Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Charlotte Morris.

Members of the Radcliffe Cabinet Committee are asked whether they have any interests on any item on the agenda and if so to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

A period of 30 minutes has been set aside for members of the public to ask questions. Questions must be submitted in advance to democratic.services@bury.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Thursday, 7^th July 2022.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Alicia Carlin:

How much is it going cost to turn the basement in Radcliffe market into the new civic hall? Would it not be cheaper to put the civic hall in the Hub or refurbish the library? When it comes to tanking a basement in a house it is a very expensive job.

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the project does not include the construction of a new civic hall. He advised that if a large scale events space similar to that being created in the Market basement were included within the Hub building, we would either need to reduce the floor space allocated to the leisure and library services, or significantly increase the floor space by constructing and additional floor. We would need to introduce commercial servery space, and the capacity of such a space would demand that we increased the provision of WCs, passenger lifts, widen corridors and staircases, increase access/egress points into the building, and storage space for furniture and equipment. This would be prohibitively expensive and the height and massing of the building would be unlikely to secure planning consent.

With regards to the library, the existing library building was refurbished relatively recently and is in a good state of repair and as such the proposed use of this space as an enterprise centre will require very little reconfiguration/refurbishment work with minimal costs incurred. Irrespective of the plans to regenerate the town centre, remedial works to the Market building are required to ensure it remains safe and structurally sound. Repeated flooding over many years have undermined the structural integrity of the building and therefore these works are essential to safeguard the continued use of the Market. The cost of these maintenance works is being met by capital budgets earmarked to manage and maintain our estate.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Louise James:

What action is being taken to address the eyesores which are the long empty and dilapidated buildings in the town centre e.g. buildings at the corner of Stand Lane/Pilkington Way and the old Adamson’s Solicitors office on Blackburn St? Even though they are not owned by the Council, there should be some mechanism to disincentivise landlords/owners from leaving properties empty long term. The regeneration is significantly undermined by such properties.

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that he had sympathy for this issue, and the Council were continuing to make attempts to engage with the owners of those buildings and keep all options open and on the table, continuing the works and improvements set out in the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF). This would build confidence in the Town Centre and encourage private sector investment, with these buildings changing ownership to new businesses who wanted to have a presence in the area.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Minutes from the meeting held on 8 March 2022 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to the inclusion of a request for a profit/loss business plan for the Market Chambers building.

With regards to matters arising, Jacqui Dennis, Director of Law and Democratic Services, advised that a note would be sent to Members within the next 7 days regarding the title investigation on the library, Becca Lord, Major Project Manager - Radcliffe, advised that the cost plan dashboard documents would be shared, and that a profit/loss business plan for the Market Chambers building could be provided for the next meeting.

To receive and note the Cabinet Committee’s Terms of Reference.

The Committee formally received and noted its terms of reference.

In response to a question about the Radcliffe Regeneration Advisory Group (RRAG), it was noted that the Group hadn’t met since August but that the Radcliffe Community Hub manager was still meeting with local groups and continuing to build networks, while officers continued to link in with existing local forums in order to reach out to the community in the absence of RRAG meetings. It was agreed that an update on the status of the RRAG be brought to the next meeting of this Committee.

It was agreed:

That the terms of reference be noted, and that an update on the status of the RRAG be brought to the next meeting.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

The Committee received a report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People regarding the delivery of a new secondary school in Radcliffe.

Ordinarily, the Department for Education (DfE) would primarily work with the sponsor, in this case Star Academy, to agree the design and delivery milestones for the new Free School but given the critical role that the Council has played in securing the approval for the new school and the important role the new school plays in the wider socio-economic regeneration of Radcliffe, the Council has continued to meet with DfE and Star Academy on a monthly basis to maintain progress. This report focused on the financial approvals needed from the Council, to be funded from Children’s Services schools capital budget, and it was noted that a range of factors had been discussed regarding which organisation would be financially responsible for each to ensure a fair distribution of costs.

Members noted that work with local primary schools had begun with Star Academy regarding attendance and curriculums but that it was challenging to keep the DfE focussed on Radcliffe delivery in the context of its wider remit. In response to Members’ questions, it was noted that a meeting had been scheduled in August with the Radcliffe Swimming & Waterpolo Club when the project would enter RIBA Stage 4 and more detailed information would be available. It was also noted that Sports England were currently reviewing the plans for the swimming pool, after which these could be shared more widely.

In response to further questions, it was noted that the North Block plans were at an early stage but was planned to be mixed use with a combination of parking and some retail. With regards to the feasibility study, it was noted that although this was overdue, it had been followed up and regular contact continued with Star Academy and the DfE.

It was agreed that:

The Radcliffe Cabinet Committee:

1.    Note the indicative financial costs that will fall to the Council;

2.    Note that the Cabinet will be asked to approve the funding of indicative costs as set out in Part B of this report, to meet the Council’s financial obligations, to be met from the Children’s Services schools capital programme; and

3.    Note that the Cabinet will be asked to delegate approval of the final costs to the Executive Director of Finance.

It was noted that the Wellness team were looking at the decant and interim arrangements for the break between leisure offers, and it was agreed that an update be brought to the next meeting.

To consider passing the appropriate resolution under Section 100 (A)(4), Schedule 12(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the reason that the following business involves the disclosure of exempt information as detailed against the item.

Decision:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100 (A)(4), Schedule 12(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, for the reason that the following business involves the disclosure of exempt information as detailed against the item.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

The Committee received a Part B report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People regarding the delivery of a new secondary school in Radcliffe. This report set out the indicative costs falling to the Council.