Bracknell Forest Council

Record of Decision

 

Work Programme Reference

 

I098852

 

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1.

TITLE:

Time Square Creating a new Collaboration/Community Hub

 

 

2.

SERVICE AREA:

Place, Planning & Regeneration

 

 

3.

PURPOSE OF DECISION

 

 

To agree the capital budget and spend

 

 

4

IS KEY DECISION

Yes

 

 

5.

DECISION MADE BY:

Executive Member for Transformation & Finance

 

 

6.

DECISION:

 

 

That Council agrees a supplementary capital approval of £604k to fund the costs for Option 1 (Phase 1) of the Time Square project in the 2021/2022 capital programme.

 

 

7.

REASON FOR DECISION

 

 

The way in which the Council has operated during the pandemic has provided the opportunity for staff to carry out many of their duties remotely and work more closely with partners, enabling flexible and collaborative working.  Many staff will continue working remotely for a larger proportion of time.  Accepting that when staff use Time Square this does not have to be in a traditional desk-based way.  This has provided the opportunity to re-purpose the building, providing more collaborative space for Council staff and partners, whilst also making parts of the building available for community use.

 

In order to establish the Collaboration and Community space a capital allocation is sought to undertake works to the building to create;

 

·              a new collaboration space on the Ground floor with a Café space;

·              a new Ceremony Room (for weddings, citizenship ceremony’s etc)

·              a re-imagined reception and customer meeting area;

·              a new child conferencing room on the ground floor;

·              the First floor available for partners and future rental space; and

·              a new Board Room on the Fourth floor, enabling the use of the existing board room on the ground floor for community bookings.

 

All spaces furnished with new furniture suitable for collaborative working and informal meeting areas and spaces.

 

 

8.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

 

 

The Council could do nothing with staff and councillors returning to a pre-pandemic working pattern and decide not to create a Community Hub at Time Square and not to invite partners into the building. 

 

 

9.

DOCUMENT CONSIDERED:

Report of the Executive Director: Place, Planning & Regeneration

 

10.

DECLARED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:

None.

 

Date Decision Made

Final Day of Call-in Period

 

1 June 2021

8 June 2021

 

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