Duncan Brown, Planning Officer, presented the report which concerned a grant request of £227,000 to the London Small Business Centre to deliver refurbishments at 206 Whitechapel Road to enable Whitechapel High Street Fund Workspace Programme (WHSFWP) to deliver new and improved facilities for jobs, new start-up businesses, support for small and medium enterprises and enable apprenticeship opportunities in accordance with agreed targets contained in an agreement between the GLA and Tower Hamlets Council.

The Chair invited Councillor John Pierce, Co-opted Members and Commissioners to comment on the proposal and the following responses were given:

Councillor John Pierce indicated that GSSC supported the proposals. Mayor Biggs indicated that he supported the proposals.  Commissioner Max Caller indicated he supported the proposals and noted that no dates had been indicated around the timed lease agreements.  He suggested that a date clause relating to the signature of the lease agreement should be included in the conditions of the grant (recommendation one).  The details of the arrangements were discussed after which it was agreed that at a time period of six weeks from grant approval would be stipulated as part of the conditions (5th July 2016).  Councillor Saunders and other Commissioners indicated that they had no comments that they wish to make.

RESOLVED

1.       That a grant allocation of £227,000 to the London Small Business Centre (party one) to undertake shop-front upgrades and internal refurbishment works at the Royal Mail Group (party two) owned unit at 206 Whitechapel Road (site 2) to deliver and occupy approximately 280 m² (3010 ft.²) of vacant space to deliver publicly accessible workspace provision to serve the local resident community, subject to a signed lease agreement of no less than three years between party one and party two be completed by 5 July 2016, be approved

2.       That Commissioners receive notification of final detail of the grant agreement relating to 206 Whitechapel Road (site 2) at a future Commissioners’ Decision Making Meeting in public and

3.       That the Corporate Director of Development and Renewal and the Corporate Director of Resources be authorise to approve the details of the agreement prior to the disbursement of funds to the London Small Business Centre