Agenda and minutes

The Chairman, Councillor Linda Packard, welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the councillors and officers present.

Following the resignation of the former Vice-Chairman, Cllr Chris Caswill, the Board is asked to elect a Vice-Chairman for the remainder of the municipal year.

Cllr Desna Allen was elected Vice Chairman of the Board for the remainder of the municipal year.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Parvis Khansari (Service Director, Wiltshire Council)

Maurice Dixson (Kington Langley Parish Council)

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2013 (to follow)

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2013 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Cllr Nina Phillips declared an interest as a member of Green Square.

To include the following:

i)             What Matters to You survey

ii)            Carers Small Grant Scheme

iii)           Pest Control update

iv)           Wiltshire Community Land Trust

v)            Enterprise Day

The following Chairman’s Announcements were made:

·         What Matters to You survey – attendees were invited to complete the survey which would help identify what mattered to the community.  The results would be published on the Council’s website in due course.

·         Carers Small Grant Scheme – This was a one-off grant to help groups or organisations that could demonstrate a tangible difference to the lives of unpaid carers.  The deadline for the next round of applications was 30 November 2013.

·         Pest Control update – Details of the service available were highlighted in the announcement.  A stand was also available during the networking session of the meeting where further information was made available.

·         Wiltshire Community Land Trust – Details of the work undertaken by the Trust were provided within the announcement.  A stand was also made available during the networking session providing further details.

·         Enterprise Day – This event would be taking place during Global Entrepreneurship Week from 18 to 24 November.  The Enterprise Day in Chippenham would take place on 21 November.  The aim of the day would be to inspire, motivate and support young people in developing their future careers.

·         Chippenham Basketball – The Sports Development Team were launching new recreational sessions in Chippenham from 13 November for adults of all ages and all levels of experience. 

The Chairman also drew the Boards attention to the recent VCS Awards and was pleased to highlight the following results: 

Category: Creative Partnership working in communities

Winner: Salisbury and Chippenham Street Pastors

Category: Improving the quality of life for people in Wiltshire –

Joint Winners: Unity House and Chippenham Food Bank

Category: Community Leadership

Runner up: The Nature of It

Employer demonstrating support for local communities

4 Winners, one of which was Avagio ITS

The Chairman, prior to moving on to the next item, also highlighted the stand providing further details on Community Area Grants, reminding all present that funding was available.  An application form was available on line together with details on the criteria.  Further guidance could also be sought from the Community Area Manager, Victoria Welsh.

To receive a presentation from the Campus Development Team and consider the working proposals as outlined within the agenda.

The Chairman welcomed Lucy Murrey-Brown (Head of Campus and Operational Models) and Ian Bridges (Chairman of the Campus Team) to the meeting.  Both were in attendance to give a presentation on the work undertaken by the team and to seek approval on the next proposed steps.

In making the presentation the following points were raised.

The campus development team were a group of community representatives working as a group of the Area Board whose key responsibility was to represent the views of the local community on campus proposals.

The campus aim was to make efficient use of council buildings and deliver facilities that delivered more for the local community.

The team had now completed its first consultation exercise which had completed in November 2012.  The results of the consultation were provided within Appendix 1 of the report.

One of the main requirements identified from the survey was that all key services should be provided from one location and meet the needs of the community.

Several potential sites had been discussed including sites owned by the Council, college and private sector. 

The next phase would be to develop a community campus with enhanced leisure facilities by creating one building currently proposed to comprise Wiltshire Council office building and Olympiad Leisure Centre.

The team aspiration was for the campus site to become a focal point for community activities, providing a wide selection of services, facilities and amenities to support the area.

Working proposals included:

·         A change to the aspect of the current council offices so that the principal entrance faced the River Avon and that the building should work in harmony with its surroundings and town centre.

·         That external enhancements should include an atrium entrance at ground floor level with external seating linked to a cafe/catering facility and adjoined outdoor performance area.

·         A library/family learning/information technology centre and public access areas to computers and the internet.

·         Central reception area.

·         Improved disability access.

·         Multipurpose areas for a wide range of activities, i.e. for conferences and performance use.

·         Training links to Chippenham College and development opportunities for social enterprise facilities.

·         Provision for essential and specified Wiltshire Council services for the community area.

·         Suitable areas for local organisations, charities, the elderly, disabled and voluntary sector to operate from and function within.

·         Functional space for partners, such as Wiltshire College and CAB

If agreed, the next stage would be to commence a second phase of consultation on the above mentioned proposals.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Rise Trust was also in attendance and expressed her support to the proposals made by the Campus team.

