Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman, Councillor Peter Hutton, welcome everyone to the meeting and explained the procedure for remote meetings.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence received.

To approve and sign as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2020.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 December 2020 were considered. Councillor Ross Henning queried whether there had been any further updates from the Chippenham Hospital, as a representative had been unable to attend both the previous meeting and the meeting on 10 February 2021. The Democratic Services Officer confirmed that they were still in the process of receiving an update but that it was difficult to obtain due to the current climate. After which, it was:

Resolved

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2020 as a true and correct record.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillor Ross Henning declared a non-pecuniary interest in the Chippenham Community Eco Hub grant application under Agenda Item 11, Funding, by virtue of being a Trustee of the project.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       The Census 2021 for England and Wales in relation to Wiltshire

·       Local Plan Review and Gypsy & Traveller Local Plan Consultations

·       COVID-19 Update

·       Station Hub Update

·       Street Pastors Update

The Chairman made the following announcements:

·       The Census 2021 for England and Wales in relation to Wiltshire.

o   It was noted that it would be the first Census run predominantly online. Census Day would be held on 21 March 2021 but households across the Country would receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March. Further information was attached to the agenda pack.

·       Local Plan Review and Gypsy & Traveller Local Plan Consultations

o   It was noted that the consultations on both the Local Plan Review and the scope and content of the proposed Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document would begin on Wednesday 13 January and would run until Tuesday 9 March 2021. Further information was attached to the agenda pack.

·       COVID-19 Update

o   It was noted that further information was attached to the agenda pack.

·       Station Hub Update

o   It was noted that further information including a written update and a copy of the press release was attached to the agenda pack on the improvements to New Road and Station Hill. These improvements included new traffic signals and upgraded crossings with work beginning on Monday 25 January 2021 and carried out in phases to minimise disruption and to ensure the works would be completed as quickly as possible.

·       Skate Park Update

o   It was noted that this update was not included as part of the agenda pack due to delays in confirming the information, but the Chairman stated that he would like to update the Area Board with regard to the previously agreed funding by Wiltshire Council of £200,000 to the Chippenham Borough Lands Charity to provide a new skate park for Chippenham. It was confirmed that the legal agreements were in the final stages of completion and the transfer of funding to the Chippenham Borough Lands from Wiltshire Council would begin over the next few weeks from the date of the meeting. It was highlighted that the Area Board would continue to receive future updates through the Local Youth Network who would be updated by the Charity on the progress of the project.

o   The Chairman highlighted the positivity of the progress and expressed anticipation for further updates.

·       Street Pastors Update

o   It was confirmed that the Chippenham Street Pastors unit would be disbanding. The Chairman thanked Michael Weeks, Local Coordinator, and noted that he and the Community Engagement Manager (CEM), Ollie Phipps, had organised for the delivery of awards on behalf of the Area Board and Chippenham community area as a whole.

o   The Chairman invited Chief Constable Kier Pritchard to speak who listed some of the key achievements and memorable moments of the group and thanked Michael Weeks and all of the volunteers for their continued and constant support and presence in the community.

To consider an overview of the Chippenham Community Area Board across the last four years.

Ollie Phipps, CEM, presented an overview of what the Area Board had achieved with regard to funding levels and examples of different projects supported over the past four years focusing on; Health and Wellbeing, Youth and Capital funding. It was highlighted that a lot of the projects supported were working with either volunteers or with very limited funding, therefore the grants that the Area Board had provided over the past four years was, in some cases, vital to ensuring these projects started and continued.

The Chairman thanked all that had applied for grants and had supported the Area Board over the years and requested that the slides be made available to the public by attaching them to the minutes.

To consider a presentation on the Future Chippenham Project Consultation.

Please note that due to the considerable interest generated by this agenda item and subsequent time constraints, there will be 20 minutes only allocated to public questions and 20 minutes only allocated to Councillor questions, and as such there is a chance that your questions may not be asked and answered. In this case, we encourage members of the public and Councillors to contact this address, FutureChippenham@wiltshire.gov.uk, in the event that you do not get the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Wiltshire Council officers Simon Hendey (Director of Housing & Commercial) and Chrissie Lamb (Programme Specialist in Major Project Services), delivered a presentation on the Future Chippenham Project Consultation.

