Issue - meetings

Report attached separately.

 

9.00pm

The Committee received a report from the Urban Growth Project Manager regarding the S106 third round priority setting.

 

The report set the context that grant applications seeking devolved S106 funding for local outdoor sports or community facilities were being reported to the relevant area committees between now and mid-February. There had been one application for community facilities funding from West/Central Area - for a side extension to the main hall at St Augustine’s Church in Castle ward (Appendix C of the Officer’s report).

 

The report also explained that, whilst a grant application to support community use of new indoor sports facilities at King’s College School would be reported to a meeting of the Community Services Scrutiny Committee in January, there was also an opportunity for the WCAC to consider allocating devolved outdoor sports S106 funding, as the facility would offer local schools and community groups access to the existing outdoor sports facilities. (Appendix D of the Officer’s report).

 

In his introduction to the report, the officer clarified that:

i.     The Darwin Green development (mentioned in the application from St Augustine’s) would have its own two-storey community building. Whilst this could become managed by the community in due course, no decisions had yet been made about which group could do so. The suggestion in the committee report, that consideration of a further grant to St Augustine’s should be conditional on the applicant agreeing to run the community rooms at Darwin Green, was withdrawn.

ii.    Councillor Tucker had written to him to express his support for the St Augustine’s application.

iii.   S106 funding would be tapering off and running down in future.

iv.  The report for the Community Services Scrutiny Committee on 15 January 2015, published on 7 January, recommended a £75,000 indoor sports S106 grant to King’s College School for its visitor changing room improvements.

 

Comments from members of the public:

 

Mary Wheater (Treasurer) Committee of Windsor Road Residents’ Association (WIRE):

     i.        The maximum funds available should be allocated by the Committee to the St Augustine’s church hall side extension, with the remainder to be considered at the next WCAC meeting.

    ii.        There was a shortfall of community facilities in Castle ward.

   iii.        The facilities planned for Darwin Green were calculated on the number of new residents and did not take in to account the number of existing households.

  iv.        St Augustine’s had a good record of project delivery and delivered within budget. Without the grant allocation it would be difficult for the project to advance.

 

Richard Footitt, Representative of St Augustine’s:

     i.        Confirmed there had been two occasions when additional revenue funding for activities had been sought.

    ii.        Groups were encouraged to apply independently for their own funding.

 

Member of the public:

     i.        Asked what support King’s College School was already giving to the public.

    ii.        Enquired what facilities were going to be provided by the grant funding.

   iii.        Queried what specific commitment would King’s College School be prepared to make to the public.

 

 

 

 

Comments from the Committee:

 

Councillor Smith gave the Committee more details of the e-mail received from Councillor Tucker expressing support for the St Augustine’s application. He suggested that the application be awarded in two tranches from the maximum funds available with the remainder committed from 2015 funding.  This would enable St Augustine’s to proceed with their fund raising activities in a positive manner

 

Councillor Hipkin:

i.             Supported the recommendation sent by Councillor Tucker.

ii.             Indicated that the present improvements at St Augustine’s had provided a first rate community facility which currently could not meet demand. The grant to provide a side extension would allow the space to be divided and met those demands. 

 iii.          Advised that the facilities were used by community groups across the City.

iv.          Reminded the Committee that funding awarded to St Augustine’s for present improvement work had been completed within twelve months and therefore completion of the extension could be guaranteed.

v.             Stated that by supporting the application from King’s College School would give the Committee access to a major project that would allow them to place recommendations on community access.

 

Councillor Smith:

     i.        Suggested that the St Augustine’s application should be considered on merit and queried why the Officer had recommended that this should be deferred.

 

Councillor Reiner:

     i.        Enquired why there was no reference to Rouse Ball Pavilion which had been discussed at the last meeting.

    ii.        Stated it was difficult to make a decision on the two applications when not all the projects had been listed.

   iii.        Noted if funding was to be agreed for King’s College School, it should be widely advertised that the facility would be available to the public.

  iv.        Stated that it was essential be clear as to what the community groups and organisations would receive from King’s College School and the grant should be conditional to the community agreement.

 

 

 

Councillor Bick:

     i.        Expressed disappointment that there was no application from a state school to consider.

    ii.        Commented on the funding for St Augustine’s as a disproportionate resource for one institution and queried whether future requests for revenue activity would cease.

 

Councillor Reid:

     i.        Expressed the importance of the approval of the community use agreement for access to King’s College School’s outdoor and indoor sports facilities by the Committee. 

    ii.        Stated that it would not be unreasonable to request how King’s College School currently met the Charity Commission regulations on private schools making their facilities available for community use.

 

Councillor Holland:

     i.        Stated there was a need for community facilities in the Castle Ward Area.

    ii.        There should be no condition on grant funding for St Augustine’s relating to community facilities on Darwin Green.

 

Officer’s comments:

 

     i.        The two project proposals referenced in the report related to applications for grant-funding local projects primarily benefitting the Area as part of the current (third) S106 priority-setting round. Funding for the Rouse Ball Pavilion had been allocated from S106 strategic funding (for projects that would benefit more than one area of the city) as part of the first two S106 priority-setting rounds.

    ii.        Officers had recommended that consideration of the St Augustine’s application should be deferred until the next (fourth) S106 priority-setting round later in 2015 because the grant requested was greater than the amount currently available in the Area’s devolved S106 funds for community facilities.

   iii.        It would be possible for the Area Committee to decide to allocate the devolved community facilities contributions currently available to the St Augustine’s application, albeit that this was smaller than the full amount requested. The Area Committee just needed to be aware that this would reduce the amount of funding that could be available to local proposals for community facilities improvements, from any of the wards in the Area, in the next priority-setting round. One particular proposal being developed by a local organisation was mentioned as an example.

  iv.        Community access to King’s College School would be primarily for community groups, organisations and sports clubs rather than individual members of the public.

   v.        King’s College would be subject to a community use agreement.

  vi.        Confirmed that a project appraisal for the visitor changing facilities for King’s College School (including details of the community use agreement) would be agreed by Area Committee’s Chair, Vice Chair and Opposition Spokes (for the outdoor sports grant) and the Community Services Scrutiny Committee (for the indoor sports grant, assuming that the recommendation in the Community Services Scrutiny Committee report on 15 January 2015 was agreed by the Executive Councillor).

 

Councillor Cantrill proposed that the current funds available (at least £75,000) were allocated to St Augustine’s Church towards a side extension to its main hall. When future funding became available the application would be considered further with other proposals received.

 

6 votes to 0 with 1 abstention in favour of this proposal.

 

Councillor Cantrill proposed that the grant application for £50,000 to King’s College School be approved subject to the following:

     i.        Should be linked to the approval of the Executive Councillor for Community, Arts and Recreation of £75,000 indoor sports grant towards the visitor changing rooms (to enable access to King’s College School’s indoor sports facilities). This would be considered at a meeting of the Community Services Scrutiny Committee scheduled on 15 January 2015.

    ii.        Project appraisal approval to be agreed by WCAC Chair, Vice Chair and Spokes.

   iii.        Approval of a community use agreement for access to the school’s outdoor and indoor sports facilities, to be agreed by WCAC Chair, Vice Chair and Spokes

 

6 votes to 0 with 1 abstention in favour of these proposals.

 

The Committee

 

     i.        Resolved (6 votes to 0 with 1 abstention) to allocate all the devolved community facilities S106 contributions currently available to the West Central Area (at least £75,000) to St Augustine’s Church towards a side extension to its main hall. When further devolved S106 funding becomes available in future S106 priority-setting rounds, the application would further be considered along with other proposals received.

 

    ii.        Resolved (6 votes to 0 with 1 abstention) to allocate £50,000 of devolved outdoor sports S106 funding as a grant towards the development of visitor changing rooms at King’s College School’s new sports centre subject to the following:

·     Approval of the Executive Councillor for Community, Arts and Recreation of a £75,000 indoor sports grant towards the visitor changing rooms (to enable access to King’s College School’s indoor sports facilities) to be considered at a meeting of the Community Services Scrutiny Committee scheduled on 15 January 2015.

·     Approval of a project appraisal to be agreed by WCAC Chair, Vice Chair and Spokes.

·         

·     Approval of a community use agreement for access to the school’s outdoor and indoor sports facilities, to be agreed by WCAC Chair, Vice Chair and Spokes.</AI9>

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