Construction work

Tender description

The Council wishes to explore the opportunities to undertake a mixed redevelopment with a partner to deliver on its aspirations for a cultural quarter in Andover, potentially to include both the Magistrates Court and The Lights buildings. Any redevelopment should allow for the ongoing provision of the type of facilities currently provided by The Lights Theatre. A plan of the site is available by contacting marketengagement@testvalley.gov.uk The market engagement exercise will seek the views of potential developers through 1-to-1 meetings in Andover and will be used to inform the design of the commercial arrangements, understand what options the market is likely to identify for the site and inform the procurement strategy. Developer days are scheduled for 29 and 31 January and 1, 5 and 6.2.2018, meetings at 09:30-11:30, 12:30-14:30 or 15:00-17:00 can be arranged by contacting marketengagement@testvalley.gov.uk Test Valley Borough Council acquired the Andover Magistrates Court site when the building ceased to be used as a Magistrates Court. The site includes the Magistrates Court building together with a 51 space car park which has latterly been operated as a pay and display car park though it is currently in temporary use as a building site compound. The property is situated in an area that the Council has as aspiration to become a “cultural quarter”. Adjacent to the Magistrates Court building is The Lights theatre, a Council owned and operated facility. Andover College is also in close proximity. A new Leisure Centre to be operated for the Council by Places for People is also under construction in close proximity (being constructed on the site of the old leisure centre that is being demolished) and is due to be completed in 2019. The Magistrates Court, Theatre, Leisure Centre and College all form part of an open campus with public footpaths through the grounds. The campus is located opposite a Lidl supermarket with The Chantry shopping centre, bus station and multi storey car park beyond, just over 100 metres to the south. In addition to the pay and display car park at the Magistrates Court, there are other pay and display surface car parks adjacent to the campus. The campus is readily accessible from Andover’s inner ring road, with part of the site fronting Western Avenue. Andover is one of the main commercial centres of North Hampshire and currently has a population in the region of 47000 which is planned to substantially increase over the coming years. Several large organisations and companies are based in the town including Simply Health, Stannah Lifts, Twinings, Co-Op, Ocado and The British Army’s Land Forces Administrative HQ. Andover benefits from excellent road communications with the A303 Exeter to Basingstoke trunk road passing along the southern edge of the town and linking to the motorway at junction 8 of the M3 at Basingstoke and also via the A34 interchange at Bullington Cross (7 miles east of Andover) to the M4 at Newbury. Approximate distances to nearby towns include Basingstoke 22 miles, Newbury 17 miles, Salisbury 18 miles, Winchester 16 miles, Southampton 29 miles and London 68miles. Andover is also served by a mainline railway station on the London Waterloo to Exeter line. The station is just under half a mile from the Magistrates Court and the proposed “cultural quarter”. The Council wishes to explore the opportunities to undertake a mixed redevelopment with a partner to deliver on its aspirations for a cultural quarter in this area, potentially to include both the Magistrates Court and The Lights buildings. Any redevelopment should allow for the ongoing provision of the type of facilities currently provided by The Lights Theatre. The first phase of work will be to engage the appropriate professional advice to assist the Council in: — understanding what options the market is likely to identify for the site. — how the Council could set about structuring any partnership arrangement. — how best to go about taking the site to market. — the tendering arrangements to bring forward proposals for a scheme on the site.