Agenda for Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Area Committee on Wednesday, 15th January, 2020, 5.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bilborough Library - Bracebridge Drive, Bilborough, Nottingham, NG8 4PN. View directions

Contact: Adrian Mann  Governance Officer

Items
No. Item

28.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Councillor Phil Jackson  -  unwell

Councillor Rebecca Langton  -  Council business

Debbie Royle

29.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

None.

30.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 277 KB

Minutes of the meeting held on 2 October 2019, for confirmation

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 October 2019 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

31.

Ward Reports pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Liam Searle and Leigh Plant, Neighbourhood Development Officers, presented a report on the current priorities in the area, the latest issues being addressed at the regular Neighbourhood Action Team meetings, and the forthcoming ward events and activities. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  a new Community One-Stop Shop has been introduced in Aspley to help people into training and employment. The facility will be able to provide the services for most needs, and provide the right signposting for any other required services that are provided elsewhere;

 

(b)  in Aspley, the cleanliness score is at 88% and youth anti-social behaviour has decreased by 32% in comparison to last year. A program of cleanliness focussing on closes and cul-de-sacs is underway in collaboration with residents and Nottingham City Homes (NCH). A plan and timetable will be drawn up to establish the future maintenance responsibility following the initial clean-up, with associated cul-de-sac and footpath budgets available to NCH;

 

(c)  unfortunately, it is becoming apparent that a number of old CCTV cameras are no longer working and are not scheduled for repair, due to changes in the infrastructure for the newer CCTV systems. The Government will be providing new ‘Safer Streets’ funding for the updating of the old CCTV infrastructure, from a budget of £25million;

 

(d)  work is pending for a number of footpaths in Bilborough. A new path has been introduced from the local shops to the library, and some new outside seating and signage to the library has been installed;

 

(e)  the Leen Valley Christmas Event was well attended. A new parking permit scheme has been introduced for Eskdale Drive and notices are in place. Enforcement against any non-compliance with the scheme will begin from 20 January. New planters and dropped curbs have also been introduced around the ward.

 

The Committee noted the report. It felt, compared to the recent past, the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards had seen substantial progress and improvement as safe and clean places to live.

32.

Adoption of the Local Plan Part 2: Land and Planning Policies Document pdf icon PDF 234 KB

Report of the Corporate Director for Development and Growth

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Paul Tansey, Senior Planner in the Planning Policy and Research Team, presented a report on the principal policies and proposals of the Council’s Land and Planning Policies Document (LAPP). The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  the LAPP forms part of the statutory planning framework for development in Nottingham and contains policies to guide decision-making on planning applications. It includes 74 specific sites across the city that are allocated for particular uses such as housing, employment, retail or open space. The LAPP forms the second part of the Council’s new Local Plan for Nottingham City, alongside the Nottingham City Aligned Core Strategy (Local Plan Part 1);

 

(b)  the LAPP identifies three sites for development in Bilborough and four in Leen Valley with the potential for housing and retail developments, including affordable and specialist housing provision. The plan aims to protect industrial areas, which is particularly important for Bilborough. Retail is also becoming fragile, with a number of major chains under pressure, so work is needed to maintain local shops and fill empty retail units with businesses that the community will benefit from in the long-term;

 

(c)  more students are arriving in the city as its universities grow in success, and it is important to house these students in purpose-built developments for the full duration of their studies, to keep housing available for families at an achievable rent. Where there is already a ‘Significant Concentration’ (defined as over 10%) of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and/or Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) in an area, planning permission will not normally be granted for further HMOs or PBSA;

 

(d)  the development area identified on the Melbury School playing field is on the city boundary and, although access may need to be provided from roads in other Local Authority areas, any new housing will be within the city area. A range of house prices are anticipated for the Denewood development and current policy is that planning permission for new residential developments with ten or more dwellings will be granted subject to a target of at least 10% of new houses being ‘Accessible and Adaptable’ for the elderly or disabled, where viable and technically feasible. All of the potential developments need to be attractive and viable for developers, while providing the local communities with the types of housing and infrastructure investment that they require.

 

The Committee thanked Paul Tansey for attending the meeting and noted the report.

33.

Appointments to Outside Bodies pdf icon PDF 206 KB

Report of the Director of Legal and Governance

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee noted that there are four community centres in the area where it can appoint a councillor as a member of the management committee. As the four centres are within the Bilborough Ward and councillor availability is limited, the Bilborough councillors will discuss the best means of engaging with these organisations going forward with the Portfolio Holder for Communities (who is also a Bilborough councillor) and return their conclusions to the Committee.

 

Resolved to defer the confirmation of the appointments to the four community centre management groups in the area, pending the review of the current Outside Bodies list by the Bilborough councillors, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Communities.

34.

