Councillors Reconsider Oakfield Road Developer
27/07/2004
At last night's Public Executive meeting councillors considered and approved proposals which bring the Council a step closer to seeing work begin on the prestigious Oakfield Road site.
The reconsideration of the decision taken on 7 June to appoint Sterling James as the preferred contractor came following further investigations carried out on the Council's behalf and also as new financial information had been received from one of the other shortlisted developers, Nikal/McLean.
Council Leader Councillor Susan Fildes confirmed that while it is possible that Sterling St James may still be confirmed as the preferred contractor, this new information must be considered.
"The Council is committed to achieving the best possible outcome for the prestigious 'Station Location' site on Oakfield Road, which is to incorporate a new ice rink. To achieve this it has had to make sure that all relevant facts are carefully considered.
"The original submissions have therefore been reassessed and we have concluded that both Sterling St James and Nickal/McLean have demonstrated they best meet all aspects of the criteria set by the Council. We have had the opportunity to clarify certain elements of both proposed schemes and also explore the new information we had received.
"Clearly it is important that we make our final decision as speedily as possible so that work can begin. However, we recognise that the only way the Council can assess the schemes on a 'like for like' basis to see which best meets the Council's criteria for delivering best consideration is if it has further information from both developers. Both developers now have until mid August to provide specific details for consideration before a further report is submitted to the next Public Executive on 26 September.
"The Council is very keen to see a decision reached at the earliest opportunity so that work can begin to transform this key gateway site," she said.
|