Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Area Board and introduced the councillors and officers present.

The Chairman also welcomed to the meeting Councillor Chris Williams, who was the Portfolio Holder responsible for the Area Boards.

Apologies for absence were received as follows:

·         Mike Leighfield, Mary Champion and Johnathan Bourne, Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council

·         David Tetlow and Shelley Parker, Cricklade Town Council

·         Sergeant Martin Alvis, Wiltshire Police

·         Mike Franklin, Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

·         Paul Harrison, Wootton Bassett Sports Association

·         Thomas Woodhouse, Chair, Royal Wootton Bassett Shadow Community Operations Board

·         Carole Soden, Wiltshire Councillor and Wiltshire Police Authority representative.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 25 July 2012.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 25 July 2012 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are requested to declare any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests, or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To note the following announcements:

      i.        Street Light Savings

    ii.        State of the Environment Report

   iii.        Wiltshire & Swindon Local Nature Partnership

   iv.        Barrier Busting Proposals

    v.        Minerals Sites in Wiltshire & Swindon

   vi.        Wootton Bassett Town Council Wards (renaming to include “Royal”).

The Chairman drew attention to a number of Chairman’s announcements that had been circulated for information; full details of which had been included within the agenda pack and the supplementary agenda pack.

The Chairman also announced that Penny Bell, who had been the Democratic Services Officer for the Area Board for the past couple of years, had successfully been appointed to the role of Community Area Manager for the Area Board.

The transitional arrangements currently in place would remain whilst Penny served out the notice in her current role, and it was envisaged that Penny would be in her new post by the beginning of November.

A query arose from Cricklade Town Council regarding a request some time ago for street light switching off/dimming.

Action – the Chairman undertook to investigate this matter, with the local member Councillor peter Colmer, and would report back to the Town Council as soon as possible.

To note the written reports and receive any verbal updates from the following:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iii.        Defence Technical Training (see also agenda item 10)

   iv.        NHS Wiltshire

    v.        Parish and Town Councils

   vi.        Community Area Young People’s Issues Group

  vii.        Neighbourhood Planning Working Group

viii.        Community-Led Planning Steering Groups

   ix.        Chambers of Commerce/Business Associations

    x.        Community Groups

   xi.        Housing Associations.

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

The written report was received and noted. Inspector Chris Martin reported that the Police had successfully arrested and charged someone in connection with a spate of local burglaries. The person arrested had admitted to a number of local offences so it was hoped that the situation was now resolved.

There had been a slight increase in violent crime without injury more recently, and this was mainly domestic-related and thought to be due to an increase in reporting.

It was suggested that the Police could make more use of Twitter and social media to communicate and inform the local community. Inspector Martin acknowledged the merit in this, and would pass the message on for further consideration.

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The written report was received and noted. There were no further updates.

   iii.        Defence Technical Training

Captain Bob Rusbridger reported that the plans for the Defence Technical Training Site at Lyneham had been approved by the MOD on 1 August. The MOD could now enter the assessment phase of the process, which would include a planning application, for which the relevant surveys were currently underway.

The Defence Infrastructure Team was now based full time at Lyneham, and the site would cease to be RAF Lyneham at the end of the year.

A full community consultation process was being constructed at present.

   iv.        NHS Wiltshire

The written report was received and noted. There were no further updates.

    v.        Parish and Town Councils

The written reports were received and noted. There were no further updates.

   vi.        Neighbourhood Planning Working Group

Councillor Mollie Groom reported that both Broad Town and Lydiard Millicent were starting their consultations. Support was also available to other parishes interested in developing a community-led plan.

The Chairman reported that Cricklade Town Council had resolved to withdraw from the Neighbourhood Planning Frontrunner scheme.

Action – the Area Board was to seek clarification on how this would affect the funding of the scheme.

 vii.        Chambers of Commerce/Business Associations

Bob Jones of Cricklade Business Association reported that work was ongoing with Visit Wiltshire regarding the tourism project. Surveys would shortly be sent out to parish councils in order to capture relevant information for a visitor guide.

viii.        Community Groups

Extended Services – Andrea Smith thanked the Area Board for awarding a grant towards the programme of summer activities. All 27 activities proved very successful and attracted 611 children in total.