Community Representatives

Verbal update from the Community Representatives

Minutes:

Tracey High, Louise Matthews, Lianne Taylor and John Walker, Community Representatives for Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley, gave an update on community activities within the area. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  there was a very strong response in Bilborough to the Woodhouse Park Residents' Association’s drive to collect for the local food banks. There are still no street bins in the estate, as its roads are awaiting adoption by Highways, but discussions are underway with Councillor Wendy Smith on whether a strip of land by the estate is Council-owned and if bins can be placed there;

 

(b)  Evolve hosted a Christmas lunch for 50 local people at the Bells Lane Community Centre, in partnership with John Lewis and local volunteers from the community. Youth provision has also been increased at the Centre, including more activities for women-only groups, and a number of funding bids are in progress. Community engagement work is underway with schools, care homes, mental health providers and social prescribers, and there is a particular focus on connecting with men. Funding to support young people finding employment is also being sought;

 

(c)  and Sew It Begins has established a new craft club in Leen Valley. Councillor Graham Chapman hoped that a cricket strip could be introduced in Melbourne Park in Aspley, as this could be a positive focal point for the development of community.

 

The Committee thanked the Community Representatives for their ongoing work and noted the updates.

35.

Nottinghamshire Police and Community Protection

Verbal update from Nottinghamshire Police and Community Protection

Minutes:

Inspector Gordon Fenwick, of Nottinghamshire Police, and Maria Summers, Senior Community Protection Officer, gave a verbal report on Policing and Community Protection priorities and issues in the area between 1 April 2019 and 14 January 2020. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  total crime has decreased by 10% (164 cases) in the Aspley Ward, with reductions in the levels of violence with injury, burglaries, theft, vehicle offences, criminal damage and domestic occurrences recorded. However, robbery of personal property has increased, with seven reported incidents during November. Anti-Social Behaviour has made a slight increase by 1.8% and there have been 47 hate incidents in the year to date, so beat officers and managers have been consulted and an action plan is in place. A number of incidents have taken place in Broxtowe Country Park, including arrests for the handling of stolen goods, and drones are now being used to aid the policing of the area. Following building developments, some of the Section 106 funding is earmarked for investment in the Country Park;

 

(b)  total crime has decreased by 5.4% in the Bilborough Ward, with reductions in the levels of violence with injury, burglaries, theft, vehicle offences, criminal damage and domestic occurrences recorded. There was a 47.8% reduction in hate incidents and an 18% reduction in anti-social behaviour. However, robbery has increased. Three people were arrested before Christmas in relation to a kidnapping and one individual was arrested for attempted murder after injuring a Council employee with a thrown bowling ball;

 

(c)  total crime has decreased by 9.4% in the Leen Valley Ward, with only two robberies and reductions in the levels of violence with injury, burglaries, theft, vehicle offences, criminal damage and domestic occurrences recorded. Unfortunately, there has been a 14.8% increase in hate incidents and a slight increase anti-social behaviour, so the situation is being monitored;

 

(d)  many of the hate incidents across the area have been caused either by young children using offensive language in the street, or during neighbour disputes. The Police is working closely with people who are the repeated victims of hate crime. However, the total crime figures for the area compare favourably to the other regions of the city, and it has seen the greatest reduction in overall crime;

 

(e)  Community Protection is reviewing the ward Respect Priorities and is investigating new approaches towards managing the hotspots for littering and dog fouling. Work is underway to ensure that businesses have the correct trade waste arrangements in place, as the incorrect disposal of this waste is causing problems in some area. Engagement will also be carried out with the Community Representatives, to improve communications and partnership working between Community Protection and the neighbourhoods.

 

The Committee thanked Inspector Gordon Fenwick and Maria Summers for their ongoing work and noted the updates.

36.

Public Health pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Update from the BACHS Primary Care Network

Minutes:

Dr Jonathan Harte, Clinial Director for the BACHS Primary Care Network (PCN), and Emteaz Hussain and Tara Spackman, Social Prescribing Link Workers, presented a report on the recent work and the future plans of the PCN. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  two Clinical Pharmacists and two Social Prescribing Link Workers have been recruited within the local PCN, with nine Link Workers in total across the city. When further funding is available from April, it is hoped to increase the number of Link Workers for the area to five. The Link Workers will liaise with Groundwork, as the Lead Organisation for the Area Based Grants, to be able to engage closely with the range of community projects taking place in the area and take advantage of the existing community connections. The Link Workers are also very welcome to attend the future meetings of the Area Committee, on an ongoing basis;

 

(b)  while the PCNs focus on the local neighbourhoods, the citywide Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) is working to establish the various trends and care needs across the city as a whole, to ensure that the right capacity is available in services when people are referred to them by the Link Workers;

 

(c)  pathway planning is being used to create the directories for certain groups, such as people who need support immediately after leaving hospital, and to identify what the support requirements are and how they can be provided locally. Work is being carried out to identify why people come into the healthcare system and what provision can be made in the community to help them achieve self-sufficiency. It is planned to collect and develop trend information on who uses the NHS, when, why and what services they need, to create more direct links between a person and the parts of the care system that they need to access.

 

The Committee thanked Dr Jonathan Harte, Emteaz Hussain and Tara Spackman for attending the meeting and noted the update.

 

Resolved that the Neighbourhood Development Officers will produce a short paper to set out what value the Area Committee can add in support of the Public Health agenda, the local Primary Care Network and the Social Prescribing Link Workers, for presentation to the next Area Committee meeting, on 1 April 2020.

