MD2670 Procurement of Capital Infrastructure Projects

1.1. The GLA has a 25-year full repairing lease of City Hall, which requires the Authority to undertake all necessary works and maintenance of the building. The original design of the building was to accommodate 426 people and provide publicly accessible meeting and conference space as well as private office accommodation, usage of which has now increased significantly. The growth in both the use of City Hall’s public spaces and office facilities has placed pressure on the building infrastructure leading to over-usage of equipment and systems that are coming to the end of their working lifecycle, in addition to changes in Health and Safety legislative requirements.

1.2. City Hall has now reopened following lockdown. The COVID risk assessment currently in place allows for up to 200 staff working in the building and no members of the public visiting. This is under constant review to align with Government guidance on the management of COVID in the workplace. It is recognised that the staff will work from home more in future than was previously the case and therefore it is unlikely that in future the building will be re-occupied to its previous capacity.

1.3. The Mayor, under sections 383 and 384 of the GLA Act 1999, is responsible for the care, control, management and regulation of Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens. The sites have been under the control of the GLA since March 2001.

1.4. The £810,000 estimated cost of capital expenditure would pay for, at City Hall, building fire compartmentation, the replacement and refurbishment of fire doors and replacement of the main gas pipework. At Trafalgar Square, this would cover the costs to replace the main toilets, hand wash basin infrastructure, realign the main steps, repair the leaking fountains and replace the defunct passenger lift. This will ensure that the GLA continues to provide a safe and secure environment at City Hall and Trafalgar Square, which meets the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010 and meets the needs of the building’s users and members of the public.

1.5. Works will be procured via the existing infrastructure contract with CBRE, number GLA80590.

Capital projects at City Hall

Fire safety

1.6. Building fire compartmentation and fire door remedial works are required to meet Statutory Requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005. The improvements required were identified following an insurance inspection, when it became evident that the building fire compartmentation was not compliant with current fire safety regulations. A non-intrusive survey was undertaken by an independent fire safety specialist looking to identify breaches to the fire stopping within the lower ground floor and riser cupboards from the lower ground to level 9. Many areas within the building have insufficient or non-compliant materials used to firestop, mainly around combustible services and/or materials penetrating the fire walls. Most of the compartmentation required is situated on the lower ground floor and in the cupboard risers from the lower ground floor to level 9.

1.7. Inspection of the fire doors determined that both repair & upgrade replacement works were required due to non-compliance with statutory requirements. The comprehensive visual survey of the fire doors within the building revealed that it was evident that many service penetrations remain unsealed, existing seals have been damaged, in some cases beyond repair, or incorrectly sealed. The survey identified that out of 140 doors, 123 doors failed the fire door regulations.

1.8. The survey established that the locations currently do not meet the statutory requirements and without remedial attention, it is conceivable that any fire incident could potentially have disastrous consequences. The GLA is in a vulnerable position because of the risk of potential loss of life, injury or harm to employees or members of the public as a result of spread of fire or smoke within the building. The GLA has a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the health and safety its employees and visitors. Failure to undertake the remedial works will also contravene the terms of the insurance.

Gas pipe replacement

1.9. Defects on gas pipes were discovered between the primary gas meter and the boiler plant room on the lower ground floor after a survey was carried out by the GLA’s maintenance contractor. The gas supply was immediately turned off and the pipes were purged. The advice from the survey to rectify the situation is that new supply pipe is installed from the primary gas meter to the solenoid valve at the boiler room. The redundant pipes would be capped and left in situ.

Capital projects at Trafalgar Square

Public toilets

1.10. The public toilets located under the northwest terrace on Trafalgar Square accommodates male, female and disabled toilet facilities. The toilet’s hand washing basins and associated infrastructure need replacing, as the island that houses the basin frame has corroded and the plumbing and electrical units and components are at their end of life cycle, which has resulted in leaks and flooding.

1.11. Additionally, the access covers within the female toilet, storeroom, attendance room and warden’s office are corroded and need replacing. The booster tank frame / pedestal is also corroded and needs replacing.

1.12. The flooding of the toilets presents a risk to the public as a slip hazard so needs to be addressed as a health and safety issue. Failure to address this issue could also leave the GLA open to a personal injury claim.

