Agenda item

(a)  To receive an update from Cllrs Allan Bosley and Alan Macrae regarding the Corsham Community Campus Project.

(b)   To consider appointing a new representative to the Shadow Campus Operations Board following the resignation of one member.

(a)  Update on Community Campus Project

The Area Board noted the update report submitted by Cllr Alan Bosley, Chairman of the Shadow Campus Operations Board (COB).  The COB had met on 4 and 23 May.

The following issues were discussed and questions raised:

·         It was confirmed that the full minutes from the COB would be made available on line and would be brought to future meeting of the Area Board.  A copy of the minutes from the meetings held on 2 and 23 May will be made available on the Council website www.wiltshire.gov.uk/corshamcommunitycampus

·         It was noted that an offer had been made by the Princes Foundation to use the “enquiry by design” method as a tool to engage the community in the design of the campus.  This would have been provided free of charge.  However, the COB had rejected this offer and a number of people were disappointed by this decision.

The Chairman explained that the COB had carefully considered the offer but due to the short timescale for the project had decided against using this method of community engagement.  He agreed to forward the details of the offer to other community areas whose campus projects were not subject to such tight deadlines.  It was noted that the offer would not necessarily be free of charge to other community areas.

·         Would the funding for the project be lost if the project was not completed within the planned timescales?  Why is the time frame driving the project forward?

The Chairman explained that the Cabinet had agreed a number of pilot campus schemes.  Corsham was one of these.  One of the main reasons for Corsham’s inclusion in the pilot phase was due to the urgent need to provide facilities for young people in the area.  The Cabinet still had to formally approve funding for the Corsham scheme.

·         Concern was expressed that although Corsham had been promised a youth centre this had never materialised.  Is the campus the right location for a youth centre?  There was concern regarding the tight timescales and that due to these timescales the Council was not listening to the views of the community.

The Chairman explained that the COB shared these concerns.  Any person who wanted to raise issues about the campus should contact one of the representatives on the COB who could bring any concerns to the meetings for discussion.

·         A petition had been organised asking that the existing community centre be allowed to continue and requesting that it should not be part of the new campus.  Over 600 signatures had already been collected.  The Board was advised that the wider public of Corsham were not all in favour of the new campus facility particularly users of the library, youth service and community centre.

The Chairman stated that he would be happy to receive a copy of the petition as soon as it was available.

·         Corsham Town Council fully supported the campus and the consultation process but accepted that there were some concerns.

·         Would there be one firm of architects for all the campuses?

The Chairman explained that the architects would not necessarily be the same for all campuses across Wiltshire.

·         Would the campuses have a unified design?

No, the design would be Corsham specific.

·         The Corsham Community Centre accepted the basic principle of the campus and understood the need for lower maintenance etc.

·         Would the Rudloe Community Centre be part of the campus?

The Chairman agreed to provide a written answer to this question.

·         Who decided what organisations and services will go into the new campus building?

Each service area has facilities in different parts of the community area and the campus would provide an opportunity to bring these together in one central location.  Some new services would also be brought into Corsham.  This would also free up other buildings in Corsham.  The Council would decide which of its services would relocate to the campus building but other services would be based on the consultation process.  It was important to ensure that the design meets their needs.

·         The library in Corsham was purpose built.  What about access for those people who do not have a car?

The COB will produce a transport plan which will take into account all users of services located at the campus.  It will be helpful for some people to be able to co-locate.

·         The CAYPIG and young people in Corsham were not against the campus but want the right facility for them.

·         Why has such a tight timescale been set for the project?  Is the timescale the same for other campuses in the county?  Due to this short time period there appears to be not enough time to listen to people’s views and take them on board.

The consultation that has been undertaken was as wide as possible.  There are only 5 pilot campus projects at the moment.  The priority order has already been agreed with Corsham and Melksham being the first two to be completed.  It is hoped that the Corsham campus will be open in June 2012 subject to the necessary planning consent.  The other 3 pilot campuses have a slightly longer lead in time.

·         Are the young people who will be using the campus aware that there is likely to be a police presence in the building?  This may put off some of the potential users of the youth facility.

The Police Authority are looking at the possibility of having a presence in each of the campus buildings.  This was likely to be the neighbourhood policing teams who would be out and about in the community most of the time anyway.  The Chairman and Gill Stafford from the Police Authority agreed to take these concerns back to their respective organisations.

·         It was noted that other campuses would not be built unless the five pilot projects were successful.

·         Will there be scope to eradicate any mistakes which had been made when building the first five campuses?

It was likely that the management structure could be changed if this was not successful.

·         Are the short timescales actually feasible?

The COB was confident that the timescales could be met but acknowledged that the deadline was tight.

·         When considering the management principles for the building is the system of using charitable association a possibility?  The community centre is currently run in this way.  This would provide scope for continuous improvement.

The Chairman agreed to feed in this proposal to the COB for consideration.

·         Where are the details of the timescales for the project?  Are they available to the public?

The timescales are available on the Area Board part of the Council’s website.  The link is http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/communitycampuses/corshamcommunitycampus.htm

(b)  Appointment of Member to the Shadow Campus Operations Board

It was noted that one member of the COB had resigned and it was therefore necessary to appoint a replacement.

Decision

To appoint Steve Hammond from the Corsham Community Association to fill the current vacancy on the Shadow Campus Operations Board.

Actions

(1)  Cllr Alan Macrae to feed back the concerns raised to the COB.

(2)  Cllr Alan Macrae to inform other community areas who are considering campuses of the offer made to undertake “enquiry by design” free of charge.

(3)  Cllr Alan Macrae to provide a written answer regarding the Rudloe Community Centre.

(4)  Gill Stafford to feed back concerns to the Police Authority.