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Decision details

Proposed Scheme at the Portman Children Centre

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Regeneration, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills, Cabinet Member for Children's Services

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Re-modelling, refurbishing and renewing the heating system at the Children Centre. 

Decision:

That the Cabinet Member for Family Services and Public Health, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Regeneration and the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills agreed approval to spend of up to £2.951m for the re-modelling of the building and the renewal of the existing heating system at the Portman Children Centre, 12 Salisbury Street, London, NW8 8DE.

 

Reasons for Decision

 

1)              The key reasons and rationale for supporting this decision were as follows:

 

(1)    Take the opportunity to remodel and alter the building by creating a fit for purpose family hub achieving the council’s objective;

(2)    The existing building was in need of Health and Safety Works to ensure the staircase serving the building is compliant from a Building Control and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) perspective

(3)     The current heating system including boilers and distribution pipework was at the end of its lifespan and required complete renewal.

 

2)        The Portman Children Centre was one of three sites identified to become a family hub.  Now that the building had been vacated by the service end users an opportunity had risen to undertake the heating renewal and remodelling work in one single phase and whilst the building was unoccupied.  This would enable the work to be undertaken in the most efficient timescale.

 

3)        The proposed project would create a larger more welcoming reception area, a new two-storey extension to the rear of the Children Centre creating an outside/inside space.  The two-storey extension would essentially increase the area of the nursery on the ground floor and provide additional office accommodation and space for general community use on the first floor.

 

4)        The proposed works would also comprise re-configuring and re-modelling the internal layout of the building creating a better use of space for the community culminating in a new Family Hub.  The work would also include installing a new DDA compliant lift, which would extend to the roof terrace enabling service users with a physical disability to maximise their access to utilising the space.

 

5)        As stated in item 1) the proposed work will include replacing the existing heating system with a far more enhanced system which would produce cost savings on heating bills creating a far more energy efficient building contributing to one of the City for all objectives in creating a greener city.

 

6)        By undertaking the work included in item’s 1), 3) and 4) would mean that the new Family Hub would increase the standard of services that it offered, provide more effective care for families which would create a new Family Hub Service capable of supporting the community in a far more efficient way.

Publication date: 19/12/2019

Date of decision: 19/12/2019

Effective from: 31/12/2019

Accompanying Documents: