Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED:

            That, in the absence of Councillor Miller, Councillor Godfrey be elected Chairman for the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held 18 December 2018 be approved and adopted.

– to receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on issues relating to the responsibility of this Committee (see note overleaf).

Mark Baulch (Hampshire Chamber of Commerce) and Paul Spencer (Winchester BID) addressed the meeting as summarised below.

Mark Baulch emphasised the importance of the scheme for Winchester both in terms of direct and indirect economic benefits.  The Chamber had been contacted by businesses unable to find suitable office accommodation within Winchester and he believed there was a proven demand for Grade A office space.  Without such provision, there was a danger businesses would relocate to other nearby towns.  He also highlighted the importance of parking provision as potential employees might not live close to a train station reducing the benefits of commuting by rail.

Paul Spencer spoke in support of the scheme and concurred with points raised by Mr Baulch regarding demand from businesses and the importance of parking provision.  Businesses acknowledged the desirability of Winchester as a location and the scheme also offered the opportunity to deliver enhanced public realm in the area.  The scheme should provide improved links between the area into the town centre which would benefit the town economy generally.

The Chairman introduced to the meeting the following consultants who were in attendance to provide further advice:

·         Sarah Williams – S. Williams Architects (RIBA Advisor)

·         Alex Lifschutz - Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (LDS)

·         Simon Ward – Propernomics

The Committee received a presentation on the progress of the scheme to date which was available to view on the Council’s website.

Members of The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also received the presentation at the meeting on 20 March 2019.

The Chairman reported on the summary of the debate on the report by The Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 20 March 2019 as set out below:

In summing up, the Chairman of the Committee made the following statement:

That the Committee welcomed the potential job creation, supported the principle of development and recognised that the public realm was vitally important to the scheme.

The Committee requested to see a developed response to the recent public engagement and more information of what controls will be used to develop the scheme.

Concerns were expressed regarding the viability of the scheme, which the Committee considered would need further testing as the scheme progressed

The Committee agreed that the scheme be moved forward to obtain the outline planning permission required in order to secure Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) funding and to further test viability.

In addition, it was noted that the Committee supported a leasehold disposal.

RESOLVED:

That the Portfolio Holder note the comments raised by The Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as set out above, to be drawn to the attention of Cabinet (Station Approach) Committee.

The Head of Programme advised that the Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Board were due to meet later that week to make a final decision on the award of £5m funding.  He emphasised that if awarded, the timetable imposed by the LEP for grant spend was by 31 March 2021.

The Chairman drew Members’ attention to a summary of the Station Approach engagement to date which had been circulated to Committee Members prior to the meeting, in response to comments made at The Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The Head of Programme advised that the full consultation report would form part of the outline planning application.

The Committee discussed the points raised by The Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the contents of the report in detail, as summarised below:

·         With regard to the illustrative design views of the Carfax scheme in the presentation, one Member commented about the lack of separation between the retained registry office building and new buildings proposed either side.  Alex Lifschutz and Sarah Williams both acknowledged this point as one that could be considered further at the next design stage.  Alex Lifschutz highlighted that the old registry office would need to be expanded in size in order to work effectively as a new restaurant/bar as intended.  He also emphasised the firm’s previous experience with designs incorporating old buildings. 

·         Regarding general comments about concerns expressed during the consultation about height and scale, the Head of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider whether in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

(i)            To pass a resolution that the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business because it is likely that, if members of the public were present, there would be disclosure to them of ‘exempt information’ as defined by Section 100 (I) and Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:

1.         That in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

2.         That the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business because it is likely that, if members of the public were present, there would be disclosure to them of ‘exempt information’ as defined by Section 100I and Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.