Agenda item

The Joint Growth Unit Manager presented a report to update members on the findings of the public engagement exercise on the draft Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan and to seek approval for the adoption of the final Master Plan, attached at Appendix A of the officer’s report. The report also sought approval for the delivery of improvements to Staveley town centre with the Towns Fund opportunity in line with the Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan and the ‘Staveley 21’ green book compliant business case.

A public consultation exercise undertaken in December 2020 found that local people thought that Staveley town centre did not meet their aspirations and that investment was required. The officer’s report noted that Staveley town centre had many valuable assets - its heritage, community spirit and location. To make the most of Staveley’s opportunities and to ensure it remained a relevant and viable town centre, the Council commissioned a new Town Centre Vision Master Plan with the purpose of setting an ambitious agenda for change and developing a vision for a successful future.

The Master Plan established five objectives to provide a framework for addressing the challenges facing the town and delivering the vision:

1.   Vital mix of uses

2.   Strong sense of place

3.   Connectivity

4.   Challenging perceptions

5.   Adaptability and resilience.

The Master Plan also identified 17 projects arranged around four ‘key moves’:

1.   The Regeneration of Market Square

2.   The renewal of the High Street

3.   Development proposals for under-used sites

4.   Enhancing Connectivity

An award of £25.2m to improve Staveley in line with the agreed Staveley Town Investment Plan had been received from the Towns Fund, £4.86m of which was identified to deliver improvements through the ‘Staveley 21’ project. Consideration had been given to how best to optimise the investment, having due regard to the Master Plan. The projects brought forward within the ‘Staveley 21’ business case were selected from the Master Plan based on the key criteria included in paragraph 4.31 of the officer’s report. Each project required a ‘Green Book’ Compliant Business Case, approved locally through the Staveley Town Deal Board and the Council as the accountable body, and submitted to government.

A ‘Staveley 21’ Project Board, comprising of the Cabinet Members for Economic Growth and Town Centres and Visitor Economy and council officers, would be established to oversee progress and manage project risks.

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan, attached at Appendix A of the officer’s report, be approved, adopted, and published.

2.   That the Council takes immediate steps to advance the delivery of improvements to Staveley town centre.

3.   That the Service Director for Economic Growth, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, the Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and the Service Director for Finance, be granted delegated authority to take the necessary steps to satisfy both the pre-contract and pre-award of funding conditions, detailed in Appendix G of the officer’s report, that the Staveley Town Deal Board have attached to their offer of funding from the Towns Fund Programme.

4.   That it be noted, subject to the pre-contract and pre-award of funding conditions being satisfied, that the Council will receive £4,856,000 of Towns Fund Programme grant funding to advance the delivery of improvements to Staveley town centre.

5.   That the Service Director for Economic Growth, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, the Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and the Service Director for Finance, be granted delegated authority to confirm the award of enabling works and construction contracts to advance the delivery of improvements to Staveley town centre.

6.   That the Service Director for Economic Growth, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, the Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and the Service Director for Finance, be granted delegated authority to confirm the scope of, and the governance and delivery arrangements for the ‘Staveley 21’ shop-front grant scheme.

7.   That the Service Director for Economic Growth, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and the Service Director for Finance, be granted delegated authority to finalise the lease arrangements with future occupier(s) of the pavilion building and other properties developed as part of the delivery of improvements to Staveley town centre.

REASONS FOR DECISIONS

1.   To respond to the findings of the draft Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan public engagement and consultation activities and finalise the Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan.

2.   To deliver outputs at pace through the ‘Towns Fund Programme’, which will part-fund the delivery of physical improvements to Staveley town centre in line with the newly adopted and published Staveley Town Centre Vision Master Plan.

3.   To contribute to the delivery of the Council’s economic recovery plan (Covid19 pandemic) and growth strategy 2019-23.

4.   To improve the experience of those visiting Staveley town centre and help enhance its economic future.