37.

Nottingham City Homes pdf icon PDF 135 KB

Report of the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Kristian Murden, Tenancy and Estate Manager at Nottingham City Homes (NCH), presented an update on the key issues and themes related to the local priorities and wider housing strategy for the area. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  a strong performance is being maintained, with the current primary focus on effective rent collection and tenancy sustainment. A great deal of work is underway to help people stay in their Council houses – particularly in the circumstances arising from the recent rolling out of Universal Credit – so it has been possible to keep eviction levels low. A significant number of repair jobs are underway and every effort is made to ensure that contractors do not miss appointments. Performance dipped in this area earlier in the year, but steps were undertaken to improve attendance and customer feedback is improving again;

 

(b)  the largest issue in the area is garden nuisances, but it is very positive that the numbers in the other categories of anti-social behaviour are low. Boarded-up properties are being kept to a minimum, as these can become a focus for anti-social behaviour, though some void properties will be kept boarded-up in the very short term as a temporary measure while one of Nottingham City Homes’ storage facilities is relocated.

 

The Committee noted the report. It requested that, if possible, the information graphs were developed to show the performance figures from the same period in previous years, for the purposes of comparison and identifying trends.

 

Resolved to:

 

(1)  approve the installation of new metal vertical bar railings and gates at Bracken Close to improve the environment for the residents, at a cost of £36,481.60;

 

(2)  approve the installation of new metal vertical bar railings and gates at Fircroft Avenue to improve the environment for the residents, at a cost of £66,379.00;

 

as set out in Appendix 3 to the report.

38.

Area Capital Fund 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 121 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Liam Searle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the latest local spending proposals under the Area Capital Fund, including on highways and footpaths.

 

Resolved to:

 

(1)  approve new spending of £12,500 for Local Transport Plan schemes and £35,740 for Public Realm schemes in the Bilborough Ward;

 

(2)  approve new spending of £20,000 for Local Transport Plan schemes and £12,130 for Public Realm schemes in the Leen Valley Ward;

 

as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

39.

Ward Councillor Budget Spending Approvals pdf icon PDF 20 KB

Report of the Director of Community Protection

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Liam Searle, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented a report on the local projects being funded by Ward Councillor Budgets. Unfortunately, as these budgets have declined by approximately one third relative to the previous year, spending on events will have to be reduced.

 

The Committee noted the funding agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services for projects and schemes within the Aspley, Bilborough and Leen Valley Wards, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

40.

Groundwork Nottingham pdf icon PDF 429 KB

Update from the Lead Organisation

Minutes:

Jo Phelan, of Groundwork Nottingham, presented a report on the 14 organisations funded under the four streams of the Area Based Grants from April to September 2019. The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  the funded activities are being promoted actively through leaflets, flyers and posters, social media, word of mouth, schools, local shops and websites. Engagement is underway with the new Social Prescribing Link Workers, and training is in place with providers to ensure that they have the correct safeguarding policies and skills in place;

 

(b)  the Bilborough Smile Project is a befriending initiative to reduce social isolation amongst the elderly and has achieved support from the National Lottery Community Fund. Volunteer workers have been recruited and are now seeking case referrals. In addition, the Building Better Opportunities Towards Work Project is being supported by the National Lottery Fund, the Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund to work with those furthest from the jobs market on a personalised, one-to-one basis. Other funding in the area has been secured from the National Institute of Blind People, Tesco Bags of Help, Carriers for Causes and Comic Relief.

 

The Committee thanked Jo Phelan for attending the meeting and noted the report.

41.

Community Employment and Skills pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Summary of the latest Employment and Skills Area Partnership Meeting

Minutes:

Councillor Graham Chapman presented the summary of the most recent meeting of the Employment and Skills Area Partnership (ESAP). The following points were discussed:

 

(a)  a Community Hub has been established in Aspley to ensure that it is possible to reach people who have fallen outside the normal systems of access to employment skills and training. These people often seek jobs through word of mouth only, so provision is needed to reach them and direct them towards the training and job opportunities available – including the regular jobs clubs held at the local libraries. It is not possible for central agencies (such as the Department for Work and Pensions) to circulate the contact details that they hold for people who are unemployed, so engagement work to reach them needs to be carried out at the local level, within communities;

 

(b)  currently, the Hub has been established on a temporary basis, but it is intended to expand the project and made it permanent. The Hub aims to bring a number of organisations together in partnership, including Futures, Groundwork, Evolve and the City Council, who have all provided support to the project. The people working at the Hub have very strong local contacts within the Broxtowe Estate, but it is hoped that its services will be able to reach a wider catchment of people on a cross-community basis;

 

(c)  discussions are also underway with local colleges to ensure that as many young people as possible stay on and complete their qualifications but, where they do drop out, their names and contact details are passed on by the college to Futures, who can provide support.

 

The Committee noted the report.

42.

Future Meeting Dates

·  Wednesday 1 April 2020 at 5:30pm (Bilborough Library)

Minutes:

·  Wednesday 1 April at 5:30pm (Bilborough Library)