphasised that community centres needed to be offered identical terms and conditions for longer term leases. He reiterated that community centres could not afford to pay for utility bills or rates. He added that the proposal that if a community centre was extended that ownership would be split between the Council and the community centre was completely unworkable. Mr O’Connor concluded that the Council needed to work with community centres and give them the opportunity to grow.

The Committee asked questions of Mr O’Connor and thanked him for his deputation. 

(B)      The Committee received a deputation from Mr David Fryer of Old Torry Community Centre.

Mr Fryer emphasised that the matter was about investing in communities by providing community centres with the opportunity of securing longer term leases. He explained that Old Torry Community Centre was in the middle of its recovery strategy following the Covid-19 pandemic and the focus now needed to be on new development.

Mr Fryer advised that the Old Torry Community Centre building was 87 years old and although it was in good condition, it still needed some attention and with single wall construction and single glazing, in order to make the building habitable during the winter, the heating needed to be on all day every day which was obviously not sustainable.

Mr Fryer explained that they had requested a 30-year lease as many external organisations and funding bodies stipulated that community centres must have a minimum 20-year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

At this juncture, in accordance with Article 4 of this minute, Councillor Grant left the meeting prior to consideration of the following item of business and Councillor Graham joined the meeting as his substitute.

Please Note that there are Exempt Appendices Contained within the Exempt Appendices Section of this Agenda Below

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - City Growth which sought approval of the allocation of Place Based Investment Programme Funding and Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Funding; for the submission of an investment plan required to access UK Shared Prosperity Funding; and of the External Funding Plan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

External Funding Plan

(a)           approve the funding plan attached at Appendix 1;

Place Based Investment Programme

(b)           note the funding of £847,000 awarded to Aberdeen City Council by the Scottish Government for the Place Based Investment Programme 22/23;

(c)           allocate up to £38,500 to Aberdeen City Council for the Huberdeen project;

(d)           allocate up to £50,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the Quarry Centre Play Area project;

(e)           allocate up to £100,000 to Aberdeen City Council for The Street Design Project - Woodside Gateway;

(f)             award Castlegate Arts £75,000 for the 2022 Access improvements project;

(g)           award up to £69,400 to Donside Village Community SCIO for the Tillydrone Gateway feature Sculpture Trail project;

(h)           award up to £44,132 to Greyhope Bay for the Greyhope Bay Renewable Power project;

(i)             award up to £11,474 to The Scottish Women’s Institute for the Hub Upgrades project;

(j)             award up to £76,500 to The Kings Community foundation for the Bridge Centre, Torry project;

(k)           award up to £253,981 to Tillydrone Community Development trust SCIO for the Benholms Tower and Gateway project;

(l)             agree that any remaining funds from Place Based Investment Programme 22/23 be allocated to any other approved project which may require additional resources following consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the City Growth and Resources Committee;

Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Fund

(m)         note the funding of £2,865,000 awarded to Aberdeen City Council from the Scottish Government for the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery Fund (LACER);

(n)           allocate up to £407,589 to Aberdeen City Council for the Hardship Support Programme;

(o)           award up to £20,000 to Aberdeen Foyer for the Cash First Project;

(p)           award up to £37,212 to Aberdeen Foyer for the Financial Inclusion Services project;

(q)           award up to £39,212 to Aberdeen Foyer to the Community Food hub project;

(r)            allocate up to £95,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the Creative Incubator Feasibility study project;

(s)           award up to £1,924,440 to Aberdeen Inspired for the Aberdeen Gift Card project;

(t)             award up to £76,147 to CFine for the Community Pantry project;

(u)           award up to £115,400 to ABERNecessities for the Brighter Future project;

(v)           award up to £150,000 to Gray’s School of Art on behalf of Culture Aberdeen for the use of vacant city centre units for cultural activities project;

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

(w)          note the indicative allocation of UK Shared Prosperity Funding of £7,156,832 to Aberdeen from the UK Government and instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to submit the Investment Plan by 1 August 2022 following consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the City Growth and Resources Committee and the Co-Leaders of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Please Note that there are Exempt Appendices Contained within the Exempt Appendices Section of this Agenda Below

