Chichester District Council
Agenda item

Agenda item

Initial Project Proposals 2019-2020 and Corporate Plan

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and its nine appendices in the agenda supplement (appendix 2 is in three parts) and to make the following resolutions and also recommendations to the Council:

 

A – RESOLUTIONS BY THE CABINET

(1)  That the new project proposals for 2019-2020 as set out in appendices 1 to 9 to the agenda report be agreed.

 

(2)  That it be noted that the Gigabit and the Depot resurfacing and Drainage projects will be subject to full Project Initiation Document approval.

 

B – RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL

 

(1)  That it be agreed that the Corporate Plan approved in January 2018 shall remain unchanged for the year 2019-2020.

 

(2)  That, subject to the Cabinet’s agreement in the foregoing resolution (1) to approve the new project proposals for 2019-2020, the release of £246,000 from Chichester District Council’s General Fund Reserve to fund the feasibility work and small projects identified in para 5.2 of the agenda report for 2019-2020 be approved and that £30,000 of this funding be released with immediate effect to allow for the Novium business plan feasibility work.

 

 



 

Decision:

RESOLVED BY THE CABINET

 

(1)  That the new project proposals for 2019-2020 as set out in appendices 1 to 9 (as amended) to the agenda report be agreed.

 

(2)  That it be noted that the Gigabit and the Depot resurfacing and Drainage projects will be subject to full Project Initiation Document approval.

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

(1)  That it be agreed that the Corporate Plan approved in January 2018 shall remain unchanged for the year 2019-2020.

 

(2)  That the release of £206,000 from Chichester District Council’s General Fund Reserve to fund the feasibility work and small projects identified in para 5.2 (as amended) of the agenda report for 2019-2020 be approved and that £30,000 of this funding be released with immediate effect to allow for the Novium business plan feasibility work.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report and its nine appendices in the main agenda supplement.

 

This item was initially presented by Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) before each appendix containing one of the initial project proposal documents (IPPDs) was introduced by the relevant Cabinet member.

 

Mr A Buckley (Corporate Improvement and Facilities Manager) was in attendance for this matter together with the officers who had written the various IPPDs.

 

Mr Dignum explained that whilst it was proposed that the Corporate Plan 2018-2021, approved by the Council in January 2018, should remain unchanged for 2019-2020, there were several new IPPDs being recommended together with the release of funds to enable the requisite feasibility work in respect thereof to be undertaken.  

 

The nine IPPDs were each considered in turn with an introduction, proposed amendments  and officers’ responses to members’ questions as summarised below:

 

(1)  Resurfacing and Improved Drainage at Westhampnett Depot (Appendix 1): introduced by Mr R Barrow (Cabinet Member for Residents Services); no amendments; no questions.

 

(2)  East Beach Selsey Land/Asset Opportunities (Appendix 2): introduced by Mr Dignum; amendment to section 2, Project Description, by the addition of a second para to say that a task and finish group would be established, jointly chaired by Mr R Barrow and Mr J Connor (Cabinet Member for Environment Services), to oversee the IPPD process on behalf of the Cabinet; no questions.

 

(3)  East Wittering and Bracklesham Vision (Appendix 3): introduced by Mr Dignum; the IPPD would be amended (a) to state in section 2, Project Description, that the task and finish group already established for the Bracklesham Bay project should oversee this IPPD on behalf of the Cabinet and (b) at the request of Mrs S Taylor (Cabinet Member for Planning Services), insert in the fifth and sixth lines in section 7, Benefit vs. Cost, the words ‘an options appraisal as to whether’ in place of ‘a specific proposal’; no questions.

 

(4)  Review of Chichester District Parking Strategy (Appendix 4): introduced by Mr Dignum and Mrs T Murphy (Divisional Manager Place), who said that this review, which was held every ten years, was not concerned with charges/tariffs but parking infrastructure to ensure that the latest advances in parking were adopted for the benefit of residents and visitors to ensure that Chichester District’s car parks were fit for the future; no amendments; no questions.

 

(5)  Priory Park – Phase Two Option Appraisal(Appendix 5): introduced by Mr Dignum; amendments: (a) deletion of the current café site in the scoping list in section 2 and addition of a second sentence in the second para that the café would be considered as a separate matter outside this IPPD; (b) insertion of a third para in section 2 stating that the portfolio holder would be kept in close touch with the IPPD’s progress; (c) addition of a second sentence in the third para in section 3, Background, stating that the café would be considered as a separate matter to this IPPD; (d) deletion of the third bullet point in section 3, Background, relating to the café; (e) deletion in fourth bullet point in section 3 of ‘open’ after ‘community’ in the first line and ‘function’ in the second line and insertion of ‘using the Brick Pavilion’ in the first line after ‘park’; and (f) deletion in the table in section 5, Timescales, of (i) the second row in its entirety and (ii) ‘/open community space’ in the third row; no questions.

