Meeting documents

AVDC Economy Scrutiny Committee
Thursday, 11th November, 2004

Document: 2004-11-11 ECONOMY SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
 

PRESENT: Councillor D Rowlands (Chairman);  Councillors Mrs Brandis (in place of Cadd), E Griffin, M Griffin, Mrs Hannelly, Khaliq, Metherell (in place of Patrick), Sherwin (in place of Stuart), Smith, Turner and Wigley.  Councillors Cooper and Mrs Polhill attended also.
 

APOLOGIES:  Councillors Cadd, Hughes, Patrick, Ralph and Stuart.
 

1.

MINUTES
 

RESOLVED -
 

That the Minutes of 8th September, 2004 be approved as a correct record.
 

2.

TOURISM – THE PROMOTION OF THE VALE AS A PLACE TO VISIT – STAGE 2 (2ND MEETING)
 

At a previous meeting, Members had heard from three witnesses who had given their expert opinions regarding the factors that limited the growth of quality accommodation and conference facilities within Aylesbury Vale.
 

Further witnesses had been invited to speak at this meeting and their presentations highlighted the following issues:-
 

(a)

Ronnie Clark:  General manager, Holiday Inn, Aylesbury
 

Mr Clark gave a brief history of the Hotel, originally a Forte Hotel, and a breakdown of the facilities that were provided.  As well as the provision of quality bedrooms, the hotel provided seven suites for conference or banqueting, a large restaurant, lounge and bar and a Health and Fitness Club.
 

Room demand was described as mainly corporate from Monday to Thursday night but weekend use tended to be leisure business and weddings.
 

The leisure business had been enhanced through contracted tours in conjunction with Whipsnade Zoo and Legoland but it was considered that, if big events within the Vale were marketed better, other opportunities to increase the leisure business would arise.
 

Although past events, such as 9/11, had had a detrimental effect on trade, figures now showed that there were signs of improved trading due in some part to the increased popularity of the use of on-line booking.
 

There was optimism for the future as Aylesbury continued to grow and partnerships with local businesses were established.
 

A full copy of Mr Clark's presentation and an Executive Summary are attached as Appendices A and B.
 

(b)

John Byrne – AVDC Head of Planning
 

John Byrne circulated a copy of his presentation that gave an insight to the approach given to tourism related planning applications and the policies that had to be considered.  Added support from Leisure colleagues was sought on those occasions when specialist advice was deemed necessary although this proactive approach had resource implications.  A copy of John Byrne's presentation is attached as Appendix C.
 

(c)

Blair MacGillivray – Stoke Mandeville Stadium
 

Mr MacGillivray began by stating that Stoke Mandeville Stadium attracted over 500,000 visitors each year, second only to Silverstone as the most visited site in Aylesbury Vale.  Many of these visitors, both able bodied and disabled, came from overseas, often as groups.  
 

The Stadium had recently reopened after a major rebuild and now had 50 twin bedded rooms, 350 dormitory beds, conference and banqueting facilities, bar, cafe and a comprehensive range of sporting facilities.  As an added attraction a crèche had been formed.
 

It had been recognised that there were development opportunities still to be explored which could increase the visitor attendance further.
 

A copy of Mr MacGillivray's presentation is attached as Appendix D.
 

Member Feedback
 

Members raised a number of issues as detailed below:
 

·

The potential “saturation policy” regarding town centre drinking establishments should address any fear of crime in Aylesbury and increase the popularity of the Town Centre as a place to visit in the evening.
 

·

To be a success the Waterside Theatre would need to be a venue with a different image from those currently located in the Town Centre.
 

·

It had been recognised that hotel competition located around the Northampton area had increased the number of beds available to Silverstone visitors with the result that Aylesbury hotels had to lower their prices to remain competitive during the week of the British Grand Prix.
 

·

Silverstone had traditionally been a key market for hotels during the weekend of the British Grand Prix, but now it had been recognised that there were many functions during the rest of the year that could generate hotel business.  This market had yet to be fully promoted.
 

·

All witnesses had spoken of the difficulty of recruiting staff.
 

