| Time: | 7.30pm | Place: | Westmill Community Centre, John Barker Place, Hitchin |
| PRESENT: | Councillor David Leal-Bennett (Chairman), Councillor Deborah Segalini (Vice-Chairman), Councillor Mrs A.G. Ashley, Councillor Judi Billing, Councillor Simon Harwood, Councillor Joan Kirby, Councillor Frank Radcliffe and Councillor Adrian Smith. |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | John Robinson - Strategic Director of Customer Services Liz Green - Head of Policy and Community Services Steve Crowley - Contracts and Projects Manager Steve Geach - Parks and Countryside Development Manager Ros Allwood - Cultural Services Manager Claire Morgan - Community Development Officer Nigel Schofield - Committee and Member Services Officer |
| ALSO PRESENT: | County Councillor Derrick Ashley Councillor Mrs C.P.A. Strong At commencement 30 members of the public, including five registered speakers. |
| Meeting attachment |
Agenda front pages |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 32 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE An apology for absence was received from Councillors: Paul Clark, Bernard Lovewell Alan Millard, Ray Shakespeare - Smith and R.A.C. Thake. |
Noted | ||
| 33 |
MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 June 2014 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman. |
Agreed | ||
| 34 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS The Chairman advised the Committee that he and the Vice-Chairman had agreed to receive a grant application from CAYPOW - Children and Young People of Westmill as a matter of urgency due to the closeness of the school summer holiday period and that this Committee did not meet under the published schedule until 2 September. It was agreed that the grant application would be determined at this meeting. The representatives from CAYPOW would be the first item of Public Participation and the grant application would be determined immediately after the presentation. There were no items of other business raised at the commencement of the meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 35 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1.The Chairman welcomed Councillor Simon Harwood to his first meeting of the Hitchin Committee and thanked all who attended and spoke at Town Talk; 2.The Chairman expressed his concern that there were no Walsworth Ward Members present and that consequently residents of this ward were not represented at this meeting. With this in mind he hoped that at least one Ward Member from each Hitchin Ward would be able to attend each meeting and that personal and civic diaries could be arranged accordingly; 3.Churchgate Project Board - The Chairman advised the Committee that the Chairman of the Hitchin Committee was a standing member of the Churchgate Project Board but at the moment Councillor Judi Billing (former Chairman) was attending such meetings. The Chairman requested that Councillor J Billing as the current representative should report back to this Committee following such meetings. The Chairman confirmed that he would be entering into discussions with the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive to clarify the position and state his case to attend meetings of the Churchgate Project Board in his capacity as Chairman of the Hitchin Committee; 4.On behalf of the Hitchin Committee I wish to pass on the thanks of Members to Officers who took immediate and successful action to evict travellers from the illegal occupancy of land adjacent to the Riverain Bowls Club, Woolgrove Road, Hitchin; 5.We have been advised by the Hitchin Society that there will be no Heritage open days in Hitchin this September. If Members agree I propose that the Hitchin Society should retain the grant award of £500 made on 10 June 2014 (Minute 29 (1) refers) for use in 2015; Note: The Committee agreed that the Hitchin Society should retain the grant awarded on 10 June 2014 for use in 2015. 6.Members were reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chairman of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest which requires they leave the room under Paragraph 7.4 of the Code of Conduct, can speak on the item, but must leave the room before the debate and vote. |
Noted | ||
| 36 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - CAYPOW Carla Brooks and John Coley of CAYPOW thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee at such short notice due to the arrival of the school summer holidays this week. Ms Brooks advised the Committee that there was nothing for children or young people to do in the long summer school holidays. CAYPOW provided play facilities at a very small charge (much less than other venues in Hitchin). All supervisors were CRB checked and use was made of Parks, Oughton Common and Recreation Grounds for a very wide range of activities. Mr Coley reiterated that there was very little provision of play activities for children in Westmill and as manager and caretaker of the Coffee Mill in John Barker Place he was in a prime position to observe the activities of