Agenda and draft minutes

Members and officers must declare any disclosable pecuniary interests in relation to any business on the agenda.  Declarations should also be made at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. 

If in doubt, contact the Legal or Democratic Services representative for this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest

To approve the minutes of the Worthing Joint Strategic Sub-Committee meeting held on 6 February 2024, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Resolved: that the minutes from the Worthing Joint Strategic Sub-Committee meeting held on 6 February 2023, be approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any questions from members of the public.

Questions should be submitted by noon on Monday 11 March 2024 to  Democratic Services, democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk    

(Note: Public Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

There were no public questions

Pre-submitted Members questions are pursuant to rule 12 of the Council & Committee Procedure Rules.

Questions should be submitted by noon on Monday 11 March 2024 to  Democratic Services, democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk   

(Note: Member Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

A Member asked the following question

In the report on CIL Infrastructure Investment Plan, it says that there is flexibility in the Regulations to fund ‘smaller scale’ projects which help to mitigate the impacts of development. Do you think any projects should be considered to mitigate the impact of the HMRC development in terms of likely increased traffic movements on Shaftesbury Ave, Goring Road, Barrington Road, Roseberry Avenue etc?

Response:

Any transport schemes in Worthing are delivered by West Sussex County Council (WSCC) as the highways authority. Officers and Members of Worthing Borough Council meet regularly with WSCC Officers to discuss which schemes they are bringing forward over the next few years which may be suitable to be funded through CIL. The Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) will include any of these proposals which are deemed appropriate, provided there is adequate CIL funding available.

A s106 financial contribution for highways / transport to be paid to WSCC has been secured as part of the legal agreement for the HMRC development. Additional transport mitigations / improvements were also secured. S106 agreements are agreed in cases where either on-site infrastructure or financial contributions are necessary to make the development acceptable.  The planning obligation for this site sets out the off site mitigation and this can be viewed on the Councils website.

To consider any items the Chairman of the meeting considers to be urgent.

There were no urgent items

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 6

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 6.

The report before members set out a proposed Service Fee for Worthing Theatres and Museum (WTM) to cover the first two years of the next 5 year Business Plan period; and to consider WTM’s 5 Year Business Plan.

Decision

1.     That a Service Fee to WTM of £1,330,247 for 2025/26 and £1,260,234 for 2026/27; be approved;

2.     That the remaining 3 years of the Service Fee will be negotiated and agreed before March 31st 2026 be agreed;

3.     That WTM’s 5 year Business Plan be welcomed as a positive contribution toward enhancing Worthing’s cultural offer in accordance with WTM’s contract with the Council.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 7

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 7.

The report provided a review of the Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund programme of 2023 in advance of launching the 2024 funding round in Spring. This included a summary of the types of organisations and projects that had been allocated CIL Neighbourhood Funds in 2023 including the levels of investment in different types of neighbourhood infrastructure and assets.

An evaluation from 2023 was given, including learnings about the council’s role as a supporter and enabler of Worthing’s diverse and generous voluntary and community sector.

Decision

1.     That the scheme continue with the same programme and governance structure used in 2023 and invite a participatory review to inform minor amendments with officers, ward members and community stakeholders in March, as detailed in paragraph 4.1.

2.     That the proposed 2024 funding programme timetable, as detailed in paragraph 4.2 be approved.

That the committee note the wider need to:

3.     Recognise that for the 2024 funding round, it is estimated that around £200k will be available to groups. This is less than one-third of the amount available in 2023, as detailed in paragraph 4.3

4.     Begin scoping on potential changes to 2025 funding round later in 2024 as detailed in paragraph 4.4.

5.     Begin scoping on potential changes to 2025 funding round later in 2024 as detailed in paragraph 4.4.

6.     Review any projects identified by officers as being at risk of not being delivered, as detailed in paragraph 4.5.

7.     Consider the opportunity for the Cabinet Member for Communities and Young People to make their decision at a public meeting to increase visibility, as detailed in paragraph 4.6.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 8

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Sustainability and Resources, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 9.

