Issue - meetings

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and its two appendices and to make the following resolution:

That subject to the Southern Gateway Masterplan being adopted by the Council the Project Initiation Document attached at appendix 1 to the agenda report be approved.

RESOLVED

That subject to the Southern Gateway Masterplan being adopted by the Council the Project Initiation Document attached at appendix 1 to the agenda report be approved.

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report and its two appendices in the first agenda supplement.

The report was presented by Mr Dignum.

Mr Over was available to comment and answer questions on this item.

Mr Dignum referred to the report and the PID in appendix 1 in the first agenda supplement. He said that the Southern Gateway was the largest regeneration project in the city within living memory. The site had long been recognised as presenting an opportunity to make better use of the southern approach to the city, which would now include the Chichester magistrates court, crown court and county court and the Kingsham First and Middle School, following the announcement of their closure. The area included the Bus Station and Depot, the Basin Road car park, the Police Station and the Royal Mail depot.  Among the many project outputs and outcomes were (a) a successful Local Growth Fund bid and other funding which would secure an estimated £83m private sector investment; (b) some 1,454 new jobs; (c) the protection of existing jobs (Stagecoach and Royal Mail); (d) new homes and student accommodation; (e) two hectares  of business/retail and leisure floor spaces; (f) potential new community health facility; (g) return on CDC investments; and (h) improvements to the public realm, the transport system and the appearance of the townscape and buildings in the area. The PID contained a timetable of key milestone dates, at the end of which the best way to implement should have been identified.

Mr Over pointed out that implementation was entirely subject to the adoption by the Council meeting later in the month of the Southern Gateway Masterplan. It was difficult to be precise at this time as to which parts of the site would be delivered at particular times but any further CDC funding opportunities or commitments beyond those identified in the PID would be notified to the Cabinet as they arose.  In the meantime CDC was working closely with the two key businesses which would need to be relocated in readiness to proceed expeditiously once, if approved by the Council, the SGM was adopted. Stage reports would be periodically presented to the Cabinet. Key milestones were set out in the PID project plan timetable (section 11). This was an exciting time and venture for CDC with the prospect of considerable benefits being delivered. Many of the concepts in the Southern Gateway Framework 2001 had been implemented by the private sector. It was now time for the remaining parts of the development (including the major relocations required) to be delivered with public sector financial support.       

Mr Dignum drew attention to the proposed Growth Deal agreement which CDC hoped to conclude with West Sussex County Council in due course.

Mr Over responded to questions by Mrs Hardwick, Mr Wilding and Mrs Taylor with regard to (a) managing effectively corporate risks (sections 7.2 and 9 of the agenda report and section 13 of the PID); (b) achieving the challenge of an 80% public satisfaction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 432

The committee is requested to consider the draft Project Initiation Document, attached as Appendix 1 and to make any comments they wish to for consideration by Cabinet. The committee is also requested to nominate one of its members to sit on the proposed Chichester Growth Board as an observer.

The committee considered the report circulated with the agenda.

Mrs Hotchkiss presented the report. Mrs Shepherd was in attendance to answer questions.

The committee was reminded that the purpose of this report was not to consider the content of the Masterplan, which was going through a separate approval process via the Development Plan & Infrastructure Panel, Cabinet and Council, but to consider the draft Southern Gateway Implementation Plan and whether there were any gaps. This draft plan was being brought to the committee to consider in advance of the Masterplan being agreed.  A workshop on the Southern Gateway Masterplan, to which all members had been invited, was being held on 4 October 2017. The committee was also asked to nominate a member to sit on the Growth Board as an observer.

Mrs Hotchkiss drew members’ attention to amendments on page 67 – Mrs J Kilby replaced Mrs C Purnell as Cabinet Member for Housing Services; Mrs E Lintill has been added as Cabinet Member for Community Services and the representative from this committee would also be added once appointed.

The project outcomes, outputs, constraints, costs and governance arrangements were presented to the committee as well as the proposed project plan and proposals to develop a communications plan. This would be a phased project with some sites coming forward sooner than others. Key stakeholders would be kept informed and consultation carried out during the implementation phase. At all stages in the project the risks would be reviewed and rescored.

Mrs Apel referred to various questions submitted prior to the meeting by Mr J Ransley and the responses given by Mr P Over.

The committee made the following comments and received answers to questions as follows:

·             The law courts are to be closed and the courts will be handed over to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which is a key partner in the project.

·             Significant new funding streams - Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP): Bids are currently being developed.

·             Closure of the Kingsham building sited on the current High School: This area and the astro turf area is included in the Masterplan.

·             Current land owners have supplied us with letters of support for the project (required for the LEP application). We have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with our key partners like WSCC and the HCA.

·             We currently own the land at Basin Road car park and at the bus station and bus depot.

·             Total cost of the loss of the car park and revenue from Stagecoach totals just under £80,000. That loss of revenue would be picked up when we work with the developer to mitigate this loss. The council would need to assess whether it wanted to be an investor in the project going forward or whether it just wanted to mitigate the loss.

·             How much spent so far? Cabinet had agreed £75,000 in January 2017 and from this and other partnership money we had funded initial appointments for legal and property advice. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 177