Issue - meetings

Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) consultation update and next steps

Meeting: 10/03/2021 - Cabinet (Item 6)

6 Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) Development Proposals and Delivery Strategy PDF 312 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

1. That the adoption of the Vision for Winchester by the Winchester Town Forum in January 2021 and the complementary themes within that work which are relevant to the regeneration of central Winchester be noted.

2. That the feedback from the consultation undertaken between 11^th November 2020 and 12^th January 2021 be noted and as a result the CWR Development Proposals and indicative phasing plan be approved, namely proposals pages 6-27 inclusive as detailed in appendix A of CAB3281.

3. That revenue expenditure of up to £390,000 from the £2m CWR revenue budget be approved to;

a. Progress further work to the CWR business case to inform the decision on delivery of the CWR development proposals for subsequent Cabinet approval to proceed to procurement in 2021.

b. Carry out soft market testing, finalise the business model and the procurement route to deliver medium/long term vision for the Kings Walk creative hub

c. Evaluate options to bring forward delivery of the interim on street bus solution.

4. That capital expenditure be approved;

a. Of up to £200,000 from the Kings Walk improvements budget to progress short term improvement works to Kings Walk as the pre-cursor to delivery of the Kings Walk creative hub, subject to the outcome of the condition survey;

b. Of up to £500,000 from the Friarsgate demolition and interim open space budget to progress the planning application to enable demolition of Friarsgate Medical Centre and provision of interim public open space.

5. That authority be delegated to Strategic Director – Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Asset Management, to finalise, tender, award and enter into contractual arrangements to deliver the short term improvement works to Kings Walk and Friarsgate Medical Centre, within approved budgets.

6. That further exploration of funding opportunities with EM3 Local Enterprise Partnership, Homes England, and other sources as appropriate be approved and authority be delegated to the Strategic Director – Place to prepare and submit funding bids.

7. That an application be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding of £2m to support delivery of the CWR project.

8. That the proposed development of governance arrangements for the next phase of the regeneration work be noted and the finalisation of these arrangements be delegated to the Strategic Director – Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Asset Management.

Minutes:

(CAB3281)

Councillor Learney introduced the report which outlined further steps in achieving the vision as set out in the Central Winchester supplementary planning document (SPD) to develop a vibrant, mixed use area. The consultation responses had been taken into account and further investigation into different types of delivery models would be undertaken.

The Head of Programme, with input from representatives of JLL and Arup, gave a presentation and responded to the points raised during the public participation session earlier in the meeting. The presentation was available on the Council’s website here.

Councillor Tod provided an update on proposals for the provision for buses and emphasised that it was an interim solution to meet the requirements of bus users in the short to medium term, whilst freeing up the existing bus station for development.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Power, Lumby, Bell, Horrill and Weir addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Power

Welcomed the proposals as delivering community benefits and minimising costs at the current times of economic uncertainty. She believed that by demonstrating the ability to deliver short term benefits the Council also demonstrated the ability to deliver longer term benefits.

Councillor Lumby

Emphasised the need to progress as soon as possible. Considered that the fees spent on JLL to date did not constitute value of money. Did not support the proposed use of Kings Walk for a number of reasons, including its current appearance and condition. Concerns regarding the proposal to employ a single developer and believed a piecemeal approach with the Council employing a development manager was preferable. Requested assurance that the final approval of the development agreement would be referred for decision at full Council.

Councillor Bell

Welcomed the proposals as building on the contents of the SPD and the progress on “meanwhile uses”. Whilst Kings Walk was not a particular attractive building, a vibrant interim use was to be welcomed. Shared concerns regarding a single developer approach and the dangers of the public realm being privatised and called for strict safeguards on these points. Agreed that it was important for an appropriate bus interchange to be provided. Suggested the proposals should include a covered market.

Councillor Horrill

Queried what action had occurred since the SPD was approved in 2018 and emphasised the continued support for the SPD as demonstrated by the recent consultation. Concerned about the proposals for buses which she believed differed from that agreed in the SPD, including concern that an interim solution might become permanent. Concerned about the viability of the Kings Walk proposals and the potential impact on the future delivery of the overall site. Welcomed the opportunity for Scrutiny Committee to undertake a future review of the project but queried why the Committee had not been given the opportunity to review the proposals in this report prior to consideration by Cabinet.

Councillor Weir

Welcomed the proposals and highlighted that a cross party group had endorsed the appointment of JLL and Arup as consultants on the ... view the full minutes text for item 6