Agenda item

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Parish and Town Councils

The written reports contained within the agenda pack were noted. An update from Kington Langley Parish Council was circulated at the meeting.

Ken Bolter from Christian Malford Parish Council raised concern over the amount of flooding experienced in the area over recent days.

Cllr Howard Greenman confirmed that many flooding issues had been reported to the Highways team, including areas of Christian Malford and that the Parish Council should continue to liaise with the Flood Working Group to address ongoing issues.

Emergency Planning were busy over the weekend dealing with the unusual amount of rainfall and snow.  Priority was given to flooding issues relating to people and their properties. 

    ii.        Wiltshire Police

The written report from Wiltshire Police was noted.

Inspector Stayning confirmed that following a restructure of staff he would now lead the policing teams for Chippenham, Calne and Corsham.  Having been appointed to the position recently, he looked forward to working with the Area Boards in the future.

The Board wished Inspector Stayning luck in his new role and requested that thanks be recorded to the outgoing Inspector Schorah.

   iii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The written report as circulated with the agenda was superceded by the report as circulated at the meeting for the month of October.  A further update on the impact of the recent weekend flooding was also circulated.  This included that between the hours of 8am and 2pm firefighters attended approximately 40 flooding related incidents across the County.

   iv.        NHS Wiltshire

No update was provided.

    v.        Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

A written update was circulated which included that an informal meeting had taken place to explore ways in which the partnership could work more effectively.  Although the structure and terms of reference of the group were to be revisited all project work would continue as agreed in the meantime.

   vi.        Chippenham Vision Board

The process of consulting with key stakeholders and developers continued.  It was hoped that a more detailed presentation would be available to the Area Board at a later date.

 vii.        Chippenham Shadow Community Operations Board

The update provided was noted.  This included that a consultation was now underway which would run until 30 November to determine what facilities the campus should contain and the services to be provided.

The name of the Operations Board had now changed to ‘Chippenham Campus Development Team’ to better reflect the purpose of the Board.

viii.        Community Area Young People’s Issues Group (CAYPIG)

No further update was provided.

   ix.        Youth Strategy Update

The update provided was noted.

    x.        Lyneham Steering Group

No update was provided.

   xi.        Chippenham Partnership of Schools

No update was provided.

 xii.        Skatepark Task Group

The Chairman drew attention to the progress report contained within the Agenda.  The report had been requested at the last meeting of the Board by the Vice Chairman in the absence of the Chairman.

In acknowledging that there were several members of the public in attendance, the Chairman agreed to take several questions from the floor although reiterated that the report did not contain any recommendations but was a progress report only.

This included whether an environmental impact assessment had or would be undertaken with clarification given that this would be done after the public consultation meeting to be held on 26 November 2012.

Upon further questioning it was confirmed that the Task Group had undertaken a good assessment of all outdoor sites.  Noting that on-going costs would be applicable for any in-door facility as well as potential costs associated for use, the Task Group had not pursued this avenue at the current time.

It was suggested that the Board members should still visit the Devizes in-door skate park site to gain a better understanding of the facilities that could be offered.  It was understood that the entrance fee applicable to use the facilities was £2.50 per hour and that an in-door site be considered as part of the public consultation meeting on 26 November, together with the implications of the skate park on the proposed site at Monkton Park on the Folk Festival.

Confirmation was provided that the Task Group had received a clear mandate to look at potential sites to house a skate park site in the Chippenham area.  This had been undertaken and the findings reported. 

All residents were encouraged to attend the public meeting on 26 November where an overview of the work of the Task Group would be given and the results of the survey/consultation held to date provided.

It was also important that as many residents attend, including the younger generation, to ensure all views were considered as part of the consultation.

A full report, inclusive of the recommendations of the Task Group, would be presented to the Area Board for consideration once the findings of the consultation exercise were fully known.