Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 11 June 2019 were declared a true record and were signed by the Chair.

To answer questions submitted by Opposition Group Leaders on items on the agenda.

Question from Councillor C Thomas to Councillor A Edyvean.

“The Growth Board report recommends reducing meetings of the East Leake Board to two per year, whilst Bingham remains at four and West Bridgford at three. Continued dialogue is needed to develop infrastructure to support East Leake’s explosive, unplanned growth. The Growth Board has the ability to get the relevant parties around a table to call them to account and try to move things forward, and fewer meetings means slower progress.

From which date is it planned to change the frequency of meetings, and could this be delayed in the case of East Leake?”

Councillor Edyvean responded by stating that the next meeting of the East Leake Growth Board would be held in October 2019, as agreed at the last meeting and thereafter it was proposed to have two meetings per year.

Councillor C Thomas asked a supplementary question to Councillor A Edyvean.

“Is it proposed to consult with the East Leake Growth Board members about the frequency of meetings before implementing the decision?”

Councillor Edyvean responded by stating that the issue could be discussed at the next planned meeting in October 2019 and gave his assurance that fewer meetings would not result in slower progress, with officers working on specific projects between meetings to ensure continued progress. If projects were progressing faster additional meetings could be arranged.

To answer questions submitted by citizens on the Council or its services.

There were no questions

The report of the Chief Executive is attached.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)            The establishment of a new Growth Board for Fairham, and extending the existing membership of the Fairham Development Board be approved;

b)            That the Radcliffe on Trent and East Leake Growth Boards meet twice per year; and

c)            A review of the scope of the Shop Front Improvement Grant and funding to be considered by the Strategic Growth Board at its meeting in July 2019 be approved.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Chief Executive providing an update on the work of the local Growth Boards since the last update to Cabinet in September 2017.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation advised that the Growth Boards were important vehicles to the Council to both facilitate and drive change, bringing together stakeholders to identify needs and create an Action Plan for implementation. The role of the Growth Boards had not been reviewed since 2017 and it was therefore timely to do so. The report also considered resource and level of live projects, delivery and timescales. So far the Growth Boards had achieved many tangible successes, West Bridgford had seen the Commissioner’s report, with many recommendations being taken forward. In Radcliffe on Trent, the Economic Masterplan had been developed and the East Leake Growth Board had been engaged with Severn Trent to ensure that infrastructure capacity would be reviewed and action to upgrade would be implemented. The County Council had offered funding for improvements to the Gotham Road T junction and the Clinical Commissioning Group had confirmed that the delivery of a new health centre was its top priority. The Masterplan for Brilliant Bingham had been completed, with the new leisure centre at the heart of delivering facilities to residents. A new Bingham Markets Manager had been appointed, which has already led to increased usage of the market square. It was appropriate to establish a Growth Board for the Fairham site at the outset of the project and to continue to support other large villages, including a proposal to extend the Shop Front Improvement Grant across the Borough, subject to the approval of the Strategic Growth Board. The report highlighted that considerable work took place between meetings and delivery of achievable goals would not be impacted by the frequency of meetings.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Upton reiterated the importance of this timely review, in particular with the key strategic site at Fairham coming on stream. Staff resources were finite and the proposed changes appeared both realistic and reasonable. Considerable work was undertaken between formal meetings, with the Boards acting as a focal point for bringing together appropriate people to drive agreed Action Plans forward.

Councillor Robinson confirmed that before the establishment of the Growth Boards there had been many strategic partners working individually throughout the Borough and the real success had been to bring people together for coordinated dialogue that had resulted in real tangible success. Due to current funding issues and constraints, people had to be realistic and accept that there were limitations on what could be delivered within preferred timescales; however, working together had proved a huge success. The establishment of the Fairham Growth Board at such an early stage would also prove extremely beneficial.

Councillor Mason stated that she was pleased to see that the Shop Front Improvement Grant was being reviewed and hoped that it would be extended to other areas.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)    The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To move “That under Regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.”

