Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Salisbury Area Board and invited the members of the Board to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·         Mike Franklin – Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

·         James Hazlewood – Democratic Services

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 July and the Extraordinary meeting held on 1 August 2012; were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were none.

The Chairman gave the following updates:

Salisbury Market Place

A Salisbury Market Place Delivery Group had been set up and would be meeting at Trowbridge offices the following week to look at issues around signage and benches.

Heritage Trail

A Heritage Trail Design Group had been set up, to look at how the trail could be developed and rolled out around Salisbury.

Updates from the above two groups would be fed back to future Area Board meetings.

The Chairman introduced Paul Shaddock, Senior Traffic Technician Salisbury Transportation Team; who gave an update of the situation of the Purple Flag accreditation for Salisbury.

The Purple Flag scheme is a project that will shortly be trialled in Salisbury. Purple Flag is a new accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at night and is similar to the Blue Flag scheme operated on beaches, The main aim of Purple Flag is to raise standards and improve the quality of our towns and cities at night.

The Council’s Public Protection Team have been working with a number of organisations, including Salisbury City Council, Wiltshire Police and local businesses to obtain Purple Flag status in Salisbury City Centre. To help achieve Purple Flag status a number of projects will be brought forward to improve the quality of the night-time experience in Salisbury; the first such project is shortly to be trialled in Milford Street.

Milford Street has a number of take-aways, restaurants, bars and night clubs making it one of Salisbury’s busiest streets at night. Whilst undertaking night-time surveys the Public Protection Team identified a problem in Milford Street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings whereby pedestrians were frequently being forced to walk in the main carriageway due to relatively narrow footways, bounded by parked vehicles, and a large number of pedestrians using the area.

To try and tackle this problem it was proposed that a scheme be trialled where parking is suspended between 7.00pm and 7.00am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in Milford Street between its junctions with Gigant Street and Catherine Street only. All parking bays would be coned off by the council (except for the disabled parking bay and the part-time taxi rank) preventing their use by motorists and in turn provide additional room for pedestrians to safely walk and thereby removing the need to walk in the main carriageway.

It is proposed that this trial will begin in October of this year and last for a minimum of three months. During the whole of three month trial period comments about the scheme can be made to the council. After three months the council will undertake a review of the scheme to determine its effectiveness and determine whether to proceed with it on a permanent basis.

If you would like more information about this scheme then you can contact Kelly Fry kelly.fey@wiltshire.gov.uk in the Public Protection Team or Paul Shaddock paul.shaddock@wiltshire.gov.uk in the Highways Team. More information about this project will be available via the council’s website in due course.

Tony Barron, Chairman of NHS Wiltshire gave an update on the future of the Salisbury Walk in Centre.

·         The current contract was with the PCT which would cease to exist from April 2013. The aim was for the control of the walk-in centre to remain central.

·         Registered patients at the centre would be re-located to other local surgeries.

·         The walk-in centre side of the practice would remain open.

·         The contract to manage this service was up for renewal in 2014.

Questions and comments included:

·         Jo Broom, Practice Manager at the centre commented that staff at the centre were not aware of the plans to relocate the registered patients to other GP practices. Answer: The information had been public knowledge for some time, any staff concerned about the plans could  discuss the matter with their line managers for further information.

Information about the planned works and closure to Broken Cross Bridge was set out on pages 25 – 26 of the agenda.

Information on the new Police and Crime Commissioner role was set out on pages 27 – 28 of the agenda.

Information on this Report was set out on pages 29 – 30 of the agenda.

Information on the Partnership was set out on pages 41 – 44 of the agenda.

Information on this initiative was set out on pages 45 – 46 of the agenda.

In addition to the information set out in the agenda on pages 47 – 48, the Chairman added that the Brickworth Quarry site was the only site which was vaguely near the Salisbury City Community area.

In addition to the written updates included in the agenda pack, the following verbal updates were received:

a)    Salisbury City Council (SCC) – Cllr Jo Broom

Grit Bins - The City Council planned to look at the position and requirements for additional grit bins around the city and feedback to Wiltshire Council which was responsible for refilling the bins.