young people with little to do and it was important that funding was found to provide play activities and resource a trainer. Interaction with other children was vital and the charge of 50 pence for drinks and biscuits was in many instances too much for some parents whose children were on free school meals. Any amount given as a grant would go a long way to help the children have a focus point this summer and if necessary the scheme could run at a low level with only one paid supervisor and that no children would be excluded. There were usually 30 to 35 children who attended the play sessions and were in a safe environment which was essential for parents. The Chairman thanked both speakers and invited questions from the Committee. A Member applauded the work done to provide play activities in Westmill and advised that additional funding could be sought from County Councillors using the Locality Budget Scheme as well as Hitchin Youth Trust. In response to a question Ms Brooks stated that the play group was open Tuesday to Thursday from 12noon to 5 p.m. For 7 to 15 year olds split into smaller age groups and it was often the case that children wanted to stay longer at the play centre. Councillor Kirby supported strongly this summer play activity scheme which needed financial support to continue this year. It was also very important to keep children off the streets and provide a visit to an outside venue in 2014 and that the four people involved should be congratulated on their hard work. RESOLVED: (1)That Ms Brooks and Mr Coley be thanked for their presentation; (2)That all those involved in this summer activity should be congratulated on this very worthwhile project; (3)That determination of the grant application should be made as the next item. |
Noted | ||
| 37 |
GRANT APPLICATION - CAYPOW- SUMMER SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES Introduction Report Appendix A Declaration of Interest: Councillor Joan Kirby advised the Chairman that she wished to declare a Disclosable Interest as she was Chairman of CAYPOW. Councillor Kirby confirmed that she would remain in the room, reserve the right to speak but would not participate in the vote. The Community Development Officer (CDO) advised the Committee that since the publication of the agenda for this meeting there had been a request by CAYPOW - Children and Young Persons of Westmill to submit a grant application to fund summer activities on the Westmill Estate. As the next meeting of this Committee was scheduled for 2 September 2014 the CDO advised that on representation the Chairman and Vice - Chairman agreed to receive the grant application at this meeting as a matter of urgency. The CDO stated that as anti - social behaviour tended to increase during the Schools' Summer Break it was considered essential to provide a range of activities for children and young people in the local area of Westmill. These activities would aim to divert the attendees from behaviour that was likely to be anti - social to others living in the community and prevent possible criminal activity. The CDO advised that the Oughton Ward Members had been requested to allocate the grant request of £660 from their Discretionary Budget. There followed a short debate in which there was strong support for the activities that would be provided this summer and the benefits to both the children and parents. A County Member suggested that a grant application from the HCC Locality Budget was straightforward and that supplementary grant could be made to ensure the viability of this holiday activity. The vote was unanimous for the grant award. RESOLVED: (1)That a grant of £660 be awarded to CAYPOW as a contribution towards the costs of providing Summer Activities for Children and Young People on the Westmill Estate during the 2014 long school summer holiday; (2)That the Community Development Manager be requested to make the necessary arrangements for the payment of the £660 to CAYPOW as soon as possible and that the monies should be debited to the Oughton Ward Discretionary Budget. REASON FOR DECISION: To support the local community on Westmill Estate and provide play activities for children and young persons in Westmill. |
Agreed | ||
| 38 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - HITCHIN MARKETS LIMITED The Chairman welcomed John Simmonds the Chairman of Hitchin Markets Ltd to the meeting and advised the Committee that there was much activity in Hitchin and that Hitchin Markets was no exception hence the invitation to make a presentation. Mr Simmonds thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee. Mr Simmonds stated that Hitchin market was only second in size to St Albans market in Hertfordshire with over 1000 years of history and was larger than Stevenage, Royston and Baldock markets. The current provision of market stalls was 155 fixed and covered stalls, 16 regularly used spaces, and up to 45 gazebos for the monthly Farmers Market which provided a wide range of product for sale that had no local retail equivalent. Local charities and youth organisations were