Agenda item

The Strategic Lead Housing, Health and Environment presented the report which set out to confirm the delay of the implementation of Phase 3 until a possession window is available in 2021. Although this risks further delay to the project, it gave time to get all funding signed off and other cost savings investigated. The aim then was to have a fully funded project before committing significant funds towards a part completion.

Councillor Susie Bond wished to thank Tom Buxton-Smith for his tenacity in seeing this through to the end as well as Councillor Geoff Jung for his support in this matter.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1.     confirm the decision to postpone the delivery of Phase 3 of the flood alleviation scheme (being the newly proposed October 2020 undertrack crossing) until the whole project including phase 4 is fully funded, on the basis of an emerging cost basis contract subject to the Environment Agency confirming the availability of the additional funding as detailed in the report,

2.     delegate authority to the Strategic Lead (Housing, Health and Environment) in consultation with the Strategic Lead (Governance and Licensing) to negotiate and enter into the emerging costs basis contract with Network Rail and its contractor to deliver Phase 3 once additional funding has been secured,

3.     agree that Phase 4 of the flood alleviation scheme (being the linking up and completing the project) be scheduled for delivery in 2021/22, to allow sufficient time to apply for further Government grants and plan and procure the project for a summer construction. A further report would detail the precise delivery date,

4.     a section of phase 4 could be built this autumn to reduce some flood risk to Feniton; should the plan be viable and not incur significant additional project cost or risk.

REASON:

As it stands, the project budget was only sufficient to complete Phase 3 (under track crossing) but insufficient to complete Phase 4, without further applications for Central Government grant money. The application for the additional funds to realise Phase 4 would not be submitted or approved prior to the last mobilisation date (03 July 2020)  for Network Rail to deliver the Phase 3 under track crossing this year (and thus EDDC be committing to completing phase 4, should it complete phase 3). Indications from the Environment Agency have been positive that more funding should be available to allow Phase 4 to proceed.

Much time and effort had gone into securing the May 2020 under track crossing, however this was postponed due to the unknowns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. It was understood there were no further possession windows planned in 2020, however Network Rail recently identified an October 2020 possession. This possession window would not delay our project and still allow for a 2021 construction of Phase 4. Network Rail had advised they had no further planned possessions in financial year 2020/21 so we would be looking at financial year 2021/22 for the next available date. There was a good chance this would likely lead to a significant delay to Phase 4.

The project would benefit more than 70 properties in Feniton as well as providing relief from the anxiety of the ever present flood risk. It was understood that the project was eligible for further Central Government Grant money, however this was not yet formally signed off. The risk to EDDC was that Phase 3 was built and if Phase 4 was not funded, the project had wasted £770k for an unconnected culvert under the railway and offering no flood risk reduction to Feniton. Or alternately EDDC would therefore need to find another £1.5m to complete the project. The top section of Phase 4, an attenuation pond could be built in advance of Phase 3 to offer a small reduction of flood risk to Feniton, whilst waiting for full funding to be agreed however this comes with various risks.