Agenda item

To note the following items for information – written briefing notes are available in the full pack agenda or online.  If you would like the Area Board to consider or discuss any of these items in more detail, please speak with the Community Area Manager or the Democratic Services Officer:-

·         Bell Orchard Update

·         Westbury Community Campus Proposals

·         Dementia in Wiltshire:  The Role of Healthwatch Wiltshire

The Chairman made the following announcements:

·                Bell Orchard Update  An extra care housing scheme was being planned for older people in Westbury; Selwood Housing Association was converting the existing sheltered housing scheme at Bell orchard.  The planning application had been submitted and the determination date was Monday 23 March 2015.

The scheme was expected to be complete in December and first customers moving in for Jan 2016.  As the project involved19 people moving, it was slightly behind schedule as finding the right properties and locations had taken longer than anticipated.  12 had now moved to other properties in Westbury except two who had chosen to move to Warminster and Salisbury respectively. Of the seven remaining, Selwood had identified a property for each person and work was underway on each one of these. 

·                Community campus  The proposals for a Westbury community campus were presented at our last area board and you will no doubt be wondering what happens next.We have now received a letter from Cabinet member Jonathan Seed who attended our last meeting and who heads up the responsibility for the campus programme in Wiltshire. He again congratulated the Campus Team on the production of such a good and comprehensive set of proposals and on the level of consultation that they undertook with the Westbury Area Community.You will recall that at the area board meeting he stressed the financial challenges facing the council’s campus programme and he reiterates that in his letter. However he thinks that it may be possible to consider a phased approach to delivering the proposals. He also thinks some aspects of the proposals will need further consultation, if they are to attract community support. He now plans to recommend to Cabinet that initial feasibility is carried out to ascertain the costs and possible sources for funding and that, on this basis, a phased approach is considered to delivering the campus proposals in Westbury. He will keep us informed of progress and we understand it could go to Cabinet in March. 

·                Dementia in Wiltshire: The Role of Healthwatch Wiltshire (HWW) It was noted that Healthwatch Wiltshire was the local champion for health and social care. The organisation was there to listen to the voices of local people and then use the information to influence commissioners and providers of services.  HWW had brought together local charities to form a partnership that would monitor and support the new Wiltshire Dementia Strategy.  HWW would be gathering together at least 100 people from across the county to monitor the service.  A number of workshops were planned including one to be held at The Laverton, Westbury on Thursday 12 February 2015 from 2pm to 4pm.

It was noted that NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was consulting on the permanent location of specialist dementia hospital care.  They had held a couple of public meetings in January in Devizes and Salisbury and would be consulting with people in service user groups. Members of the public were also being invited to complete a questionnaire or simply to talk to HWW to express their views.  The questionnaire was available online at

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/dementiastrategyconsultation-2

·                Westbury Hospital The NHS was about to apply for outline planning permission for around 70 homes on the site of Westbury Hospital. The hospital ceased operation in April 2012 and NHS commissioners had declared the 2.3 hectare site surplus to local healthcare requirements.  Their intention was to market the site to a developer with the benefit of outline planning permission for new homes.The draft plans included 72 new-build homes, of which a proportion would be affordable (subject to viability), demolishing the former hospital buildings, creating public open space, improved access, and extensive landscaping and tree planting to protect views from nearby open countryside. 

The Commissioners were keen to work with local people and hear their thoughts on these draft proposals. They would be hosting a public drop-in session before submitting our outline planning application to allow people to talk to the project team and view the outline plans. Everyone would be welcome to attend that session on Wednesday, 11 February 2015, between 4.30pm and 7.30pm here at The Laverton.

·                Free parking extended  Westbury was to continue to get a free first hour of parking as the Council monitored the impact this had on people’s parking habits. The free parking trial in the Council run car parks in Westbury would run until 31 March while Wiltshire Council assessed the effect of the scheme.