More decisions were taken by Hertsmere’s Executive on Wednesday 21 March to secure the future of Bushey Country Club.
Hertsmere Leisure Trust, which manages their leisure contract, is ending its arrangement to operate the council-owned Bushey Country Club from 1 April having agreed with them that the financial losses associated with the site were no longer sustainable.
At the meeting, their Executive considered a report which detailed how various options for the site could be explored and how views from Hertsmere residents and stakeholders could be formally gathered. Their Executive also reviewed the measures that are being put in place in the interim to ensure that the site remains secure and that the community centre can continue to function.
Among the measures agreed were:
That their Asset Management team should commission professional services to carry out market testing to assess the best possible redevelopment opportunities for the site.
That once those options have been developed, they will use an established opinion research company to gauge views from a representative sample of the population of Bushey (and Hertsmere more widely) to help the council reach decisions on the future of the site.
That a cross-party working panel should be established to explore options for the redevelopment of the site and to review the findings of community consultations on the available options. This would include representatives from Bushey Forum, council officers and senior councillors.
That budget provision of £194,000 would be made for on-going expenditure in 2018-19. This encompasses keeping the community centre open, grounds maintenance and occupation of the Country Club by property guardians as an additional security measure and to mitigate security costs.
Further information about the future plans for Bushey Country Club will be added to their website www.hertsmere.gov.uk/busheycountryclub
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The full report can be viewed on the Executive’s agenda – see item 6.3 http://www5.hertsmere.gov.uk/democracy/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=102&Year=0