Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

No declarations were made.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question.  Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public present wishing to use the public speaking facility.

To consider the sale of land at St Anne’s Lane, Nantwich.

1.    That approval be given for the Council to enter into an agreement to sell the land indicated edged red on the plan attached to the report to the preferred purchaser on terms to be agreed by the Executive Director, Place in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the Chief Operating Officer.

2.    It be noted that if officers conclude that any land within the property is deemed to be open space, they will advertise the intention to dispose of that land and any objections received will be presented to the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration for him to consider.

The Cabinet Member considered a report on the proposal to sell land in St Anne’s Lane, Nantwich.

The site consisted of the former Nantwich town gasworks site, which had ceased operations during the 1980s and had been acquired by Crewe and Nantwich Town Council.  The site extended to around 0.7 hectares and was bounded to the west by a new residential development, to the north by the Welsh Row Conservation Area and to the south and east by the River Weaver.  It was currently vacant, with the northern half being used as an informal, unsurfaced, free car park, and the southern half being overgrown scrubland.

In 2013 the Council had instructed the Engine of the North to prepare the site for disposal.  Colliers International were engaged to market the property and secure a purchaser.  Following an initial round of bids there was a call for final and best offers.  Five offers were received with one bid being subsequently withdrawn.

There proposals were for residential or nursing home use and two of these included a restaurant.  The other was for a mixed use scheme comprising a hotel, restaurants, retail units and residential apartments.

After a process of assessing each of the bids it was proposed that the site be disposed of to facilitate the mixed use scheme.

RESLOVED:

1        That approval be given for the Council to enter into an agreement to sell the land, indicated edged red on the plan attached to the report, to the preferred purchaser on terms to be agreed by the Executive Director, Place in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the Chief Operating Officer.

2.       It be noted that if officers conclude that any land within the property is deemed to be open space, they will advertise the intention to dispose of that land and any objections received will be presented to the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration for him to consider.