Councillor Bill Roberts proposed a formal vote of thanks to Andrea for her hard work at improving the general quality of life in the area.

Memory Cafe – a memory cafe would be held fortnightly on Fridays in the Royal Wootton Bassett Civic Centre.

Wiltshire Involvement Network – a meeting would be taking place in Melksham Assembly Hall on 14 November from 10am, where representatives from local hospitals would be present to answer questions. This event would be followed by a group meeting at 1.30pm.

Cricklade Leisure Centre – the leisure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider reports from the following task groups and make any necessary decisions:

      i.        Community Area Transport Group

    ii.        Cricklade Shadow Community Operations Board

   iii.        Royal Wootton Bassett Shadow Community Operations Board

   iv.        Dog Fouling Task Group.

Updates were received as follows:

      i.        Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

The Area Board considered a recommendation from the CATG for a highways improvement scheme at the c16 Stone Lane, Lydiard Millicent, as specified by Highways Officers.

Decision

The Area Board approved the recommendation from the CATG to allocate the sum of £6,000 to fund a project at the C16 Stone Lane, Lydiard Millicent, with the aim to reduce traffic speeds.

    ii.        Cricklade Shadow Community Operations Board (COB)

The Area Board received and noted the update report from the Cricklade Shadow COB, and considered the associated recommendation for the progression of a campus for the Cricklade area.

Decision

The Area Board supported the campus proposal with Ockwells as a High Street campus location for submission to Cabinet in October 2012, as outlined in the circulated update report.

   iii.        Royal Wootton Bassett Shadow Community Operations Board

The Area Board received and noted the update report from the Royal Wootton Bassett Shadow COB, and considered the associated recommendation.

Decision

The Area Board agreed to continue its support for the progression of the Royal Wootton Bassett Shadow COB’s preferred campus option, as outlined in the circulated update report.

   iv.        Dog Fouling Task Group

Councillor Jacqui lay reported that a meeting had been convened for members of the task group at 6.30pm on Thursday 27 September at Cricklade Town Council. Feedback from this meeting would be provided at the next Area Board meeting.

To consider the following applications for funding:

      i.        Cricklade Jubilee Gardens Project - £320 requested

    ii.        Hook Village Hall Toddler Group - £1,000 requested

   iii.        Smart Zone Ltd - £976 requested

   iv.        Tockenham Parish Council - £200 requested

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

       i.        Jubilee Gardens Project

The sum of £320 was requested for signage.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £320 to Jubilee Gardens Project for signage, conditional upon any necessary planning permissions being obtained.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2011/12 and would raise the profile of the Jubilee Gardens.

      ii.        Hook Village Hall Toddler Group

The sum of £1,000 was requested to establish a new toddler group.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,000 to Hook Village Hall Toddler Group to establish a new group.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2011/12 and there were no similar groups in the immediate area.

    iii.        Smart Zone Ltd

The sum of £976 was requested for improved signage.

Decision

The Area Board refused the application from Smart Zone Ltd.

Reason: The applicant was a business and so did not fulfil the eligibility criteria of the Community Area Grant Scheme.

    iv.        Tockenham Parish Council

The sum of £200 was requested for a parish plan.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £200 to Tockenham Parish Council for a parish plan.

Reason: The application was in line with the Area Board’s agreed funding process for supporting community-led planning activities in the Community Area.

A short interval will be held for refreshments and networking opportunities.

A short break was held for refreshments and networking opportunities.

To receive an update from Angus Martin (Technical Director, AMEC, Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited) regarding arrangements for public consultation relating to planning applications for development works at Lyneham.

Angus Martin, Technical Director, AMEC, Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited, provided an update regarding arrangements for public consultation relating to planning applications for development works at Lyneham.

A project website would be prepared and published during October 2012, providing a wealth of information including the background to the scheme, project updates and consultation details.

Newsletters, leaflets and one-to-one meetings with residents residing close to the site would also be used as consultation methods.

