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Agenda item

Members Questions

Members of the Board will be able to ask questions of the Officers and Applicant.

Minutes:

Board Members then had the opportunity to ask questions, these included:

 

·       Could you clarify the funding source for the proposals and whether any of the applications to funding bodies mentioned had yet been submitted?

Answer:Yes we have spoken to 5 of the 10 big funding providers which were set up to support groups like ours, they have confirmed that our project is something that they would like to fund, they gave £3.3m to a similar project in Lambeth last week. We had one funder that was committed to supporting us. If the council let us lease the property that would unlock the funding.

 

·       Grosvenor House was vacated in 2017 as it was considered unsafe structurally, due to its poor state. Have you seen a condition survey or structural survey? Nothing in the papers suggest that it is viable to be brought back to life.

Answer: We had inspected the garden from the building and had sent a drone in to the building. It seemed the roof was in fine condition and generally not in as bad a condition as was previously thought.

 

·       So, there was no actual report or survey from a structural engineer?

Answer:No we had completed a pre-app, but there were issues in gaining access due to covid, so that was one of the first things we would be doing if supported by you.

 

·       It would be essential to get a professional survey if the CAT went ahead.

 

·       You have 6 Executives and 7 Managing Directors, given that this is about youth services, I don’t see that represented under the headings.

Answer: The structure was designed around a PHD design. 34 hr week of working in those business areas with 6hrs aside for mentoring in the youth centre. They will be within the property, in the basement we were looking to have a music studio, and the youth area. We were trying to provide the safe space and the people to mentor them. Details could be found towards the end of part 2 of the Business Plan.

 

·       In a personal capacity, your vision and the documents provided were admirable. We had to weigh up the CAT bid alongside the option of a private purchase.

 

·       Could you set out what experience you have in securing funding and what attracted you to this specific property and were alternatives considered?

 

Answer: I personally have £1.2m in investment and research in my day

Job. The two major projects I have managed over the last 2 years had cost £2m between them. My colleague Mark had been managing the largest air heat source pump in Europe with a £0.5m turnover for his employer a year. We have people with the experience to see this through. If you don’t support us we won’t be able to find out.

 

Yes other properties were considered, but this was the former youth centre and we had huge support through our petition for this site. It would also tie in well with the Salisbury Future High Street fund projects around the train station and the Fisherton street developments. This could only add value to Salisbury.

 

We also had a desire to extend the river walk which would lead through the garden to the train station. Almost a tourist draw, if we put a public walk through a market garden that would be the only one in the country.

 

There was one youth facility near the Gala Bingo which was not successful, it did not have enough space. If we don’t provide for the young people of Salisbury, they will leave.

 

·       We did need to do more for young people in Salisbury and tying it in to do more for hospitality, but you referred to the catchment area as including Amesbury, Tidworth & Ludgershall, however, they don’t have transport links and were quite far away from Salisbury, how did you see that working? Had you spoken to Salisbury Reds to see if they could serve that area?

 

Answer: We have picked that area because Salisbury is a geographical hub and the youth use buses, all of the routes end up in Salisbury. It would be in the Reds interest to provide another bus stop on Churchfields. But no, I have not spoken to them. It would not be practically difficult for them to walk from the Market square if Salisbury Reds did not invest in another bus stop or change the route.

 

·       Was R3 CIC already in existence?

Answer: It was registered but had not yet set up a bank account.