9

COMMITTEE: EXECUTIVE REF NO: E/15/15

DATE: 14 JULY 2015

SUBJECT: RANSOMES SPORTS GROUND –

UPDATE INCLUDING

APPOINTMENT OF MAIN

CONTRACTOR FOR THE PAVILION

PORTFOLIO HOLDER: COUNCILLOR BRYONY RUDKIN

HEAD OF SERVICE: GORDON MOLE

Short description of report content and the decision requested:

Ipswich Borough Council assumed responsibility for the Ransomes Sports and Social Club on 1 November 2013. Following an assessment that the main sports pavilion, incorporating changing facilities, was unsafe, the buildings were condemned and subsequently demolished in December 2014. Temporary buildings have been supplied for the various clubs to use as changing facilities. The Council has been granted planning permission to build a replacement sports pavilion on the site using a mix of its own capital funds, together with funding from the Football Foundation. This report requests authorisation for the Head of Culture and Environment Services to appoint the preferred Main Contractor and to approve the release of appropriate funding in response to the recent tendering procedure.

Ward(s) affected:

Rushmere

List of Appendices included in this report:

(a) Appendix 3 – Football Foundation and Suffolk Football Association

Letters of Confirmation

(b) Appendix 4 - Letters from Commonwealth War Graves Commission

and Ransomes Jacobson regarding the covenant over the Memorial

(entrance) Gates

(c) Appendix 5 – Site drawing showing Plots A and B of land that could be

redeveloped

The following appendices are to be considered in Part 2 of the Agenda as it is likely that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure of exempt information. List of Exempt Appendices included in this report:

(a) Appendix 1 – Tender Report, as produced by Marstan BDB LLP, dated

April 2015

(b) Appendix 2 – Supplier list

This report has been prepared by Mark Hunter, Tel: 01473 432808,

Email: mark.hunter@ipswich.gov.uk

This report was prepared after consultation with:

Internal consultees

Building and Design Service

Legal Services

Finance

Planning Services

Head of Culture and Environment

Deputy Leader of the Council (Portfolio Holder)

Leader of the Council

External consultees

Football Foundation

England and Wales Cricket Board

Suffolk Football Association

The following policies form a context to this report:

(all relevant policies must also be referred to in the body of the report)

Building a Better Ipswich

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(papers relied on to write the report but which are not published and do not contain exempt information)

1. None

OTHER HELPFUL PAPERS

(papers which the report author considers might be helpful – this might include published material)

1. Exempt Executive report E/11/83: Ransomes Sports and Social

Club options

______________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction

1.1 This report seeks Executive approval to:

� authorise the Head of Culture and Environment, in consultation

with the Council’s Section 151 Officer and Legal Services Operations Manager, to: (a) approve the release of relevant funds to complete the works; and, (b) appoint the preferred Principal/Main Contractor for the works.

� Seek expressions of interest for sports (and related uses) for the parts of the site that are not currently in sporting use.

1.2 The report also asks Executive to note the on-going revenue expenditure associated with the site as set out in 9.11.

1.3 The design for the replacement building has been procured in line with

Contract Standing Orders and the Council has sought all necessary consents for the proposed replacement building. Tenders for the building were returned on 27th February 2015. The Planning Committee approved an application for the new building at its meeting on 18th February 2015.

1.4 The Council has been in dialogue with the Football Foundation and the

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to secure external funding for the project. At its 10th March 2015 meeting Executive approved acceptance of the external grant funding contribution towards the project costs from the Football Foundation.

1.5 The Football Foundation has indicated that they will provide a grant of

£99,000 having now received a copy of the Planning Consent.

1.6 An application is due to be made to the England and Wales Cricket Board for grant funding (between £15,000 and £35,000) in partnership with the Suffolk Cricket Board and St. Margaret’s cricket club - being a member of the ECB and a bid requirement.

1.7 Discussions have taken place with both St Margaret’s Cricket Club and Ransomes Football Club about potential capital (£15,000 combined) and revenue contributions to the site.

2. Background

2.1 Ipswich Borough Council bought the Ransomes Sports Ground located

in Sidegate Avenue (off Sidegate Lane) in 1994 from Ransomes Plc in order to prevent the sale and subsequent development of this green field site for non-sporting purposes. It was occupied under a licence agreement by Ransomes Sports and Social Club.

2.2 The Council assumed responsibility for the site in November 2013.

2.3 The main building was condemned due to its dangerous condition and was subsequently demolished in December 2014. This was funded by the 2014/15 capital programme.

2.4 The Council has purchased temporary modular changing facilities to enable football and cricket club users to continue to play on site and the Centenary room has remained as a temporary social area. These were part funded by the 2014/15 capital programme.

2.5 A notional sum of £500,000 was allocated in the capital programme towards the project. A subsequent report to the 10 March 2015 Executive indicated that this sum was unlikely to be sufficient to fund the entire project. Some temporary works were undertaken early in 2014 to provide the necessary changing facilities and re-route some of the existing services to serve these buildings.

2.6 The new sports pavilion would meet the long-term needs for the delivery of football and cricket on site and the potential for other sports at a later date.

2.7 Following an open procurement process, Samskara Architects have been engaged by the Council to co-ordinate and lead on the delivery of the project. Outline planning permission has now been approved as determined by the Planning Committee, with the approval of the planning application for the new building being agreed at the Planning Committee meeting held on 18th February 2015.

2.8 The sports pavilion will include the provision of four changing rooms which meet the guidelines set down by both the football and cricket national governing bodies along with umpire / referee facilities. This will enable two matches to take place at the same time on the site, and includes provision for juniors, senior teams and those with mobility and access requirements. The sports pavilion will also provide a social area that could be used for small exercise classes, together with kitchen and refreshment facilities.

2.9 Subject to agreement of this report, the delivery/construction period for the new facility will commence on site in mid-August 2015 with a completion date yet to be confirmed (this will be agreed at a pre-contract meeting).

2.10 To support the designation of Ransomes Sports Ground as a sports

facility, an application to be designated as a Centenary Field under the Fields in Trust programme has also been developed as agreed at March Executive. This designation recognises the centenary of World War One.

2.11 The Centenary Fields scheme is a national initiative developed by Fields in Trust and the Royal British Legion to designate sites as

playing fields in perpetuity. Following a site visit from Fields in Trust (F-i-T) in June 2014, F-i-T has subsequently indicated that the link with Ransomes through both the nature of their wartime business, and the memorial gates which mark the entrance to the site, creates a connection to World War One which would support designation.

3. Relevant Policies

3.1 The recommendations of this report support Building a Better Ipswich

through: - A Stronger Ipswich Economy – We will make every effort to bring

new investment and jobs to Ipswich. The Council replacing a building that is was not fit for purpose and providing a new sports pavilion is investing in long term sports provision in Ipswich. Both the design and build tender were advertised to local businesses.

- A Safer and Healthier Ipswich – We will support the people of Ipswich to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Ransomes is a sports facility that provides football pitches and a cricket pitch. The clubs have memberships that will be developed further and increased with improved facilities and as part of the grant conditions. Links to local schools to develop activity will be made by both of the main clubs at Ransomes.

- A More enjoyable Ipswich – We will provide more activities for young people. We will promote use of sports facilities to encourage healthier lifestyles. Provision of sport at Ransomes Sports Ground will be developed with the improved changing facilities and sports pavilion.

4. Options Considered / Under Consideration

4.1 Option 1

Approval and award of a contract to the preferred supplier (Supplier A) covering Main Contractor/Principal Contractor duties to build the new pavilion building. Advantages

• The most economically advantageous proposal is accepted, based on the criteria as identified to tenderers.

• An excellent design (as initially produced by Samskara, with design elements being further developed by the contractor) will be delivered as a replacement to the previously condemned and demolished sports pavilion, providing excellent facilities to support the principle football and cricket sports activities provided at the Grounds.

• Approval will enable the Council to provide an attractive facility and secure the long term future of sport provision at Ransomes Sports Ground, which meets with the requirements of the Football Foundation and ECB.

• The facility meets football and cricket development needs.

• Additional revenue will be achievable through the new facility being designed to enable flexible use.

Disadvantages

• The Council will be required to adhere to grant funding organisations’ terms and conditions, forming part of the overall funding for this project.

• Significant capital requirement from the Council to fund the project

4.2 Option 2

To not award a contract to the preferred supplier (Supplier A) or any other Supplier tendering for the project for Main Contractor/Principal Contractor duties to build the new pavilion building. Advantages

• This option could enable a saving of capital funding to the Council.

• This option would mean that the Council is not tied to any funding organisations terms and conditions for the site.