It was RESOLVED that under Regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

The report of the Interim Executive Manager – Transformation.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)         The Council acquires a 10 year leasehold on the property;

b)         The fit out of the property be undertaken within existing Council resources; and

c)         Subject to a) and b) the Council moves Rushcliffe Community Contact Centre to its new location in West Bridgford, to open in the Spring of 2020 and the financial impact of this be built into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy going forward.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager - Transformation providing an update on the proposals for new premises for Rushcliffe Community Contact Centre.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation advised that the Police had given the Council notice that it wished to review its assets and had served notice on the Council to vacate the Police Station by August 2020. The Contact Centre was currently housed in the Police Station and provided a vital service, was well used and easily accessible by public transport and to provide the same services, the new premises would need to be located in central West Bridgford. The report highlighted the options that had been explored and the suggested way forward. The premises that had been identified would provide suitable alternative accommodation to the existing Contact Centre, with the costs being built into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Inglis confirmed the suitability of the proposed premises. Although visitor numbers had reduced, face-to-face contact for many customers remained vitally important and had to be maintained. The 10-year lease option would also provide flexibility.

Councillor Upton confirmed that the new premises were ideally located and would link to other services in the town centre. Whatever future advances in technology, some customers would always prefer face-to-face contact.

Councillor Robinson noted that although the number of visits had decreased, the face-to-face service for many customers was vital and these new premises would continue to provide that and be well received by residents. It was an achievement that plans were already in place well in advance of the closure of the current Contact Centre and it was anticipated that the move would be completed by Spring 2020.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)         The Council acquires a 10 year leasehold on theproperty;

b)         The fit out of the property be undertaken within existing Council resources; and

c)         Subject to a) and b) the Council moves Rushcliffe Community Contact Centre to its new location in West Bridgford, to open in the Spring of 2020 and the financial impact of this be built into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy going forward.

Reason for Decision

The premises identified provide suitable alternative accommodation to the existing Contact Centre in the Police Station.

The report of the Interim Executive Manger – Transformation [To Follow]

It was resolved that:

:

a)            The Cabinet authorises the Chief Executive to shortlist the developer bids and undertake appropriate due diligence to arrive at a preferred bidder; and

b)            A follow up report providing details of the preferred bid for further consideration with regard to the future development of the site be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager - Transformation providing an update on progress of the Abbey Road site.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation confirmed that outline planning permission for residential development had been submitted and approved by Planning Committee on 13 June 2019. The Council was seeking a high quality design and materials to create an exemplar scheme through a Design Code, with 30% affordable housing. A Housing Masterplan had been produced, taking into account site constraints including contamination issues. Based on those criteria the site had been marketed and received 27 expressions of interest and 18 offers. Following consideration of the bids, it had been agreed to ask the bidders to revisit their offer in light of making carbon efficiencies, both during construction and included within completed houses. Those revised offers would be subject to review.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Mason referred to the excellent opportunity the Council had to showcase high quality, sustainable design for current and future generations.

Councillor Upton noted that the high level of interest was an indication of both the importance and unique nature of the site. Whilst it would be a challenge to provide exemplar sustainable homes, the Council was committed to working with developers to achieve that goal.

Councillor Robinson noted that the Council had a rare opportunity to make a difference and provide the best housing it could for local residents. The site was significant to residents and developers and there was considerable work ahead before goals were achieved. The Council should be proud of both previous achievements and what could be achieved in the future.

It was resolved that:

a)           The Cabinet authorises the Chief Executive to shortlist the developer bids and undertake appropriate due diligence to arrive at a preferred bidder; and

b)           A follow up report providing details of the preferred bid for further consideration with regard to the future development of the site be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet.

Reason for decision

The Council has been working towards relocating the occupiers of the site and determining a route for bringing it forward for housing development. Following the report to Cabinet on 9 October 2018, available options have been explored. The report sets out the options and provides a recommendation for the next step in delivering the Council’s aspirations for housing growth on this site.