Questions - Round One

The questions below were sent to Cllr. Whitehead (Council leader) today

1. Now that the Council has agreed to a full consultation with regard to the proposals for Riverside, please provide details of the format of the process:
   
   • What meetings are planned and what say will interested parties have at the meeting(s)?
   
   
   • What material will be made available to the public prior to any meeting(s)?
   
   
   • What notice will be provided to the public of the schedule of meetings and how will this notice be provided?


2. With regard to the basis for the Councils assessment criteria for the level of service that Riverside makes to the overall leisure provision in the borough:
   
   • Please can you provide the detailed results of the Council’s RS14 assessment activity, along with those of the other projections for population growth that the Council are using as the basis for the projected leisure provision of which the Riverside complex provides a substantial part.
   
   
   • Have these projections been compared with similar regional projections for services such as health (e.g. APHO population projection).
   
   
   • Given that these assessments covers a time spans to at least 2021:
     
     • What is the expected lifespan of the proposed development?
     
     
     • What element of forward projection outside the bounds of the population assessments have been designed into the proposals for Riverside, for the element of the expected lifespan that falls beyond 2021 or the projection time spans?


3. Based on the fact that a substantial part of this development comprises housing provision:
   
   • What type of tenure is planned for the housing element of the development?
   
   
   • What other tenure combinations have been considered, and why were they rejected?
   
   
   • In light of the current decline in the housing market, who carries the element of risk if the properties remain vacant?


4. The Council has made public the fact that they have allocated in excess of £600,000 (£250,000 reclaimable on progression of the project) to funding a variety of consultants:
   
   • Has any of this funding been allocated to sports development consultancy, if so, to whom and what approximate percentage?


5. Once the complex development has been completed: Who will manage the facility?
   • If managed by an external provider, which providers are being considered and how long will they manage the facility for?
   
   
   • What will happen at the end of their tenure?
   
   
   • What provision is planned for ‘included’ maintenance for the complex, how long will this provision last, and what exclusions are likely to be made?


6. In this time of increased environmental awareness:
   
   • What will the eco-credentials of the proposed development be?
   
   
   • How will it compare to the recent facility created in Leeds, which is recognized as one of the most eco-friendly leisure developments in the country?
   
   
   • How well does the proposed development meet the environmental policies to which the Council is already committed?

If any of the above have not yet been decided, when will the decision be made?

As soon as a reply is received, the answers will be posted here verbatim.