Disadvantages

• This option would mean that the Council had no permanent sports facility building at Ransomes Sports Ground to support the principal (football and cricket) or other sporting activities.

• This would result in the Council not meeting long term development needs for the sports clubs based at the Ransomes Sports Ground.

• The clubs based at Ransomes would have less need to work with their governing bodies to develop and increase membership.

• Clubs operating from the site would not be supported in meeting national governing body standards for facilities, restricting their ability to continue to use the site if, for example, they were promoted to a higher league.

• The two main clubs that are based at Ransomes Sports Ground, Ransomes Football Club and St Margaret’s Cricket Club would find it difficult to increase or maintain membership with poor social and changing facilities which could lead to a decline in sport played at the site.

• This option could potentially lead to the clubs leaving Ransomes Sports Ground or ceasing to operate altogether.

• If the Sports clubs were to reduce in size or cease to operate this would leave the area under-utilized and loss of organised

sporting and health and wellbeing opportunities for adults and children in Ipswich.

4.3 Option 3

In addition to the above, the Council could also decide to use this opportunity to seek expressions of interest to use the currently unused parts of the site for sports use. These are shown as Plot A and Plot B on the plan attached at Appendix Five. Any such process should make it clear that the Council would not be investing financially to develop or support, in any on-going financial manner, any proposals that may come forward. This would hopefully ensure the whole of the site is used for sporting purposes. Any credible expressions of interest received will be reported to a future Executive meeting.

4.4 Whilst there is no guarantee that any such process would lead to

credible uses being suggested, it would at least test the market for further sports developments. Senior officers would liaise with Sports England and Suffolk Sport within this process.

Preferred option(s)

4.5 Option 1 will enable the Council to develop a high quality pavilion building which incorporates changing facilities that could be further developed (when needed) to meet the long term development needs for the site. It also creates governing-body compliant spaces for club and community group use and supports the development of sport at the Ransomes Sports Ground site.

4.6 A value engineering exercise was undertaken in order to see if it would

be practical to reduce the overall project costs. However, various aspects of value engineering had already been incorporated within the design of the previous similar project as delivered by Samskara Architects in Great Shelford, Cambridge. Options for further value engineering were therefore limited. The elements considered in the value engineering exercise did however include the following:

a) Alternative (standard) brick facings to infill on external leaf of the building. Anticipated saving on original design/tenders would be £18,000.

b) Omission of the Communal Space. Anticipated saving on the original design/tenders would be £56,000.

The anticipated savings total £74,000. The alternative (standard) brick facings to infill on the external leaf would affect the aesthetics on looking at the building. The omission of the Communal Space would significantly impact the operability/use of the facility, particularly in respect of making the facility available for general community use. On the basis of the aforementioned, it is proposed that both value engineering measures should not be progressed or incorporated.

4.7 Exploring Option 3 would demonstrate the Council’s commitment to

sport in the area and to the long term sustainability of Ransomes Sports Ground

5. Consultations

5.1 Consultations have taken place with both the Football Foundation (FF)

and ECB as to the possibility of receiving grant funding towards the replacement costs of the pavilion and changing rooms at Ransomes Sports Ground.

5.2 Both these organisations have been consulted on the building design, specifically the layout of the changing rooms, to ensure the future development needs of football and cricket clubs based at Ransomes Sports Ground are included within the design. Plans meet with the Football Foundation, Suffolk FA and the ECB (National Governing Bodies) building guidelines.

5.3 The application for the Football Foundation Facilities Grant Scheme Fund was submitted prior to the closing date of the last tranche of funding in August 2014. The Football Foundation accepted the Council’s application without planning permission to meet the funding tranche closing dates and have indicated that as the grant was under £100,000 the application could be considered via delegated authority once planning permission was granted, to fit in with the Council’s building schedule.

5.4 The Football Foundation has indicated its support for the scheme for a replacement pavilion and changing rooms and they indicated that they would agree to a grant of £99,000 towards the provision of a new facility at Ransomes Sports Ground. This has now been confirmed on the basis of Executive agreeing in March 2014 to authorise the Head of Community and Cultural Services (now Head of Culture and Environment Services) to accept the funding.

5.5 The ECB has indicated that the Council could apply for funding towards the replacement changing facilities at Ransomes Sports Ground alongside Suffolk Cricket Board and the St. Margaret’s Cricket Club. The application for the grant would need to be completed by the cricket club based at Ransomes, St Margaret’s Cricket Club. It is likely that this bid will be for £34,000.

