That the Council enter into a flexible lease arrangement with the governing Body of Mayfield School to formalise the occupation of part of the Parkfield Site, Colin Road, Paignton, subject to the following provisions:

1.     The Council retains the ability to serve 12 months’ notice at any time to terminate the lease; and

2.     The lease includes a mechanism whereby, should People’s Parkfield Trust be in a position to take on the headlease in the future, the lease with Mayfield School may be terminated and replaced with a direct lease to People’s Parkfield Trust, with Mayfield School becoming a sub-tenant in accordance with the original intention.

The decision formalises an agreement that has been developed following the occupation of part of the Parkfield site by Mayfield School, the arrangement supported the schools an operational requirement whilst negotiations regarding the lease took place with People’s Parkfield Trust.

The alternative option was to grant a long-term lease without flexibility.  This option was discounted as it would have limited the Council’s ability to revisit arrangements with People’s Parkfield Trust in the future.

This decision will be implemented immediately.

At the Cabinet meeting on 20 August 2024 the Chief Executive was instructed to work with the community and voluntary sector to develop proposals which would enable Mayfield College 6^th Form to use the MySpace Building at Parkfield, whilst ensuring that the building was used to its full potential as a community asset outside of school time and terms.  At the Cabinet on 23 January 2025, the ‘blueprint’ for a “Torbay Locality Model” as a framework for a pilot to improve support for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) was approved.

The Chief Executive has continued her involvement in this matter. In September 2025 Mayfield College started operating from the building as planned.  Discussions progressed in respect of the lease terms for People’s Parkfield, and they put forward a business plan, requesting financial support for the operation of the site.  This was carefully considered in line with the Council’s on-going commitment to ensuring that the MySpace building be used out of school hours as a community venue.

While the original intention had been to grant a lease to People’s Parkfield Trust, subsequent receipt and consideration of a Business Case from People’s Parkfield Trust identified a number of financial requests. Although some elements of the Business Case were agreed through internal discussions, the majority were not accepted and, as a result, agreement with People’s Parkfield Trust has not yet been reached.

In light of this, the Council progressed a pragmatic interim solution by granting a flexible lease to Mayfield School, thereby safeguarding continuity of use and service delivery.

The inclusion of a 12?month notice provision and termination mechanism ensures that the Council retains future strategic flexibility, allowing further discussions with People’s Parkfield Trust and enabling a transition to the originally intended lease structure should agreement be reached.

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