In opening up discussion to the floor the following clarifications were made:

·         That the budget available would be provided at a later date, following approval of the proposals by the Area Board in the first instance.  This would require a detailed feasibility study to be undertaken before this point.  With this in mind it was unlikely that the project would be submitted to Wiltshire Council Cabinet for approval until Summer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive a presentation from Jenny Spoor and Phil Bowley from Green Square on plans for regeneration in the Chippenham area.

Jenny Spoor and Phil Bowley were in attendance from Green Square to give a presentation on plans for regeneration in the Chippenham area.

The following information was provided:

·         Patchway was a mixed tenure estate in Chippenham consisting of 34 properties, 25 of which were social rent properties.

·         The estate consisted of both houses and flats, the flats of which were built around 1968.

·         In April 2013 Green Square undertook a consultation with residents seeking views on the local area.  Of the 58 households contacted 30 responses had been received resulting in the following feedback:

o   60% rated the area as ok, 30% as good and 10% as poor.

o   50% wished to stay in their home in the long term with facilities provider being an important factor.

·         What residents liked about the Patchway area

o   Friendly community

o   Close to shops

o   Good local schools

o   Easy access to public transport

·         What residents disliked about the Patchway area

o   Untidy and run down

o   Lack of parking

o   Anti-social behaviour

o   Wasted space and lack of amenity and recreational space

·         Green Square, in considering the regeneration of the area, also considered similar projects undertaken elsewhere, including the Pen Hill Estate in Swindon which had similarities in terms of expected outcomes.

·         The regeneration of the Pen Hill Estate included the frontage of the shops being pulled further towards the road reducing gathering space and as a result anti-social behaviour.

·         Although there was less space at Pathway there was a desire to keep the 2 bedroom flats behind the shops as these offered good accommodation but to better utilise the space around.

In answering questions received, clarification was provided that the need for the existing garages would be reviewed, noting that many residents now used them for storage purposes only. 

The need for one bedroom properties had not yet been taken into consideration as the plans had not yet reached that stage but this need would be noted.

The Chairman thanked the officers from Green Square for the presentation.

Tim Martienssen, Chairman of the Chippenham Vision Board, will give a presentation setting out the timetable and process for public consultation on the Masterplan.

Tim Martienssen, a representative of the Chippenham Vision Board, was in attendance to give a presentation on the Masterplan consultation.

Confirmation was provided that Wiltshire Council had commissioned a consultant team to prepare a sustainable Strategic Framework and Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the regeneration of central Chippenham.  The SPD area comprised the Chippenham Central Area of Opportunity as set out in the draft Wiltshire Core Strategy.

Once adopted the Masterplan would form part of the Council’s Local Development Framework and would provide the framework for development in accordance with the Chippenham Vision.

 The SPDs expanded on the Council’s adopted policies and provided more detailed information than could be contained within the policies themselves.

The formal consultation of the Masterplan SPDs would commence on 28 October and conclude on 9 December 2013.  A review of responses would be undertaken during December with any final amendments made in January 2014.  It was hoped that the document would be ready for submission to Wiltshire Council for adoption in February 2014.

The Chairman thanked the officer for the presentation and confirmed that the Board looked forward to receiving further details in due course.

Sue Wilthew, Chippenham Town Council, will provide a report for the Board to note.

Sue Wilthew was in attendance from Chippenham Town Council to provide a presentation on the AMTi benchmarking where the following was provided:

·         The AMT Benchmarking had been undertaken to address real issues and to measure, evaluate and ultimately improve town centres.  It was a simple way of capturing data on 12 key performance indicators selected by those involved in town centre management.

·         In making the report certain urban myths had been dispelled, including that there were no good shops available.  Traditionally Chippenham Town Centre offered 85% non-convenience (i.e. non grocery, etc) stores with 29% of shops being independent.

·         The quality and variety of retailers represented was key with national retail businesses considered key attractors in attracting visitors and shoppers to a town.  19% of the units within Chippenham were classified as key attractions which was higher than many of the surrounding areas.  The Town Council was working to improve marketing of this fact.

·         5% of the units within the Town Centre were vacant at the time the benchmarking was undertaken which was well below the national average.

·         Footfall for Chippenham, i.e. those passing through the Town Centre, was three times higher than that of other small towns.  Within a 10 minute period 569 people were captured during the busiest period.

