Agenda item

The Council is requested to consider the report circulated with the agenda with its two appendices for this item and to make the following resolution:

That (1) the release of £23,000 from general fund reserves to support the Selsey and Midhurst Vision projects be approved and (2) the Project Initiation Documents attached to the agenda report be approved.

The Council considered the report and its two appendices for this item which had been circulated at pages 43 to 63 of the Council agenda.

Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) formally moved the recommendation in the agenda report and this was seconded by Mr J Connor (Cabinet Member for Environment Services).

Mr Dignum first of all explained the urgent need to authorise the allocated budgets for the Selsey and Midhurst Visions and approve their respective project initiation documents (PID) to enable the necessary works to proceed during summer 2018. It was for this reason that the decision had been brought to the Council to make now rather than wait until the next Cabinet meeting in early September 2018.

Mr Connor commented on the Selsey Vision aspect of the report and the appended PID (pages 45 to 54), which set out in some detail what the Selsey Vision aspired to achieve and how that would be implemented. The release of the funding would give an impetus to realise the Vision. Moreover, following the decision not to proceed with the Selsey Haven project, the Vision’s outputs were intended to reflect and achieve the recommendations of the Marshall Regen 2017 economic report on Selsey Haven. It was very important to be seen to deliver the Vision in a permanent, substantive and tangible manner eg via the wayfinding projects. He commended to the Council approval of the funding.

Mr Dignum commented on the Midhurst Vision aspect of the report and the appended PID (pages 55 to 63), which set out is some detail what the Midhurst Vision aspired to achieve and how that would be implemented. As with the Selsey Vision, this was a refresh of the current Vision. The project delivery costs were set out on pages 59 to 60 of the agenda papers. In order to facilitate the progress of the Vision as soon as possible, he commended to the Council approval of the funding.

During the discussion members spoke enthusiastically in support of the two Visions.

Mr Dignum responded where appropriate to members’ questions and comments on points of detail with regard to (a) consideration being given by the Midhurst Vision Steering Group (MVSG) to providing a suitable meeting place for young people in Midhurst or some similar facility, although funds were limited; (b) as the Visions were being implemented and their benefits delivered, due account should be taken of local built-up areas and smaller settlements near to the two towns, for example the MVSG could bear in mind Easebourne; (c) the £50,000 allocated for Visions could be utilised to support other Visions in due course, for example Petworth; (d) the importance of seeking local people’s views on the Visions; (e) taking the opportunity to publicise and promote in the Midhurst Vision local features of interest such as the South Downs National Park Authority’s interesting display in the town about the local area; and (f) the desirability to retain flexibility in the sums allocated in the PIDs to particular projects, reassigning part of them to another project if appropriate.      

Decision

On a show of hands the members voted unanimously in favour of the resolution set out below with no votes against and no abstentions. 

RESOLVED

That (1) the release of £23,000 from general fund reserves to support the Selsey and Midhurst Vision projects be approved and (2) the Project Initiation Documents attached to the agenda report be approved.