Cabinet, on 8 February 2023 (‘Implementing the Covered Market Masterplan’) resolved to:

2. Delegate authority to the Executive Director (Development) in consultation with the Council’s Section 151 Officer, the Head of Law and Governance, and the Cabinet Members for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships, Finance and Asset Management, and Planning and Housing Delivery to undertake the necessary procurements, and all associated professional services, for the regeneration of the Covered Market within the agreed budget.

To appoint Ridge & Partners for the provision of Principal Designer (as defined within the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 and the Building Regulations (secondary legislation made under the Building Act 1984 and the Building Safety Act 2022)) to provide support to the Council in relation to the Oxford Covered Market masterplan, including essential works.

The decision follows a closed tender process.

The agreed contract sum is for RIBA Stages 2-7 inclusive at a total cost of £52,602 excluding VAT and including an allowance for contract extension to reflect the complexity of the works.

The contract is staged, with progress to subsequent RIBA stages consequent on Board approval.

The costs of the contract are included within the Council approved budget of £6.87m for the delivery of the Covered market masterplan.

The masterplan was a response to the risk of the Market entering a period of managed decline and declining rental if it were not maintained and if it could not respond to shifting priorities of both its visitors and current and future traders.

The appointment of a Principal Designer is a statutory requirement as part of the consultant team to enable development of the masterplan from feasibility to detail design and delivery to protect the Market’s future.

The contract will ensure Council regulatory compliance for the development of the approved masterplan, from outline design to delivery, in order to enable the regeneration of the Covered Market.

This is a statutory requirement; however, the option to appoint two separate consultants for the separate Principal Designer (Construction Design and Management) and Principal Designer (Building Safety Act) was considered. This was rejected due to concern that potential conflicting advice could delay or place additional responsibility on the Council.

Decision taken by Tom Bridgman, Executive Director (Development) in consultation with Nigel Kennedy, Head of Finance; Emma Jackman, Head of Law and Governance; Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and an Inclusive Economy; Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) – Finance and Asset Management; and Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning.