Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from members unable to attend the meeting

No apologies were received.

Members to declare any personal/personal prejudicial interests in any items on this agenda

None were received.

Approve the minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2011

The minutes from the meeting held on 19 December 2011 were agreed as a true and accurate record subject to the following amendment:

The Section 106 contribution has now been made to Hobsons Play area on Cromwell Road.

Members sought assurances that going forward any funding reallocated for the Central & North Ward area should be communicated to all Members.

The Neighbourhood Manager advised that updates and details of completed actions were provided on tables and on the presentation on the big screen.  The update packs also included the progress regarding funding for Thomas Deacon School.

Agreed Action

It was agreed that the Head of Planning, Transport and Engineering Services, was to investigate the communication in relation to the reallocation of £10k S106 funding for the Central and North Ward.

An opportunity for any member of the public, elected and co-opted members of the Neighbourhood Committee to raise anything that affects your area and to suggest items for future meetings.

Attendees of the meeting were given the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues affecting the areas in which they lived. These included:

• Development proposals for the site near the Burghley and Mansfield Road area ;
• Anti social behaviour in the Cromwell Road area, which included drug taking and drinking in public;
• Parking within the Cromwell Road area;
• Police surveillance for the Cromwell Road area and that consideration should given to increase the number of police street patrols;
• The public were encouraged to contact the police to raise any issues or concerns regarding anti social behaviour in their area;
• The police  were working with various agencies in order to combat the anti social behaviour problems within the Central and North area;
• Whether it was illegal for cycles to ride on public footpaths;
• It was suggested that closed circuit television could act as a deterrent to anti social behaviour offenders; and
• A link road between Gladstone Street currently had no name.

Inspector Dominic Glazebrook advised the Committee that currently the police were becoming increasingly active in working with the Council’s Licensing department in order to close down premises where the terms of licence had been breached.

Inspector Dominic Glazebrook also advised members of the public that it was illegal for cycles to be ridden on public footpaths.

Agreed Actions

It was agreed that:

• The Head of Planning Transport and Engineering Services, was to investigate the funding allocation for the  development proposals at site near the Burghley and Mansfield road areas and whether it was subject to S106;

• Police representatives to revisit the action plan developed to deal with anti social behaviour within the Cromwell Road area;

• Parking Enforcement to investigate the parking issues in Cromwell Road;

• Police Inspector Dominic Glazebrook would deliver a presentation at a future meeting of the Neighbourhood Committee for Central and North to communicate to residents what action had been taken, following the anti social behaviour issues raised about Cromwell road;

• The Head of Operations was to investigate the legislation in regards to road naming; and  

• Police Inspector Dominic Glazebrook would provide feedback regarding the option of Closed Circuit Television for the Cromwell Road area at the next meeting of Neighbourhood Committee.

a) Update on Operation CAN DO activities and plans for the future

The Committee received a presentation from the Integrated Manager for 8-19 Services regarding the support provided to local Youth Centres in the Central and North Ward areas.

The following key points were highlighted:

• Youth Providers Forum - Closer links with Charity, Voluntary and Faith sector;
• Focusing on Century Square, Victoria Park, Millfield and Fulbridge areas;
• Outreach Youth Work and STREET BUS would run from September 2012 to January 2013;
• PYA Youth Club – Big Up Youth Club;
• Thomas Deacon Academy Football Club from August 2011 to March 2012;
• Working alongside Step Up Community Association;
• Working to tackle the issues surrounding antisocial behaviour and working to protect young people;
• Working towards community cohesion with young people;
• NEET (not in employment, education or training) young people to be tackled;

The Committee was further advised that should members of public wish to volunteer support for any of the Youth Group initiatives they should contact Peterborough City Council’s 8-19 Services Team.

Comments and responses to questions included:

• In consultation over events, Youth Groups tended to prefer activities such as football clubs due to the fact that all  groups understood the rules and found that the sport was a universal option;

• The option of developing a cricket club would be explored with stakeholders in order to develop the idea of a youth cricket club;
• Following the recent closures of facilities used by some Youth Groups and Youth Projects, the Neighbourhoods Team was working with forums such as Step Up in order to explore what requirements were needed to provide alternative facilities.  Consideration was being given to  include the option of using existing Council facilities, other organisations and business premises;
• The recent reduction of core grants had seen a 28% reduction in the Council’s 2012 budget;
• Following the investigatory work through Operation Can Do, a plan would be developed for Cabinet, which would highlight what funding was required;
• Funding was due to run out for current Youth Groups and Projects within the Central and North ward area and an overview on the current funding available was being conducted;
• The timeline in order to identify funding requirements for alternative facilities for Youth Groups and Projects was to be included in the Council’s 2013 budget cycle process;
• The recent £900,000 S106 funding that had been identified for improvement works in order to provide a crossing from Russell Street would only be used on capital spends;
• Long term plans to find a solution for the usage issues with underpasses on Bourges Boulevard would see plans to reduce traffic for the area; and
• The numbers attending the Youth Group provision across the area would be discussed at the Youth forum meeting which would also include involvement with Step Up.  

Agreed Action

It was agreed that:

The Integrated Manager for 8-19 Services would investigate how many specific sport activities for separate genders were available for young people in the Central and North Ward area.

The Integrated Manager for 8-19  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6(a)

b) Alcohol & Licensing issues within Operation Can do

The Committee were informed that this item would be deferred to the next meeting of Neighbourhood Committee for Central and North Ward.

Agreed Action

It was agreed that the Neighbourhood Manager would reschedule the presentation for the Licensing issues for the next scheduled meeting of Central and North Neighbourhood Committee.

c) Planning Development (including Section 106 procedures)

The Neighbourhood Committee received a presentation which explained the process in allocating Section 106 (S106) funding for the City.

The Committee was also advised that S106 funding was essentially a development tax.

Key points within the presentation were as follows:

• Also called Planning obligations and implementation scheme (POIS);
• Contributes to improving community infrastructure;
• Public sector provision that should be considered;
• Negotiations which had taken place with developers;
• Section 106 money allocation was applied in order to support the City’s growth implications;
• Integrated development programme;
• Neighbourhood funding and how it was allocated;
• Local neighbourhood infrastructure projects that would be included in Community Action Plans;
• Named projects would only be funded;
• The S106 money allocation had to be justified by community need and directly linked to the development; and
• The current Peterborough City Council’s S106 projects document was public and available on the Peterborough City Council web site.

Comments and responses to questions were as follows:

• The current S106 projects had been developed using the city’s agreed project plan;
• The Council provided detail about what funding was available and was continually monitored in order to highlight funding that had not been received from developers;
• If S106 money is no longer required for projects in the area, the allocation should not happen;
• A recent planning consent would see an amount of £1.7 million of S106 funding for the Central and North Ward area, which would take up to five to seven years to allocate;
• The Head of Planning Transport and Engineering Services recently attended a meeting in London to network with investors with the aim to attract interest for strategic investment for the proposed station quarter including a new supermarket and development for the Great Northern Hotel;
• Regeneration and major investment received from companies was to encourage the development of jobs and homes for the area and create a regeneration operation through Operation Can Do;
• Aspirational projects such as the proposed railway bridge car park may be undeliverable due to budget availability and constraints under the current financial climate; and
• Future transport plans for Bourges Boulevard were to redesign the area in order to redirect traffic around the City Centre and reduce traffic pressures.

Agreed Actions

It was agreed that the Neighbourhood Manger would organise a presentation on the Community Action Plans and the impact of the Localism Bill for the next meeting of Central and North Neighbourhood Committee.

The date of the next meeting will be confirmed after annual Council in May 2012

The next meeting of the Central & North Neighbourhood Committee would be confirmed after annual Council in May 2012.