Meeting documents

Elaine Jewell, Head of Community, provided a presentation which provided information on community projects currently being undertaken in the area.  The following points were noted:

Cemetery

·         The new cemetery would be known as Penn Road Cemetery as this would enable better navigation for satnav users to the address.

·         The key features would include: a children’s burial area, lawn burials and cremated remains options.

·         It would be a tranquil area with biodiverse planting and local species.

·         There was a budget of £1.67m.

·         Two consultation events had been held.

·         The works were due for completion early summer 2020; however the timetable for the build was dependent on the planning process.

·         Car parking on the site was able to absorb additional vehicles if necessary.

·         The building would be minimal with a small seating area, office space and toilet facilities. 

·         Planning had requested a tilt on the roof which would cost an additional £2000.

·         The building was not intended to be onsite chapel.

·         Electrical vehicle charging was a standard requirement and CCTV would be able to monitor if this facility was being regularly used by members of the public other than visitors to the cemetery.

·         Taps, litter bins and a number of benches would be available for cemetery visitors.

Frogmoor

·         Key success factors were to make Frogmoor welcoming, safe and attractive.

·         The budget was £109k maximum.

·         Consultation had included BIDCo and took account of the Dandara development.

·         New curved benching would be installed. 

·         Bollards were also being installed to prevent parking.

·         Damaged concrete would be replaced.

·         Planting was not an option on the fountain area and redevelopment of the fountain was not part of the scheme.

·         The expected completion date was 2019.

·         The memorial bench plaques could be moved to a more permanent position.

·         It was difficult to prevent mopeds from mounting the pavements in the area and enforcement would need to be considered.

·         The scheme was to make Frogmoor a place where people feel welcome and long term plans for the area would be part of the redevelopment of the Chiltern Shopping Centre into residential units.

·         Street wardens would help to make the space feel safe.  There would be 3 full-time equivalent street wardens to discourage street drinkers and beggars and enforce the Public Spaces Protection Orders.

·         Further joint working would be undertaken with BIDCo in the future.

·         Soft under bench lighting was being considered.

·         A maintenance schedule would be undertaken and the problem of pigeon droppings on benches would be built in.

Green Spaces Contract

·         The current contract expires on 31 December 2019.

·         There were a number of options including to bring in house or retender.  However it would be difficult to bring in house due to staffing constraints.

·         It would not be possible to extend the contract further.

·         Consideration would also be given to the forthcoming Community Governance Reviews and the outcome of these.

·         In March Cabinet will be asked to agree to procure a new contract to be coterminous with the contracts of Chiltern District Council and South Bucks District Council.

Rye Boat House Replacement

·         The Town Committee had funded the feasibility work and this had been completed.

·         General Fund Section 106 was paying for the replacement project.

·         The current tenant’s service was popular and the aim would be for boat hire to continue.

·         The contractor would be dealing with the planning permission and the project is currently in the pre planning stages.

·         The budget was c£300k.

·         Included would be boat hire, café, modest indoor seating area and public toilet.

·         There would not be an external door on the toilet but this would be open to the public while the café was open.  The toilet would not be open 24 hours a day, however people would not have to make a purchase from the café to access the toilet.  It would be the responsibility of the tenant to maintain the toilet.

·         A mini golf course and table tennis could be considered.

·         Outside seating would be available at the café.

·         The Environment Agency had advised that weeds in the river were beneficial for the fish.

·         The tenant would prefer construction to take place over the winter months however this was dependent on planning consent.

·         There were public toilets available everyday by the car park on the Rye.

The Chairman thanked Elaine for her update.