Agenda item

Presentation by the Leader and Chief Executive.

 

Please find attached a copy of the report that the Council’s Cabinet considered at its meeting on 5 December 2019, for information. (Pages 3 – 10)

The Leader explained how the Town Board had been convened by the Council to develop an Investment Plan for the Government’s Town Fund allocation to Clay Cross. He added that the Board’s discussions on the Investment Plan would aim to include areas like connectivity, digital technology, infrastructure, highways, regeneration, employment, skills, training, mental health and well-being.

 

          The Council’s Chief Executive Officer delivered a presentation which set out some of the proposals and challenges regarding the Investment Plan. The presentation began with an overarching ‘Vision’ for Clay Cross, which stated that it would aim “‘to [make Clay Cross] become a 21st century town, moving on from its industrial legacy whilst valuing and preserving its heritage. Clay Cross will become a centre for learning, research and climate change innovation, attractive to students, whilst also ensuring future skilled employment opportunities locally.”

 

          The Leader of the Council stated his belief that this was a chance to make Clay Cross unique and develop it to be a centre for learning, research, employment and innovation, with climate change featuring heavily within those areas. He added that this would also increase footfall in Clay Cross, which would attract businesses and demand more leisure provisions.

 

          The Council’s Chief Executive Officer continued with the presentation, which touched upon the following:

 

1)      Town Deal history and background – the Government produced a list of 101 towns in September 2019 to develop proposals for multi-million pound Town Deals, which included Clay Cross. The Government then released the Towns Fund Prospectus in November 2019, which guided local authorities on how to set Town Boards up.

 

2)      The Government’s Stage 1 and 2 for the Town Deals – Stage 1: providing capacity support to put structures and vision in place and develop an Investment Plan (the Government has given the Council £140,000 to carry this out). Stage 2: places to use locally owned Town Investment Plan for business case to apply for funding (making a deal).

 

3)      Government’s objectives for the Town Fund – urban regeneration, planning, land use, skills, enterprise infrastructure and connectivity.

 

4)      Role of Town Board – a) Develop and agree evidence-based Town Investment Plan. b) Set out a clear programme of interventions. c) Co-ordinate resources and influence stakeholders.

 

5)      Future timeline – the Investment Plan will aim to be completed and submitted by summer 2020.

 

6)      Clay Cross history and heritage – the Plan will be sensitive to the history of Clay Cross, such as its Victorian buildings and its mining heritage.

 

7)      Readiness questionnaire – this captured information about where each town stood on the key actions to develop and agree the Deal. The questionnaire contained 47 questions.

 

8)      Emerging ideas to include in the Investment Plan –

 

 

·                Links to Further and Higher Education partners

·                Clay Cross digital infrastructure plan

·                Active environment with links to Sharley Park Leisure Centre

·                Clean growth focused on low carbon commercial development

·                Review and redesign of town centre traffic management

·                Co-location of public services

·                Redevelopment of publicly owned sites to stimulate activity

 

9)      Photographs/map – photographs of some of the buildings in Clay Cross that could be invested in, and an overhead map showing the exact boundaries in Clay Cross where the investment can be made.

 

ACTION: The Readiness questionnaire would be circulated to Board Members who had not received it.

 

The overhead map of Clay Cross showing precise boundaries for the Investment Plan was presented. The Member of Parliament enquired if the map showed Clay Cross Parish Council and the area of Tupton as not within the boundaries, and the Chief Executive Officer confirmed that they were not.

 

The Board were satisfied with the presentation’s proposals in principle.

 

The Derby University Pro Vice-Chancellor referred to the yet to be formed East Midlands Development Corporation development group, and believed that the Board should liaise with the Development Corporation to synchronise the low carbon strategies of both the Investment Plan and the Development Corporation. The Board agreed that the Chief Executive Officer should liaise on this issue with the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.

 

The Clay Cross Town Centre Group Treasurer referred to attracting outside investment for the Investment Plan, and enquired if the Business Case for this stacked up. The Leader confirmed that it did, and one option for finding outside investment would be to ask the D2N2 (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire) Local Enterprise Partnership about the types of funding available.

 

The Board discussed potential plans for Egstow Park, and the Clay Cross Town Centre Group Treasurer suggested that because the Park shared two boundaries with train lines, it could be possible to create a train station in the Park. He added that there used to be one nearby in Tupton, and new rail links would provide Clay Cross with a range of opportunities.

 

Roads in Clay Cross were discussed, and both Councillor Gerry Morley and the Clay Cross Town Centre Group Treasurer felt that New Bridge Street had effectively split the town in two, and the solution was to open up some of the closed roads nearby to ease congestion. The Leader advised that issues like highways would be discussed at future Board meetings, and the Chief Executive Officer stated that he would liaise with Derbyshire County Council about transport and highway flow in Clay Cross.