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services which outlined the proposed Roads and Transportation programme for the approved 2022/23 capital budgets.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           approve the schemes listed in the appendices as the detailed proposals for expenditure within each budget heading;

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to implement the lighting scheme outlined in Appendix T of the report; and

(c)           instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services, following consultation with the Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, to undertake or instruct appropriate procedures in accordance with the Council’s procurement regulations to procure the works referred to in the exempt appendices for the roads capital budget programme for the financial year 2022/23 and award contracts relating thereto.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to approve the schemes listed in the appendices as the detailed proposals for expenditure within each budget heading subject to instructing the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to:-

(a)       remove the resurfacing schemes outlined in Appendix R at Stronsay Avenue/Northburn Avenue and Angusfield Avenue and move them to the reserve list;

(b)       replace the above schemes with those previously displaced at Cults Avenue/Kingswells Drive and Holburn Street into this year’s programme; and

(c)        remove the resurfacing scheme outlined in Appendix R at Hazlehead Car Park and carry out minimal repairs to the existing surface up to a maximum value of £10,000;

(ii)           to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to implement the lighting scheme outlined in Appendix T of the report; and

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services, following consultation with the Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, to undertake or instruct appropriate procedures in accordance with the Council’s procurement regulations to procure the works referred to in the exempt appendices for the roads capital budget programme for the financial year 2022/23 and award contracts relating thereto.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Data and Insights which presented the status of key performance measures relating to City Growth and Resources cluster activities.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the report and provide comments and observations on the performance information contained in the appendix.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which presented the Cluster Risk Registers and Assurance Maps to provide assurance that risks were being managed effectively within each Cluster.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the Cluster Risk Register and Assurance Maps appended to the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

Please Note that an Exempt Appendix is Contained within the Exempt Appendices Section of this Agenda Below

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - City Growth which provided an update on activity undertaken and planned by the Council’s ABZWorks employability team; sought approval to create a procurement framework for commissioning of employability services to 31 March 2026; and to grant awards of funding to public and third sector organisations delivering paid work experience as part of the Long Term Unemployed Scheme.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           note the changing employability landscape with the implementation of the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind (NOLB) strategy;

(b)           note the employability activity undertaken to date;

(c)           note the draft Aberdeen Local Employability Partnership Delivery and Action Plans;

(d)           note that the total employability funding received across all Scottish Government programmes for this financial year was £2.6million;

(e)           instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to develop a procurement framework and dynamic purchasing system for employability services and note that a report for this would go to the Strategic Commissioning Committee;

(f)             approve the issuing of grant awards to third and public sector organisations to reimburse the wages of those participating in paid work experience through the Long Term Unemployed Scheme; and

(g)           delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth, in consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance and Head of Commercial and Procurement, to approve expenditure of grant funding in paragraph 3.14 for the employer recruitment incentive scheme.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to Article 10 of the minute of its meeting of 3 February 2022, the Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning which provided a quarterly update on progress with the delivery of the Bus Partnership Fund (BPF) grant projects.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          note the progress of the delivery of the grant;

(b)          note that the BFP programme had been enabled through Scottish Government funding and that officers would continue to work with partners to deliver the projects in accordance with the grant conditions;

(c)          note that a full update on the City Centre Masterplan, along with recommendations regarding the Union Street Options Appraisal work would be reported to Full Council on 29 June 2022; and

(d)          agree that, given this update report did not require any decisions and that any substantive updates or decisions on projects within the BPF would be taken to the relevant Committee as their own report, this update would be taken as a service update to future City Growth and Resources Committees. This does not prevent any request for a committee report on the progress of BPF to be added to the Committee Planner when required.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning which provided an update on the status of the legacy Bus Lane Enforcement (BLE) programme and sought approval for a new programme of projects to be delivered from 2022/23 using the net surplus from the BLE system.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          note the progress on the projects funded from the BLE programme up to 2021/22, as detailed in Appendix 1;

(b)          approve the proposed expenditure in relation to the Proposed BLE Programme Projects 2022/23, as detailed in Appendix 2;

(c)          agree that the projects identified in Appendix 2 meet the requirements of The Bus Lane Contraventions (Charges, Adjudication and Enforcement) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 in that the sums paid by way of charges under these regulations were being used to facilitate the achievement of policies in the Local Transport Strategy;

(d)          approve the implementation of the Proposed BLE Programme of Projects 2022/23, including the instruction of procurement procedures as appropriate and as funding becomes available, delegate authority to the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to carry out those procurements; and

(e)          agree that from the 2022/23 financial year onwards, any projects not funded by BLE by the end of the financial year would be removed from the provisional programme and be automatically re-scored and re-prioritised alongside new applications for the next financial year.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services which provided the background to John James Rickard Macleod and the proposed memorial statue and recommended a preferred location to site the statue.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          approve the preferred location for the JJR Macleod memorial statue as Duthie Park; and

(b)          note that the full costs of designing, fabricating, and installing the statue would be met by the JJR Macleod Memorial Statue Society, and at no cost to the Council. 

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning which advised of the outcome of the A96 Transport Corridor Study (part of the Bus Partnership Fund programme) and sought approval to further progress the project to more detailed appraisal and an Outline Business Case.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           agree that work to further develop the options outlined in paragraph 3.7 below be progressed to a more detailed appraisal and an Outline Business Case;

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to develop the Outline Business Case in accordance with the Transport Scotland governance decisions on the gateways for the Bus Partnership Fund;

(c)           note that the Bus Partnership Fund programme had been enabled through Scottish Government funding and that officers would continue to work with partners to deliver the projects in accordance with the grant conditions; and

(d)           instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to report back to this Committee with the Outline Business Case and next steps by December 2023.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - City Growth which sought approval for the erection of two commemorative plaques.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          approve the erection of a plaque on the Powis Gateway acknowledging its history; and

(b)          approve the erection of a plaque at 22 Waverley Place commemorating Dr Laura Sandeman (1862-1929), a doctor, social welfare pioneer and politician who lived and worked in Aberdeen from 1903 until her death in 1929.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations. 

In accordance with Article 3 of this minute, the following items were considered with the press and public excluded.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord which advised of unsolicited offers for the Council owned former P&J site (16) located on the Lang Stracht.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           accept the recommendation as detailed in paragraph 3.7 of the report; and

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to conclude missives for the sale of the property incorporating various qualifications as are necessary to protect the Council’s interest, together with any other matters as are required to complete the sale.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.  

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord which advised of an unsolicited offer to purchase the Council owned property at 11/13 Belmont Street, Aberdeen.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           accept the recommendation as detailed in paragraph 3.7 of the report; and

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to conclude missives for the sale of the property incorporating various qualifications as are necessary to protect the Council’s interest, together with any other matters as are required to complete the sale.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.  

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord which advised of an opportunity to surrender the lease of the Bon Accord Indoor Bowling centre to facilitate a lease of the facility to a third party who would become a tenant of the Bon Accord Shopping Centre with the intention to bring the property back into economic use.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          approve the renunciation of the lease of the Bon Accord Indoor Bowling centre; and

(b)          instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to conclude the appropriate legal work incorporating various qualifications as are necessary to protect the Council’s interest, together with any other matters as are required to complete the lease renunciation.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations. 

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord which advised of the outcome of the closing date for the sale of the surplus site at 15 Denmore Road, Aberdeen.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          accept the recommendation as detailed in paragraph 3.7 of the report; and

(b)          instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to conclude missives for the sale of the property incorporating various qualifications as are necessary to protect the Council’s interest, together with any other matters as are required to complete the sale.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations. 

The Committee had before it exempt appendices relating to the External Funding report (Article 11 of this minute refers).

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information contained within the exempt appendices.

The Committee had before it exempt appendices relating to the Roads and Transport Related Budget Programme 2022-2023 report. (Article 12 of this minute refers)

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information contained within the exempt appendices.

The Committee had before it an exempt appendix relating to the ABZ Works Employability Plan report. (Article 15 of this minute refers)

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information contained within the exempt appendix.