Worthing Borough Council had introduced a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to allow funds to be raised from developers to pay for infrastructure that is needed to support growth. The Council adopted the Charging Schedule for CIL in February 2015 and implementation of the levy commenced in October 2015. The Council has overarching responsibility for the allocation of CIL monies and reporting the amount of money collected and spent.

This report before members provided an update on progress made by the CIL Board (formerly the Joint Officer and Member Board (JOMB)) for CIL Governance on updating the Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) for the 2023-2026 period.

Decision

1.     That the progress made by the CIL Board in relation to governance arrangements for overseeing the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) be noted;

2.     That the Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) which will set out the priorities of infrastructure projects to receive CIL funding over the next three years (2023-2026) be agreed

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 9

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Sustainability and Resources, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 9.

The report updated the Sub-Committee on the progress made on the delivery of the 2023/24 Capital Investment Programme for Worthing Borough Council. The programme included schemes which supported the delivery of services by the Joint Services Committee.

Decision

1.     That the reprofiling of the Worthing Borough Council capital schemes as advised in paragraph 6.1 and appendix 2 be noted.

2.     That the changes to the current schemes as set out in section 6.2 report be approved.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 10

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 10.

Following negotiations with Homes England, in December 2023 Homes England had made an offer of £5.1m for the unconditional freehold sale for Teville Gate. The Homes England offer utilises their Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund - making Worthing the first recipient of this intervention in the South. Homes England anticipated delivering over 250 homes in a lower density, lower height development which places a significant emphasis on successful placemaking and delivery.

Homes England recognised the strategic significance of Teville Gate and had signalled its ambition to:

? drive regeneration and housing delivery to create high-quality homes and thriving places;

? work with partners to support them and enable the delivery of new homes and housing-led, mixed-use regeneration;

? deliver place making and regeneration of the area;

? intervene where the market has failed; and

? deliver mixed-tenure housing that Worthing needs.

Teville Gate was purchased by the Council for £7m in 2021 via prudential borrowing. Securing an immediate payment of £5.1m would deliver savings in interest payments of £850k over three years, plus retaining a budgeted £100k pa in parking income, in addition to any meanwhile-use returns. By comparison, a typical market transaction would be conditional and likely to be subject to planning permission, meaning any capital receipt would not be received for several years.

Decision

1.     That an unconditional freehold sale of Teville Gate to Homes England, and continue to work in partnership with Homes England to develop this critical site be approved

2.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Regeneration Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, to negotiate and enter into the legal documentation required to effect legal completion of the sale of Teville Gate to Homes England.

3.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Directors for Place and Economy, and Regenerative Development in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, to seek and agree to a suitable meanwhile-use as a priority for the site, aligned to council objectives to utilise the site during the leaseback period.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Housing and Communities, copy attached as item 11

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 11.

The report supported the Council’s ambition to drive better standards in private sector homes for residents which supports the Adur and Worthing Housing Strategy for 2020-2023, ‘Enabling Communities to Thrive in their Own Homes’.

The proposal contained in the report was to develop a selective licensing scheme to enable a more proactive approach to target areas of greatest need and work with private sector landlords to drive better standards.

Decision

1.     That the contents of the report be noted and it be agreed to commence a public consultation on the introduction of a selective licensing scheme within Worthing.

2.     That Director for Housing and Communities be delegated, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Citizen Services, to:

a.     Scope out a fully costed selective licensing scheme in Worthing as set out in this report relating to Heene, Central and Selden Wards,

b.     Subject to this proposal being cost neutral and viable as approved by the Council’s Chief Finance Officer, officers to develop and deliver the consultation process

c.     subject to this scheme being determined as viable, to report back to this committee following the consultation for further consideration and authority to proceed in principle with an application to the Secretary of State to implement the scheme subject to Full Council approval.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

To consider a report by the Director for Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 12

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 12.

