Refurbishment of Simpson House catering facilities

Report: 20
Date: 27 September 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

The Medium Term Capital Programme 2002/03 to 2005/06, approved by the Finance and Best Value Committee on 18 April 2002, included the sum of £1.11m for the refurbishment of the catering facilities at Simpson House, Hendon.

This paper sets out detailed proposals to upgrade the catering facilities at Simpson House. It is confirmed that the estimated cost of £1.09m (£990k + £100k QS fees) remains within the approved allocation.

The requirement to upgrade the servery and extend the dining area is to meet the need to cater for the planned increase in the number of staff at Hendon, including the C3i Command and Control complex.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to:

1. Approve the refurbishment scheme for Simpson House catering facilities.
2. Approve the awarding of the building contract to carry out the above works. 

B. Supporting information

Current arrangements

1. The catering facilities are 30 years old and in need of replacement. The existing dining accommodation comprises:

• the cadet dining hall 
• the senior officers’ dining room.
• the instructors’ dining room

2. These dining areas were designed to cater for up to 500 cadets in two separate sittings, and approximately 60 support and instructional staff. The service was non-cash with a limited menu range. The cadet dormitories have been converted into offices and Simpson House now caters for the adjacent Driving School, with a combined customer base of 700+. Simpson House also caters weekly for seminars and conferences (200 delegates), and frequent commendation and award ceremonies (500 guests) and passing out parades (1,100 guests). HR recruitment and selection recently moved into Simpson House, which has increased the customer base by 175. The C3i complex will add a further 250/300 potential users. The estimated future customer base is in the region of 1,200.

3. Much of the equipment is obsolete and obtaining spares is difficult. The current facilities struggle to cater for the present numbers, and without the proposed servery and extension to the dining area it will be extremely difficult to provide a full meal service to the increasing numbers of staff employed at Simpson House, the Driving School, and the planned C3i complex. It will be essential to ensure a speedy counter service for those (predominately C3i operational staff) who will be working shifts with fixed meal breaks.

Proposals

4. The planned alteration and refurbishment works include:

• the formation of a large L shaped dining area, which can be subdivided into four separate areas by means of sliding folding screens
• glazed lean-to extension to garden elevation and flat roof extension to rear, incorporating roof lights
• the formation of a table and chair store
• the replacement of the existing obsolete catering servery and the formation of new retail servery
• improvement of the mechanical ventilation to the dining areas
• minor replanning of the kitchen area, relocating the pot wash and the chilled storage areas
• redesigning the two toilet areas to include the provision of facilities for the disabled and improved access through the ground floor, in order to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

5. The proposal opens up the dining areas, which form the instructors’ dining room, senior officers’ dining room and the cadet dining room, and increases the space slightly to create a large L shaped facility. This will increase the seating capacity from 290 to 416.

6. The building will be extended at the front to provide a conservatory area, opening out onto the memorial garden. This will increase the seating capacity by a further 80 places to 496.

7. The existing toilets are inadequate and it is proposed that they are upgraded to provide female and male toilets at each end of the facility, including the provision of two toilets for the disabled at the Simpson House end. The scheme also includes replacing the servery and minor works to the kitchen (additional cold storage and relocating the pot wash). 

8. The dining area overheats in the summer and therefore improved mechanical ventilation is included in the scheme. Overall, the scheme should reduce long-term energy costs through the provision of more energy efficient equipment.

9. The enhanced dining room appearance, improved ambience and new servery counter will provide a staff facility which will be more in keeping with the Commissioner’s objective of making the ‘Met’ a great place to work. 

C. Equality and diversity implications

There are no equality and diversity implications, other than the need to provide easy access to toilet facilities for the disabled.

D. Financial implications

1. At its meeting on 18 April 2002, the MPA Finance Planning and Best Value Committee approved the following funds for the refurbishment of the Simpson House catering facilities:

• capital £866k for 2002/03 and £22k for 2003/04. The shortfall will be funded from existing revenue budgets within PSD - £216,000 in 2002/03 and £6,000 in 2003/04. Thus, the total monies allocated to this scheme are £1.11m – i.e. £888,000 (capital) and £222,000 (revenue)
• the conservatory element of the scheme amounts to approximately £150,000. The existing windows have to be replaced with better thermal performance and opening lights. Replacement of the glazing with similar glazing would cost in the region of £50,000. Therefore, £100,000 for the conservatory element represents good value for an increased capacity of 80 dining places. The installation of the conservatory would also present an opportunity to modify the paving around the Memorial Garden to provide ramped wheelchair access to the garden, which does not exist at present.
• the replacement of the existing hot and cold servery counters cannot be delayed. The equipment is obsolete and it now requires replacing urgently. The estimated costs for the purchase and installation of a new self-service hot and cold counter are about £80,000.

2. A summary of the estimated costs submitted by the consultant quantity surveyor (i.e. £990k + £100k fees) is attached at appendix 1.

E. Background papers

• FPBV/02/56 - Medium Term Capital Programme 2002/03 to 2005/06

F. Contact details

Report author: Peter Peirce, Director of Catering Services.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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