Agenda item

NORTH WALSHAM TOWN CENTRE PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS

Summary:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Council has been successful in its bid for funding from the Getting Building Fund to support a programme of townscape improvements for North Walsham Town Centre. This will augment the proposals made under the North Walsham Town Centre Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) programme, for which the Council has been successful in winning a grant from Historic England.

 

This funding provides a significant amount of match funding that will allow a critical element of the project to proceed – North Walsham town centre public realm improvements – with greater haste and more certainty than would otherwise have been the case. This will allow for work to progress on engaging stakeholders and designing a suitable scheme to remodel public spaces within North Walsham town centre. This will be referred to as town centre ‘place-making.’

 

This should clearly set in sufficient detail all feasible alternatives. This will go in the minutes.

 

Options considered:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusions:

 

The HAZ programme requires significant levels of match funding in order to achieve its objectives. The funding approved previously by the Council would not have been sufficient to deliver all of the improvements that are hoped to be made to the townscape. This funding will allow that specific project element to proceed, and indeed bring it forward in the overall HAZ programme. There is currently no identified alternative source of funding to deliver this element of the scheme and realistically the only other option is to review the programme in the hope of gaining sufficient funding from elsewhere to deliver it at a later date.  This is not considered a sensible option as it would increase the uncertainty over the delivery of this scheme which, given the current economic circumstances, is considered to be optimal timing. The only other alternative is to not deliver this part of the HAZ programme, which itself might jeopardise the whole initiative.

 

The proposals contained in this report aim to capitalise on external funding opportunities to deliver a key aspect of the revitalisation of North Walsham town centre. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for

Recommendations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is recommended that:

 

1.    Cabinet Recommend to Full Council that the success of bid by this Council be noted and that the sum of £1,170,000 (from a grant received from the Getting Building Fund) be allocated in the budget towards the town centre place-making elements of North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone.

 

2.    Authority be delegated to Cabinet, in consultation with the North Walsham Town Centre Heritage Action Zone Working Party, to determine the terms of the implementation of the scheme, including the involvement of interested parties, scheme design and implementation.

 

To capitalise on the external funding opportunity in order to deliver improvements to North walsham town centre in a timely fashion.

 

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

 

 

Cabinet Member(s)

Cllr Richard Kershaw

Ward(s) affected

North Walsham Market Cross Ward

 

Contact Officer, telephone number and email:

Robert Young; 01263 516162; robert.young@north-norfolk.gov.uk

 

Minutes:

Cllr E Seward introduced the item and stated that it was an exciting opportunity to make significant improvements in North Walsham that he hoped would last for years to come. The HECD added that the funding award granted to the Council was a very significant sum of money that would enable placemaking on a scale that would achieve the original ambitions of the bid, as well as increasing footfall and creating a more useable town centre for residents and visitors alike.

 

Questions and Discussion

 

  i.         The Chairman stated at the September Cabinet meeting he had noted the project’s contribution to both the business growth and quality of life themes of the Corporate Plan. As a result, he had asked what the specific outcomes of the project would be, how they would be measured, and whether there had been any cost-benefit analysis attached to these outcomes. He added that it was his intention to take an objective approach to the project, so that it could be adequately reviewed once complete.

 

 ii.        The recommendations were proposed by Cllr P Heinrich and seconded by Cllr A Varley.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.    To recommend to Full Council that the success of bid by this Council be noted and that the sum of £1,170,000 (from a grant received from the Getting Building Fund) be allocated in the budget towards the town centre placemaking elements of North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone.

 

2.    Authority be delegated to Cabinet, in consultation with the North Walsham Town Centre Heritage Action Zone Working Party, to determine the terms of the implementation of the scheme, including the involvement of interested parties, scheme design and implementation.

 

Supporting documents: