Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Beth Mortensen. 

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 Monday, 29 November 2021.

The following question was submitted at the meeting by a member of the public, Donald Berry:

Who has currently been allocated a place in the proposed Radcliffe Hub, have all the places/rooms been allocated and filled, if not will the Hub be designed not knowing who exactly will be in it or what it will be needed for?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the details of number of rooms, sizes, how they would be allocated and to whom was not known at this stage, but we are sure of the type of services we want to see, with the Hub building currently being developed to include several council, community, and commercial functions.

Conversations with existing tenants were taking place with an eye to what else would be wanted, but nothing had been decided of formalised. Stakeholder engagement over the next months will guide the design development and specificity of the building itself and we are keen to hear from the community about what they would like to see within our building.

Councillor O’Brien advised that the Levelling Up Fund allocation includes other spaces other than the Hub – Market Chambers building, the Market Hall and the Library building. There are opportunities throughout for people to get involved.

With regards to prospective commercial retail tenants, it was noted that whilst there will be commercial spaces to let within the Hub building they will not be occupiable until completion of the construction works in 2024. We will listen to potential tenants and design space to be flexible and lettable in the future.

Becca Lord, Major Project Manager for Radcliffe, advised that officers had reached out to community groups, centres, spaces and halls, with 29 directly responding with details of how frequently they meet, what spaces and facilities they require, and what their future aspirations are. This information had been fed back to the architects and would help design the types of spaces being created whilst ensuring they were as flexible as possible. Members noted that we are 2+ years away from anyone being in the spaces and there was lots of time to come forward to engage and feed into this process.

Minutes from the meeting held on 22 September 2021 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2021 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

A report from the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth to Cabinet on 17 November 2021 and extract of the minutes of that meeting are attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth, presented the report regarding the recent successful bids to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and the benefit to Bury from the recent submission by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which was considered by Cabinet

on 17 November 2021.

Members discussed the report and, in response to Members’ questions, the following was noted:

·         We’re on track with milestones to spend the Levelling Up monies and all design, development, and planning was moving forwards. Guidance had recently been received from the Levelling Up Fund team with reporting mechanisms for us. An inception meeting was taking place later in the month to go through the spend forecast, after that more detail will be available on the drawn-down mechanism for funds.

·         With regards to the Market Chambers building, the current plan was based on a phased approach but had not been agreed with Vinci, so when Market Chambers would be started was not confirmed. It was agreed that a high level dashboard summary of the project milestones and financials would be shared.

·         A dedicated localised team was in place to oversee the project, and capacity and management was being secured.

·         With regards to public consultation, it was noted that details had not been agreed. Officers would work with Vinci to ensure what is ultimately put in the public domain is comprehensive, well costed, and meaningful. The aim was to bring consultation proposals to either this Committee or the Delivery Board to ensure it was pitched correctly, with the right questions and going on for the right amount of time. It was noted this would take place early in new year.

·         Legal officers would reviewing the agreement in place with regards to the Carnegie building being gifted to the people of Radcliffe.

·         The library would be part of the wider consultation taking place in the new year. Officers were working closely with library colleagues to ensure they were fully informed and able to help any residents who come in so they can engage and have a say in their library services.

·         It was noted that the LUF bid endured the library building was safeguarded as a heritage asset and evidenced a broad spectrum of support for local people. The proposed enterprise centre was one aspect of that support and sought to draw people in to contribute back into the town, rather than shutting people out, and would have facilities to be shared with services based in the Hub.

·         With regards to having a ‘tick list’ to stay on track, officers advised there was a comprehensive Gantt chart for the project and confirmed that we were on track with this. It was agreed that a high level roadmap would be developed and shared to demonstrate where we are up to against where we said we’d be.

·         A range of engagement events were being worked up and were likely to begin in the new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

A report from the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth to Cabinet on 17 November 2021 and extract of the minutes of that meeting are attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth, presented the report regarding outlining the conclusions of a study to determine the extent of the site to be utilised for the school, and seeking approval of the proposal to lease the identified land to the DfE and for occupation by Star Academy Trust, which was considered by Cabinet on 17 November 2021.

Members discussed the report and, in response to Members’ questions, the following was noted:

·         Discussions were taking place as to where the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) would be based. A number of options were being considered with the school but no decision had been made. If an existing building could be repurposed that would be beneficial in terms of time and cost, but the importance was ensuring the right site for the PRU and minimising disruption.

·         It was noted that the project was on track for opening in 2024. The Council were feeding into this process but not running it, with the last major issue to be resolved before work began being between Star Academies and the DfE, as to which of them would be leading on the project. 

·         There was no detail as to when the sports centre would open and when the old one would close, but the principle was to minimise time working on both sites.

·         With regards to the access road, the preliminary site would be included on a more detailed map to be circulated to Members, but detail was yet to be worked up.

·         The proposed location of the school was different to the current location, so in theory work could begin while buildings remained in situ. Partial possession of the site was being negotiated, as this would cause school and development traffic to the site at the same time.

·         Legal officers were progressing with the heads of terms and getting the lease signed.

·         Financial estimates were in place for the works but when on site that figure might change. Indicative costs were included in the Children’s Services Capital Budget, and when firmer costs were available this would be brought back for approval.

It was agreed:

That a more detailed map be circulated to Members, and the report be noted.

A verbal update will be provided at the meeting.

Rebecca Lord, Major Project Manager for Radcliffe, gave a brief update on what the team were currently focussing on, including work to enter into the pre-construction service agreement whilst continuing engagement with community groups and feeding back to the architects. Heads of Service had been attending site visits to other boroughs to see examples of good work and pick up the lessons learnt by other Councils. It was noted that a very diverse range of voices had been engaged with via the development office in Radcliffe, and work continued with Education and Children’s Services colleagues to facilitate more engagement from young people.

In response to Members’ questions, it was noted that one final piece of work with Deloitte remained regarding soft market testing for the north block which was due back in the new year. With regards to beds for homeless people, Councillor O’Brien advised obtaining figures for Radcliffe was complicated as allocation of beds was not in the Council’s control, but that figures regarding the provision in Radcliffe could be shared.

A suggestion was made to include a credit union in the Radcliffe Hub, and it was noted that banking services were currently being looked at and this would be part of the community plan.

It was agreed:

That figures regarding the homelessness provision in Radcliffe be shared and the update be noted.

There was no other business.

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.

It was agreed:

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.

A report from the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth to Cabinet on 17 November 2021 is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth, presented the Part B report regarding the proposal to lease the identified land to the DfE and for occupation by Star Academy Trust, which was considered by Cabinet on 17 November 2021. Members discussed the report, including building timescales for the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.