Download 16th September, 2015 - Stowmarket Town Council

STOWMARKET TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE held in the John Milton Room,
Milton House, Milton Road South on Wednesday, 16th September, 2015 at 8.10pm.
Present:
144.
Councillor
Councillors:
B Humphreys MBE (Vice-Chair in the Chair)
Mrs L Baxter
G M Brewster
Ms S L Britton
J W C Curle
P Ekpenyong
D J MacPherson
Mrs L M Mayes
K E Scarff
In attendance:
Mr D G Blackburn (Town Clerk)
Present:
Ms M L Marshall (Deputy Town Clerk)
Councillor Mx M G N S Row
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND NOTIFICATIONS OF SUBSTITUTIONS
An apology for absence was received from Councillor N G K Gowrley.
145.
DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY OR NON-PECUNIARY INTERESTS
There were none.
146.
DISPENSATIONS IN RESPECT OF PECUNIARY INTERESTS
There were none.
147.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 13TH MAY, 2015
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Service Delivery Committee held on
13th May, 2015 be approved and signed as a correct record.
148.
CORPORATE PLAN
The Town Clerk submitted the Corporate Plan 2015-20 Implementation Programme,
copy on report file, for consideration. It was noted that the format had been developed by
the Town Clerk and Councillor Epenyong to provide greater clarity in terms of targets
and milestones and used a Red Amber Green (RAG) rating to indicate progress with
exception reports provided for any red rated items. The consensus of the meeting was
that the format was clear and a helpful overview of the Town Council’s work streams in
respect of the objectives set out within the Corporate Plan.
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Specific objectives referred to at the meeting were as follows:
 CO2B: A new link had been installed in conjunction with St Edmundsbury District
Council to improve the quality of images obtained from CCTV coverage in
Stowmarket.
 C04c: A report was submitted by the Deputy Town Clerk and Public Services
manager on the reasons for slippage in the provision of extended and refurbished
accommodation for Mid-Suffolk CAB at Milton House arising from site issues, legal
support and negotiations and an extended brief for the project.
 C05F: The Town Clerk provided an update on discussions with Suffolk County
Council over the future use of the Millfields site. Enquiries were being made about the
extent of information that the County Council would require before submitting an
application to the Secretary of State for revised use of the site, other than as a school
playing field.
 EC1g: The Public Services Manager reported on the delay in provision of free Wi-Fi
in the town centre as enabling works still required completion by British Telecom.
 EC2a: Place shaping priorities were being developed for the town under the direction
of a Task and Finish Group. These would clarify the Town Council’s position and
priorities when engaging with partners and allocating resources.
 EC3b: Residential parking surveys were due to be undertaken in October 2015.
RESOLVED: That the report be received and noted.
149.
STOWMARKET RIVER CORRIDORS REGENERATION PROJECT
The Deputy Town Clerk submitted a report, SD/05/1516, copy on report file providing an
overview of the Stowmarket River Corridors Regeneration Project.
The Pickerel Project was formed on 28th November, 2000 by a group of local residents
and representatives from like-minded organisations with the objective to improve the
area between the Pickerel Bridge and the Station Road Bridge. It had a core group of
members who formed the Management Committee including Councillors B Humphreys
MBE, B J Salmon, Mrs H Salmon and K E Scarff. The group worked in conjunction with
other organisations such as the River Gipping Trust and the Inland Waterways
Association.
The Town Council had provided support to the group, since its inception, with the Deputy
Town Clerk currently providing support. Regular Management meetings took place in the
Town Council offices and the whole group met on two occasions per year. 2015 marked
the 15th anniversary of the group and it was deemed an excellent time to undertake an
ambitious project which would see improvement and enhancement of the Stowmarket
River Corridors. The project had attracted a great deal of support from local
organisations and the private sector, including many of the large businesses in the town.
The Pickerel Project wished to encourage greater use of the rivers and the river path by
the local community by regenerating the entire stretch that runs through the town. It was
clear that the group would not be able to undertake such a large task by itself and, as
much of the rivers are owned by local businesses, the group’s role was to facilitate the
improvements which will be carried out by others.
The Deputy Town Clerk had been approached by David Rossiter, Colour Group
Manager of PPG Industries (UK) in January, 2015 seeking advice on improvements
which the company wished to make on the river path that runs directly through their site.
The Pickerel Project pledged support to PPG Industries and it was decided that the PPG
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project should be used as a demonstration to other riparian owners to show what could
be achieved through collaborative working of the private and public sectors.
The majority of the cost of the works was covered by PPG Industries, however, grant
funding for benches and an information board had been provided by the County
Councillor’s Locality Budget. The Town Council had pledged £200 of financial support
for the purchasing of native trees and plants and the Pickerel Project, Catch-22 and
various other groups provided labour for the soft landscaping element of the work. The
hard landscaping work such as the re-laying of the river path was carried out by PPG’s
onsite contractor.
RESOLVED:
a.
b.
150.
That the Committee endorses the work of the Pickerel Project on the Stowmarket
River Corridors Regeneration Project; and
That the Town Clerk writes a letter of thanks to PPG Industries for the pioneering
role that the company is playing in the project.
ITEMS OF REPORT AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE
There were none.
The meeting closed at 8.55pm.
CHAIRMAN
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