Issue - meetings

To receive an update on the status of the Tewkesbury Garden Town programme and information about the recent success of the West Cheltenham Garden Village bid, made jointly with Cheltenham Borough Council, and to agree proposals for delegation of authority to Lead Officers for the efficient development of the Garden Village programme.

1.         That the progress made to date on the Tewkesbury Garden Town Programme be NOTED.

2.         That the Junction 9 Area Member Reference Panel be DISBANDED.

3.         That the creation of a new Tewkesbury Garden Town Member Reference Panel, together with the Terms of Reference attached at Appendix 2 to the report, be APPROVED, subject to the following amendments to those Terms of Reference:

·           under ‘Constitution and Powers’ add the word ‘Ward’ to ‘Members for Tewkesbury South’;

·           the quorum of the Panel shall be five Members of which at least one will be a Ward Member.

4.         That the progress to date  on the West Cheltenham (Cyber Central) Programme, including the award of Garden Village status, be NOTED.

5.         That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Members for Built Environment and Finance and Asset Management and the Head of Finance and Asset Management, to agree and enter into appropriate arrangements and other partnership documentation to progress the West Cheltenham Garden Village Programme on terms approved by the Borough Solicitor.

32.1           The report of the Garden Town Programme Director, circulated at Pages No. 62-73, updated the Committee on the status of the Garden Town Programme and provided information about the recent success of the West Cheltenham Garden Village bid which had been made jointly with Cheltenham Borough Council. Members were asked to note the progress made on the Tewkesbury Garden Town Programme; to disband the J9 Area Member Reference Panel; to approve the creation of a new Tewkesbury Garden Town Member Reference Panel with the draft Terms of Reference as attached to the report; to note the progress made to date on the West Cheltenham (Cyber Central) programme, including the award of Garden Village status; and to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Members for Built Environment and Finance and Asset Management and the Head of Finance and Asset Management, to agree and enter into appropriate arrangements and other partnership documentation to progress the West Cheltenham Garden Village programme on terms approved by the Borough Solicitor.

32.2           The Garden Town Programme Director explained that the Tewkesbury Garden Town included approximately 10,195 homes and 100 hectares of employment land with delivery up to 2050. The opportunities from that would include consideration of technological advances/smart homes in terms of digital infrastructure and how that would benefit the wider Tewkesbury area. In terms of resources, the Garden Town Programme would have a Programme Director, a Programme Manager – with a focus on the Ashchurch bridge - a Community Officer and a Programme Assistant. The governance would include the new Garden Town Member Reference Panel and Officers would work with that group to define the programme and advisory groups etc. It was noted that, to date, a more ad-hoc arrangement had been in place, and a formal structure would be critical to the success of the programme.

32.3           Members received an update on the projects which were ongoing in the area including: J9/A46 – a Pre-Strategic Outline Business Case had been submitted for funding via the ‘Large Local Majors’ scheme through the Department for Transport (DfT) this was still in the early stages but it demonstrated to the DfT how important the scheme was; Rail – discussions had been held with franchisees - the Council could not drive the timetable changes but it was hopeful to get more stops - and the County Council in regard to the Gloucestershire Wide Rail Strategy; Masterplanning – BDP was completing phase 1 of its work and had been commissioned to embed the Garden Town principles. In terms of communications, the programme had its own website with regular updates via electronic media, masterplanning engagement and community engagement – the ‘branding’ for the Garden Town would be implemented soon and would ensure the programme was separate from the Joint Core Strategy and Tewkesbury Borough Council. The team was considering how best to get formal engagement with the community through the governance structure. The Council had a good relationship with Homes England which would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32