Agenda item

To consider a report by the Director for Digital and Resources, copy attached as item 7

The Committee had before it a report attached as item 7,  a copy of which had been circulated to all Members, a copy of which is attached to a signed copy of these minutes.The report before members set out background information on the Portfolios of the Adur and  Worthing Executive Members for Regeneration to enable the Committee to consider and question the Executive Members on issues within their portfolios  and any other issues which the Executive Members are involved in connected with the work of the Councils and the Adur and Worthing communities.

A Member asked the following question: Residents keep asking me when the  planters, you have said will be placed in Montague Place to break up the empty space and make it look a more attractive area, will be installed. When will this happen? Members were told that the planters had arrived at the end of the previous week and the Council was just agreeing the planting mix to ensure these are sustainable in a coastal location, with our contractor. It was expected that  these would be placed in Montague Place and Montague Street West in the proceeding couple of weeks.

A Member asked the following question:  Shoreham traders are concerned that the decision to block-off parking bays in the town centre to assist with social distancing is seriously damaging trade.   Do you support the suspension of the bays and are there any timescales for reinstatement as nearby towns, such as Steyning, have no suspended parking in place? Members were told that The Safer Town Centres actions were taken following emergency measures mandates from central government. The details of these mandates were available and open to public scrutiny. There was an expectation that Local Authorities act swiftly to protect Public Health. A stakeholder consultation with businesses regarding the proposals. West Sussex County Council as the highways authority approved the emergency bay suspensions and road closures. I am sure you can appreciate the measures in relation to road closures and bay suspensions were not taken lightly, the emergency measures, across Adur & Worthing. In response to comments raised by businesses and members of the public, Officers have critically analysed the road closure. We have given a lot of thought to aspects around deliveries / loading and unloading and access rights, whilst retaining safe (socially distanced) outdoor seating areas. The road closures and bay suspensions are reviewed on a weekly basis and will be critically reviewed on Monday 21st September.

Were Adur District and/or Worthing Borough Council,  part  of the 68 Councils that  participated in the Dept. Transport’s  survey last year – on Parking on the Pavement ? If not, why not and if it did so what were the outcomes for Worthing in particular? he issue has been reinstated and the Government are now proposing 3 options: a. Improving the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process, under which local authorities can already prohibit pavement parking. b. A legislative change to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction of the pavement’. c. A legislative change to introduce a London-style pavement parking prohibition throughout England. Members were told that the Executive Member did not believe the council responded to the survey. Ultimately, the decision to enforce pavement parking is a decision for West Sussex County Council as the highways authority. West Sussex make the traffic regulation orders and would be the decision makers on which road(s) were to be exempted, however if the Council were to be approached by West Sussex as part of a consultation then it would respond.

A Member asked the following question: Over a year ago we did a walk around Lancing, looking at the  major areas that are desperately in need of regeneration...in particular this was Queensway that was in need of resurfacing and regeneration (this was considered when first updated  to be the jewel in the crown of Lancing.).Could you please tell me what is happening about the resurfacing and generating business to come to this area..? The area above the Co Op store that had planning permission passed to extend up, and so redo the overhang that is so desperately in need of repair. And finally Alma Street , with the burnt out remains of the old laundry ...We are in Lancing desperately needing regeneration for the village .. Could you please tell me what we can expect to see on these sites in the near future..? Members were told that The Exec Member had completed the walk around last year, which included representatives from Lancing Parish Council and Lancing Traders Association. It highlighted a number of key areas which we have now progressed. The resurfacing at Queensway will begin next week, Monday 21st September, and will last for 5 weeks. We felt it important the Council step in and deliver this to ensure the overall look and feel of this area is maintained (and not tarmaced). We’re delighted this will be delivered. We have made all the businesses and residents aware of these works, whilst we hope the end result will attract further businesses to the area. For the Parade, planning enforcement have successfully worked with the owner to reinstate the ‘Queens Parade’ lettering. Planning enforcement officers are now in dialogue with the owner regarding the rest of the building. The Old Laundry was in private ownership and the authority was in dialogue with the owner to see if the Council could intervene or assist in the regeneration of this area.

A Member asked the following question: What are now the main highlights and challenges around regeneration in Worthing? Members were told that main highlights included Integrated Health Centre, Beales (residential units and new retail), Public realm improvements, Teville Gate planning permission, Continued construction of gigabit fibre during the lockdown period, which has now passed 9,000 homes in Worthing and will move to the town centre in the spring/summer next year to support the implementation of Citizen WiFi. Main challenges included confidence of the private sector to invest (post pandemic) and Reluctance from commercial landlords to engage (as they hold the majority of the property in our town centres).