5.6 The ECB would determine whether the grant can be made directly to the Council or through the club. If the ECB decide that the grant should be made directly to the club it will be necessary to enter into a separate “back to back” legal agreement with them as to the use of the grant and compliance with the ECB’s terms and conditions. The St Margaret’s Cricket Club, Suffolk Cricket Board and the ECB have already been consulted on the project.

5.7 The two main sports clubs that are based at Ransomes Sports Ground, St. Margarets Cricket and Ransomes Football Club have been consulted on a regular basis on the design of the new pavilion, which both clubs support, and both clubs are looking to raise funding totalling £15k towards the new building and are working with Officers to develop increased usage of the facilities and to increase revenue.

6. Risk Management

Risk Description

Consequence of risk

Risk Controls Probability of risk occurring taking account of controls (scale 1-6) 1 – almost impossible 6 – very high

Impact of risk, if it occurred taking account of actions (scale 1 – negligible; 4 –catastrophic)

Actions to mitigate risk

Contract is not authorised by Executive

The work is not carried out to the required timescales

Award the contract

3 3 N/A

Full funding is not approved by Executive

The project will not proceed or would need to be significantly redesigned

Works being in excess of the current budget would need to be scaled back (or further value engineered)

6 3 N/A

Build cost overrun

Additional funds needed

Contract management

3 3 Ongoing monitoring and control of build costs, including value engineering if needed

H & S incident

Adequate H&S is compromised

Contract management

3 4 Initial review and sign off of Risk Assessments and Method Statements

Failure of contractor or suppliers

Delay in delivery of the project or insolvency of contractor. Main Contractor has to source

Financial and technical checks have shown the proposed main contractor is financially stable and technically competent. The

3 3 Ongoing monitoring of the contractor’s progress compared to the agreed programme

alternative supplies/an alternative supply chain

contractor has robust supply chain vetting and procurement processes

7. Environmental Impact Assessment

7.1 The specification for the design and build was to construct a low

energy new sports pavilion building. The previous building was a poor energy efficient building nearing the end of its economic lifespan.

7.2 The new pavilion building will contribute to the Council’s goals of carbon reduction through having photovoltaic (PV) arrays on the roof, an air source heat pump and a Building Management System (BMS) to help control the energy use, making a more efficient building with low carbon credentials.

7.3 Part of the client requirements and focus is to create a SBEM A-plus rating for the building.

7.4 An ecological Phase 1 scoping report, bat survey report and ground survey report have been commissioned and undertaken as part of the project to inform designers and contractors on the environmental impact of the proposed scheme

8. Equalities and Diversity Implications

8.1 The Football Foundation works closely with the clubs that are based at

the Ransomes Sports Centre to diversify the engagement with football within the community. Any successful funding application will be subject to both the clubs and the local authority meeting the terms and conditions of the Football Foundation and the English Cricket Board. Both organisations expect clubs to have an equalities/diversity policy.

8.2 The new facility will be fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination

Act.

9. Financial Considerations

9.1 Ipswich Borough Council has a current provision of £500,000 in the

capital programme phased over 2014/15 and 2015/16 for the demolition of the existing Ransomes Sports pavilion and changing rooms, the provision of temporary changing rooms and the rebuild of a new facility.

9.2 If Option 1 is pursued the total project budget (including the demolition costs and professional fees, but excluding the PV cost) is currently authorised to a value of £500,000.

9.3 The capital cost of providing the temporary changing rooms was

£35,700. This initial capital cost enabled the various sports facilities to continue in the absence of the previous building being condemned, demolished and cleared away.

9.4 Additional funding for the PV is available to the sum of the anticipated PV cost of £30,000. Electronic security installation (access control) measures that are now not required for the project amount to £6,200.

9.5 A tender report prepared by the Council’s externally appointed quantity surveyor- Marstan BDB LLP (sub-consultant to the lead designer, Samskara Architects) compiled a tender and recommendation report based on the tenders that were submitted. The tender report is included in exempt Appendix One.

9.6 The estimated capital cost of the total project including the provision of

the temporary changing rooms, the demolition costs of the previous pavilion building, the new build pavilion cost and all associated professional fees (excluding the PV and electronic security costs) is £1,126,000.00.