Salisbury Crematorium – Planned Improvements to the crematorium had been delayed at the last minute by English Heritage, who had recently given the current crematorium building and grounds a grade II listed status. Although the decision was unexpected, the City Council aimed to work closely with Wiltshire Council Officers to move the project forward.

Jo added that they had received a huge amount of assistance from the Wiltshire Council Planning Officers.

Salisbury Civic Day – Was a recent opportunity to promote Salisbury to our neighbours. Guests were taken on a tour of the Bemerton Heath Neighbourhood Centre.

Grants Policy – A new policy was agreed by SCC in July, which set out the way that Grants and Funding would be managed.

Following discussion and suggestions on how to proceed with the Salisbury Crematorium Improvements project, Councillor Clewer added that the Salisbury Area Board supported the efforts of the Salisbury City Council and hoped that a way forward could be found.

b)    Laverstock and Ford Parish Council – Cllr David Law

Laverstock had recently won Best Kept Village competition.

Parish Clerk – The current parish clerk was due to retire in the near future, a successor was sought, this was a paid post and further details about the position could be found on the parish website: http://www.laverstock-ford.co.uk/

Student Photography Competition – The parish council was running a student photography competition, with two age categories; under 12 and 12 to 16, with cash prizes. The competition was open to all pupils/students of the four Laverstock Schools, closing date 30th Sept 2012.

Trails – Information on four walking trails available around the area was available from following a link on the website. Link: http://www.riverbournecommunityfarm.org.uk/trails.html

c)    Police – Inspector Andy Noble

The crime and incident figures had remained stable across all categories. There had been reports of unpleasant street drinkers who had been causing a disruption to local businesses and residents. The Police had been working with local partners and hoped to issue two anti social behaviour orders shortly.

d)    Fire & Rescue – Mike Bagnall

The format of the current statistic reports was to undergo a change, so that more information could be included. This would take place before the next meeting. 

There had been a downward turn in attended incidents for Salisbury, compared to the same time period for last year. Out of the 30 incidents attended in a month, the proportion of those that were actual fires or road collision was quite low.

e)    NHS – a written update was provided.

f)     Wiltshire Involvement Network – a written update was provided.

To receive an update from the Community Area Partnership.

At  SCCAP’s AGM on Wednesday 18 July 2012 the Salisbury Community Area Plan was launched.  Following the formal business those attending, including a number of young people living in Salisbury, participated in an interactive workshop led by ‘Up in Arms’ theatre group. Other work of the Partnership included:

·         Facilitating and taking an active part in the Heritage Trail Workshop meetings

·         Working with partners towards gaining the accreditation of Purple Flag award

·         Development of projects which had arisen from the Community Plan

·         The Chairman continues to represent the Partnership’s views on the Salisbury Vision Board

·         To look at any issues which may arise from the Joint Strategic Assessment, due to be carried out in October

·         Future projects and events are also planned for Autumn

Website link: http://sccap.wordpress.com/

The board received a verbal presentation from Mr Colin Duller, member of the Tenants Panel.

The Tenants Panel is a body set up to enable tenants and leaseholders to have a voice in the management of their estates, blocks or flats and or sheltered housing. Central Government tasked Local Authorities and Housing Association Landlords to find ways of giving tenants a voice.

Since the formation of the Tenants Panel in the South of Wiltshire sixteen years ago, the group has been seeking ways to promote tenant interests throughout the South Wiltshire Area, which is currently the only area within Wiltshire to still have council owned housing. There are several large council housing estates in Salisbury, which include The Friary, Bishopdown and Bemerton Heath.

The Tenants Panel aims to work closely with Councillors and Area boards to get the best value for money for the council and to help seek good management of council housing and the estates. A good close working relationship with the Housing Officers and Housing Management is also sought.

Other Officers including a Tenant Community Development Officer and a Tenant Participation Officer work alongside the Tenants Panel to assist and develop their work. The Panel and Officers produce a publication called the Housing Matters magazine, which helps to keep tenants informed of changing and new information.