provided with stalls free of charge, 110 stalls let on Tuesdays, 150 stalls let on Fridays and 150 stalls let on Saturdays and Sundays. Stall rents were variable and had to be kept at reasonable rates to ensure good occupancy rates and for example if £10 per stall was charged there would not be 110 stalls Mr Simmonds opined that should any re-development be agreed for Churchgate and surrounding area that required the relocation of the market then there would be a requirement for a minimum of at least 120 x 12 foot fixed stalls and space for 30 gazebos. This would be a significant reduction from the current provision and would need power and water with additional space required for the popular Farmers Market. There would be a need for a Market Office, storage for gazebos, and other equipment storage for essential materials, parking for traders' vehicles nearby for stock storage on Market Day of at least 900 sq. ft. A modest reduction in stalls would ensure full occupancy but any changes would be disruptive to traders and customers and affect footfall. Mr Simmonds also opined that none of the previous suggestions for a new site for Hitchin Market met the requirements listed previously and that the management of gazebos increased running costs, cost £500 each with a three year life and need regular maintenance. Should there be a move to demountable stalls Mr Simmonds suggested that with a daily put up and take down of an average 140 stalls would make 60,000 movements of stalls at unsocial hours and a large consequential cost approaching £150K. Mr Simmonds concluded his presentation by stating that there were benefits from a re-location, improved layout, better weather protection and lighting, better spacing of the stalls which would alleviate narrow walkways and low covers. The Chairman thanked Mr Simmonds for the presentation on Hitchin Market and enquired if Members had any question. A Member enquired if Hitchin Markets had a preferred site if re-location was required and Mr Simmonds considered that it might be possible to re-locate to Portmill Lane Car Park which was half the size but could take 120 fixed stalls and 30 gazebos. A Member stated that there was an increasing trend towards Farmers Markets but Mr Simmonds considered that there were enough sites for such markets and it was not usual for any Farmers Market to be at one location more than once a month. The fee for a Farmers Market stall in Hitchin was £25. RESOLVED: That Mr Simmonds be thanked for the presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 39 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - HAMMERSMATCH PROPERTIES LTD The Chairman advised that the reason for the invitation to Hammersmatch to this meeting was to receive an earlier presentation made to Community Groups in April and May this year - to which only three Hitchin councillors had been able to attend - which was different to the presentation for Council on 24 July. The Chairman referred to comments made at Town Talk regarding possible pre-determination decisions made by Councillors at this meeting on the proposals for Churchgate prior to presentation by Hammersmatch at Full Council. All Members had received a communication from the Monitoring Officer which gave advice on bias and pre-determination and the high profile of the Churchgate Development. The Monitoring Officer emphasised that the potential consequences of a Member pre-determining a decision was that there could be a possible ground for challenge to that decision by way of a judicial review. The Chairman advised the Committee that he had exchanged emails with the Chief Executive and the Monitoring Officer concerning pre-determination and that provided Councillors only concerned themselves with the facts presented to the Committee then a Question and Answer process would be acceptable as supported in Hansard 16 January 2013 column 289WH. All Councillors were mature and responsible individuals and would not refer to anything that could be considered as Part 2 information. The Chairman expressed the view that the Hitchin Committee were being hindered by over cautious bureaucracy and that he was very concerned that should there be no post presentation discussion then the Committee might not be acting responsibly and that the Councillors were not acting democratically. Subsequently to the issues discussed above the Chairman advised that he had copied the emails referenced above to Peter Lilley MP. Mr Lilley opined that the legal advice was far too cautious and not what Parliament intended (see Hansard above) and the Minister of State to whom Mr Lilley had spoken. Mr Lllley advised Councillor Leal - Bennett by email "By no stretch of the imagination can attending and discussing a presentation - however biased - could be construed as fettering one's judgement or closing one's mind and that perhaps a refusal to engage in any discussions could be evidence of closing one's mind". The Chairman advised the Committee that after consideration of the advice given he would invite Members to ask questions of Hammersmatch