·         Car Parking was still considered an issue for the community with 50% of users reporting this as negative, although this did not match with usage with only 1% of available parking free at the busiest times.

·         41% of those visiting the town were in the location due to work purposes with 61% reporting being in town on a daily basis.

·         The majority of those questioned felt Chippenham to be an attractive and clean Town but with a poor selection of leisure and cultural activities on offer.

·         The Town Council was working with Cherish Chippenham to better market the Town and to highlight the benefits it had to offer.

·         In asking what improvements could be made the following were a selection of those responses received:

o   Cheaper car parking

o   Greater variety of independent shops

o   More national shops (i.e. Marks & Spencers)

o   More artisan shops (i.e. high class butchers)

o   Pedestrianisation of the High Street at all times

o   More evening events

o   That Royal Mail should use the centre of the Town as a collection point (rather than Bumpers Farm)

o   To make more of the River Avon

Thanks were provided by the Board for the information received.

To note the written updates provided and answer any questions arising from the floor:

      i.        Parish and Town Councils

    ii.        Wiltshire Police

   iii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iv.        Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

    v.        Youth Issues update

   vi.        Chippenham Partnership of Schools

  vii.        Middlefield Older People Development

viii.        Wiltshire Time Credits

   ix.        Other Community Groups

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Parish and Town Councils

The written report from Kington Langley Parish Council was noted. Further updates were received from Christian Malford Parish Council and Kington St Michael Parish Council post circulation of the agenda but were included within the blue supplementary paper published.  These were also noted.

    ii.        Wiltshire Police

The written report from Wiltshire Police was noted. Inspector Phil Stayning drew the Boards attention to the update highlighting that the team were working closely with the town and parish councils to see how the crime prevention message could be further highlighted.  However, policing in general within Chippenham was considered to be good in general.

On receiving specific questions in relation to cycling in the High Street, clarification was made that community support officers were tackling the problem and that where felt appropriate fixed penalty fines had been issued.

Thanks were given to the policing team for their involvement in recent visits to licensed premises within the Town and to the value of the partnership working that was taking place.

   iii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The written report provided in the blue supplementary paper was noted and there was no further update.

   iv.        Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

No update was provided.

    v.        Youth Issues Update

No update was provided.

   vi.        Chippenham Partnership of Schools

No update was provided.

 vii.        Middlefield Older People Development

The update as provided within the agenda was noted.

viii.        Wiltshire Time Credits

The update as provided was noted.

   ix.        Other Community Groups

No further updates were received.

    x.        Chippenham Area Partnership (ChAP)

An update was circulated via the blue supplemented and noted.

To consider the report provided and any recommendations provided.

A report from the Partnership Development Officer was circulated with the agenda requesting that the Board approve the core funding payment.

Decision:

That the Area Board approve the release of £1,461 to cover ChAP’s Co-ordinators work for the period April to October 2013 with immediate effect; and

Agrees to the immediate release of £730 to cover the three month notice period (October 2013 to January 2014) as required by the Wiltshire Compact.

To receive any updates in relation to the following priority areas:

·         Road Safety (Cllr Bill Douglas)

·         Crime & Community Safety (Cllr Desna Allen)

·         Deprivation (Cllr Chris Caswill)

The Chairman reminded those present that the Board at its meeting held on 1 July 2013 had agreed to continue with the priorities identified in 2012/13 until further details were known in relation to the Community Area Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) later in the year.

With this in mind the following updates were provided:

Road Safety

Cllr Bill Douglas raised the issue of speed awareness noting that first trials within Wiltshire to reduce speeding around schools was taking place.  Discussions with the community had taken place and 10 sites identified. 

Crime and Community Safety

Cllr Desna Allen confirmed that Pubwatch was working well and the work of the Street Pastors continued successfully. 

Sergeant Connor had attended a recent Town Council meeting and an invitation had been extended to him to join the Crime and Community Safety group.

Deprivation

Cllr Chris Caswill confirmed that it was hoped that a meeting of the group would be taking place within the next few weeks where discussion was likely to include the development of a children’s breakfast club in Chippenham.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor and will welcome the submission of new Community Issues.

The Forward Plan is attached for information.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting before requesting that those in attendance take part in the electronic evaluation of the meeting.

All were reminded that the next meeting would take place on 4 November with a health and wellbeing theme.  The meeting would take place at Hardenhuish School from 7:00pm with the usual networking session taking place from 6:30pm.

It was currently proposed that the January meeting would focus on highways and transport issues.  Further details would be available nearer the time.