Lucy Murray Brown - Campus & Operational Estate Management Lead, Wiltshire Council
Minutes:
It had been intended that Lucy Murray Brown - Campus & Operational Estate Management Lead, Wiltshire Council would deal with responses to any questions that had been submitted in advance and answer any supplementary question submitted from the floor.
It was noted that the questions and answers were not available for the Councillors to digest in written form, these questions and answers were also not on the Wiltshire Council website, Cllr Jon Hubbard requested that it was noted that he was unhappy that Area Board members would have to make decisions without this information to hand and that members of the public were unable to view this information.
The Chairman advised as the submitted questions and answers were not available in hard copy, instead of asking Lucy Murray Brown to read them out as originally intended, he was happy that attendees could ask questions to which Lucy Murray Brown or other officers present would endeavour to answer.
The Chairman was advised by Lucy Murray Brown that the questions which had already been submitted would be published on the Wiltshire Council website the following day,( 30 March 2011, in the event they were available by the end of the meeting). It was also agreed that any attendees present who left their address would have the submitted questions and answers posted to them by the Campus & Operational Estate Management team.
The Chairman advised as the submitted questions and answers were not available he was happy that attendees could ask questions to which Lucy Murray Brown would endeavour to answer.
Note: It was also agreed that any attendees present would have the submitted questions and answers posted to them by the Campus & Operational Estate Management team.
Note: of the 113 people present at the meeting only 8 had given a postal address, these 8 addresses were passed on to Campus & Operational Estate Management team.
Points raised on the night:
That the questions and answers should have been made available for all to read and digest, prior and at the meeting.
Officers had more than enough time to get the Q’s & A’s ready and available for this meeting. The Chairman expressed a view, shared by some other members, that this was not the case.
Melksham town centre will die if we lose the Library.
Questions raised on the night:
Public access to the Melksham Oak site, what about the school childrens’ safety?
The exact location of and access to the campus would be determined during the design and planning stage of the project and as such is not known at this stage.
Community use of school sites or facilities on or adjacent to school sites is a national strategic recommendation by Sport England and there are several examples in the county and across the country where this arrangement is already in place and working well. Furthermore, the wider integration and mixed use of school facilities by the community was a fundamental part of the development and funding package for the school.
The Council does not agree that a well-planned campus adjacent to the Melksham Oak Community School would lead to serious implications for the safety and security of pupils.
Richard Wood – Can Wiltshire Council confirm that the land shaded on the map will not be built on?
Discussions with the adjoining land owners have been continuing, as whilst a development wholly on Council-owned land is possible, there may be benefits to acquiring additional land. However, these discussions have been put on hold pending a wider final advertisement for landowners to come forward across a wider area, assuming the Area Board approve this approach.
JesRibble – Why was the split site not the preferred site if it is the best for sustainability?
The Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a spatial planning tool, which provides information that is both of use and is relevant. However, as with all the information gathered and assessed throughout the audit and research phase of the project, it is one part of the jigsaw and should not necessarily be considered more or less important than the rest.
The findings of the SA report were indeed taken into account when reviewing all the audit and research work to establish the current proposal, which has been selected as the preferred site for the campus because it is considered the most deliverable, broadly sustainable and appropriate option when all relevant factors are taken into account.
Will there be a transport plan and when will the Campus be up and running?
Transport arrangements will be established through a travel plan, which forms part of a planning application. It is important not to pre-empt any part of this application and therefore the Council cannot answer detailed questions at this stage, however it must be noted that appropriate access to the campus for all parts of the community is critical and options around potential bus services would be fully explored through the travel plan.
If approved by the Area Board, any Shadow Community Operations Board will also have a role in representing the community’s views on the timing and options for transport arrangements to the campus, based on local need, which will subsequently be considered through the development and implementation of a travel plan.
Subject to relevant approvals the present indicative timeline indicates a campus could be operational during 2013.
Melksham residents want more openness from Wiltshire Council on this project.
There is a variety of information on the council’s website which has also been made available at public locations and at various meetings. In addition there have been a variety of community and partner meetings where questions were invited. This approach sits alongside the community-led consultation which has been coordinated by the Melksham CAP through the area board.
Graham Ellis – Will there be any scope for business start up units?
Wiltshire Council’s economic development team are currently exploring opportunities for business start-up units in Melksham.
Why is this the first chance that the people of Melksham have had to ask any questions?
There was an opportunity to clarify the position an direction of the proposal to develop a campus for Melksham at the meeting in February. Questions received through the consultation process – either through the Melksham Community Area Partnership or via the dedicated email address – have been responded to either direct to the individuals/organisations who made contact or they have been answered within this Q&A document.
In addition to the above, the purpose of the specially convened Area Board meeting was for members of the public to ask questions so that local members could hear their views and participate in a discussion before making a recommendation on a campus proposal for Melksham.
Ben Anderson – A lot of people support the Campus proposal in principle but have concerns about getting to the proposed site, are there any plans for free public transport?
Transport arrangements will be established through a travel plan, which forms part of a planning application. It is important not to pre-empt any part of this application and therefore the Council cannot answer detailed questions at this stage, however it must be noted that appropriate access to the campus for all parts of the community is critical and options around potential bus services would be fully explored through the travel plan.
If approved by the Area Board, any Shadow Community Operations Board will also have a role in representing the community’s views on the timing and options for transport arrangements to the campus, based on local need, which will subsequently be considered through the development and implementation of a travel plan.
The Chairman thanked the attendees present for their points of view and questions.