Decision details

In June 2021 the Council submitted a Levelling Up Fund bid for Margate on behalf of EKC Group in order to deliver the Margate Digital Campus. The Council and EKC Group were successfully awarded £6,306,078. 

The Margate Digital Campus is to be hosted within 53-57 High Street Margate, a building which is owned in a Joint Venture agreement between Thanet District Council and Homes England. The approved paper set out the terms in which the lease arrangements are due to be made with EKC Group, in the leasing of 53-57 High Street.

Cabinet agree the following:

1.  To give delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration and the Acting Deputy Chief Executive to seek approval for the Heads of Terms as members of the Joint Venture Board between Thanet District Council and Homes England;

2.  To give delegated authority to the Interim Director of Property, in consultation with the Principal Surveyor and the Economic Development Portfolio Holder to agree Heads of Terms and enter into the relevant negotiations for a lease with EKC Group;

3.  To give delegated authority to the Interim Head of Legal and Monitoring to prepare and complete the lease and all other ancillary documents on the terms to be agreed, and sign all documents necessary to give effect to the lease agreement.

To enable the lease arrangements to be agreed for EKC Group to deliver the Margate Digital Campus, in 53-57 High Street Margate.

The only alternatives is to give the funding back to central government, or for the Council to deliver the Margate Digital campus themselves. The Council is not in the position to deliver an education campus, and therefore the only option is to provide EKC Group with a lease in order that they can deliver the scheme they put forward for the Levelling Up Fund programme, which was awarded the grant funding.