Agenda item

a) Update on Children’s Centres in Trowbridge Community Area – Gill Hanlan (Early years & Childcare Team, Wiltshire Council).

b)  Proposal for the development of a site in the Trowbridge area for affordable housing – Janet O’Brien (Head of New Housing, Wiltshire Council).

c)  Update on One Love Campaign for Community Centre.

a) Update on Children’s Centres in Trowbridge Community Area -

Gill Hanlan (Early years & Childcare Team, Wiltshire Council).

Points made included:

• Sure Start Children's Centres provided a ‘one-stop shop’ of integrated services for children under five and their families. There would be 30 Sure Start Children’s Centres in Wiltshire by March 2010.  To date twenty nine children’s centres were providing the basic framework of services and they have been designated.  Building work will continue until December 2010.

The Sure Start Children's Centre programme was based on the view that providing high-quality integrated services (health, education, family support and care) leads to positive effects for children, families and their communities.

• Building work had begun on the new children’s centre, based on the Longmeadow Primary School site. It would include space for children’s centre services and a full day-care nursery with the existing staff from the nursery already on the school site. Stepping Stones Opportunity Group, the district specialist centre for children with difficulties and disabilities would be moving from its present home in Polebarn Road, into the new building. The children’s centre will open in September 2010.

• A new building for Studley Green would be handed over on 5 January 2010. This would provide much needed additional accommodation for the children’s centre on the Studley Green Primary School site.

• From April 2011 the management of all 30 children’s centres would be required to go out for competitive tendering. This process had already begun with present providers being consulted about possible ways to cluster children’s centres, enabling best value for money and better access to services for their customers.

Board Members made the point that they felt that the Sure Start Centres were doing excellent work within the local community, but that the tendering process was disruptive and counter-productive.

b) Proposal for the development of a site in the Trowbridge area for affordable housing 

Janet O’Brien (Head of New Housing, Wiltshire Council) updated the Board on a proposal regarding the possible use of the Innox Hall site for the development of affordable housing.

The Innox Hall site is owned by Wiltshire Council, Innox Hall had now been demolished and the site was currently not in use.

Points made by Members included:

• There is a serious short fall of community land in and around Trowbridge.

• This site was not good enough to be developed under the private finance initiative scheme so why now.

• This site must be kept for community use, Wiltshire Council and Trowbridge Town Council should work together to achieve this aim.

Decision

The Trowbridge Area Board does not to support the use of this land as a site for affordable housing and agrees that this land should be set aside  for future community use.

Note: Cllr Peter Fuller abstained from this vote.

c) Update on One Love Campaign for Community Centre – Rachel Efemey (Community Area Manger).

Following the presentation by the One Love Campaign Group at the last Trowbridge area board meeting regarding their desire to set up a community centre in the Navigator Close/Towpath Road area of Hilperton, a meeting was held on 19^th February.

Whilst the issue of the change of use for Towpath House was discussed the focus of the meeting was on how the group could get themselves set up on a proper footing and also start running some community activities.

The group are pursuing the temporary use of buildings including having a meeting with the vicar at St Mary’s Church (the Tin Church) to discuss availability of space that they could use to start running activities.

Council officers were charged with finding out information regarding any Section 106 funds that could be available to help with building a new community centre and also whether there was any mileage in being able to have a temporary or permanent building on land off Towpath Road which is currently recreational land. These are being followed up.

The Group will be working to set themselves up as a constituted group, possibly a TARA.

A meeting will be held on the 12^th March between groups and Wiltshire Council’s Service Director for Children & Families to look at the plans for the Independent Living Centre which Towpath House is being converted to. The meeting will be attended by the local member.

Trowbridge Area Board members will be invited to the groups first steering meeting.

The Chairman thanked all the speakers for their respective updates.