Agenda item

A report of the Heads of Planning and Regeneration, Financial Services, Neighbourhood Services and Cleansing and Open Spaces providing information and updates on significant matters relating to the town of Loughborough.

A report of the Heads of Financial Services, Cleansing and Open Spaces, Planning Regeneration and Neighbourhood Services to provide information and updates on significant matters relating to the town of Loughborough. (item 7 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

The Heads of Financial Services, Cleansing and Open Spaces, Planning Regeneration, Neighbourhood Services and Leisure and Culture attended the meeting to provide assistance in consideration of this item. The following summarises the discussion:

      i.        Many of the projects in the Loughborough Town Centre Masterplan had been completed or were expected to be incorporated into the Loughborough Town Deal project. The Council had recently been awarded funding for the Loughborough Town Deal and more information on the development of individual projects would be made available in due course.

    ii.        The Covid-19 Pandemic had impacted upon the work of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) with regards to the People Zones. Meetings had been conducted virtually during this period but less often and multi-agency meetings had now resumed to reinvigorate the previous work undertaken. It was expected that this would improve engagement and the productivity of the stake-holder meetings as a wide variety of attendees for different organisations had been present.

   iii.        The analysis of KPIs and metrics of the People Zones project had been delayed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Initial baseline statistics were produced at the start of the project by the OPCC and it was understood that this would be updated following discussions between the OPCC and Loughborough University.

   iv.        ‘Community resilience’ referred to the delivery of what was required to maintain sustainable communities. This included the upskilling of members of the community to enable leadership of aspects within the delivery plan.

    v.        A decision had been made through discussion with those involved that the Thorpe-Acre Community Hub would not progress. Local ward members had been involved and informed of the decision. This was due to a limit in organisational capacity and the impact of Covid-19.

   vi.        ‘Support services’ referred to aspects involved in preparation work for events such as Loughborough Fair and the festive light switch on. It was difficult to predict the total time spent by officers in preparing for events as much of the work was reactive and dependent upon circumstances. In 2020, a significant amount of officer time was used to ensure events had been Covid-secure as much as possible. 

  vii.        Charnwood Campus Limited had been awarded a grant in order to repurpose a redundant building as a Medicinal and Synthetic Chemical Research Centre, although the origin and the scale of this grant was unclear. It was requested that this information be provided to members following the meeting.

 viii.        Accrued business rates at a sum of £313k had been allocated to support a growth accelerator programme as part of the Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone. Business rates used for this allocation had been from the LLEP and retained by the Council specifically for this purpose. It was stated that the funding was from the Enterprise Zone retained business rates.

   ix.        A Government announcement had indicated that the Loughborough Town Deal project would be allocated £16.9m, as opposed to the £25m bid for, subject to terms and conditions. As part of the deal, the Loughborough Town Deal Board was required to prioritise projects highlighted by the Government. The Generator Loughborough project was not supported by Government as it was felt it could access alternative funding.

    x.        The Loughborough Fair was scheduled to go ahead in line with the Government’s roadmap of Covid-19 recovery and planning was in process.

   xi.        The £6.5k funding initially allocated for the Thorpe-Acre Community Hub was underspent due to the lease not progressing and this saving had been used to offset the Loughborough Fair overspend. The overall net saving of £2k would be used to offset future overspends.

  xii.        Members were not satisfied that the funding allocated to the Thorpe-Acre Community Hub was not used to mitigate the closure of Biggin Street public toilets in Loughborough Town Centre or bus shelters which had previously been discussed at Loughborough Area Committee meetings.

 xiii.        A meeting had taken place between members and officers to create a list of projects to potentially receive funding and to plan a consultation. Members were not satisfied that there was now no funding available to progress the support for projects and more information was requested by members on why the meeting had taken place given the lack of funding. However, officers stated that the funding discussed was not part of the Loughborough Special Expenses budget, and that the proposal to support project work was from another funding source, specifically allocated to the Thorpe Acre Hub.

xiv.        There had been a number of unexpected issues relating to the Bedford Square Gateway Project. Drainage issues and  a network of utility cables were found in Devonshire Square and Devonshire Lane, which required a redesign of the scheme in these areas and caused delay.  The Council had a contingency fund which was utilised to cover unexpected costs associated with these issues. A contingency plan was being prepared to minimise disruption caused by programme delays to the Loughborough Fair. More information on the progression of the project would be provided at the next meeting of the Loughborough Area Committee.

  xv.        Members thanked officers involved in the installation of the Multi Use Games Area in Shelthorpe ward, which had made a significant improvement in the community and had provided space for young people to socialise.

xvi.        The Council had received funds of £700 due to an insurance claim to rebuild a wall on New Street. This was a small proportion of the cost to rebuild the wall, which was estimated at £10.4k. More information was requested on the implications of this insurance claim on claims made by the Council.

xvii.        The Government had announced £16.9m of Town Deal funding and the Town Deal Board was responsible for deciding how projects were prioritised and how this sum should be spent. Supported projects were subject to criteria and a business case being approved by Government. The Bedford Square Gateway Project was one of the supported projects and up to £1.7m had been identified for its delivery. The Town Deal Board would need to accept the Heads of Terms for the deal by 29th June 2021 and there would be two months for projects to be prioritised. All business cases would need to be submitted within a further 12 months.

xviii.        The growth accelerator programme led by the University would equip emerging graduates disadvantaged by the economic fall out as a result of the Pandemic.

xix.        The Loughborough Town Deal governance structure would remain in place and would include the Town Deal Board, the Member Reference Group and the Community Engagement Group. A communications plan had not yet been developed but once this had been completed then notification of the intentions of the Board would be made available.

  xx.        The Loughborough Cemetery was anticipated to be complete during the current financial year. A stakeholder meeting had recently taken place and no significant issues had been highlighted by residents at that meeting.

xxi.        The Outwoods Café tendering process was underway and there had been a significant amount of interest. It was intended that the café would be in operation by the end of the summer.

xxii.        It was highlighted that the implementation of new bus shelters were the responsibility of Leicestershire County Council. It was expected that this would be covered in a S106 agreement for new estates being developed.

xxiii.        The Council had employed a contractor to undertake Clerk of Works services for works associated with the Bedford Square Gateway Public Realm developments.

RESOLVED

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That more information be shared with the committee on the developments of the Loughborough Town Centre Masterplan when available.

3.    That information on the origin, the scale and the decision record of the grant awarded to Charnwood Campus Limited to repurpose a redundant building as a Medicinal and Synthetic Chemical Research Centre be shared with the committee.

4.    That an update on the Bedford Square Gateway Project be provided at the next meeting of the Loughborough Area Committee.

5.    That more information be provided to the committee on the implications of the £700 insurance payment made to the Council to rebuild a wall on New Street.

6.    That a response be received by members on why a meeting had taken place between members and officers to create a list of potential projects to fund and to plan a consultation, given that there was no funding available.

Reason

1.     To ensure that members of the Committee are kept up to date on significant matters relating to the town of Loughborough.

2.    To ensure the committee is kept updated on significant matters relating to the town of Loughborough.

3.    To ensure the committee is informed on the details of the grant awarded to Charnwood Campus Limited to repurpose a redundant building as a Medicinal and Synthetic Chemical Research Centre.

4.    To ensure the committee is updated on the progress of the Bedford Square Gateway Project.

5.    To ensure the committee is informed on the implications of insurance claims made by the Council.

6.    To ensure members understand the reasons for the meeting that had taken place.