9.7 Based on the funding being made available by Football Foundation and

England and Wales Cricket Board and the Clubs £15,000 (£99,000 FF and £34,000 ECB respectively) totalling £148,000, a total IBC contribution of £878,000 is needed.

9.8 On the basis that £500,000 already being authorised and contingency funding of £99,000 was used in 2014/15, a further £279,000 is now requested for approval, based on the following cost breakdown:

Construction costs

Cost of temporary changing room works

(incl. modifications to services):

35,700

Cost of demolition: 73,000

Demolition-related professional fees & surveys:

12,700

New build: 844,000

Car Park and Drive: 100,000

New build-related professional fees & planning:

96,800

Deduction of funding for Photovoltaics: -30,000

Deduction of electronic security installations:

-6,200

Total: £1,126,000

Funding

Football Foundation (external funding): 99,000

England and Wales Cricket Board (external funding):

34,000

Allocation of 2014/15 contingency: 99,000

Driveway (existing budget): 100,000

Contributions from Football and Cricket Clubs:

15,000

Budget already authorised: 500,000

Total

Further IBC funds requested for Executive approval:

£279,000

9.9 The additional funds required could be allocated from the 2015/16 additional commitments contingency of £600,000 in the capital programme, financing for which is already included in the Medium Term Financial Plan. 9.10 Bids received were higher than originally estimated (see exempt

Appendix Two). It was considered that a keen, competitive tender would have been closer to £650-£700k (using recent experiences of Council tenders). Bids received were less competitive than the original anticipated estimate. The most competitive bid as received from Supplier A amounted to £844k. Officers believe that the main reason for this is the increasingly buoyant construction market, with BCIS Tender Price Index (TPI) presently indicating a 6.5% increase per annum on tenders, (based on data from Quarter 3 of 2014/15).

9.11 There are existing revenue budgets for the current operation of the

Ransomes Sports Ground. The 2015/16 revenue budget for income is £11,430 with expenditure of £58,440 leaving a net cost of £47,010.

9.12 The revenue budget includes the maintenance and cleaning of the

temporary changing facilities, grounds maintenance, employee costs, utilities and business rates.

9.13 With the proposed new pavilion the business rates and some

operational costs will increase accordingly. This will in part be offset by estimated additional income generated of approximately £12,000 from hirers and an increased activity programme utilising the social/function area.

9.14 The key additional costs will be the increased business rates, utilities

and other minor operating expenses. The estimated additional costs and income are outlined in the table overleaf:

2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

£’000 £’000 £’000

Business Rates 12 12 12

Utilities 5 5 5

Minor Operating Expenses

5 5 5

Total Additional Expenditure

22 22 22

Pitch / Room hire Income -12 -14 -16

Total Additional Income -12 -14 -16

Additional Net Cost 10 8 6

Cost per band B taxpayer 0.35 0.28 0.21

9.15 It should be noted that some recent large tenders have been returned

significantly under budget representing large savings to the Council, examples include the Bader Close development (under budget by approx. £3.2m) and the vehicle repair contract (under budget by approx. £0.5m).

10. Legal Considerations

10.1 Confirmation letters as provided by Football Foundation and Suffolk

Football Association in respect of the necessary external funding are included in Appendix Three.

10.2 Confirmation letters as provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Ransomes Jacobson regarding the covenant over the Memorial (entrance) Gates are included in Appendix Four.

10.3 Section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 permits a local authority to provide such recreational facilities as it thinks fit. This expressly includes powers to provide buildings, equipment, supplies and assistance of any kind and to make them available for use by such persons as the authority thinks fit either without charge or on payment of such charges as the authority sees fit.

10.4 The Council has power to apply for grant funding under section 111

Local Government Act 1972 (which permits it to do anything calculated to facilitate, or conducive or incidental to, the discharge of any of its functions) and under the general power of competence in section 1 Localism Act 2011.

10.5 The grants will be subject to terms and conditions stipulated by the funders that are intended to ensure that the purpose of the grant funding is achieved. These include, typically, a right for the funder to claw back all or part of the grant if the conditions are not complied with.

Legal Services will consider and advise on the grant conditions before the grants are accepted.

10.6 As the application to the England and Wales Cricket Board has to be

submitted in partnership with a cricket club, and any grant may be awarded to the cricket club rather than the Council, if this application is successful it may be necessary to enter into a separate “back to back” legal agreement with them as to the use of the grant and compliance with the ECB’s terms and conditions.

