Agenda and draft minutes

To note the names of apologies given and deputy members who are attending the meeting in place of appointed members.

Apologies for the meeting were noted as above.

To receive any disclosure of interests from Councillors or Officers in matters to be discussed.

Note: Councillors are reminded of their obligations to declare disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs), other registerable interests (ORIs) and non-registerable interests (NRIs) in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct.

If you require advice, please contact the appropriate Democratic Services Officer, prior to the meeting.

No declarations were made

No announcements were made.

That the minutes of the meeting be signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 13 November 2025 be approved and adopted.

Councillor Bolton was appointed Vice-Chairperson of the committee for this meeting.

To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on matters which fall within the remit of the Committee.

Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the committee, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance.  Please complete this form (https://forms.office.com/r/Y87tufaV6G ) by 5pm on Tuesday, 13 January 2026 or call (01962) 848 264 to register to speak and for further details.

Councillor Stephen Godfrey and Ian Tait addressed the committee regarding item 6, Central Winchester Regeneration Scheme Update. A summary of their contributions were captured within the agenda item below.

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that scrutiny committee comment on the proposals within the attached cabinet report, ref CAB3536 which is to be considered by cabinet at its meeting on the 21 January 2026.

NOTE

This report contains an exempt appendix (Appendix A), if members wish to discuss any part of this exempt appendix, then the procedure under agenda item 6a (below) applies.

Councillor Martin Tod, Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration introduced the report, ref CAB3536 which set out proposals for the Central Winchester Regeneration Scheme Update, (available here). The introduction included the following points.

1. The report detailed a change to the consortium partner, specifically that GKRL intended to withdraw and PFP Igloo, by replacing GKRL with another company in the PfP group, had agreed to assume 100% of the consortium responsibilities.
2. It was emphasised that while the consortium makeup was changing, the architects, urban designers, project managers, and the overall vision for the scheme remained unchanged.
3. The change in partnership structure was permitted under the existing development agreement with the Council’s consent which should not be unreasonably withheld.
4. The project remained focused on moving towards a planning application later in the year, with a target to start on site in 2027.

Councillor Stephen Godfrey addressed the committee. He expressed disappointment regarding the progress of major projects and questioned the viability of the scheme given the withdrawal of one of the consortium partners. He raised concerns regarding the risks associated with changing the partnership structure, specifically regarding the replacement of skills, potential delays to the planning application, and financial implications. He also noted that the exempt paper provided limited detail on the way forward and asked the committee to ensure sufficient safeguards were in place.

Ian Tait addressed the committee. He requested clarification on the financial benefits of the proposals and the timeline for receiving them, drawing a comparison to the income generated by the Brooks Centre. He noted that the council website had not been updated regarding the changes to the consortium and felt that the public were not being fully informed about the status of the development partner.

The committee was recommended to comment on the proposals within the attached cabinet report, ref CAB3536 which was to be considered by cabinet at its meeting on 21 January 2026. The committee proceeded to ask questions and debate the report. In summary, the following matters were raised.

1. A question was asked regarding the skills and capacity of the remaining partner, and whether the council was satisfied that this change would not increase risk. Following this question, further clarification was sought on how any risks had shifted or been mitigated.
2. A question was raised regarding paragraph 11.2, asking if the withdrawal of one partner could be viewed as a positive move and a de-risking of the project.
3. Clarification was requested as to whether the parent company of Igloo had considered taking on the share of the project themselves.
4. A question was asked to identify what specific contributions GKRL brought to the consortium and whether the revised arrangements would fill those gaps.
5. Clarification was sought regarding an explanation for GKRL's withdrawal.
6. A question was asked whether there were likely to be any delays to the project as a result of the changes.
7. Information was requested on whether there were lessons to be learned to strengthen the consortium going forward.
8. A question was raised regarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The latest version of the committee work programme can be found here: https://democracy.winchester.gov.uk/mgPlansHome.aspx?bcr=1

RESOLVED:

That the latest version of the work programme (which can be found here https://democracy.winchester.gov.uk/mgPlansHome.aspx?bcr=1 ) be noted.

February 2026 to April 2026

RESOLVED

That the Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period February 2026 to April 2026 be noted.