Agenda item - North Walsham Town Centre 'Place Making' Proposals

Summary:

Options considered:

This report sets out the proposed improvements to North Walsham town centre, the consultation process that has been carried out and it seeks authority to proceed with the activities that will enable it to be implemented as part of the High Street High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ programme)

The report recommends a particular way forward: to progress with the place making proposals as part of the town centre improvements under the HSHAZ programme. The alternatives are either

a. to abandon the place making project (therefore forfeiting the grant funding and the opportunity to make significant changes that will benefit the town centre); or

b. to revise the proposals and re-consult on alternative town centre designs (which might jeopardise the opportunity to progress the scheme within the tight budgetary timeframe that exists).

Conclusions:

The proposals affecting North Walsham town centre are considered to be beneficial to its future vitality and viability. Extensive community engagement processes were followed in the development of the proposed scheme and this has subsequently been subject to considerable consultation processes, that have elicited lots of valuable feedback. It is considered vital to maintain the momentum by progressing the proposals to the next stage of their implementation – the serving of a statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) - leading hopefully to the physical works progressing as soon as it is feasible to do so. It is also considered important to pave the way for the development of the proposed bus interchange, which will be necessary to facilitate the town centre improvements.

Recommendations:

Reasons for

Recommendations:

Note the proposed design and layout changes to North Walsham Town Centre and the community engagement/ consultation process

Delegate the determination of the final place making designs to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth

Delegate to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, having regard to the consultation feedback, the decision on the proposed Traffic Regulation Order – on which NCC will follow the statutory consultation process

Agree to the potential use of the New Rd Car Park as a bus interchange and to meet the revenue costs of its future maintenance

Agree in principle to the permanent designation of eight spaces at the Bank Loke Car Park and eight spaces at Vicarage Street car park as free short stay (1-hour) spaces, to compensate for the sixteen (30-minute) short stay free parking spaces that would be lost on Market place should the place making scheme go ahead.

To enable the North Walsham ‘place making’ proposals to progress in a timely fashion and to ensure the land and resources are made available for the bus interchange proposals to be further developed.

Cabinet Member(s)

Cllr V Gay, Cllr N Lloyd, Cllr E Seaward, Cllr D Birch, Cllr P Heinrich

All North Walsham Wards

Contact Officer, telephone number and email:

R Young, 01263 516162 robert.young@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Decision

RESOLVED

To delegate the determination of the final place making designs to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth

To delegate to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, having regard to the consultation feedback, the decision on the proposed Traffic Regulation Order – on which NCC will follow the statutory consultation process

Agree to the potential use of a section of the New Rd Car Park as a bus interchange and to meet the revenue costs of its future maintenance

Agree in principle to the permanent designation of eight spaces at the Bank Loke Car Park and eight spaces at Vicarage Street car park as free short stay (1-hour) spaces, to compensate for the sixteen (30-minute) short stay free parking spaces that would be lost on Market place (whilst retaining disabled parking spaces in the Market place) should the place making scheme go ahead.

Reasons for the recommendations:

To enable the North Walsham ‘place making’ proposals to progress in a timely fashion and to ensure the land and resources are made available for the bus interchange proposals to be further developed.

The Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, Cllr R Kershaw, introduced this item. He said that he wished to propose the following amendments to the recommendations (in italics):

1. Agree to the potential use of a section of the New Rd Car Park as a bus interchange and to meet the revenue costs of its future maintenance

2. Agree in principle to the permanent designation of eight spaces at the Bank Loke Car Park and eight spaces at Vicarage Street car park as free short stay (1-hour) spaces, to compensate for the sixteen (30-minute) short stay free parking spaces that would be lost on Market place (whilst retaining disabled parking spaces in the Market place) should the place making scheme go ahead

Cllr Kershaw said that this had been a very consultative process and the Council had engaged and consulted across the board during the previous 18 months. He said that there had been objections but they had diminished over the consultation period and the majority of businesses were now persuaded about the proposals. He said that the main aim was to make the town a better place. The key issue at the moment was the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). The idea was to stop goods vehicles and heavy traffic going through the market place, unrestricted, at all times. He went onto say that it had become clear that new toilets were needed in the town and the intention was to replace them with a changing places public convenience. However, this was separate to the Heritage Action Zone project.

Cllr Gay thanked Cllr Kershaw for clarifying the proposals regarding the removal of traffic through the town centre, which section 5.1 of the report implied. She said that there had been great concern about not allowing deliveries at the start and end of the day and the impact on the evening economy of people not being able to collect food takeaways.

The Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth said that the consultation process had only just concluded and there had been a very good level of response from a wide range of parties. The next stage would be the formal consultation on the Traffic Regulation Order.

Cllr Seward reiterated Cllr Gay’s comments that the TRO should reflect people’s concerns regarding deliveries and evening trade. He said that new toilets would be welcomed.

It was proposed by Cllr R Kershaw, seconded by Cllr V Gay and

Resolved to approve (as amended)

To delegate the determination of the final place making designs to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth

To delegate to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Growth in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, having regard to the consultation feedback, the decision on the proposed Traffic Regulation Order – on which NCC will follow the statutory consultation process

Agree to the potential use of a section of the New Rd Car Park as a bus interchange and to meet the revenue costs of its future maintenance

Agree in principle to the permanent designation of eight spaces at the Bank Loke Car Park and eight spaces at Vicarage Street car park as free short stay (1-hour) spaces, to compensate for the sixteen (30-minute) short stay free parking spaces that would be lost on Market place (whilst retaining disabled parking spaces in the Market place) should the place making scheme go ahead.

Reasons for the recommendations:

To enable the North Walsham ‘place making’ proposals to progress in a timely fashion and to ensure the land and resources are made available for the bus interchange proposals to be further developed.