Issue - meetings

Meeting: 16/06/2020 - Cabinet (Item 6)

6 Aylesbury Garden Town - Governance & Masterplan pdf icon PDF 613 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Over recent months and in the lead up to the creation of Buckinghamshire Council, the Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) Delivery Board has been reviewing the overall governance and delivery structures for the Aylesbury Garden Town project. This review is timely, given the progress being made with the AGT Masterplan and a focus on its delivery going forward. In January this year, the AGT Delivery Board endorsed a draft governance structure and approach for recommendation to the new Buckinghamshire Council for approval and subsequent implementation. 

 

It was agreed that an amendment be made to the text on page 13 of the Executive Summary.  The ambition should read “Aylesbury will be a prime location for investment and job creation in Buckinghamshire” rather than “the location”.

 

It was also agreed that the relevant cabinet members and officers would be invited to the board meetings as appropriate.

 

RESOLVED:   Subject to the agreed amendment and undertaking above, Cabinet APPROVED:

 

The proposed structure and composition of the Strategic Oversight Board and Programme Delivery Team for AGT as set out in the report and in the proposed Terms of Reference at Appendix 1.

 

The Masterplan and 2050 Vision for Aylesbury Garden Town to Council.

 

Minutes:

Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Town Centre Regeneration, introduced the Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) report and stated that the Masterplan had been subject to extensive public engagement and had received mainly supportive comments during the consultation.  It provided the basis of a comprehensive delivery strategy to transform Aylesbury into a Garden Town over the coming decades, achieving the 2050 Vision.  S Bowles confirmed that he had been advised that the funding for the plan was secure.  S Bowles thanked Councillor Bill Chapple OBE and the Board for their hard work; the review had been timely and reflected the new Unitary Authority arrangements and aligned with the Programme’s future priorities.  B Chapple added that the revised document covered climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic; it was a ‘living’ document and would be updated regularly.  B Chapple also thanked the board members and officers for their hard work; particularly Homes England who had contributed £170 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund plus almost £500,000 towards project costs.  The AGT project was seen as one of the top ten in the country.

 

The following points were raised by members of the Cabinet:

 

  • A member of the Cabinet was concerned that recommendation one was to approve the proposed structure and composition of the Strategic Oversight Board and Programme Delivery Team for AGT; however, the core membership list on page 26 of the agenda pack, did not include representation from the Culture, Leisure and Heritage areas.  S Bowles clarified that the first bullet point under paragraph 2.1 stated “Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member(s) with appropriate responsibility”; this meant that the relevant Cabinet Member(s), and officers, would be invited to the board meetings whenever it was appropriate.
  • It was highlighted that there were other prime locations for investment in Buckinghamshire and it was agreed that an amendment be made to the text on page 13 of the Master Plan Executive Summary (page 77 of the agenda pack).  The ambition should read “Aylesbury will be a prime location for investment and job creation in Buckinghamshire” rather than “the location”.
  • A member of the cabinet acknowledged that climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic were covered in the revised plan and asked how our learning and recovery from the pandemic would impact on some elements of the plan.  The Government had its own target for carbon reduction by 2050 and it was queried whether the AGT had its own initiatives.  S Bowles advised that a study had been commissioned to assess the economic and commercial impact of Covid-19 to understand the detailed impact on the programme and how it would affect any other proposals in the master plan particularly in relation to the town centre.  The AGT would help Aylesbury communities recover from the pandemic.
  • It was noted that improvement to the roads to encourage cycling to work should be a priority along with organisations being advised to provide shower facilities.

 

In summary: