Agenda item

With reference to article 30 of the minute of the previous meeting of this Committee of 6 December, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided members with an update on activities in relation to properties which had been declared surplus to the Council’s requirements or were currently vacant awaiting a decision on future use.

The report recommended:

that the Committee –

(a)       notes the position in relation to all the vacant and surplus assets, as identified in appendices A, B and C of this report;

(b)       notes that following circulation of the Pittodrie Community Centre to internal services and external partners, the Social Care and Wellbeing Service had noted an interest in the property and this was being taken forward in accordance with the surplus property procedure; further to this, title investigations had identified that the land on which the property had been constructed lay on the Housing Revenue Account and, as such, a request was being made to the next Housing and Environment Committee to declare the site surplus to the Housing Revenue Account for either sale on the open market or transfer to the General Services Account;

(c)        agrees that the Hillylands Centre remains under consideration by the Education, Culture and Sport Service; and notes (i) that the future of this property will be reported next cycle; and (ii) that a request for the property has also been received from the Social Care and Wellbeing Service in the event that the property is declared surplus by the Education, Culture and Sport Service;

(d)       notes that missives have not been concluded for the former Dominies Hostel, Dominies Road, following initial investigations indicating suspect ground conditions, with potentially significant remediation costs, and that it is recommended that negotiations continue with the preferred developer to identify if any viable development could be advanced on the site whilst further investigations are undertaken, with a report to be submitted to  a future meeting of this Committee;

(e)       notes that a closing date was set for properties at 19/25 Inverurie Road with the successful bid of £93,000 being approved within levels of delegated powers;

(f)         approves the transfer of the former St Machar School to the Housing Revenue Account for a revised figure of £420,000;

(g)       notes that Council officers had withdrawn from negotiations with the preferred bidder for the proposed development site at North Denmore Road and therefore authorises the Head of Asset Management and Operations to instruct and submit a planning application in principle for the site, for a mixed use neighbourhood centre, prior to a further marketing exercise being undertaken;

(h)        notes that an area of ground, within the amenity land to the south of the Kingswells Park and Ride facilities, would be sold under delegated powers to Scottish and Southern Electricity;

(i)         notes that missives would shortly be concluded for the former Mile End School and had been concluded for 105 Urquhart Road, suspensive on planning and satisfactory site investigations;

(j)         notes that the marketing campaign for St Nicholas House would be formally launched in March 2012;

(k)        notes that the marketing campaign for Pinewood/ Hazledene sites (held on the Common Good Account) would be formally launched in March, 2012;

(l)         notes that the Proposed Aberdeen Local Development Plan was approved by the Council on 25 January, 2012 formally adopted on 29February, and, in particular, that a number of significant Council owned sites were zoned for future development;

(m)      authorises the Head of Asset Management and Operations and the Head of Legal and Democratic Service to enter into detailed discussions with the other ownership interests at the ‘Devil’s Den’ site, Woodside, with a view to entering into a development agreement/ LLP structure with the other landowners, with the detail and conclusion of these discussions being presented to the next Committee for consideration;

(n)        notes the concluded sales for the following properties since the previous meeting of 6 December, 2011:

·        Cornhill Primary School Lodge (General Services Account - £156K)

·        Grove Lodge, Mugiemoss (General Services Account - £112K)

·        20A Loirston Road, Cove (General Services Account - £191K)

·        1 Seaview Road, Bridge Of Don (General Services Account - £218K)

·        30 Springfield Avenue (General Services Account - £315k)

·        74 Urquhart Road (General Services Account - £45K);

(o)       notes the concluded leases of properties held on the tenanted non residential portfolio since the previous meeting of 6 December, 2011:

·        2 Great Northern Road, Aberdeen

·        471 Holburn Street, Aberdeen

·        89 Skene Square, Aberdeen

·        475 Holburn Street, Aberdeen

·        398 George Street, Aberdeen

·        Units 7 and 8 Woodlands Road, Dyce

·        Car Park  Space 1 Bon Accord Lane

·        Unit 21 Kirkhill Place, Dyce

·        Units 10 and 11 Kirkhill Place, Dyce

·        Storage Unit 3, Granitehill Enterprise Centre

·        32/34 Marchburn Drive

·        Unit 1, Granitehill Enterprise Centre

·        Office 14 Aberdeen Business Centre

·        Rosehill Avenue

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved:

that the report’s recommendations be approved.

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Graham, moved as an amendment:

that recommendations (a) – (e) and (g) – (o) be approved; and that a decision of recommendation (f) be deferred until the revised valuation had been reported back to the Housing and Environment Committee for its agreement, and a further report on the matter presented to this Committee thereafter.

On a division, there voted: for the motion (11) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Corall, Cormack, Farquharson, Fletcher, Kiddie, Malone, McCaig, Wendy Stuart and West; for the amendment (3) – Councillors Crockett, Graham and Laing; declined to vote (1) – Councillor John Stewart.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the successful motion.