A recent implementation of Estate Inspections has enabled members of the Tenants Panel to go out and meet with tenants and to answer any queries they may have.

It is the aim of the Panel to establish an Estate Office to work from, which could be used to keep records and to conduct interviews.

The Chairman thanked Mr Duller for his presentation and suggested that the Salisbury Campus may be the ideal communal meeting place the Tenants Panel was seeking. He urged the Tenants Panel to get in touch with the Shadow Community Operations Board (SCOB) to discuss it further.

The Board received an initial verbal presentation from Gary Bourne of Stanhope PLC and Kate Bourne of Redwood Consulting; on how the consultation process would run, prior to the production of any proposed designs.

• Introduction to Stanhope
• Stanhope had recently been selected following a year long tender process.
• Initial consultation by Stanhope was underway with stakeholder groups.
• Local input was sought on a number of key issues.
• Stanhope recognises the importance of early and meaningful consultation with the local community.  Stanhope aimed to be inclusive as possible from the outset, with assistance from all areas of the community to look at all of the factors which will help to shape the plans.
• Key objectives of a masterplan were covered, with particular reference to including the river, site linkages, tourism, sustainability, quality retailers, transport and parking.
• Consultation was planned with a cross section of age and society, and would include elected representatives, community groups, colleges, youth groups and disability groups to gain a wider view.
• Consultation would not be restricted to the city, but would cover the surrounding parishes.
• All of the relevant statutory groups would also be consulted including English Heritage.
• Public consultation would be widely advertised, including in the local press and by flyer circulation.

Timescales

Lots of work had already started, consultation and planning takes a great deal of time. The main aim over the next few months was to produce a development agreement.

October 2012 - Attend the Business Expo held in Salisbury.

Late 2012 / Early 2013 – Hold first exhibition in city centre, to show people where the project is at and to give any feedback required.

Work with Architect.

Summer / Autumn 2013 – Hold a further public exhibition.

Gather feedback.

Late 2013/early 2014 – Produce Planning Submission.

Late 2014 – Aim to start development phase, completion date unknown.

Gary added that updates and timescales would be provided throughout the process to keep people informed, and that people’s feedback and thoughts were welcomed.

The Chairman thanked Gary and Kate for the presentation adding that he was impressed with the work so far.

Questions and comments were then taken, these included:

• Given that there are known water table limitations to the site, is it possible to put in an underground car park or basement? Answer: We are in the early stages of the design development; however we clearly understand the limitations and issues associated with this site. All of the options and possibilities open to us will be considered over the next five months.
• Will the development include a cycle route and can COG meet Stanhope? Answer: We are keen to be in touch with the Heritage Trail to consider incorporating a cycle route and will arrange a meeting.
• Will the development be carried out in small phases so that people can get a feel for it? Answer: The plan will involve phases to the work to keep disruption to a minimum; this is an important part of the plan.
• The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Jenny Wilcockson, Digital Literacy Coordinator provided information on a Wiltshire Council project to raise awareness and to recruit volunteers to take part in providing IT assistance around the community to local individuals and groups.

Jenny explained that the Wiltshire Online Team had three key aims, these were:

1.    To roll out super fast broadband to 85 – 95% of all households across Wiltshire by 2015.

2.    To provide better access to services.

3.    To provide help to people so that they can learn skills to get online.

Part of the projects aim is to recruit two types of volunteers, the suggested requirement would be:

·         20 x Digital Champions – people who would provide one to one support

to others to get online.

·         2 x Local Volunteer Coordinators – In Salisbury, two people had already signed up for these roles.

Jenny was keen to hear about existing local groups who may benefit from some free IT assistance, such as coffee groups. Local knowledge would play a big part in the success of getting the project to work.

The Digital Champion volunteers would be encouraged to use local wifi enabled spots within the community area to meet and deliver assistance.

Schools would also be approached to see if they could be involved by getting

Young people interested in IT, to share their knowledge by providing assistance to others in their communities.

For more information and to pre-register to receive IT assistance, go to the web page: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/wiltshireonline/

The Board received feedback from the Silver Surfers who received funding from the Area Board last year. Organizer, Linda Baker explained that the grant had enabled the group to purchase equipment and to set up 2 hour long classes for the over 50’s, to assist them by providing training in a relaxed way.

Local young people were also encouraged to take part and assist in the training sessions as part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Extra courses were now available to all ages which were focused on providing assistance with accessing ebay and in researching family history online.

The group hoped to be able to open the classes up to other age groups and specific groups like stroke victims in the future. Other work included assisting the local guides and scouts in attaining their computer badges.

The Chairman read out an update which had been provided by Allan Creedy – Head of Service, Sustainable Transport, this included:

Work was under way to produce the documents listed below:

×          Accessibility Strategy

×          Cycling Plan

×          Implementation Plan

×          Network Management Plan

×          Powered Two Wheeler Plan

×          Rights of Way Improvement Plan

×          Smarter Choices Strategy

×          Strategic Environmental Assessment

×          Transport Asset Management Plan

×          Walking Plan

×          WiSMoTS (Wiltshire Sustainable Modes of Travel to School Strategy)

The Accessibility, Cycling, PTW, RoWIP and Smarter Choice strategies were well advanced, and subject to project board approval, and would be issued for public consultation in December 2012. The remainder would be completed and consulted upon early in 2013.

Allan Creedy aimed to attend the next meeting of the Board in November, where he hoped he would be able to share the detail of some of the more locally relevant theme strategies, and would be in a better position to discuss Government’s imminent announcement on devolved major scheme funding and the need to establish a new Wiltshire and Swindon Transport Body.

The Chairman invited a representative from each of the grant applicants to give a brief overview of their project to the Area Board.  After each of the applicants had spoken the Chairman invited questions and discussion, then asked for a show of hands from those present to reflect public opinion. The Area Board members then voted on each application.

Community Area Grant Funding:

Decision

Bemerton Heath Interagency Group was awarded £1,000 towards a doorstep consultation of local residents, circa 100 – 1200 homes.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13 and demonstrates a link to the Bemerton Ward Plan, as detailed in the officer’s report attached to the agenda.

Decision

Salisbury Lacrosse Club was awarded £1,500 towards start up costs.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13 and demonstrates a link to the Community Plan, as detailed in the officer’s report attached to the agenda.

Area Board Projects:

Decision

Salisbury Area Board agreed to award £10,000 towards the Area Board project to provide Brown Tourist Information signs on the main roads entering Salisbury.

Reason

The project meets Councillor led project criteria as detailed in the Officer’s report attached to the agenda.

Decision

Salisbury Area Board agreed to award £1,200 towards the administration of the Community First Panel, an initiative in St Edmund & Milford and St Martin’s & Cathedral Wards.

Reason

The project meets Councillor led project criteria as detailed in the Officer’s report attached to the agenda.

Late Item - Participatory Budgeting

The Board considered the late paper which had been circulated at the meeting. This set out the proposals for the Youth Initiative Funding budget of £7,825 to be allocated to SCAP to enable them to run a participatory budgeting exercise which would attract a larger attendance and participation.

Recommendations which arise from the exercise will then be reported back at the January Area Board for ratification.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board agreed that ‘Our Salisbury’ Community Area Partnership undertake the task of carrying out a Participatory Budgeting Event involving youth organizations and youth groups in the City between September – December, 2012, in line with the criteria and considerations as set out by the Community Area Manager. The outcome of the event will then be presented for ratification at the 10 January, 2013 Area Board meeting.     

The Board noted the attached update report on the progress of current schemes, and considered the funding recommendations for future schemes. However, the Board was asked to note that since the paper was written, a consultation had been undertaken of local opinion, which strongly supported a pavement outside Prebendal House in Stratford Road.  This matter would be referred to the CATG at the next meeting.  The dropped kerb project only required £5K instead of the planned £7K. 

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board approved funding for the following schemes:

1.    £1,000 towards Cherry Orchard Lane Footway improvements.

2.    £5,000 towards Dropped kerbs.

3.    £983 for a Topographical survey for Stratford Road.