following the presentation. Following a short introduction by Mr David Payne Mr M. Moult of Moult Walker representing Hammersmatch thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee. Hammersmatch had bought the long lease of the Churchgate Shopping Centre in 2001 and had made considerable investment in the Centre and provided subsidised short leases for tenants prior to the proposed major redevelopment and improvements. Mr Moult considered that now was the time to quickly start a ‘gateway' scheme that would be appropriate to today's market. The proposed scheme would be mixed use and expand the centre by 35,000 sq.ft. to include shops, cinema, restaurants and about 25 apartments above the retail units. There was large measure of agreement of the plans by the NHDC Planning Department but there remained some issues to address: namely the Market and how to alleviate the inevitable dominance of the cinema. Mr Moult was pleased to advise the Committee that the plans had been well received by various Hitchin organisations. Mr Moult stated that as Local Authorities had to achieve best value in all transactions Hammersmatch consulted legal counsel who opined that best value could be achieved by sole negotiation with Hammersmatch which could also reduce delays and costs of Compulsory Purchase Orders. Mr Moult confirmed that NHDC had received a formal proposal from the leaseholder which offered an open book transparent supply chain partnership with the Council, the scheme was viable allowing for a part - subsidised five screen cinema and which would give very good value to the Council. Hammersmatch intended to build and pay for the scheme, including the new market, new car parking and other public realm, but the Council would retain ownership and improved income from these assets and under the proposed development partnership costs incurred by the Council would be reimbursed. Hammersmatch would be seeking a new lease with the proposed scheme and an extension to the present leased land and Mr Moult confirmed that this extension would not inhibit in any way any future development of the Council's retained area and that the degrading Churchgate Centre would be dramatically improved. Some of the presented plans had changed slightly in the last few months to meet the views of the planning department and of the cinema operator and that Hammersmatch would be pleased to finalise the architectural and engineering details of the scheme once terms had been agreed with the Council for the extended ground lease as part of the open book partnership. The Chairman thanked Mr Moult for the interesting presentation on the Hammersmatch proposals for the Churchgate Area and invited questions from the Committee. There were no questions, save for a Member stating that the political groups made decisions in private before meetings of Council, that pre-determination issues were very applicable to planning matters, and that the next meeting of Council on 24 July would be the appropriate meeting in which to discuss and debate the proposals made by Hammersmatch. RESOLVED: That Mr D. Payne and Mr M. Moult be thanked for the presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 40 |
HITCHIN TOWN CENTRE OPTIONS Introduction The Chairman advised the Committee that he invited Mr Hoskins to the meeting to provide more detail on his role as Hitchin Town Centre Manager than the usual update provided at meetings. The Hitchin Town Centre Manager thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee in his capacity as the representative of Hitchin Initiative. Although there had been a very poor year for town centres in 2012 there had been improvement in 2013 with some considerable investment in new and refurbished units in Hitchin with a vacancy rate at half of the national average. Mr Hoskins gave a detailed update on the incoming retailers, there were now four opticians in the High Street, 40 hair and beauty salons, 79 refreshment stops in Hitchin which gave problems such as cleaning and security and noise. It has always been the objective in Hitchin that town centres were much more than about shopping as indicated by the huge increase in online shopping. The Hitchin Town Action Group held a consultative workshop to which 100 people came and gave their views on many topics although the group needed to establish priorities. Hitchin BID was now in its second term and recently funded flowers in display beds and hanging baskets in The Triangle Community Gardens and hoped to re-juvenate the flower beds at Moss's Corner, the BID would be taking up a new five year contract for Christmas Lights and financing the refurbishment of The Cabbies Hut. Problems remained on the amount of street clutter, A boards, street furniture, state of the footway and uneven pavements and that many persons were requesting more public toilets. The Group were also proposing an Arts Centre . Parking remained an issue which was an increasing problem as commuters used Woodside Car Park which placed pressure on town centre car parks. Also, many residential roads were used by town