To consider the following item:-

The following item was considered:-

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) seeking approval to the installation of a sprinkler system for the flats contained in the High View Development.

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) seeking approval to the installation of a sprinkler system for the flats contained in the High View Development, subject to consideration of an additional capital budget to fund the installation at the Council meeting to be held immediately after this Special Cabinet meeting.

The Council was currently working with Lovell to deliver a £45M regeneration programme in High View, South Hatfield.

The development aimed to deliver an attractive local centre and subject to planning approval was set to deliver around 150 new homes, new commercial units and a new local health centre.

As the Council was the owner of High View and would be the owner of the new flats constructed, Lovell had asked whether the Council would wish to provide additional fire protection to the flats by way of a sprinkler system.

Although Lovell would build the flats to meet all required building control requirements and fire safety regulations, the installation of sprinklers was not currently a mandatory requirement for this project.

Nonetheless, as freeholder of the flats and particularly in the light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy the Council needed to give due consideration to the issue of public safety.

As it would be complex and expensive to retrofit a sprinkler system at a later stage it was felt that the appropriate course of action was for the Council to incur an additional capital budget of £207,000 to allow a sprinkler system to be installed as part of the initial design and construction phase.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the Cabinet approves the installation of a sprinkler system for the flats contained in the High View development for the reasons outlined in the report and subject to consideration by the Council of the required budgetary provision.

(2)       That the Cabinet recommends to the Council that an additional capital budget of £207,000 be added to the High View development programme to enable the installation of a sprinkler system.