10:16am Thursday 21st August 2008
By Elizabeth Pears
Plans to relocate the civic centre took a step forward after councillors gave the seal of approval.
The controversial proposals were referred to Haringey’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee amid concerns that the decision was outside budget framework, as the £12million project had not been mentioned in budget plans for the next three years.
But after three hours of debate the committee pushed through the decision to sell the current civic centre, in High Road, Wood Green, to pay for the redevelopment of Woodside House, the former Wood Green town hall, in the same road.
As no additional cost will fall on taxpayers, the committee ruled the proposals were within the constitution.
Councillor Robert Gorrie, leader of Haringey Liberal Democrats, who “called-in” the plans, accused the cabinet of making long-term investment decisions “in secret” without a proper consultation.
Councillor Charles Adje, cabinet member for resources, admitted it was unlikely the sale would cover the full cost of the development, meaning the council will have to borrow money from central government - repaid with allocated funds from the revenue budget.
The council has refused to release an estimate of how much the sale will raise because of its “commercially sensitive” nature.
Committee member Councillor David Winskill, who voted for a review of the decision, said: “There are a host of uncertainties in the current plan and it would have made a great deal of sense for the cabinet, particularly in the current uncertain property market, to have taken a pause and asked officers to produce something more robust.
“I think that this will come back to haunt them in the coming years.”
Members of Asian charity I Can Care, based at Woodside House, will be forced to relocate to new premises, and Friends of Woodside Park, who fear the refurbishment will ruin the grounds, were “bitterly disappointed” by the decision.
Raj Doshi, chairman of I Can Care, said: “The meeting was a waste of time. The chief whip obviously does their job well.”
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