centre workers who then had to park further away following the introduction of CPZs which then affected visitors to the town who were parking further away. On Saturday mornings there were queues at all short term car parks even thought there were spaces in the Lairage Car Park. Mr Hoskins proposed that a sub group of the Hitchin Action Group should be formed to look at car parking provision including the Railway Station with traffic flows throughout Hitchin becoming a major problem. Mr Hoskins confirmed that the loss of Council funding to the Hitchin Initiative had been a big loss which was felt to give very good value for money even if it was not a statutory requirement given the number of public enquiries handled by his office that would have gone to NHDC for resolution. However. he was very grateful for the support from Hitchin Committee for Christmas Lights and Hanging Baskets and to NHDC for the support in the BID process where the support made North Herts one of the most successful BID District in UK with the three BIDS still the only ones Hertfordshire. Mr Hoskins concluded his presentation with confirmation that Hitchin Initiative would in 2015 celebrate 20 years of service to the business community, residents and visitors to Hitchin. Much had been accomplished and Hitchin was a successful, thriving community minded town. One matter that remained was the resolution of the problems in Queens Street and St Marys Square as part of Churchgate which had been the subject of much discussion since 1973 and not a lot of change had taken place since then. The Chairman thanked Mr Hoskins for the presentation on Hitchin Town Centre and enquired if there were any questions for Mr Hoskins. A Member enquired about the potential for pedestrianisation of the High Street (Brand Street to Market Place) in addition to the time slot of 10.00 to 16.00 on a Saturday. Mr Hoskins stated that there was no real support from local businesses that needed footfall past the retail outlet, despite cracked pavements and heavy traffic should be kept away from the town centre. A Member suggested that the issue of a link road in the industrial area should be looked at again and the Chairman enquired of the County Member in the audience whether there could be a report on Highway Maintenance Issues applicable to Hitchin to a future meeting of this Committee and the 2 December meeting was proposed and agreed by the County Member. RESOLVED: (1)That Mr K. Hoskins be thanked for the presentation; (2)That the Community Development Officer be requested to liaise with Hertfordshire Highways and the Hitchin County Members to present an updating paper on Highway Maintenance to the meeting scheduled for 2 December 2014 with a view to including this paper in Community Update and Grant Applications - Highway Matters. |
Noted | ||
| 41 |
INFORMATION NOTE: NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY FACILITY AT HITCHIN TOWN HALL Information Note with Appendix 2 Appendix 1.1 Appendix 1.2 Declaration of Interest: The Chairman of the Hitchin Committee Councillor David Leal - Bennett advised that he had a Declarable Interest as he was a Director and Trustee of Hitchin Town Hall Limited and that he would leave the room for the duration of this item: Councillor Deborah Segalini advised the Committee that she would act as Chairman for this item. The Strategic Director of Customer Services (SD) advised the Committee that progress on the project was good and updates were regularly placed on social media. The SD advised that he would be please to respond to comments on the management of this project made at Town Talk in private should members require clarification. The application for Listed Building Consent would be determined at the meeting of the Planning Control Committee held on The Contracts and Project Manager (CPM) presented the latest Information Note concerning contract progress at the redevelopment of Hitchin Town Hall against the project timetable. The CPM advised that work detailed in the timetable was on target to complete the build by the middle of January 2015. The CPM referred the Committee to Appendix 1 which included the Museum Entrance Plan and a photo image of the building and site overview proposals. The CPM referred the Committee to the full project plan presented at Appendix 2 and advised that there were no changes to the plan since the previous presentation on 10 June 2014. With regard to previous concerns about delivery of this project (Minute 17 - 10 June 2014 refers) the CPM confirmed that NHDC Officers were addressing these issues about the delivery of the confidential Development Agreement which were detailed to Members at a confidential meeting held on 28 May 2014. As a follow up to this and as requested at the meeting held on 10 June 2014 (Minute 17 (3) refers) there would be a confidential site visit to the Town Hall on 19 August to which all Members were invited. The CPM confirmed that Members Information Service on Friday 10 July 2014 included a detailed clothing and footwear requirement list and a reply slip for the