10.7 The dedication of Ransomes Sports Ground as a Centenary Field would require the council to enter into a deed of dedication with the National Playing Fields Association, which is a royal charter organisation established for charitable purposes and operating as “Fields in Trust” (F-i-T). F-i-T’s standard deed of dedication would provide for the council to dedicate the site in perpetuity as a public playing field and to undertake not to permit it to be used for any other purpose, not to dispose of it without the consent of F-i-T, not to erect any building or structure on the site without the consent of F-i-T, to have regard to any advice given by F-i-T on the management and running of the property, and to erect signs on the property provided by F-i-T relating to the background of F-i-T and its protection of the field. F-i-T would only be required to consent to a disposal of the site if the disposal was at nil consideration and to a non-profit making organisation that would enter into a new deed of dedication on the same terms, or if a replacement site of at least the same quality and accessibility was made available and similarly dedicated. These restrictions would be protected by registration against the council’s title to the property.

11. Performance Monitoring

11.1 Funding from the Football Foundation will need to be formally accepted

by IBC prior to building work being commissioned and commencing.

11.2 The grant offers will need to be accepted by the Head of Service within a month of the offer being made.

11.3 The application for funding from the ECB is now being submitted as the

facility grant funding tranche opened in April 2015.

11.4 The building work is due to commence on site in mid August and be completed on a date that will be agreed at a pre-contract meeting.

12. Conclusions

12.1 The Council has already set aside significant capital funds towards the

replacement pavilion and changing rooms. With additional grant funding from the Football Foundation and the ECB plus the additional IBC funding as identified in this report, an opportunity exists for the

Council to provide a facility that will serve the community for at least the next 25 years. It is also an opportunity to allow the existing sports clubs to develop and increase their memberships and wider participation in sport.

12.2 It is further assessed that the additional funding towards the capital

development of the project will ensure that the long-term sporting needs of the Council are fully addressed at the new Ransomes Sports Ground.

12.3 It is also considered an appropriate moment to seek relevant

expressions of interest to use other parts of the site for sporting uses.

13. Recommendations

It is recommended that:

13.1 Executive approves Option 1 and authorises the Head of Culture and Environment Services, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Operations Manager for Legal Services, to appoint Supplier A (as identified in exempt Appendix 2) as the Principal and Main Contractor to build the new sports pavilion and changing rooms at the Ransomes Sports Ground.

Reason: To enable the proposed new facilities to be provided.

13.2 Executive amends the capital programme, utilising part of the 2015/16 capital contingency, to ensure that the development is fully funded in accordance with the details set out in section 9 of the report. Reason: To ensure that sufficient capital funding is made available for the construction of the proposed new sports pavilion building.

13.3 That the Head of Culture and Environment Services be authorised to seek expressions of interest from relevant organisations for sporting uses/developments to take place on Plots A and B, as illustrated in Appendix 5 of the report.

Reason: To start the process to ensure that the rest of the site is brought into credible sports uses.

13.4 That Executive notes the Council’s on-going revenue budget commitment to Ransomes Sports Ground.

Reason: To make clear the related revenue commitments of the Borough Council to the site so that they may be included in the MTFP for 2016/17.

APPENDIX THREE – Football Foundation and Suffolk Football Association Letters of Confirmation Tim Snook Operations Manager for Sport and Leisure Culture and Communities Services Ipswich Borough Council Grafton House 15-17 Russell Road Ipswich IP1 2DE 11 February 2015 Dear Mr Snook I can confirm that an application from Ipswich Borough Council regarding the proposed new pavilion at Ransomes Sports Ground in Ipswich is currently being considered by the Football Foundation. A decision has yet to be made due to the fact that the scheme does not currently have Planning Permission. Once planning has been approved a report will be produced for funding and considered via Delegated Authority. Foundation officers have been involved in the pre-application process and are comfortable with your proposal. It is also noted the scheme has the support of the FA. However, at this point we are unable to confirm the likelihood of a grant award. If you have any questions, please contact me at chris.barry@footballfoundation.org.uk or on 0845 345 4555 Ext: 4253. Yours sincerely, Chris Barry Technical Project Manager

APPENDIX FOUR – Letters from Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Ransomes Jacobson regarding the covenant over the Memorial (entrance) Gates