Public exhibitions would be held during March 2012, prior to the submission of a planning application which was expected to be submitted around May 2013.

The Chairman thanked Angus for the update and reported that further updates would be made via the Area Board and via parish and town councils.

It was suggested that local ‘information points’ might be a more effective consultation method than producing leaflets and newsletters for every household. This suggestion was noted.

To receive a presentation from Nicole Smith, Head of Strategic Housing, regarding housing need in the Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Community Area and the Council’s review of its Housing Allocations System.

Nicole Smith, Head of Strategic Housing, Wiltshire Council and Ann Cornelius of Greensquare Housing gave a presentation regarding housing need in the Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Community Area and the Council’s review of its housing allocations system.

The Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Community Area had a population of 29,180; 61.5% of which was made up of working-age people. The median house price in the Community Area was £190,000. The majority of housing in the area was owner occupied, at 71.1%, with 11.8% being social housing.

There were currently a total of 17,088 households on the housing register for Wiltshire, and 911 had indicated a preference of the Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Community Area as their first choice. The main requirement was the need for one-bedroom accommodation.

Greensquare Housing reported that it had spent £75m in 296 homes in Wootton Bassett, and a further 291 homes were due to be completed by 2015. Key projects included bathroom refurbishments, adaptations for disabled, working with Wiltshire Council to identify land for new homes to meet local needs and improvements to Hooks Hill.

It was also reported that Royal Wootton Bassett would be a focus of a community development project; managing anti-social behaviour through enforcement and support.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced amendments to Part 6 of the Housing Act.

It provided new freedoms to set the rules determining which categories of applicants qualified for social housing. Factors that could be taken into consideration included:

·         Local connection

·         Exclusions or reduced preference

·         Under-occupation / Foster carers

·         Households in work or seeking work / training

·         Identified housing need.

The Chairman thanked Nicole for the presentation, and the following comments arose in the discussion that ensued:

·         Greensquare was praised for the community work being done in the local community. It was reported that this was a core part of business for housing associations.

·         Households on the housing register could specify up to three preferred location choices. The 911 households referred to was the total number of households on the register that had specified somewhere in the Royal Wootton Bassett & Cricklade area as their first choice.

·         Older people of non-working age were not affected by the introduction of under-occupancy rules.

·         Households were encouraged to swop homes where possible to ensure they were in the most suitable accommodation for their needs, although it was acknowledged that there was a lack of family-sized homes available.

·         Thanks were paid to Greensquare for the support given to help Cricklade Bloomers become Champion of Champions.

·         It was suggested that the housing associations could work in partnership with the Parent Support Advisors that worked in the local schools.

A short voting exercise was conducted to allow local people the chance to input their views into the Council’s review of its housing allocations system. There was also an opportunity for people to submit their views online via Survey Monkey via the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B89KBXK

The whole review was likely to take approximately 8 to 10 months. Further information or details of how to get involved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To receive a brief update from members leading on the JSA priorities, as follows:

      i.        HGV volume and routes – Councillor Jacqui Lay

    ii.        Affordable housing and making it attractive/modern – Councillor Allison Bucknell

   iii.        Urban Sprawl – Councillor Peter Colmer

   iv.        Lack of bus services in rural areas – Councillor Bill Roberts

    v.        Increasing traffic on A419/M4 creating rat-runs – Councillor Mollie Groom.

Updates were received from members leading on priorities, as follows:

      i.        HGV volume and routes – Councillor Lay reported on the main issues for consideration, which were:

·         Routes in the area (local and national).

·         What the local HGV need was - where and why?

·         Any problem routes & restrictions (weight limits, road structure etc).

·         Impact on roads, buildings, people & other road users.

·         Perception and whether anything could be done to make HGV traffic more acceptable – were there better routes?

·         Views of HGV drivers, operators and site owners.

    ii.        Affordable housing – Councillor Bucknell reported on the affordable housing priority, and that it needed to be more suitable for modern living, in the right place, at the right tenure and the right design.

