The Leader introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)    The National Lottery Heritage Fund had awarded £11.6 million for the National Marine Park;

b)    Scaffolding would be erected before bathing season at Tinside Lido for the refurbishment of the first floor and terrace and a building on the poolside would be transformed into a place specifically for young people;

c)    Mount Batten Peninsula would be transformed with the installation of a new pontoon with accessibly changing rooms;

d)    This project would also deliver improved access to the 17^th Century tower;

e)    There were plans to open up the Mount Edgcumbe Garden Battery in, with work planned to start in early 2025;

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) added:

f)     A five-year programme which would help the entire city get ‘in, under and around’ the National Marine Park was about to begin;

g)    Activities in the next 12 months included: meeting the Marine Park (National Marine Aquarium would travel across the city to bring the wonders of the park to other spaces), National Marine Park Swim space, Archaeological digs, rock-pooling, and coastal cleans;

h)    The Nature Boost programme would involve helping species within Plymouth Sound thrive over the next five years;

Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) also added:

i)     The Learning and Discovery programme would take the National Marine Park into classrooms, and would help children to visit the park and discover inaccessible parts through technology;

j)     The National Marine Park team would host four paid internship roles each year;

k)    A city-wide volunteer recruitment drive would start in early spring which would offer the public the opportunity to support the National Marine Park.

Cabinet agreed to:     

1.    To accept and thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) for it’s grant offer to support the delivery of the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park;

2.    To approve the Capital Investment Business Case;

3.    Approve the addition of £10,658,600 to the Capital Programme, to be funded line with the NHLF bid submission by:
a) National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant £6,158,600;
b) Corporate Borrowing £2,000,000 as previously agreed;
c) Fundraising £2,000,000 to be underwritten by Corporate Borrowing;
d) Partner Contribution £500,000;

4.    To grant delegated authority to:
a) Head of Strategic Programmes (as the appointed Programme Manager), to make all operational decisions regarding the delivery of the NLHF approved project, in consultation with the Programme Director;
b) Head of Environmental Planning (as the appointed Programme Director) to make all other relevant decisions for the Council as the body accountable to the NLHF, in consultation with the Leader (or in his absence, Deputy Leader) and the Service Director (Economic Development) as the Senior Responsible Offer for the Project,
and for the avoidance of doubt, in the absence of such names officers, the relevant decisions may be made by the Service Director (Economic Development), the Strategic Director (Place) or by any other officers to whom those powers have been sub-delegated.