 

Mr Dignum allowed Mr R Plowman (Chichester West) to address the Cabinet about this IPPD. Mr Plowman referred to the five priority areas listed in para 3.1 of the report. Overall he was very supportive of the changes to improve Priory Park, which was one of the city’s notable historic and recreational assets. He endorsed refurbishment of the White Pavilion. Having regard to the Brick Pavilion’s plausible credentials for being regarded as the birthplace of International Test Cricket, its fabric should be maintained and the building made available for community use; grants might be available to achieve this and there was an architect who was interested to work on that aspect of the project. He suggested renaming the building as the W G Grace Pavilion. The public conveniences clearly needed refurbishment. He advocated the establishing of a task and finish group to help achieve the IPPD’s objectives, on which he would be willing to serve. The Coade Stone, which was a very important statue, would require very careful restoration (not repair) by a specialist. 

 

Mr Dignum thanked Mr Plowman for the useful points and suggestions which he had made. He was sure that officers would seek to secure grants and also the appropriate specialist advice and skills for Priory Park’s prized assets. He and Mr Plowman would work closely together with Mrs V McKay (Divisional Manager Property and Growth) and Mrs J Hotchkiss (Director of Growth and Place).   

 

(6)  Novium – Business Plan Feasibility Work (Appendix 6): introduced by Mrs E Lintill (Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Community Services); no amendments; no questions.

 

(7)  Expanding the Gigabit project to achieve a ‘lit up’ city (Appendix 7): introduction by Mr P Wilding (Cabinet Member for Corporate Services) – with the first phase of this county-wide Gigabit project due to be completed in summer 2019 to connect over 300 public sector sites across the county to superfast Gigabit service, attention had turned to looking at the potential to extend Gigabit to more sites in Chichester and also more widely in Midhurst; if for example some 50 sites could be connected in Chichester for a very approximate cost of £800,000, the contractor could be in a position to connect all homes and businesses across the whole city and achieve a ‘lit up’ city; discussions and details were at an early stage eg cost-sharing, other funding sources and the number and distribution of further sites across the city or in a town (relevant to the project’s feasibility); accordingly CDC would develop a joint business case with West Sussex County Council; amendment: insert at the end of the second para the following sentence: ‘A further phase will look at the potential to extend the service in the two towns in the north of the district.’; Mr J Mildred (Divisional Manager Business Support) said that some fundamental infrastructure provision would be required before Gigabit could be extended to more rural areas; Mr Dignum gave examples of some of the three sites in Midhurst which were due to be connected to Gigabit in 2019; no questions.

 

(8)  Working with Hyde on Asset Management (Appendix 8): introduction by Mrs J Kilby (Cabinet Member for Housing Services); no comments by Miss N Nicol (Housing Delivery Manager); no amendments; no questions; the importance of this IPPD was emphasised by Mr Dignum.

 

(9)  Emerging Vision Projects and Resources (Appendix 9): introduction by Mr Dignum; amendment: delete the branding project and the funding source for it from the table in section 6, Project Costs and Resources and add source funding for wayfinding project; Mr Dignum noted a suggestion by Mr J Connor  that the saving of £40,000 in respect of branding for this IPPD could perhaps instead be used to implement wayfinding in other areas.

 

At the end of the discussion Mr Buckley said that as these were only IPPDs the full project initiation documents (PID) in each case would be brought to the Cabinet at a later date.

 

Decision

 

The Cabinet voted unanimously to make the recommendations (in the case of (1) subject to the foregoing amendments) set out below.

 

RESOLVED BY THE CABINET

 

(1)  That the new project proposals for 2019-2020 as set out in appendices 1 to 9 (as amended) to the agenda report be agreed.

 

(2)  That it be noted that the Gigabit and the Depot resurfacing and Drainage projects will be subject to full Project Initiation Document approval.

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

(1)  That it be agreed that the Corporate Plan approved in January 2018 shall remain unchanged for the year 2019-2020.

 

(2)  That the release of £206,000 from Chichester District Council’s General Fund Reserve to fund the feasibility work and small projects identified in para 5.2 (as amended) of the agenda report for 2019-2020 be approved and that £30,000 of this funding be released with immediate effect to allow for the Novium business plan feasibility work.

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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