A Member asked the following question: Education liaison is under your portfolio, can you tell me how much discussion has gone on with yourself and  David Etherton of St Mary's & St Nics who states that WSCC school need modelling methods are incorrect. He has data that shows we are at shortage for primary provision within Adur, parents are increasingly sending their children further to secondary schools, due to mass development and impacting traffic congestion. Are you involved in these discussions and what are your thoughts ?  The Executive Member stated that through discussions with local heads he was aware that there was a concern that figures used by West Sussex County Council lacked soundness. However, West Sussex was the education authority and the Council could not make them do anything and West Sussex would make decisions based upon their modelling.

A Member asked the following question: What are your biggest achievements since taking over your portfolio and what plans do you have for the future of Adur, medium and long term? The Exec Member told members that the building of the Brighton and Hove Training ground provided an additional economic impact of £23m. In terms of ambition for the future it was explained by the Executive Member that there be a balance in the future by providing housing along with an infrastructure that allowed everyone to enjoy the natural assets of the area.

A Member asked the following question: A number of major developments are being delivered in Adur, some of which are complex.  Could the Executive Member outline the capabilities and resources available to ensure that adequate building control is exercised. The Planning & Development team includes a pro-active building control service that engages pro-actively with development teams to ensure that high standards are maintained.  The team has recently improved its efficiency by going almost entirely paperless - something that has helped significantly during the pandemic.  Developers report that the team is through, robust but also customer friendly and helps find solutions when problems do occur on site.

A Member asked the following question: Re the Broadwater Road cycle lane and the public concerns - As a Council that declared a climate emergency in July 2019 and committed to reducing pollution in our town and the need to bring the public along with any decisions made, what plans are in place to review this hugely unpopular route and are there any plans to consider the secondary route listed as 311 in the report? Members were told that West Sussex County was the responsibility and that there was currently a consultation being carried out about the Broadwater section. The Executive Member highlighted support for the scheme including supportive letters in the Herald. It was remarked that it was good to see increased use of the route but it was fair to say that the jury was out on it. The route in question had been well consulted on for a number of years. In relation to 311 the Executive Member was not aware of any plans to explore those routes as it stood.

A Member asked the following question: Is ADC planning to continue with the concessions scheme which has allowed street trading at key locations in Adur (including the cycleway on Shoreham Beach), allowing pop-up businesses to compete with our permanent traders but without incurring any fixed, year-round costs?  Members were told that the concessions / street trading scheme has been around for the last few years, and has proved successful in places such as Southwick Square (and has been welcomed by the local traders as they create additional footfall). The Executive Member would ask Officers to review the scheme taking on board comments about local businesses being made aware of how to bid for the concessions.

A Member asked the following question: Public Electric charging points – whereabouts  are they – is there a map indicating where the public can use them  and when will they be in full operation, and what impact  will they have on the Council's budget?  Members were told that Adur & Worthing Councils has delivered electric vehicle charge points in public car parks at 4 locations across Adur and Worthing. These can be found on the councils ‘Electric Vehicle charging’ webpage, but can also be found on commercial websites that map charge points nationally such as Pod Point, ZapMap ChargeMap and others. These maps identify other charge points in locations such as supermarkets and garage forecourts. Under the West Sussex EV Network that is planned to be delivered from late 2020 onwards, the locations of charge points will be mapped in the same way as above. The councils currently profit share with the installers on those EV charge points it has commissioned. A small income is received annually. The councils will also receive a small income for sites on council owned land under the West Sussex EV Network. More points were planned for the future.

A Member asked the following question: We have obviously all been affected by Covid 19, do you  feel  that the various regeneration projects in Adur have been adversely affected by this pandemic , do you feel these are now getting back on track ,and what help have we as a Council been  able to contribute to these difficult times? Members were told that Obviously there was a pause in many construction projects for several months during lockdown, but it is pleasing to note that construction activity is now well and truly back under way in Adur.  At Free Wharf the additional cranes signal progress on creating the necessary flood defences for work on the new homes and commercial space to begin;  Ropetackle North is nearing completion; and extensive work is underway at New Monks Farm - including, I am delighted to say - new houses emerging from their foundations.

A Member asked the following question: The Grimsey Review outlines the importance of letting local people be empowered to redesign the high street and a reduction of reliance on cars as well as a huge expansion of green space. How does this fit in relation to Worthing town centre regeneration? Members were told that The town centre is already blessed with good green (parks) and blue (seafront) spaces and we’re certainly looking at how we develop these further for the benefit of our residents and visitors. This need to work with our major sites to ensure the whole town develops. The public realm programme was an example of where we’re looking to reduce the dominance of the car through greater pedestrianised areas. This will start with the construction of Portland Road next year with Railway Approach to follow. The car parking strategy aimed to encourage people to walk further and differentiate between short stay and long stay. Post lockdown, we did ask the question (through an open survey) of how people are experiencing the town centre and what improvements they would like to see. These results are being analysed. We are looking at further community consultation to look at how we look at designing the ‘places in between’ to be relevant for today’s consumer. It should be noted the Council couldn’t be the only contributor and will need to work with partners to effect this change.

A Member asked the following question: If we look at the list of responsible areas under your portfolio, 11 of the 21 of them note Tourism, Streetscene, Cultural etc under Worthing only. Do we not feel that the time has come to look at this across Adur. Post the Bill Grimsey event in May 2019 - what is the specific vision for cross Adur tourism for harnessing our natural, historical and commercial assets? The Council are already looking at these elements, including streetscene improvements through the capital programme. The work in Lancing, notably the works starting in Queensway next week, highlights this. We know that our high streets are changing, and there is a need to work with partners to diversify our offers. An important part of that is the cultural element and we have a number of prized assets across the District which we know also draws visitors who in turn benefit from our other assets including The Perch, Shoreham Fort and of course our Farmers Market. There were natural advantages offered by access to the Downs, the beach and the Adur River Valley. Our work with street wayfinding (lamp post banners) supports these assets to encourage people into our places.

A Member asked the following question: The Executive Member will recall that significant work has been completed to develop  High Street and Night Time Economy strategies.  Could the Executive Member set out the steps taken to revise these strategies in the light of the impact of Covid. Members were told that the Council are now delivering on the ‘And Then’ document which gives clear direction for our priorities over the next 6 - 9 months. Whilst it didn’t specifically reference high street or night time economies, the work in supporting our businesses was crucial. The Councils had already issued over £11m of Covid support funding to over 900 businesses, the majority of these are hospitality and leisure (supporting the night time economy).The Council had also just launched the Small Business Growth Grant. Other actions being implemented included creating safe places and building visitor confidence for residents and visitors to return to our high street. The #WelcomeBack campaign was one element of efforts to support town and village centres. Through Safe Towns work there had been swiftly delivered a system to cater for pavement licences (to allow alfresco dining) and provide direct advice / guidance to businesses on our high street post lockdown.

A Member asked the following question:  Is there strong, current data on how residents are experiencing the town centre offer and if so could we get a sense of what residents are saying? Members were told that the Councils recently ran a very successful campaign throughout August known as #WelcomeBackAW, which encouraged people to return to town centres post-lockdown while highlighting COVID-safe best practice from more than a dozen businesses. Around 55% wanted to come back although were cautious. Initial feedback had been excellent with more than 105,000 people seeing the campaign online in four weeks. Worthing currently has a 97% return to traffic and 94% spend (pre covid comparison).

A Member asked the following question: With land drainage and infrastructure under your remit, how can we be sure that future development is assessed more accurately for foul water, given the new pre-approval planning applications coming? Members were told that under the prior approval regime, these matters could nott normally be considered, they would remain subject to other legislation such as Building Regulations and the responsibility of the sewage undertaker.

A Member asked the following question: Re Portland Road, the scheme that was put to consultation at £0.5 to £1m reached over £2.7m over a two year period without going back to JSC or full council for confirmation of changes. Can we be reassured that this increase in public money reflects the wishes of residents? Members were told that that the figure referred to alluded to indicative schemes and prices. The potential increase in costs related to groundworks and feedback from local businesses. Authorities were delegated to officers and members and the report was brought back to JSC in June to bring the scheme into the budget and the matter would be taken to the public realm board shortly.

A Member asked the following question: With charity shops closing in Lancing due to higher rents than Worthing on average, would we consider a purchase of Queens Parade, a system that has worked so successfully in Rustington and Southwick - another cashflow area for the council? Members were told that the Council were not aware that the site was on the market, but as members were aware, The Council had been considering a number of property interventions to support regeneration. In the meantime the Council had been working with the landowner to improve the appearance of the parade and help ensure that it looked tidy and welcoming.

A Member asked when road improvements at New Marks Farm were going to happen, when was IKEA coming and what was the status of the Withy patch. Members were told that the road improvements would begin early next year and IKEA would come onto the site when that was complete. To the best of the Exec Member’s knowledge the new site for the withy patch residents had been agreed.

Resolved: that the interview be noted