It was planned to take this forward by:

·         Establishing existing situation

·         Scoping out

·         Looking at what the Area Board could do

·         Potentially setting up working group.

   iii.        Urban sprawl – Councillor Colmer reported on the need to liaise with Swindon so that any development wasn’t detrimental   to the Community Area. Priority for local people was to retain the rural feel and not be swallowed up by Swindon.

Changes of planning guidelines were needed make the protection of the rural environment weaker.

It was planned to take this forward by:

·         Adoption of the Core Strategy

·         The development of a neighbourhood plan(s)

·         On-going dialogue with Swindon

   iv.        Lack of bus services in rural areas – Councillor Roberts would be concentrating on the priority to assess the need and provision of rural buses.

It was planned to take this forward by establishing the need; i.e. where, when and the benefits? It was also important to involve key partners and advisors, such as Area Boards, the Shadow COB, Town & Parish Councils and the public.

    v.        Increasing traffic on the A419/M4 creating rat-runs – Councillor Groom updated on this priority as follows:

·         Swindon was seeking funding to enable the long-awaited building of the Iffley Road. 

·         The planting of many trees along the route was planned.

·         As a result of Northern Expansion going to Appeal, only 20 per cent of the expected Section 106 monies became available.

·         Tadpole Farm development - Swindon Borough Council recently passed this application – plans included a link road for construction traffic during construction phase and may also include many landscaped open spaces.

Further information on the five selected priorities and details of how to get involved were available by contacting the lead councillor.

The Chairman thanked the councillors for their updates and reported that regular updates on the priorities would be reported via the Area Board.

To receive an interactive presentation from Laurie Bell, Director Communications, to recap on the year’s events, discuss the effect the year has had and to talk about how to continue the legacy through 2013 and beyond.

Laurie Bell, Director Communications, gave a presentation regarding the Jubilee and Olympics celebrations that had taken place throughout 2012, and spoke about the importance of keeping the legacy of these events alive within our local communities.

Some of the key highlights and positive impacts of the events included:

•      Additional spend on events days was estimated to be over £1 million – not including any tourism impact

•      Hotels and B&B’s in Salisbury were fully booked w/c 9 July for the Hudson’s Field event

•      Visit Wiltshire website had the highest monthly number of visits since records began in 2008

•      There was a substantial return on investment (£290,000)

Laurie encouraged people to think of ways and ideas for keeping the Legacy of 2012 alive within their communities. Laurie and her team were happy to provide support and advice if required.

Laurie was thanked and congratulated on behalf of the Area Board and everyone in the community for her hard work, enthusiasm and dedication in making the 2012 events to special and successful. Laurie received a round of applause from the room in acknowledgement of her valued contributions.

A copy of the full presentation, and the DVD and photographs, were available upon request.

To receive a presentation from Carol Soden, Wiltshire Police Authority Member, regarding the new Police and Crime Commissioners.

The Chairman presented information on the new Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), which would be elected for every police force area in England and Wales outside London.

The PCCs would replace the Wiltshire Police Authority and the elections would take place on 15 November 2012, with the PCCs taking office on 22 November. PCCs were being introduced by the Government to increase accountability of the Police.

The transition timetable for the changes was as follows:

·         Oct 2012: pre-election period begins (Purdah)

·         19 Oct 2012 – Last point candidates could declare

·         15 Nov 2012: Elections of PCCs

·         22 Nov 2012: PCCs take office

·         21 Dec 2012: PCC sends draft budget for 2013/14 to Police & Crime panel

·         March 2013 – PCC’s Police & Crime Plan is published.

Further information was available online:

www.wiltshire-pa.gov.uk/pcc

www.homeoffice.gov.uk

www.apccs.police.uk

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates below and participate in the evaluation.

The Chairman announced that the March 2013 meeting of the Area Board had been cancelled as it fell within the pre-election period. Therefore, only two funding rounds remained for Community Area Grant funding; being the 28 November 2012 meeting and the 23 January 2013 meeting. Local community groups and organisations were encouraged to contact their local member regarding potential funding for projects.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The next meeting of the Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Area Board would be held on Wednesday 28 November 2012, from 6pm at St Bartholomew’s School in Royal Wootton Bassett.