Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the extraordinary meeting which had been called to consider the site options for the proposed Corsham community campus.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no chairman’s announcements.

To receive a report from the Shadow Corsham Community Campus Operations Board and to consider a recommendation regarding the site for the proposed campus.

Allan Bosley, Chairman of the Shadow Community Operations Board (SCOB) gave a presentation regarding the site options considered by the SCOB and the reasons for its final recommendation.

The presentation covered the following issues:

Consultation

·         The SCOB had been appointed by the Area Board to oversee the development of the campus.

·         Consultations had taken place with the wider community regarding the campus proposals.   The Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN) had been appointed by the Area Board to evaluate local views and had carried out a consultation in 2010.  Public meetings had been held with local groups, the general public and a sample survey had been undertaken within the community area.  A school survey had also taken place to gauge the views of young people.

·         The SCOB had held long and detailed discussions regarding the site for the campus.

·         The library needed to be relocated because the building was unsustainable.  The same was also true for the community centre.

·         The following requirements had been requested for the campus building:

o   Indoor Leisure facilities

o   Library

o   Facilities for young people

o   Childcare

o   Adult social care

o   Car parking

o   Licensed facilities

o   Large multi-functional community hall and stage

o   Dance floor

o   Range of rooms of different size

o   Storage space

o   Range of indoor recreational and sporting facilities

o   Better kitchen facilities

Working Proposal

The working proposal included the following facilities:

·         Single Reception

·         Refurbished Leisure Centre

·         Library, to include improved IT/internet provision

·         Facilities and services for young people

·         A variety of multi-purpose meeting/resource rooms

·         Community café and licensed catering facilities

·         Personal care rooms

·         Desk and office space

·         Large multi-purpose (sprung floor) community hall

·         A variety of areas for dedicated storage

·         Appropriate car parking and bicycle storage

·         Outdoor recreation and sporting facilities

·         All weather pitch

·         Climbing wall

Strategic Principles

A strategic principles document was then developed by the SCOB in order to identify the best location for the campus building.  These principles had been based on local knowledge, the results of the consultations, and they took into account the sustainability of the building. The strategic principles consider many aspects of the campus proposal, including the following:

·         SCOB created working groups on Travel and Equalities Impact Assessment

·         Identifying issues associated with this specific site

·         Working principles, e.g. minimal disruption to existing users

·         Accessibility

o   In terms of the building itself

o   Getting to the site

·         Sustainability

·         Design and creativity

·         For the whole of the Corsham community area

·         That the completed centre should be a fantastic facility

Feasibility and Options Study

Wiltshire Council had appointed Alec French Architects who were informed by the results of the consultation and the strategic principles.  They were asked to consider where the campus could be located adjacent to the leisure centre but as yet no detailed designs had been considered.

Initial designs were submitted and the SCOB and Campus and Operations Team considered these and made comments.  Revised designs were then submitted and three options and two variations were produced.

Site Options

The Area Board  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.