Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director - Place

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director – Place in relation to the proposals to provide a sustainable future for, and to optimise the benefits of the Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre including an updated Business Case following a review of operating models in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, Councillor Atkinson thanked the Executive Director – Place for the report and referred to the 3.1m as a welcome investment which would create local jobs and reduce unemployment. 

Decision Made:      That:

(1)              the Full Business Case be agreed and option 2 within the Full Business Case, be approved;

(2)              the Executive Director (Place) be authorised to implement the delivery plan outlined within the Full Business Case in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Regeneration and Skills; the Cabinet Member – Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services; and the Cabinet Member – Health and Wellbeing, be approved;

(3)              in alignment with approval of option 2 (recommendation (1) above), the new operating company be incorporated, with board members nominated and appointed in accordance with the Council’s Constitution; and

(4)              £500,000 working capital be loaned from Sefton Council to the new hospitality company to cover the launch and the first 18 months of operation; after which the loan will be paid back to the Council over the 10 years of the business plan and as the first financial commitment from profits generated; be approved.

Reasons for the Decisions:

To ensure readiness for the completion of the construction project and prompt reopening of the asset, and to ensure that the facility and the operating model deliver economic, social and environmental outcomes to the benefit of the local community and the borough of Sefton.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

This review reassessed options for operation of the facility in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which are summarised in the table below.

The assessment of these options identified the Preferred Option to be Option 2: a Sefton Council wholly owned hospitality company to deliver operational transformation within a fully refurbished hospitality facility.

The summary of the outcome of the assessment is shown in the table below: