Station plans - are they stalled? Posted:03/03/2010 11:16:59
Station Area Plans - have they stalled? Last month we outlined how the developers for the Station area had used some fancy footwork to change the planning conditions and phasing of the massive redevelopment of the station area. They are proposing that the first phase of the new plan will be the 1000 place student housing for Anglia Ruskin University. We now have two more pieces of information which may indicate that the scheme is stalled:
At the Council meeting last Thursday it was confirmed that the planning permission for the CB1 scheme has still not been granted. We have been asking questions about the extensions of time limits set by the Council for the Developer to sign the planning agreements. It seems there may have been an oversight at the Council as officials have failed to extend the time limits in a contiguous way.
In response to a Freedom of Information request (see below) we have been told by Anglia Ruskin University that, in response to their tender invitation for the supply of student housing, they received a total of 13 bids. They have confirmed that, as of today, no contract has been signed and matters may not be decided until the end of June. To our surprise, this means that the new station area developers Brookgate have faced much competition for this project. Could this mean that they have not obtained the exclusive right to build the privately owned and operated housing for ARU on which their proposed first phase depends.
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Further to your recent FOI request, please find our responses attached below:
1. How many applications did the University receive? Answer 13
2. What were the names of the companies / organisations who tendered or expressed an interest?
A. Under section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act we do not have to provide information which would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). As the contract has not yet been awarded we do not feel that it is appropriate to release this information at this time.
3. Has the contract been awarded and to whom?
A. No, the contract has not yet been awarded.
4. If the contract has not been awarded what is the decision likely to be taken?
A. The decision is likely to be taken by 30 June 2010. However, the tenderers have been informed that the date is indicative only and the University reserves the right to amend at any stage. The University may also decide to follow a different timetable with each participant. Kind regards