Main staircase

1.13. The main steps located on Trafalgar Square, which lead up to the National Gallery, are showing signs of movement. Ove Arup & Partners Limited (Arup) have been appointed as consultants and work with DBR Ltd on behalf of the Authority to carry out an intrusive inspection of the Trafalgar Square steps to determine the cause of the movement. Once the inspection has been carried out Arup would look to provide recommendations for the next steps. The uneven steps are a trip hazard and presents a health and safety risk of injury to the public. Recent large demonstrations in Trafalgar Square has caused further deterioration and movement to the steps. Failure to address this issue could also leave the GLA open to a personal injury claim. The GLA have mitigated the risk temporarily by cordoning off the area to the public, however it will be difficult to ensure the cordon barriers remain in place, particularly during unauthorised protests.

Fountains

1.14. Fountain repairs were partially completed in 2019 as approved under MD588. Approximately 66% of the works were completed on the east fountain and 33% on the west fountain in 2019, to address the most serious issues within the allocated budget. The remaining remedial works required for 2020 are the remaining approximate 66% on the west fountain and 33% on the east fountain. The objective is to carry out works to make the Portland stone basins watertight to prevent leakage through the stonework joints and in so doing restore the fabric to a presentable appearance. Restoration works will include a complete clean down of the structures, and a conservator will remove of any remains of hard, sooty deposits, to restore the integrity of the waterproofing lining within the upper and main basins so that water will no longer leak through the structure’s joints.

1.15. To achieve a uniformity of appearance it is recommended that all the remaining old joints be cut out and re-pointed to finish off the works started in 2019, as well as replacing the missing masonry and repairing the damaged detailed sections of the fountains that were unsatisfactorily repaired in the past.

1.16. The fountains in their current condition are leaking causing a health and safety risk; the main concern being injury, through slips, to the public. Failure to address this issue could also leave the GLA open to personal injury claim.

Accessibility lift

1.17. Two accessible lifts were installed in 2002 as part of the redevelopment of the north area of Trafalgar Square, which provides access at the west and east points, to and from the north terrace onto the main body of the square.

1.18. These lifts proved to be very unreliable, suffering frequent breakdowns that required frequent repairs, this negatively impacted accessibility of the Square and reputation of the Authority. To address this issue, in February 2011 the then Mayor set out (under MD588) a 10-year programme of work for mechanical and electrical plants at Trafalgar Square which included the lifts.

1.19. In 2012 DD793 gave approval for the east side lift to be converted into a ventilation and light shaft and the west side platform lift was replaced with a new platform lift. Professional lift consultants have surveyed the existing infrastructure and have concluded that the equipment as currently installed is inoperative and beyond repair.

1.20. It is the recommendation of the consultant that the best and most cost-effective solution would be to remove and completely replace the lift within the confines of the existing lift shaft enclosure, without altering the current appearance.

1.21. This installation will provide access to the toilets for users in wheelchairs from the North Terrace of the Square, which is necessary to meet the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010. Failure to provide a working accessible lift presents a risk to members of the public. Failure to address the issue could also leave the GLA vulnerable to prosecution and reputational damage.

2.1. The objectives of the expenditure are to provide a secure, safe and statutory compliant environment to all building users and members of the public using Trafalgar Square.

Building fire compartmentation, City Hall

2.2. The proposed works to provide adequate compartmentation (fire stopping) will meet British Standard (BS) 9999 and BS EN 1366 standards. The works list has been compiled with the intention to reduce risk and improve fire safety by addressing the fire compartmentation between the main evacuation routes used by the public and staff, and the various plant rooms and riser cupboards within the City Hall building.

2.3. These works are intended to stop or limit the spread of fire and smoke should a fire occur within the building, to reduce and prevent any injury or loss of life to building users.

Fire door replacement, City Hall

2.4. The door sets that are proposed to be repaired and replaced are associated with plantrooms and with the fire compartment staircases and fire escape corridors, and the 123 failed fire door sets identified be will be repaired or replaced to conform with the latest legislation.

