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Agenda item
Project updates (10 minutes each + questions)
11.35
· Project lead updates
o Hastings Town Centre Co-Working - Nathalie Tulip
o Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections – Ellie McDaniel, ESCC and Nicole Collomb (Garden Town)
o Green Construction, Energy and Vehicle Centre of Excellence – Nathan Haffenden, ESCG
Minutes:
5.1 Hastings Town Centre Co-Working – Presenter Nathalie Tulip
A copy of the presentation is appended to these minutes.
· Key points
o First to complete, including delivering all the outputs
o 9 Spaces with 3000+ active members across the Southeast. Hastings’ capacity is 150 members
o Renovations to an iconic town centre building
o Delivered additional Office space with the opportunity for more, with additional funding
o Open 24/7 with “no fuss” offering to members
o 60% occupancy confirmed prior to the doors opening for business
o Green retrofit
Nat Tulip advised they received great feedback from the environmental impact assessment carried out at the end the project, this praised the physical accessibility, affordability and friendliness. So far, attracting only five-star reviews on Google.
Nat also advised that the future plans were to extend to the fifth floor and extend Barclays Eagle Lab to the Hastings membership having signed a 2-year partnership agreement for the West Sussex locations. This will bring Hastings members access to a Barclays ecosystem manager and all the support that Barclays offers in terms of mentorship and access to funding.
Freedom Works is also planning to bring additional sites into the portfolio, extending the space available to their membership.
In wrapping up the presentation, Nat re-iterated the need for additional funding to renovate the fifth floor.
Q&A
Q. James Harris asked what the occupancy level was post the opening and what who forms the membership.
A. Occupancy was confirmed as 80%. The membership is made up of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, freelancers, and solo entrepreneurs who cover a wide range of industries and services. There are many creatives, designers and tech businesses.
Jon Trigg related that one of the founding members was a Hastings resident who had offices in Brighton and London to attract the right talent base. Having a facility such as Freedom Works allows him to attract talent locally, which is great for the local economy. Their team has grown from 3 to 9. Additionally, a new start-up between a food critic and a wine buyer to promote local produce is another example of the wide industry base supported by the facility.
Q. Victoria Conheady asked if there was an opportunity to work closer with both East Sussex College Group and Plumpton College to look at support around recruitment and skills development.
A. Jon confirmed that Freedom Works already works with apprentice agencies and some colleges and would welcome an introduction to the Chief Executives of ESCG and Plumpton.
Q. Victoria also asked if the Freedom Works membership would be interested in helping with the Youth Futures Programme research in terms of what they see as barriers to young people accessing the workforce.
A. Jon confirmed he was happy to facilitate introductions to the membership.
Q. Cllr Maya Evans asked what reductions or incentives may be available to projects that are of social community value.
A. Jon responded that discounts were offered to non-profit organisations and Community Interest Companies, CICs. This is offered on events space and hot desking. An example was given of a mental health support group for Dads, out of Worthing and Hove, who have benefitted from discounted spaces. He also advised that Freedom Works acts as a facilitator in connecting these groups with local businesses within the Freedom Works ecosystem.
In conclusion to the presentation, Darrell Gale, offered to connect Freedom Works with the Public Health Team to help promote good health in the work force and the consequential benefits for their home life and further into the community.
5.2 Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections - Presenters Ellie McDaniel and Nicole Collomb
A copy of the presentation is appended to these minutes.
· Key points
o Contractor for the Design phase, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) stage 3 and stakeholder consultation are about to be confirmed
o Close engagement with the Garden Town
o Project inspired by the Great Dixter philosophy of creative ecology
o Creating a much better quality urban environment for people to spend time in the Town Centre as a healthy, robust and resilient place.
o ESCC, HBC and Garden Town acting as advocates for the Garden Town vision, making sure it remains embedded in this project, which is a major council-led infrastructure project.
o Garden Town acts as expert advisors in green infrastructure and water culture aspect of the project
o Garden Town will be supporting community engagement and is seeking funding to facilitate these activities
o Anticipated commencement of construction is spring 2024, completing in 2026
Q&A
Q. Victoria asked what the process would be around the public consultation, specifically the timing, and considering any pre-election periods and the Reg 19 local plan.
A. Ellie advised this would be confirmed once the consultants were appointed. The expectation being public consultation would begin before Christmas 2023 and would accommodate any dates that were of issue.
Q. James asked how the planting would look during the winter and what impact the types of planting would have on the water management ambitions of the project.
A. Nicole advised that the planting would not be the traditional planting more commonly seen in public realm. To ensure more sustainable urban drainage systems, biodiversity and other kinds of wildlife, the planting will be a mix of herbaceous plants and grasses, the aesthetic moving toward meadow and prairie planting. An example of this is the Sheffield Greater Green project. She also advised that the maintenance of the public realm needed to be appropriate for this type of planting, ensuring the beds are maintained and litter is collected.
Q. Cllr Maya Evans asked, given the recent flooding, and the anticipated report into the flooding not being conclusive as to the cause, how might this impact the project.
A. Pranesh advised that Southern Water had been contacted as a key stakeholder. Discussions will continue particularly around Southern Water’s long-term plans for the town centre, so they align to the project.
5.3 Green Construction, Energy and Vehicle Centre of Excellence – Presenter Nathan Haffenden
A copy of the presentation is appended to these minutes.
· Key points
o The project is to deliver a Green Centre of Excellence
o The project will provide new training and skills opportunities for students from 16 all the way up to adults in higher education
o The College organisation is already working with a number of businesses and local organizations to help strengthen the offering
o The construction element will be partly new build and partly enhancements to the existing building. These include significant mezzanine floors in void spaces
o Courses currently outside the College campus will be bought in house, which in turn, will enhance the student experience
o The completion date is shifting to accommodate a working college environment and the academic year
o RIBA 3 design is underway
o The project addresses a clear skills gap within the industry, specifically within the construction and built environment. Future proofing the courses and the education offering ensures people of all ages can train, re-skill and find employment
o A number of commercial courses will also be available to local businesses and short courses that can be managed around other student commitments
Q&A
Q. Kit Godfrey asked about the construction timetable for the college project as there could be competition for resources if several projects were scheduled to commence construction around the same time.
A. It was agreed that this topic be discussed further, outside of the board meeting.
Q. Darrell Gale asked, given the retrofit aspects of the construction, if the indoor air quality was being considered and offered the support of the public health and subject matter experts to assist in further discussion.
Supporting documents:
- Presentation 1 - Hastings Coworking, item 5. PDF 1 MB
- Presentation 2 - Public Realm and Green Connections, item 5. PDF 1 MB
- Presentation 3 - Green Construction, item 5. PDF 747 KB
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