The background information and programme context were explained alongside the key information regarding the consultation process such as the fact that all consultation materials were being supported online due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. It was noted that officers were keen to provide hard copies of any information needed to those who requested it by either posting or allowing people to collect from Monkton Park. The online webinars were raised, and it was highlighted that officers were looking to organise further sessions which allowed for a higher level of interaction between officers and members of the public.

Officers then moved onto the different distributor road route options and explained each in detail. A link to a video setting out the three options was shown, with officers encouraging people to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGf9nim5wsM&feature=youtu.be.

The different options assessment with regard to constraints and dependencies was then explained, namely: transport and connectivity; river flood risk; landscape setting and visual impact receptors; cultural heritage; and local biodiversity.

A timeline showing the key milestones of the project was shown and officers invited questions from members of the public and Councillors.

One member of the public asked questions to the officers which focused on the lack of detail surrounding potential housing developments and the lack of a fourth option which allowed members of the public to opt for none of the route options. Officers explained that people had the option of skipping to Question 6 on the consultation form and could use that as a space to object to all of the three route options or they could email into the Future Chippenham address setting out their concerns/objection which officers confirmed would be captured and reflected upon in the consultation results. It was also highlighted that this information was also under their Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

Members of the Area Board were then given the opportunity to ask questions of the officers with the main points of focus being concerns over carbon emission and traffic increases, the impacts on cultural heritage and further details on the proposed road. Members also voiced concerns with regard to the Local Plan Review Consultation being ran concurrently to the Future Chippenham Consultation with some members stating that they felt this was confusing for members of the public and suggested a level of pre-determination. One member of the Area Board then circled back to the points raised earlier concerning the lack of clarity around the option to object to all of the route options within the consultation form and suggested that the form should be amended to make this option clear. It was also suggested that the consultation period should be restarted once the form was amended. 

Furthermore, one member of the Area Board suggested that all members engage with the media to provide a statement voicing their concerns. The Chairman noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

To receive an update from Ollie Phipps on the Local Youth Network.

Ollie Phipps, CEM, emphasised that although all of the Youth funding for the year had been awarded, members of the public could still submit grant applications, but these would not be considered until after the elections with the newly formed Area Board. 

The Winter Photo Club competition winners’ photos by age category were presented and it was noted that each winner had won vouchers. It was highlighted that over 70 young people had engaged in the workshops, with over 40 entries into the competition itself. The winning photos are attached to the minutes.

The Chairman formally thanked Kez Hawkins, founder of The Photo Club, and Ollie Phipps for all their hard work on the project, and highlighted all of the work that the LYN had undertaken over the years stating that it was a credit to the Area Board.

To consider the notes and actions log of the previous meeting of the Community Area Transport Group held on 2 February 2021.

Councillor Ross Henning, Chairman of the Chippenham CATG, provided a brief update and referred members to the notes attached to the agenda pack.

At the previous meeting of the Area Board it had been noted that Martin Rose had stepped down from supporting the Chippenham CATG, Councillor Henning therefore confirmed that Senior Engineer, Kirsty Rose, had taken over the role and welcomed her to the group.

The cycleway developments across Chippenham were raised and it was noted that the CATG were keen to continue working closely with the Chippenham Cycleway Development Group. Councillor Nick Murry echoed the sentiment of cooperation and noted that the cycleways teams should liaise with members as often as possible to utilise their wealth of local knowledge.

Councillor Ashley O’Neill thanked Councillor Henning for his work in chairing the CATG and noted his appreciation of such.

Councillor Henning proposed that the three high priority schemes as highlighted within the report and shown to the meeting were approved, which the Chairman seconded.

Following which, it was:

Resolved

The Chippenham Area Board noted the minutes of the previous CATG meeting held on 2 February 2021 and approved the recommendations as detailed within those minutes.

To note the written updates provided and answer any questions arising from the floor:

      i.         Parish and Town Councils

     ii.         Wiltshire Police

    iii.         Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iv.         Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

     v.         Healthwatch Wiltshire

   vi.         Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda pack and associated agenda supplements. Additional verbal updates from Town and Parish Councils, and other Partners were received as follows:

1)    Wiltshire Police

o   Sergeants Ho Tsang and Richard Marshall spoke to the written updated included in the agenda pack.

o   Councillor Nick Murry thanked Wiltshire Police and highlighted the success of the Bath Road car park CCTV cameras. Sadlers Mead car park was raised with regard to the issue of anti-social behaviour and subsequent noise complaints that had arisen. Councillor Murry asked the Sergeants if anyone from Wiltshire Police would attend any meetings had in the community regarding the concerns. Sergeant Marshall confirmed that he was in the process of organising a meeting with Parking Services in Wiltshire Council to discuss the issues and encouraged Councillors to invite him to any meetings they may have.