2.5. All repairs will be carried out by approved FIRAS carpenters and signed off by approved FIRAS supervisor. All repairs will meet current fire door regulations.

Gas pipe replacement, City Hall

2.6. Heating to the building cannot be switched on unless full replacement of gas pipes has been installed. There is no other solution except to install new supply gas pipes. The current gas pipes are inaccessible making it impossible for the pipes and the joints to be inspected and maintained. This is in contravention of current gas safety regulations (updated since City Hall’s construction) and IGEM 7.1.2.

Public toilets, Trafalgar Square

2.7. The toilet basin infrastructure renewal will ensure that safe hand washing facilities are available within the Trafalgar Square public toilets.

Main staircase, Trafalgar Square

2.8. Realignment of main steps will ensure the steps are equally spaced and reduce the likelihood of accidents and injury to members of the public.

Fountains, Trafalgar Square

2.9. Fountain repairs will prolong the life and maintain the fountains in good working order. This will stop any further leaks, damage to the fountain infrastructure and save money. It will also reduce the likelihood of slips and injury to members of the public.

Accessibility lift, Trafalgar Square

2.10. The replacement of the passenger lift will enable lift access for wheelchair users onto the main body of the Square and will meet the machinery directive 2006/42/EC and meet the obligations of the Equalities Act 2010.

3.1. The GLA is subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty. The provision of a lift at Trafalgar Square will ensure that the GLA meets the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect members of the public from accidents and injury.

Key risks and issues

4.1. Works would be undertaken by qualified contractors and where required for Trafalgar Square, experienced in undertaking conservation, restoration, and operation on historic sites using methodologies appropriate to operating in public spaces. To ensure value for money is achieved, tendering and evaluation has been undertaken by the GLA’s appointed infrastructure contractor, CBRE.

4.2. By ensuring the City Hall compartmentation work is undertaken the Authority is meeting its obligations with regards to the health and safety of the building’s occupants and its lease obligations. Failure to carry out the identified compartmentation of the building could result in the spread of fire within the building. Additional fire watch (security patrols of unoccupied areas) is in place as a temporary measure to mitigate the risk until works are carried out.

4.3. If the Authority fails to repair and replace the identified fire doors to the stairs, corridors and plant rooms, the risk of smoke and fire spread into fire escape routes will be greatly increased.

4.4. Toilet basin and infrastructure replacement will ensure a safe environment for users of the toilet facilities on Trafalgar square, without adequate hand washing facilities the toilets will need to remain closed. The current basins are leaking which is presenting a slip hazard for members of the public using the facilities.

4.5. Realignment of the steps at Trafalgar Square will ensure the steps are equally spaced and reduce or eliminate the likelihood of accidents and injury to the public.

4.6. Failure to repair and maintain the fountains would contravene sections 383 and 384 of the GLA Act 1999, as the GLA is responsible for the care, control, management and regulation of Trafalgar Square.

4.7. By ensuring Trafalgar Square has a working lift which meets Health and Safety requirements, the Authority will be meeting its responsibilities under the Equalities Act 2010.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.8. Facilities Management support the operation of the Greater London Authority’s estate and therefore indirectly support all mayoral strategies and operations.

4.9. Consultations and impact assessments

4.10. It is not necessary to consult within the meaning of section 32 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. No permissions are required from Westminster City Council or Historic England.

4.11. The Mayor has consulted the London Assembly and GLA staff on a proposal to give notice to terminate the City Hall lease in December 2020 with a view to vacating the building by December 2021. Officers are currently assessing the results of the consultation; regardless of the outcome, the issues identified in this decision require resolution ahead of December 2021.

5.1. Capital expenditure of up to £810,000 is being sought for works at City Hall and Trafalgar square to ensure health and safety standards are continually being met for users of the building and members of the public.

5.2. The £810,000 is estimated to be spent as follows (see PDF file for table).

5.3. The cost will be contained within the Facilities Management capital budget in 2020-21.

6.1. Sections 1 and 2 of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:

• pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;

• consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and

• consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3. The works required must be procured by Transport for London Procurement who will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code. Officers must ensure that appropriate contract documentation is put in place and executed by the successful bidder(s) and the GLA before the commencement of the works.