visit, with full details being provided to Members closer to the event. With regard to a question raised at the last meeting concerning a listed building planning application the CPM advised that the application would be determined at the meeting of the Planning Control Committee to be held on 14 August 2014. The CPM concluded the presentation with confirmation that Cabinet at its meeting held on 24 June 2014 (Minute 11(3) refers) an additional £110,000 contingency was approved. The CPM confirmed that this sum was in addition to the £63K contingency allocated in the early days of the project and which had been spent on variations previously explained to the Committee. The Cultural Services Manager (CSM) proceeded to provide the Committee with a comprehensive description of the proposed museum exhibition design as detailed at Appendix 1. The CSM advised the Committee of plans for: The Reception and Shop; Ground Floor Gallery; An on-going Temporary Exhibition; First floor Gallery; Terrace Gallery and Town Hall Balcony with reference to graphic images on themes to be used throughout the Museum. There would be an emphasis on: Discovering North Herts and that all themes would have a strong connection to North Hertfordshire as well as a projection theatre and island displays and a history of Hitchin Town Hall in the original balcony area. The Chairman thanked officers for the update on the North Hertfordshire Museum project. A Member enquired if the CSM had given any thought to holding a competition for ideas for themes to be presented in display cabinets. The CSM considered that this was a good idea but the actual works to meet the design would be placed out to tender soon but the final design could accept changes as for example clothing and costumes would only be on display for a six month period. The Committee were very pleased to be given an idea of the new museum and its contents and looked forward to the grand opening next year. RESOLVED: (1)That officers be thanked for the update on the North Hertfordshire Museum and Community Facility; (2)That the announcement of the date of 19 August 2014 at 4.30 p.m. for the confidential Member site visit be noted; (3)That the Cultural Services Manager be thanked for the review of the museum layout and design. |
Noted | ||
| 42 |
INFORMATION NOTE: BANCROFT RECREATION GROUND Information Note The Parks and Countryside Development Manager (PCM) confirmed to Members that it had been very disappointing to receive advice that the Heritage Lottery Fund decided on 24 June 2014 not to approve the Stage One Lottery Submission. At the date of this meeting there had been no clear advice to NHDC as to the reasons for the refusal and the PCM advised that he understood that Officers would be meeting with the HLF on 22 September 2014 for clarification and reasons for the refusal to make the grant award. The PCM confirmed that there would be an updating report to Cabinet on 5 August 2014 that would inform Cabinet officially of the decision by the HLF and that subsequently there would be a report to a future meeting of Cabinet on 16 December 2014 which would include a range of possible options for Bancroft Recreation Ground. A Member confirmed that the Bancroft Project Board would meet before the meeting of Cabinet on 16 December 2014 and it was also confirmed that the Chairman of the Hitchin Committee was a member of the Bancroft project Board. The Strategic Director for Customer Services would advise Members as soon as possible of any updates. The Chairman enquired about the £30K allocated to the Bancroft Project from the Hitchin Committee Visioning Budget and was this still valid. The PCM advised that as there would be no grant from the HLF the whole budget would be looked at for the funding streams. In response to another question the PCM confirmed that approximately £60K had been expended on the project to date. The Chairman thanked officers for the information and following a discussion on dates for the next two meetings of Cabinet it was expected that the next Information Note for the Hitchin Committee would include as much detail as possible on the options for Bancroft Recreation Ground. RESOLVED: (1)That the announcement of the decision by the Heritage Lottery Foundation on 24 June 2014 to make no grant award for the Bancroft Recreation Ground project be noted with great disappointment; (2)That the date of 22 September 2014 when officers would meet with the Heritage Lottery Fund be noted; Note; Following this meeting Officers had been advised that the meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund would now take place on 29 September 2014. (3)That the Parks and Countryside Manager be requested to make a presentation via the regular Information note on the next step and options in the re-development of Bancroft Recreation Ground to the Hitchin Committee at the meeting to be held on 2 December 2014. On conclusion of the meeting the Chairman requested that Members should contact him with suggestions for agenda items at future meetings of the Hitchin Committee. |
Noted | ||