Agenda and minutes

John Agohogobe

Zenn Athar

Maya Fletcher

Melanie Futer

Iffat Iqbal

Peter Milligan

Lucas Willen

Dave Brennan declared an interest in item 27, Alfreton Road Retail Improvements Action Plan, as Castle Cavendish own some properties which fall into the study area.

Meeting held on 23 September 2015 (for agreement)

The committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2015 and they were signed by the Chair.

Report of the Corporate Director, Commercial and Operations

James Dymond, Parks Development Manager, presented the Director of Sport and Culture’s report providing a progress update on the project to provide a café and other improvements at the Arboretum. James highlighted the following:

(a)  the original proposal to construct a new café and community building on the site of the former pub is no longer feasible as the budget is no longer sufficient. Therefore the new proposal is to refurbish the existing Waverley Lodge to create a café, meeting room and community space. The disused area of the former pub will be re-landscaped and a new mess room for staff will be created in the Coach House;

(b)  work will begin on-site in the new year.

The Committee, community representatives and members of the public were broadly positive about the proposals and felt that the location proposed for the café is ideal for attracting people to the park. Whilst recognising that the café needs to be a viable business, it should be affordable for everybody in the local community.

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Committee:

(c)  the existing public toilets will still only be open for events, however it is hoped that the café toilets will also be available for public use on a daily basis;

(d)  the insurance funding of £187,732 mentioned in the report was the insurance pay out from when the former pub burnt down;

(e)  the operator of the café has not been finalised yet. This could be the Council or an external operator ;

RESOLVED to support the proposals for the restoration and improvements of the Arboretum

James Rhodes, Strategic Insight Manager presented his report, explaining that the Health and Wellbeing Board is in the process of developing its next Health and Wellbeing Strategy, seeking the views of the Committee and for members to promote the various events and activities amongst citizens in the area. James highlighted the following:

(a)  the Health and Wellbeing Board  is composed of members from the City Council, Clinical Commissioning Group and other health professionals and has a remit to improve lifestyle and preventative health measures;

(b)  engagement has taken place within existing networks, at public events and at front-line workforce focus groups. There is also an online survey and a toolkit for groups to run their own sessions;

(c)  common themes that have been identified so far include social isolation and loneliness, the cost of living a healthy life, mental health and the disproportionate impact on Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities;

(d)  the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be developed in June next year. Consultation is still open until the end of November so views are welcome from all community groups and councillors. James handed out paper surveys to the Committee and signposted the online questionnaire. The Health and Wellbeing Board will then pinpoint priorities at a session in December before producing a draft strategy early next year;

(e)  the strategy will link with the strategy of the Clinical Commissioning Group and with the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment which are also currently being written;

The following responses were given in answer to questions from the Committee and community representatives:

(f)  responsibility for GP services comes more under under the Clinical Commissioning Group strategy;

(g)  engagement with the student population will be through a focus group with Nottingham Trent University;

(h)  this public consultation will not form the sole basis of the strategy. The Health and Wellbeing Board will consider it along with empirical evidence and weigh up the two where there are discrepancies;

(i)  there has been engagement with diverse communities through the Indian community and other BME groups;

Members of the Committee and other people present made the following comments:

(j)  fuel poverty, air pollution, mental health problems related to alcohol, and stress and anxiety should be flagged as areas of concern;

(k)  personal responsibility is important and individuals should be educated and empowered to make healthy choices for themselves.

RESOLVED to note the report and promote the strategy engagement in the area

Presentation by Catherine Mayhew, City Centre Co-Ordinator

Catherine Mayhew, City Centre Co-ordinator, gave a presentation highlighting the following:

(a)  Alfreton Road is a key arterial route into the city centre and is often the first impression for visitors from the west. It has been highlighted as a problem area in the media with high profile derelict sites, many vacant units, deteriorating property and unattractive public realm;

(b)  a review was carried out by Nottingham Regeneration Ltd in May 2015. The study area for the action plan is Alfreton Road from Canning Circus to Forest Road West;

(c)  the area has many local and independent businesses, with a high proportion of restaurants and hot food takeaways, many of which are open only in the evening. There are residential units on upper floors, with a high proportion occupied by students, as well as some ground floor residential use where retail has been converted;

