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Agenda and draft minutes
Contact: Email: Towndeal@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Welcome and apologies
11:00
Minutes:
New members were welcomed: Jamie Whitfield, who will be replacing Justin Thomas as NewRiver REIT’s representative on the board, and Paul Hetherington from Team East Sussex. Paul, however, is unable to attend this morning and sent his apologies.
Apologies were also noted for Sally-Ann Hart MP, as despite valiant attempts, she was unable to join the meeting due to technical difficulties.
Declarations of interest
11:05
Minutes:
None received.
Minutes of the last meeting (25th October 2023) and matters arising PDF 157 KB
11:10
Minutes:
Apologies were extended to Anna Merla as she was not recorded as being present at the meeting. The minutes will be amended accordingly.
There were no matters arising.
Project updates
11:20
· Project lead updates
o Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections –
Ellie McDaniel, ESCC and ARUP
Minutes:
Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections – Ellie McDaniel, Mike Wood and Thomas Weake
Key points:
· Following the presentation at the last meeting and based on feedback that has been received, the scope of the project has been increased to include Wellington Place
· Public and stakeholder engagement was launched last Monday (22nd January) on the East Sussex County Council consultation hub and will be supported by exhibitions and stakeholder workshops in the borough
· The project objectives, summary of work carried out to date, key challenges and public and stakeholder engagement programme were summarised
· It is recognised that there are several challenges faced by the project and it is hoped that these can be resolved via the engagement process and the technical baselining
· It is intended to submit the planning application in July 2024
· Engagement material has been produced, including posters, a brochure and a postcard linking to the online survey which closes on the 1st March
Q&A / Comments:
Sean Dennis commented that the local business community are broadly supportive of the project from what it understands so far and is keen to learn more and engage. It is good to hear that there is recognition of the impact it will have on public and private transport. Hastings residents are reliant on taxis for various reasons and this is a really important aspect that needs to be considered, as well as the flow of buses. He also commented that a number of businesses, particularly those in Havelock Road which will be directly affected know nothing about the project. It is acknowledged that there are workshops taking place but there may be a need to arrange a separate event for Business Improvement District (BID) and Chamber of Commerce members.
Ellie explained that it is intended to do some door-to-door visits to businesses in the area and that a separate event will be arranged for BID and Chamber members.
Emma Smith asked about the main delivery challenges, what these were and how these have been taken into account.
Ellie responded that the two big challenges are flooding and being able to do planting in a way that works in the environment there. A wide area is being looked at which has some issues such as high winds along the seafront and Havelock Road does not get the right amount of sun hence the engagement with local experts to ensure what is being done will be robust and stand the test of time given the environment in Hastings.
Another is the infrastructure side of things, in order to unlock the amount of public realm that we’re looking at here significant changes will be needed to the infrastructure, including changes to the bus routes and taxi ranks. Work is underway with key stakeholders to ensure that what is being proposed will be feasible for the town.
The construction-based delivery part is yet another challenge, with regards to phasing, operational businesses, access and accessibility to the town which will be rigorously ... view the full minutes text for item 4.
Programme progress update PDF 208 KB
12:00
5.1 Town Deal Programme update
5.2 Communications update
5.3 Programme finance update
5.4 Hastings Station Gateway / Town Centre Regeneration update
5.5 Long Term Investment Plan for Towns – Endowment Fund
5.6 Levelling Up Partnership update
5.7 Hastings Town Deal ‘Deep Dive’
Minutes:
5.1 Programme overview
Noted. No questions were raised.
5.2 Communications update
Suzanne Oakley, Communications and Engagement updated:
· The Town Deal Open Day is taking place this coming Saturday, 27th January from 10am to 4pm inside the atrium of the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre. This will be attended by representatives across most of the ongoing projects and the main focus will be the public realm project, and a team from East Sussex County Council and Arup will be present as they will be using the event as part of the public consultation. Information has already been circulated but please contact Suzanne if anyone would like another reminder or calendar request (email: Towndeal@hastings.gov.uk)
· A press release about the public realm project will be going out shortly and Suzanne is working closely with the ESCC communications team on various updates. A post is also live on the Hastings Town Deal Blog which includes links to the public survey and other information
· The East Sussex consultation site currently mentions that paper copy surveys are available to pick up from the café in the Observer Building which is unfortunately currently closed, although copies can be picked up from the Common Room at Eagle House. ESCC needs to be advised that the wording on the consultation site needs to be changed. Action: Suzanne
5.3 Programme finance update
Emma asked about contingency within the funding. Pranesh advised there is no programme contingency but there is contingency for each project which is built into their project costs. In terms of the public realm project, it is showing that more money will be needed than there is but staging of the development is being built in within Arup’s work.
Jane Howard-Smith asked about The Source Park which is mentioned in the finance update. The business went into administration and a new company has been formed which has the same directors. Pranesh confirmed that the funds received from the Town Deal Accelerator Fund have been used, construction works at the White Rock Courtyard were completed as planned and the asset is still operational. Richard Moore confirmed further that private funding was also invested alongside the received project funding that was used as capital expenditure to the building. The asset remains in continuous use and the project is not affected by the restructuring of their core business which is online retail. The project completed before their restructuring, investment in the asset continues which is going from strength to strength with more jobs being created and more space being brought back into use during winter by a canopy which they have just invested £30,000 in. Richard is happy to talk offline if anyone has any concerns.
John Bownas asked for clarification on the budget for the public realm project (£10m) as it has been stated that this isn’t enough to deliver a scheme which hasn’t yet been designed and costed. Ellie explained that the costs are based on the current designs as they have been shared now but the consultation ... view the full minutes text for item 5.
Date of next meeting:
11:00, Tuesday, 4th June 2024
Minutes:
11:00, Tuesday, 18th June 2024
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