In 2023, Worthing Borough Council secured up to £2.47m of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 3b Funding to connect Civic Quarter buildings to the Worthing Heat Network.

The council had secured an additional £5.6m of funding to connect buildings outside the town centre and extend the network to Splashpoint and Pavilion Theatre. 

The funding bid had reduced the overall match funding requirement from WBC and it was proposed to allocate £250k of this reduction towards undertaking preemptive maintenance and repair work at the heat network's proposed energy centre location, High Street Multi Storey Car Park. This work will reduce the complexity and cost of the ongoing maintenance liability for the site.

Decision

1.     That it be recommended to Council to approve an increase to the General Fund capital programme budget of £2,980,230 to be funded by additional PSDS and HNDU grant funding.

2.     That the use of the of £175,000 HNDU to support the procurement and contract work associated with the project as outlined at 4.1 be approved

3.     That a budget virement of £250,000 from PSDS budget to Car Park to enable resurfacing works to the High Street be approved

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.

Recommendation 1 cannot be called in as it is a recommendation to Council.

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 13

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 13.

The purpose of this report before members was to agree the principle of two land transfers to the formative Union Gardens Joint Venture in order to secure greater certainty over the redevelopment of Union Place, prior to the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Roffey Homes Ltd. being formalised. The report reflected the successful outcome of negotiations with NCP to secure the release of the current car park site to ensure that comprehensive development of the entire Union Place site (comprising sites A,B and C - Appendix 1) can take place in a timely and efficient manner. 

The council had secured an additional £5.6m of funding to connect buildings outside the town centre and extend the network to Splashpoint and Pavilion Theatre.

The report updated members of the Sub-Committee on progress with the JVA; and the outcome of negotiations to date and confirmed the interest of Homes England in providing a development funding package to support the development.

Decision

1.     That the significant progress towards the terms of the proposed Joint Venture Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Members’ Agreement (referred to in this Report as a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA)) with Roffey Homes Ltd be noted.

2.     Agree to the principle of, and for officers to work towards:

a.     the proposed transfer to the Joint Venture LLP, of the Council’s existing two land parcels, being the NCP Car Park site (land parcel A) and the former police station site (land parcel B) as set out in Appendix 1; and

b.     the proposed transfer to the LLP of land parcel C, also set out in Appendix 1, after it is acquired from London & Continental Railways Limited (LCR), as per para 2.5 below.

These land transfers are required, to enable the regeneration of Union Place. The transfers are subject to the Committee’s formal agreement (with such Committee agreement, proposed to be requested as part of the Committee’s approval of the JVA, in June 2024). The land transfers would be on the basis that the equity share in the LLP which WBC would receive in return for the three land parcels, will reflect an up-to-date valuation report relating to the WBC-owned land, subject to deduction of the cost of purchase as set out at paragraphs 2.3 and 2.5 below.

3.     That it be agreed to surrender the current lease agreement with NCP in accordance with the Heads of Terms attached at Exempt Appendix 3, and note that the cost of surrender of the lease will be funded by the Joint Venture LLP and deducted from the Council’s deemed equity contribution (based on value of WBC land to be contributed to the LLP) to the Joint Venture, on the basis that:

a.     the surrender would only be completed once the JVA is approved by the Committee (approval proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item JSS-C(W)/65/23-24

To consider a report by the Director for Place, copy attached as item 14

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Place, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 12.

This report before members were being brought for a decision to sell the freehold of the properties subject to the existing long ground leases in place.  The receipt would assist in offsetting future borrowing requirements. The report set out the rationale for sale and the benefits to the Council. An Exempt Appendix is attached outlining the commercially sensitive elements of the proposed disposals.

Decision

1.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Regenerative Development to sell the properties and achieve Best Consideration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resources.

2.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director for Regenerative Development to effect the sales to the existing tenants or others and test the sale amounts by reference to a Red Book valuation thus demonstrating Best Consideration or a sum in excess of Best Consideration

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decisions will be 5.00pm on 26 March 2024.