Meeting Minutes:

Cllr Baker proposed Cllr Todd as Committee Chairman, seconded by Cllr Gemmell Smith. There being no other nominations, it was unanimously,

Resolved: Cllr Todd be elected Committee Chairman for the ensuing year.

In light of the fact that there were two committee vacancies still to be filled at the time of the meeting, Members,

Resolved: to elect a Vice Chairman at the April meeting.

Apologies were received, noted and accepted from Cllr's Read, Sumner and McGregor.

None.

None.

Members were reminded that the new committee was formed to oversee the buildings monitoring, maintenance and compliance, and consider all matters, administration, maintenance and use of the Town Council’s owned properties; Doggetts Barn, Rickards Hall, Church House, Pavilion (Recreation Ground), Tractor Shed (Recreation Ground), The Depot, Market Yard Public Toilets and Mess Room, Mowshurst Barn, Mowshurst Garage and Forge Croft Mess Room.

A copy of the Terms of Reference as adopted by Council at its October meeting was received and Members were asked to note its remit and delegated authority.

Resolved: the committee terms of reference were received and noted by Members.

There were no questions.

Members noted the following buildings work updates for 2025;

Church House:

• Following recommendations in a damp report in 2024, and a subsequent report earlier this year to Council, work had been carried out on the exterior of Church House to address the damp issue.

Works included:

• Removal of cementitious rendered plinth from the facade, taking it back to the original brickworks.
• Where bricks had been damaged throughout the removal of the rendered plinth, defective bricks were carefully cut back to a sound core and repaired using specialist repair mortar, back to original line and detail.
• Using a sand and cement mortar with a waterproof additive, a low-level plinth has been formed, finished 200mm high, styled to resemble brickwork to match the original colour as closely as reasonably possible.
• Defective pointing had been raked out to a depth of 18mm, joints flushed out to remove dust and debris and repointed using a lime-based mortar.
• Two coats of a high-quality permeable water-repellent treatment had be applied to the front elevation brickwork.

Rickards Hall:

A full redecoration took place in Rickards Hall, kitchen, toilets and reception area in August, including removal and replastering of damp effected areas of the walls, removal and replacement of damp effected sections of wood panelling and replacement of rotten shelving in the cupboards.

Alongside the above works, sections of flooring had been replaced due to rotten joists that were causing dips in the floor level.

Next phase was to obtain quotes for the flooring to be sanded and revarnished - part of 2026 programme of works.

Pavilion:

Council had received reports and made recommendations for the buildings new heating and hot water boilers, as well as investigations to remove the water tanks (legionella risks) to be solely mains water fed. These projects to be overseen by committee. A full tender had been carried out for the full replacement of the current heating and hot water system. This work was scheduled in 2026 (refer to agenda item 9).

Other works at the Pavilion:

Redecoration of the gutters and downpipes was carried out earlier in the year, changing from red to green to match the shutters.

The Rugby Club also reported issues with one of the shutters, faulty wiring prevented it from working correctly. This had been resolved.

At the November Open Spaces meeting, Committee supported a CIL (Edenbridge Town Council) bid for the improvement to the disabled access at the Pavilion, which was approved by the CIL Board on 1 December. The approach to the building lacked sufficient width and turning space for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. This made it difficult for users to manoeuvre safely and independently when arriving at or leaving the pavilion. This work would be carried out in the new year and an update would be provided at the April meeting.

Doggetts Barn, Mowshurst Barn, Depot, Tractor Shed and Public Toilets:

No major works undertaken other than routine maintenance. Members had no questions.

Members noted the 10 and 30 Year maintenance plan:

No works outstanding for 2025/26. However, funding had been allocated to create reserves for:

• Church House - £6,000 allocation of funds for lime mortar and interior renovation heating replacement, this was cross funding to be moved in to earmarked reserves for 2026-27.

Members further noted the 1 and 10 Year maintenance plan:

• Doggetts Barn - Treatment of external wood cladding to be reviewed next year. 
• Rickards Hall – Cost for preparation, sanding and re-staining/varnishing of the floor was to be investigated in the new year. 
• Church House – External re-decoration to timber windows and doors to be reviewed in 2026. 
• Pavilion, Depot, Tractor Shed, Toilets, Mowshurst Barn, Mowshurst Garage and Allotment Shed – Nothing to report other than routine maintenance. 

The maintenance plans for 2026/27 would be presented to committee at the April 2026 meeting to review.

Members had no questions.

Members noted the Building Managers report, including:

Legionella Management: Quotations were being obtained for the remedial works identified during the legionella inspections. Once received, a contractor would be appointed to undertake the required works early in the new year. New policies for written scheme and management were adopted by Council in October. Instruction had also been given to have the water tanks at the Pavilion drained and cleaned as it would be a while before being able to proceed with potential transition to mains water only.

Fire Safety Compliance: Fire Risk Assessments for all Council buildings were reviewed and had the necessary remedial actions to support compliance had begun. Where feasible, these works were being completed in-house to reduce costs and improve turnaround times. The works were ongoing.

Emergency Lighting: During emergency lighting tests, two units in Rickards Hall were identified as non-compliant. These had now been replaced, and the system was functioning correctly.

Fire Alarm Testing: Weekly fire alarm tests continued to be carried out at Doggetts Barn and Rickards Hall. Minor issues identified during inspections had been addressed and resolved in-house.

Buildings six-monthly and annual visual checks would be taking place in the new year.

Members noted that following a legionella assessment earlier this year it was identified that the water tanks at the Pavilion were badly stagnated and required cleaning and disinfecting. At the Full Council meeting in July, it was resolved to approve the expenditure of £1,439 plus VAT for the cleaning and disinfecting of the water tanks. This had been booked in and was expected to take place early in the new year.

Members had no questions.

At the May full Council meeting, Members resolved to appoint Intrinsic to oversee the preparation of the heating and boilers replacement specification at the Pavilion, manage the tender process, report on outcomes, and oversee delivery of the project. All tenders had been received and analysed, and Intrinsic had made their recommendation. The competitive sum threshold was rationalised to that of £110,000.00 to £150,000.00.

Town Clerk, Buildings Manager, Open Spaces & Buildings Officer, and Cllrs Baker, Stockdale and Todd, met with the Intrinsic (the independent engineer overseeing the project) to discuss the 19 tender submissions. Following this, a short list of six was analysed further.

Having analysed the tenders, and sought clarification on some aspects of the tenders, Intrinsic had narrowed its recommendation between two contractors:

• Contractor A - £123,305.89 plus vat
• Contractor B - £128,265.00 plus vat

These were the two most competitive tenders. Contractor A had allowed for reasonable costs against each tender discipline including specialist’s elements. Intrinsic were confident that they had understood both the requirements of the specification, Edenbridge Town Council and The Pavilion. Members unanimously,

Resolved: to confirm to proceed with Intrinsic's recommendation of Contractor A (MPM Projects) to carry out the heating and hot water system replacement project at a cost of £123,305.89 plus VAT funded by SDC and ETC CIL award.

Following a Legionella inspection and independent evaluation it had become apparent that the cold water storage tanks located in the roof space were inadequate, with ill-fitting galvanized steel lids, some of which had holes and were generally in a poor state. Three of the five tanks did not comply with HSE ACOP L8 (Health and Safety Executive's Approved Code of Practice for the control of Legionella bacteria in water systems). It had been recommended that the best course of action would be the provision of new underground mains water supply to serve all fittings and water heaters, making the water tanks redundant. The existing five cold water storage tanks would be removed. An area of the ceiling would need to be removed and reinstated following the removal works.

Due to the specialist nature of the work and the need to go out to public tender under the procurement procedures it had been determined that it would be best to engage an independent engineer company to oversee the specification, design, and carryout the comparison of tenders, as per the heating and hot water project. Intrinsic carried out the initial technical appraisal report. They had provided a quote to undertake a performance specification, procurement through competitive tender and project management for the replacement of the cold-water storage and supply, at a cost of £9,150.00 plus VAT. It had been confirmed by the Infrastructure Delivery Officer at Sevenoaks District Council that CIL funding can be used for these professional fees, and ETC CIL Board had confirmed an additional award of £50,000 towards the mains water phase of the heating, hot water boiler and mains water connection project as part of the overall heating and water improvements.

It was estimated that the total cost of the project would be £91,500.00, excluding Intrinsic costs. Members,

Resolved: to support proceeding with the replacement of cold water storage and supply systems project at the Pavilion and,

Resolved: to support the appointment of Intrinsic to carry out the specification, procurement and project management of the replacement of cold water storage and supply systems at the Pavilion at a cost of £9,150.00 plus VAT, and for this to be funded from the CIL award for the Pavilion heating and water project, rather than buildings earmarked reserves (EMR).

Noted.