Decisions

This report recommends the extension of a contract for the supply of workwear, uniforms, footwear, protective gear and equipment for a period of 6 months.

The contract was awarded for a period of 12 months, with the option to extend for up to a further six months. The contract value was capped at £177,000. The current spend is approximately £9,800/month, giving an estimated total spend of £176,600 if the 6-month extension is enacted.

THAT the Director of Housing Approves the extension of the contract for a period of 6 months for the estimated sum of £58,800 (£176,600 in aggregate).

This report sets out a proposed approach to the procurement of contractors to deliver the Repurposing project at Hampden Children’s Centre, NW1 1HQ.  We propose to tender these works to a pre-selected list of suitably experienced tenderers using a single stage selective tendering procedure. The works to be commissioned include alterations to reconfigure the building and a variety of condition improvement works.

The tender list will be drawn up from companies in the market for these works and due diligence checks including health and safety and financial checks and pre-tender enquiries will be carried out prior to finalising the list.

The estimated contract value is £541,000.

The works are to take approximately 12 weeks with sectional completion.  The works are to be procured via a closed tender process using a JCT Intermediate Building Contract with contractor’s design (ICD) 2016, with Camden amendments.

The procurement strategy report will subsequently be presented to the Director of Property Management for approval in line with Contract Standing Orders.  The use of a closed tender process for a below threshold procurement complies with Contract Standing Orders (CSOs).

THAT the Director of Property Management

1. Approves the procurement strategy to tender the Hampden Repurposing Works project for competitive tenders to a closed tender list of 5 contractors, using evaluation criteria of 60% price and 40% quality, for an estimated value of £541,000 over a period of 12 weeks with sectional completion.

2. Agrees the project proceeds to the Contract Award stage.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Idling Action London Project (Media Buying) 2024-26 contract be awarded to Davethedog Communications Ltd for a perod of 20 months for the sum of £120,000.

This report asks the Borough Solicitor to use their delegated powers under to Constitution to authorise the commencement of legal proceedings.

Under the Council’s Constitution, the Borough Solicitor is authorised to ‘Institute, defend or participate in any legal proceedings or impose a financial penalty as an alternative to legal proceedings in any case where such action is necessary to give effect to a decision of the Council or otherwise the Borough Solicitor consider such action to be in the Council’s best interests.’

It is recommended that it is in the Council’s best interests to protect its position by ensuring a claim is lodged within the limitation period.

RESOLVED –

THAT the commencement of legal proceedings be agreed.

On 16th January 2023 Cabinet approved proposals for the voluntary buyback of leasehold properties in three blocks affected by the High Speed 2 Ltd (HS2) works. Cartmel, Coniston and Langdale. Cabinet Report (SC/2023/08).

This report seeks approval of the Executive Director of Supporting Communities to the acquisition of 42 Cartmel Hampstead Road London NW1 3SH as part of the Camden Council and High Speed 2 Ltd (HS2) Project in the Voluntary Rehousing Programme for Coniston, Cartmel & Langdale on the Regents Park Estate.

THAT the Executive Director Supporting Communities, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment, agrees the acquisition of 42 Cartmel Hampstead Road London NW1 3SH as set out on the terms of this report and on the acquisition/surrender price as set out in the part II appendix (Appendix A).

RESOLVED –

THAT, as the Council’s nominated Shareholder Representative for Camden Living, and following consultation with the Executive Director Corporate Services, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Community Investment, Cabinet Member for Better Homes, Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living, and the Head of Legal Services, the name of the company incorporated as Camden Living (Social Offer) Limited be changed to Camden Living Housing Association Limited.

This report seeks approval to award a contract for landscape contractor works for the delivery of phase 1 of the Swiss cottage open space improvement project. Phase 1 is a series of construction works involving soft and hard landscaping, installation of play equipment, Sustainable Urban Drainage features and street furniture.

The Council conducted an advertised, single stage tender with optional negotiation. Approval is sought to award the contract to Frost Landscape Construction Ltd. The length of the contract is approx. 6 months, plus an additional 12months for landscape maintenance and the defects liability period. The estimated contract value is £913,000 and the contract is expected to commence in October 2024, with works commencing on site in January 2025.

This report is being presented to the Director of Recreation for approval in line with Contract Standing Orders. 

THAT the Director of Recreation to whom this report is submitted approves the award of the contract to Frost Landscape Construction Ltd for a period of 6 months (plus 12months for landscape maintenance and the defects liability period) for the estimated sum of £913,000.

This report seeks approval to allocate local Community Infrastructure Levy (‘local CIL’) funds to community projects assessed from 23 September to 1 November 2024 - the projects are listed in the Recommendations section below. The projects have been assessed by officers to ensure they are in line with the CIL regulations and the Council’s assessment criteria for local CIL allocations, as set out in the case officer reports in Appendix 1.

RESOLVED –

THAT Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) be allocated as follows:

(i)            LCIL472A - Juniper Crescent Festival Additional Expenditure - £1,901

(ii)          LCIL557 - Somers Town Community Kitchen - £35,000

(iii)         LCIL558 - King’s Cross Community Champions - £120,000

(iv)       LCIL563 - Bengali Education Centre - £23,760

(v)          LCIL572 - Christ Church Primary School Playground Improvements - £33,083

(vi)         LCIL576 - Lens to the Runway Season 2 Exhibition - £22,100

(vii)        LCIL577 - Camden Square Play Centre - £28,068

(viii)       LCIL579 - Kentish Town River of Hope - £5,000

(ix)       LCIL580 - Holborn Library Improvements / Community Space - £92,000

(x)          LCIL581 - Chalton Street Festive Lights - £6,119

(xi)         LCIL583 - Fortune Green Play Centre - Under 5’s Drop In / Stay and Play - £9,000

This report seeks approval from the Executive Director Supporting Communities of the RIBA ( Royal Institute of British Architects) Stage 4 design package for the Queen’s Crescent Safe and Healthy Streets Scheme and to progress the scheme to RIBA Stage 5 – Construction.

This report follows on from the report of the Director for Environment and Sustainability titled ‘Queen's Crescent Safe and Healthy Streets Scheme: Decision on Proposed Measures’, published on 12^th July 2022, which made the case for the traffic and transport measures in the Queen’s Crescent area but did not include detail of the public realm and material changes. These included the delivery of a Motor Traffic-Free zone, proposals for motor vehicle restrictions and other road safety and parking changes.

This report sets out the design and decision process from RIBA Stage 3, which was approved on 9^th August 2022, to a comprehensive RIBA Stage 4 pack to be submitted to the term contractor to commence construction. It holds a record of key decisions and milestones, indicative of the collaboration approach with Camden officers, local residents, and Greater London Authority (GLA).

The report follows a consideration of relevant policies and the public and statutory consultations on the proposals. The proposals meet the objectives of We Make Camden by helping create clean, vibrant, and sustainable places and making it easier for people to travel by active modes of transport, which would help to encourage residents to cycle more instead of driving motor vehicles. This would in turn contribute to improving air quality and lowering carbon emissions in the borough. The proposals also meet the objectives of We Make Camden by improving biodiversity, reducing the impacts of flooding, and responding to the impacts of climate change.

RESOLVED –

THAT, having considered the proposals in relation to the objectives set out in the Camden Transport Strategy and having had due regard to the needs set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and subject to compliance with relevant statutory requirements and detailed design:

  (i)          The detailed design for Queens Crescent proposals be approved in line with Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Clear Air Action Plan;

  (ii)        The implementation of the proposals and delivery through the appointed term contractor be approved; and

    (iii)     Authority be delegated to the Chief Engineer to take further decisions required for this scheme during the delivery stage.

This report seeks approval from the Director of Environment and Sustainability, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden, to make permanent the trial Healthy School Streets (HSS) scheme for St Christopher’s School on Belsize Lane, and Maria Montessori School and Devonshire House Upper School on Lyndhurst Gardens. The trial scheme was implemented under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) which came into force on 25th May 2023 for up to 18 months, as part of Phase 5 of the Council’s Healthy School Streets programme and a decision is sought before the ETO expires on 24 November 2024.

In addition, and in response to feedback received during the trial period, this report seeks approval to bring forward additional permanent measures, subject to Traffic Management Order (TMO) consultation. These include installing a zebra crossing on Lyndhurst Road and keep clear zig zag markings on Belsize Lane to improve road safety for children and amending the times of the HSS restrictions for both schools to better align with school drop off and pick up times and ensure optimal benefits of the restrictions when most children are arriving or leaving the school building. 

This decision report sets out the reasons it is proposed to make the trial scheme permanent and the options available to the decision maker. This report also includes a review of the public engagement responses and feedback received during the trial period, objections to the ETO and monitoring conducted during the trial period which have informed officers’ recommendations.

This report follows the ‘Camden Transport Strategy (CTS): Review of Progress since 2019 and Proposed Three Year Programme 2022/23 to 2024/25 (SC/2022/34) report. The latter includes a delivery plan for achieving goals set by Camden Transport Strategy which in turn seeks to deliver the outcomes set in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to provide Healthy Streets – streets where more people walk, cycle and use public transport.

The proposals in this report align with our key strategies and plans, including We Make Camden, the CTS, the Climate Action Plan and Clean Air Action Plan.

THAT, having considered the stakeholder feedback provided and monitoring carried out during the trial period, set out in the Monitoring Factsheet (Appendix C), the Trial Feedback Report (Appendix B) and the results of the Equality Impact Assessment (Appendix D), and having due regard to the needs set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Director of Environment and Sustainability, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden, approves:

1. Making permanent the current, trial timed healthy school street restrictions in place on Belsize Lane between the junctions of Wedderburn Road and Ornan Road, and on Lyndhurst Gardens between the junctions of Lyndhurst Road and Wedderburn Road.

2. Progressing additional elements proposed in response to engagement during the trial period, through further statutory TMO consultation. These measures include a zebra crossing on Lyndhurst Road, installing keep clear zig zags in front of St Christopher’s school on Belsize Lane, and amending the times of the HSS restrictions.

3. Delegates to the Chief Engineer the authority to take any further decisions required for these schemes, including consideration of any objections to Traffic Management Orders (where required), detailed design and implementation and in compliance with statutory requirements.

This report sets out the decision on the removal of a tree subject to section 115 of Environment Act 2021, which requires the Council to consult the public on the removal of a healthy street tree.

The report seeks approval for removing the Hawthorn tree outside of 164 Maygrove Road which has been implicated in causing subsidence. There were 4 comments in favour of and 3 against removing the tree during the 28-day consultation. Failure to remove the tree will result in litigation against the council.

THAT the Director of Recreation approves the removal of the street tree.

This report sets out the decision on the removal of a tree subject to section 115 of Environment Act 2021, which requires the Council to consult the public on the removal of a healthy street tree.

The report seeks approval for removing the Amelanchier tree outside of 23 Belsize Square. No comments in favour of or against the removal were received during the 28 day consultation.

THAT the Director of Recreation approves the removal of the street tree.

RESOLVED –

THAT the public be excluded from the Council meeting due to commence at 7.00pm on 18^th November 2024 for the reasons set out in this report.