Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 December, 2019.

RESOLVED –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 03 12 2019 be approved as a correct record.

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer:  Diana Fawcett (01296) 585880

The committee received a presentation giving an overview of the work of the Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership (ATCP) that had taken place to support town centre businesses and promote the town as part of their annual business plan since March 2018. The presentation provided the committee with an update on their progress towards achieving the five objectives contained within the business plan:-

1.    Partnership and Communications

The committee was informed that overall membership of the Partnership stood at over 90, still well above the average of 20-30 for similar sized towns. Members noted that the regular flow of communication on town centre and national issues provided by the Town Centre & Regeneration Manager (TC&RM) remained a draw towards the Partnership for local businesses, who continued to benefit from targeted updates about theatre shows, events and activity in the town, enabling them to maximise their opportunity to attract pre and post theatre diners and anticipate influxes in footfall within the town.     

2.    A Clean and Attractive Town

The TC&RM was liaising closely with others to coordinate a range of improvements to the town centre including:

- identifying and arranging the removal of rubbish from ‘grot spots’

- removal of posters, illegal notices

- encouraging outside street trading

- managing and regulating buskers and charity collectors

- working with AVDC on Christmas lights look and location

- coordinating ice/snow clearance

Remedial action had been taken to reduce vermin problems and a campaign had been launched to discourage people feeding the pigeons.

Members’ attention was drawn to a campaign by the Town Centre & Regeneration Manager in partnership with the RSPB, the Environmental Health Agency, BBOT, Waitrose, Community Safety and the ecology team to rejuvenate the area around Bear Brook. Work had begun with the Landscape and Community Safety teams to put in place measures that would prevent the area being used by homeless people in the future.

3.    A Safe Place

Members were informed of the work undertaken by the TC&RM in reducing crime in the Market Square and Kingsbury which included:-

·         Managing crime reduction in shops through a radio system and exclusion album of key offenders through the Aylesbury Business Against Crime scheme of which the TC&RM was both a board member and treasurer.

·         Enforcing the pedestrianisation scheme by installing large pots in the Market Square roadway near the bollards to restrict access to rogue drivers.

·         Dramatically reducing illegal parking levels in the Market Square and Kingsbury by transferring the management and enforcement of parking fines to NSL.

·         Significantly decreasing levels of anti-social behaviour in Kingsbury by cutting back trees to allow for better visibility of the site, removing benches, facilitating more robust action by the police against offenders and increasing collaboration within the businesses.

·         Plans to appoint a public realm architect responsible for stakeholder engagement. The £4.5m approved by AVDC in its capital programme for the improvement works had been carried through into the capital programme for the new council. The Shadow Executive of the new council was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer:  Jonathan Sherlock (01296) 585291

Committee received an update, developed with the Steering Group on 4 December 2019, concerning the progress of the environmental initiatives agreed by Council in September 2019.

The update highlighted the collaborative effort undertaken by AVDC with external partners to ensure the delivery of the environmental initiatives throughout 2020. These initiatives could be implemented within the budget approved by Council, supplemented by match funding from a local charity (Heart of Bucks) and stake holders.

The update informed members that the Steering Group had agreed to:

·         The creation of an environmental fund with the charity Heart of Bucks, to aid in the delivery of community driven environmental projects within Aylesbury Vale.

·         The creation of a grant scheme with both Heart of Bucks and Bucks County Council to create a cleaner environment within school grounds, focusing specifically on reducing waste, encouraging biodiversity, litter reduction, energy consumption efforts and transport methods.

·         Enter into negotiations with Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) to sponsor and attend their business expo on Friday 9 March 2020 to promote green business initiatives.

·         Enter into partnerships with local enterprises including the National Energy Foundation and CSR Accreditation to better train members of Parish Councils and Local Councils to inform and support their local residents on better environmental practice.

·         Develop and produce a document in partnership with Bucks County Council accessible by Parish Councillors and Members to help in directing local residents who are unsure about what services were available to them.

Members were advised that some initiatives had already been implemented including flower planting at Waddeston involving junior school children, and the provision of cycle racks at the Royal Latin School, Buckingham.

Members were very supportive of the initiatives proposed and

RESOLVED

That Cabinet be advised that this committee supported the initiatives being pursued.