o   Councillor Cape echoed the thanks given by members and noted the work made on monitoring speeding, particularly through Pewsham. She queried if Police Officers had noticed improvements in drink driving cases during the national lockdowns due to the closure of pubs. Sergeant Tsang confirmed that work was still being undertaken in identifying and preventing drink drivers, however they felt that the figures would naturally be lower due to the reduced opportunities to drink and drive through social restrictions.

o   Councillor Ashley O’Neill again echoed the thanks given by members and questioned if the recent increase in traffic was as a result of a wide-spread non-adherence to national restrictions. Sergeant Marshall noted that traffic considerably decreased during the first national lockdown in March 2020 as it was an unprecedented time and therefore workplaces did not have the infrastructure in place to ensure that spaces were COVID secure. However, now that these infrastructural changes have been implemented this has allowed many businesses to continue operating in a semi-normal manner and as such, more children have gone back to school, thus increasing the amount of traffic on the roads.

o   The Chairman gave his thanks to Wiltshire Police on behalf of the Area Board.

2)    Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

o   Wayne Presley, Group Manager, spoke to the written update included in the agenda pack. It was noted that low levels of staff absence has meant that the DWFRS has had the ability to continue supporting different partners, such as volunteering at vaccine sites, providing emergency support drivers for the ambulance service and providing front line crews that can respond to cardiac calls. No significant events were highlighted as being noteworthy and it was confirmed that visits and virtual seminars such as the “Safe Drive, Stay Alive” were continuing to take place on a risk assessed approach.

o   The Chairman gave his thanks to all of the DWFRS workers on behalf of the Area Board and noted their integral role in supporting the COVID-19 response.

To determine the following grant applications:

Community Area Grants:

To consider the following applications for Community Area Grant funding:

·       CCF – the ONE Place, £1,000, towards the Café Spero community work food bank.

·       Yatton Keynell Recreation Association, £4,865, towards fencing replacement at Yatton Keynell Village Hall.

·       Christian Malford Cricket Club, £5,000, towards the Christian Malford Cricket Club replacement outfield mower.

·       TransWilts Community Interest Company, £400, towards the Chippenham Station 180 years anniversary exhibition.

·       Alabare Christian Care and Support, £2,484.02, towards support for the Unity House.

·       Chippenham Community Eco Hub, £5,000, towards equipment and resources.

·       Langley Burrell Village Hall, £3,830.66, towards new chairs and painting the outside building.

·       Bybrook Benefice, £2,155, towards the Bybrook benefice community outreach.

·       Kington St Michael QE2 Field Group, £2,000, towards kickball wall improvements.

The Area Board considered the applications for Community Area Grant funding, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda pack.

Councillor Ross Henning reiterated his declaration of interest in the Chippenham Community Eco Hub grant application. The Democratic Services Officer, Ellen Ghey, experienced technical difficulties during the Agenda Item, which therefore meant that Senior Democratic Services Officer, Tara Shannon, continued clerking the meeting in her stead.

The Area Board voted on each of the grant applications. Following which, it was:

Resolved

1)    To grant the CCF – the ONE Place, £1,000, towards the Café Spero community work food bank.

2)    To grant the Yatton Keynell Recreation Association, £4,865, towards fencing replacement at Yatton Keynell Village Hall.

3)    To grant Christian Malford Cricket Club, £5,000, towards the Christian Malford Cricket Club replacement outfield mower.

4)    To grant the TransWilts Community Interest Company, £400, towards the Chippenham Station 180 years anniversary exhibition.

5)    To grant the Alabare Christian Care and Support, £2,484.02, towards support for the Unity House.

6)    To grant the Chippenham Community Eco Hub, £4,650, of the £5,000 requested due to budgetary restrictions, towards equipment and resources.

7)    To grant the Langley Burrell Village Hall, £3,830.66, towards new chairs and painting the outside building.

8)    To grant the Bybrook Benefice, £2,155, towards the Bybrook benefice community outreach.

9)    To grant the Kington St Michael QE2 Field Group, £2,000, towards kickball wall improvements.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Chippenham Area Board is TBC.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The date of the next meeting of the Chippenham Area Board was noted as being TBC.