 

The Rykneld Homes Director of Property Services and Development stated that Rykneld Homes would like the Board to consider the technology that drives social housing.

 

The Worcester Bosch Technical Engineering Manager provided the perspective on the Investment Plan from the perspective of Worcester Bosch. He explained that the site they had in Clay Cross needed to reduce its carbon emissions, so he felt that the Town Board investing in new technology to do this would be in the best interests of Clay Cross and its combined emission levels. The Chief Executive Officer advised that he would liaise with Worcester Bosch about this technology.

 

A discussion took place which compared Clay Cross to other similar towns that had successful and busy high streets. The Leader advised that D2N2 would offer guidance on what other towns were doing. The D2N2 Head of Capital Programmes confirmed this, and added that D2N2 had helped and evaluated a number of towns with similar investment, which would make comparisons easier.

 

The Prosocial Place Director believed that Clay Cross had to attract investment, but it would attract the wrong kind of investment if it still looked like it did in the presentation photographs. He added that Prosocial Place could set up an Urban Design Academy in Clay Cross as part of the Investment Plan, which they had done in other towns with investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (replaced by Homes England) via carbon neutral buildings. He explained that if an Academy was in Clay Cross, not only would it educate younger students, but officers and Members from the Council could also go there for training.

 

The Board discussed some of the Health issues that the Investment Plan could touch upon, and the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust General Manager advised that the Plan would need to address some important points: ensuring access to hospitals if any road modifications were proposed, focusing on the importance of preventative measures to improve Health in Clay Cross, maintaining links between Health and physiotherapy, and recognising that better leisure provisions could make a place healthier.

 

Education in Clay Cross was discussed by the Board, and the Chesterfield College Group Chief Executive Officer explained that Chesterfield College students did 340 hours of work experience a year, so if some of the students were working in Clay Cross, making a positive impression on them would be vital to encourage them to work there permanently.

 

The Member of Parliament thanked everybody on the Board for their work in compiling the presentation and proposals. He believed the Board needed to consider five points:

 

 

1)        If the Investment Plan’s commercial offer was based on SME (small or medium-sized enterprise) businesses.

2)        If walking around Clay Cross could be made easier in terms of walkways and routes.

3)        To consider every idea in the context of imagining Clay Cross in 20 years.

4)      To consider the skills gap in Clay Cross.

5)      To consider what businesses in Clay Cross wanted from the Plan.

 

The Board discussed the evidence base that the Plan would be built on, since the Prospectus specified an ‘evidence based’ approach. The Board agreed that information should be requested from officers before the next meeting relating to Clay Cross population statistics and demographics.

 

The Board discussed the presentation photograph showing the defunct Junior School building on Market Street. The Clay Cross Town Centre Group Treasurer advised that this building would be an important part of any proposals because of its heritage and Victorian nature. He added that Derbyshire County Council had shown an interest in using the building, so it could be utilised if it was tidied up. He also spoke about the walkway/plaza that followed a tunnel near Tesco, and how the walkway abruptly stopped before reaching the high street. He felt that opening the walkway and connecting this could be a needed link between the old and new town, and Councillor Jeremy Kenyon added that this could also be linked up with Sharley Park. The Strategic Director – People responded by stating that the proposal would make Sharley Park easier to access, which would improve the experience Clay Cross can offer. The Leader added that it could also link with the Cycle Network.

 

The Prosocial Place Director discussed how buses going through Clay Cross had to go on overcomplicated routes, which put people off visiting. He added that supplementary planning documents for Clay Cross were on the North East Derbyshire District Council website, and he encouraged the Board to view them.

 

          RESOLVED – That the Clay Cross Town Board:-

 

(1)     Noted the report to the Council’s Cabinet on 5 December 2019 and the presentation delivered by the Council’s Chief Executive Officer.

 

(2)     Agreed to send the Readiness questionnaire to Board Members who had not received it.

 

(3)     Agreed that officers should be requested to research Clay Cross population statistics and demographics, and circulate them before the Board’s next meeting.

 

(4)     Agreed that the Council’s Chief Executive Officer should liaise with the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council about how to synchronise the low carbon strategies of both the Investment Plan and the East Midlands Development Corporation.

 

(5)     Agreed that the Chief Executive Officer should liaise with Worcester Bosch about how its Clay Cross site could introduce new technology and reduce carbon emissions.

 

(6)     Agreed that the Chief Executive Officer should liaise with Town Groups about a solution to difficult private landlords on High Street in Clay Cross.

 

(7)     Agreed that the Chief Executive Officer should liaise with Derbyshire County Council about transport and highway flow in Clay Cross.

 

(Chief Executive Officer/Governance Officer)