·

Councillor Griffin reminded Members that Aylesbury Vale contained part of the Chiltern Hills which had the potential to generate a lot of visitors if it was marketed properly.
 

·

It was agreed that more research was required to further break down the nature of the tourism market in Aylesbury Vale.
 

·

All Members agreed that there was a need for increased funding to be made available so that leisure resources could be increased.
 

RESOLVED –
 

That the following key action points be the basis of an action plan to be brought within the Stage 3 report.
 

(1)

A programme of regular visitor research is re-established.  This programme will help further identify the source of visitors to the Vale, the nature of their visit and their perceptions of services and facilities.
 

(2)

Aylesbury Vale District Council to co-ordinate regular opportunities for the accommodation providers and attractions across the Vale to meet, share best practice and consumer information and enjoy training opportunities.
 

(3)

Further utilise the contacts Aylesbury Vale District Council currently enjoy through our regulatory functions such as Environmental Health, Planning and Business Rates, to provide ongoing advice and promote training and development opportunities for tourism and service businesses.
 

(4)

A comprehensive list of conference services be produced and promoted via the Tourist Information Centres, AVDC and Visit Buckinghamshire Websites for 2005.
 

(5)

The relocation of the Aylesbury Tourist Information Centre to the Kings Head Centre is progressed for completion by March 2005.
 

(6)

Aylesbury Vale District Council to maintain a proactive role in organising and supporting community events such as the Roald Dahl Festival which promote the key visitor attractions across the Vale.
 

(7)

Ensure dialogue is initiated between Crest Nicholson and Tourism South East to help target potential developers as part of the Waterside Development.
 

(8)

Support local hotels, attractions and transport providers in the production and promotion of themed weekend break packages, capitalising on the readily available weekend hotel accommodation.
 

(9)

Ensure that the residents of Aylesbury Vale are aware of the visitor attractions and key events on their doorstep through features and promotions in the District Link and Vibe magazines and via the AVDC website.
 

(10)

A more in-depth study of marketing figures be instigated to generate more information regarding items such as the number of people employed in the tourism industry within the Vale, how visitors spend their money, reasons for visitors using hotel accommodation, etc.
 

3.

DEVELOPING A MARKETING STRATEGY FOR AYLESBURY VALE
 

Members received a report and slide presentation previously introduced to Cabinet, that informed of the process and progress made on the development of a Marketing Strategy for Aylesbury Vale.
 

A copy of the presentation is attached as Appendix E.
 

At the conclusion of the presentation Members were asked to express views on the emerging strategy and the indicative activity plan via a question and answer session.
 

Views expressed by Members:
 

·

Why was AVDC not marketed at the Bucks County Show?
 

·

Aylesbury Vale Title should be changed to Vale of Aylesbury.
 

·

To give the town centre more appeal, there should be more encouragement to independent traders rather than relying on large group stores.
 

·

Why not build new offices in the area to replace those that have now passed their useful life span?
 

·

Considerations for the farming economy should be included.
 

·

It would be necessary to secure sufficient funding via the budget.
 

·

It was considered that Marketing 2031 was the wrong title and gave the wrong impression of priority.
 

·

As the town grew it would be imperative that the road systems were improved to give better access.
 

RESOLVED –
 

That the views of this Committee, as detailed in these Minutes, be considered during the development of the Marketing Strategy.
 

4.

MEDIUM TERM WORK PROGRAMME
 

Consideration was given to a report, previously considered by Cabinet, regarding the Medium Term Work Programme that invited Members to comment on the sections relevant to the Economy Scrutiny Committee.
 

Members had concerns over the following issues:-
 

(a)

Encouraging infrastructure that supports the local economy
 

·

There was no mention of the Berryfields employment site.  Targets should be set for this site.
 

(b)

Generally
 

·

Some Members considered that the targets were generally unambitious and should be revised in the light of the preceding items on this agenda.
 

·

The next review of the Programme would be at the meeting scheduled to be held on 4th July, 2005.
 

RESOLVED –
 

That the comments of the Economy Scrutiny Committee, as contained within these Minutes, be conveyed to the Chief Executive and the Cabinet Member for Corporate Issues.