The cost of a local authority’s ambition to bolster the future sustainability of a county town’s high street looks set to soar by more than £700,000 to cover the cost of a “considerable” amount of unforeseen work.
Hambleton District Council’s cabinet will consider extending the £3.8m Northallerton Town Square and High Street Improvements Scheme by about 20 per cent to enable the completion of the initiative, part funded by the government’s Future High Streets programme.
The move follows the cabinet approving an undisclosed amount of additional funding for the scheme last July due a requirement to make undisclosed changes to the design.
The scheme includes the creation of a new town square in front of the town hall to provide a larger events space, new street furniture, trees and moveable planters, new paving, with the aim of attracting more visitors to Northallerton.
An officer’s report to the cabinet states that since the scheme’s second phase, which runs from the Town Hall to Zetland Street, started last July 2021 revisions to the original design and services located under the paving had resulted in “significant changes to the works required”.
Alongside an increased construction depth, the report states unforeseen issues have been encountered by the contracted constructors on site in relation to the underground services, specifically Northern Power Grid.
Additional design work, a linked need for increased testing along the
pavement, parking bays and shop fronts, a change to the sub-base and its
composition and the method of construction will result in additional costs and paying a £517,000 “compensation event” to the contractors.
The meeting will be told the extra works will result in delays to the original timetable and an extension of time to complete the construction works by eight weeks, resulting in “a further compensation event for the additional work of £187,521”.
The total additional cost required to complete the scheme is £704,805.
In October, a council spokesman said unforeseen work on the project included the removal of former underground toilets and the replacement of Victorian drainage.
He said: “Although disappointing, delays such as this are not uncommon with this kind of development, where there is a need to dig below the surface in a heavily serviced town centre environment. The most important thing is that all the necessary work is done now to avoid any further disruption at a later date, and to ensure the quality, sustainability and robustness of the finished product.
“We are confident the end result will be worth the wait with a reinvigorated High Street for both local residents and visitors to enjoy for many years to come.”
The report underlines the importance to which the authority has attached to the scheme, stating it had been identified as a key project in the council’s four-year masterplan to 2023.
It states: “The Northallerton Town Square and High Street Improvements Scheme supports the council’s priority of driving economic vitality; specifically supporting the development of Northallerton as a vibrant market town and the future sustainability of the High Street through a diversified offer.
“The scheme is also included in the council’s Economic Response and Recovery Plan and links the High Street to the new Treadmills development via the recently improved Zetland Street.”
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