(d)  in addition to the two blocks of semi-derelict property – the Roger Smeeton site and Forest Mill site – the survey identified fourteen vacant properties. A further survey will be undertaken this month to identify any changes to this;

(e)  some problems for businesses in the area are that many properties are owned by non-institutional landlords who do not promote them through standard agent routes. There are many start-ups and independents due to cheap business rates that have no robust business plans. There is also no recognised traders group or association;

(f)  there is a high volume of vehicular traffic and car parking, which limits the opportunities for short visits to the local businesses as well leading to an unpleasant atmosphere. The area is also part of two conservation areas which can lead to more difficulties with implementing change;

(g)  the main objective of the action plan is to improve the trading environment for retail businesses on Alfreton Road, therefore reducing vacancy and enabling growth of small and medium sized enterprises. This will be achieved through the following:

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Chanel Richards, Tenancy and Estate Manager, Nottingham City Homes (NCH) introduced the Chief Executive of NCH’s report updating the Committee on NCH’s performance on the following key themes:

·  capital programme and major work;

·  area regeneration and environmental issues;

·  key issues from the Tenant and Leasehold Congress;

·  Tenant and Residents Associations updates;

·  area performance figures;

·  good news and positive publicity.

In addition to the information contained in the report, Chanel reported that phase one of Palmer Court in Lenton is now fully open with all residents moved in.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the information in the report;

(2)  note the allocation of funds for 2015/16

Report of the Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations

Deborah Wilson, Neighbourhood Development Officer, introduced the Strategic Director for Commercial and Operations’ report seeking approval for schemes recently prioritised and detailing the latest spend under the Area Capital Fund, including highways, traffic and safety and public realm schemes.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the monies available to the Arboretum, Dunkirk and Lenton and Radford and Park wards:

Arboretum  £88,767

Dunkirk and Lenton  £44,304

Radford and Park  £77,164

(2)  approve the following new schemes prioritised by Ward Councillors since the last Area Committee:

Arboretum Public Realm schemes

Dunkirk and Lenton LTP Schemes

Dunkirk and Lenton Public Realm schemes

Radford and Park Public Realm Schemes

Radford and Park withdrawn schemes

Report of the Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations

Inspector Robert Wilson, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, Nottinghamshire Police updated the Committee on crime within the area, highlighting the following:

(a)  there was an incident on Saturday 14 November involving a stabbing in the Gregory Boulevard/Hartley Road area. This was a serious incident but is being thoroughly investigated;

(b)  in the Dunkirk and Lenton ward, the Dunkirk area has seen a reduction in crime with fewer burglaries and car crimes. The crime in the Lenton area is broadly similar to last year. There have been some incidents of theft at the Queens Medical Centre;

(c)  in the Arboretum ward there is a new Inspector, James Woolley. There has been a steady fall in crime on Alfreton Road. In the Radford East beat there have been good reductions in crime, with a fall in burglary and car crime. The Forest Recreation Ground beat has seen an increase in crime, including violent crime, car crime and burglary. The Hyson Green beat has seen an increase in theft from vehicles and street drinking, whilst burglary has remained the same;

(d)  in the Radford and Park ward, the Park beat has seen large reductions in vehicle crime and burglary. Crime levels in the Lenton Triangle are similar to last year, with work being done in conjunction with the university to try and make reductions. On the Radford West beat there has been an increase in crime, linked to the night-time economy;

(e)  there are plans for Canning Circus police station to close and for this team to move to Byron House after Summer next year. The policing service will be the same;

(f)  significant work has been done to reduce drug crime in Nottingham. This is still a problem but has reduced significantly.

Dorothy Holmes, Locality Manager introduced the Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations’ report providing updates on key issues and themes which link to local priorities and strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan 2020, including:

·  ward priorities;

·  community engagement;

·  finance;

·  safer theme – crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB);

·  neighbourhood theme – environmental issues;

·  working theme – unemployment rates;

·  housing;

·  community protection;

·  fire;

·  health theme – local health priorities;

Dorothy highlighted that cleanliness was good all round, however there has been a slight increase in graffiti, and fly-tipping has increased in the Radford and Park ward.

RESOLVED to note the key information from the ward performance reports for Quarter 2