Agenda item
· Questionsfrom membersof thepublic canbe submittedin advance of the meeting to hwcb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
· Buckinghamshire Council update
Minutes:
Three questions have been noted from the public in advance of the meeting, however they were received outside of the stated deadline. To allow the time to provide a comprehensive response, the response to these were to be provided at a later date. A copy of these questions and responses can be found below.
Public Question 1:
A key objective of High Wycombe’s Regeneration Strategy is to ‘create a vibrant and characterful town centre which celebrates local culture and heritage, offering a high-quality public domain’. To achieve this Buckinghamshire Council announced 3½ years ago a total investment of £15.4m including £11.8m of Future High Streets funding. This was to rebalance the town centre providing a diversity of activities not available in the Eden in the historic town centre, prioritising nightlife and creating more reasons to come into Wycombe than just to shop.
Buckinghamshire Council have now announced that ‘the Eden is the beating heart of Wycombe’ and £12.89m of which £11.26m is Future High Streets money will be spent on repurposing the first and second floors of the Tesco building on Denmark Street to accommodate the County Archive and rehouse council services now in the Queen Victoria Road offices so that these buildings can then be sold. The people of Wycombe and the Community Board have not been consulted on this as the regeneration of our town now belongs to remote decision makers. How will the Community Board strive to give our High Street a prosperous and sustainable future now that funds are being spent elsewhere?
Response:
The original Future High Street Fund (FHSF) regeneration programme dates back to the FHSF bidding process undertaken by the legacy Council (Wycombe District Council) in 2019. It required a defined programme of projects and outcomes, which the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) assessed against a Treasury Green Book benefit cost analysis (BCA). By identifying specific targeted vacant shops for ‘repurposing’ and potential ‘gateway’ buildings for improvement, a strong BCA was achieved, making Wycombe one of few south east towns to secure the grant. The programme has subsequently evolved, via FHSF’s ‘Project Adjustment Request’ process, as the market picked up some original targets and replacements came into being.
At the time of the bid, WDC did consult with Ward Members, High Wycombe Town Committee (HWTC) and external stakeholders, as doing so was integral to the strength of its case. There have been updates since, including regular reporting to the Council’s Regeneration Board, which includes both Members and external stakeholders. The FHSF programme is time limited (as was the bidding process) and as explained above, restricted to the availability of identifiable vacant shops/gateways, with very limited ability to spend on public realm (the Council is doing this separately, via its Capital Programme, in White Hart Street). Public consultation was not a FHSF requirement. The focus since the grant award in 2021, has been on delivery of the approved programme. The extent of the programme is set out in the attached Annex.
The Denmark Street Project (Tesco ‘re-purposing’) will retain Tesco as a retailer in the town centre. It uses approx. £2.6m of FHSF monies, as part of its total £12.2m cost, on top of which Tesco will be investing in a new store This will create a new active frontage on Denmark Street. The Council is converting their surplus upper floors (which have challenging windowless deep floorplates) – using them to relocate the County Archives and Council offices (improving the building’s ageing appearance with new first and second floor windows). These uses will be a ‘people draw’, with a new Search Room and better public access (given proximity to the Bus Station). This fits well into the FHSF objective of broadening the mix of town centre uses away from retail.
The future of the Council’s under-utilised Queen Victoria Road (QVR) buildings has yet to be determined – but whatever goes there (be it another occupier or redevelopment), will bring new activity to QVR (as will the ex-Liberal Club (High Wycombe Social Club) FHSF project opposite, which provides a new gallery/store for the town’s Chair Collection.
ANNEX
High Wycombe’s Future High Street Fund programme.
High Wycombe has received c£15m Future High Streets funding (£11m Towns Fund/£3m Council match). This has focused on:
1. Purchasing and re-purposing long vacant shops
2. Brightening key spaces/illumination
3. Downsizing the town’s over-supplied retail floorspace and
4. Improving a key ‘gateway’ building.
1. Vacant Shops
Funding has been used to overcome unlettable conditions and unaffordable rents in the following locations:
· 37 High Street: £600K acquisition/£500K refurbishment - Now ‘Tabletop Republic’ (venue for avid ‘Dungeons & Dragons/Warhammer players) and first floor ‘Joiceys Boxing Gym’, both attracting young people to the town centre.
· 16 Church Street: £500K acquisition/£400K refurbishment - Now ‘Collectables’ model shop and model railway display, upper floors due to become Collectables’ exhibition space/event venue.
· 22 Queen Square: (£400K acquisition/£70K refurbishment) nearing completion. Independent business being sought as new tenant.
· 2 Cornmarket: (£175K refurbishment nearing completion). Independent business being sought as new tenant.
2. Brightening Key Spaces/ Illumination
Funding has been used in the following areas with an ambition to deter anti-social behaviour and adding interest:
· Guildhall undercroft (£50K) now sports midnight sky ceiling with starry night lighting.
· Little Market House (£50K) undercroft will (subject to Listed Building Consent), gain innovative projected images, to animate it.
· Swan Alley (£50K) also to have new decorative lighting/improved frontage for the pub garden.
3. Downsizing Retail
· Ex House of Fraser, Eden - Eden is the town’s retail and leisure heart (post Covid footfall has bounced back) and sustaining the centre is key to the town centre’s ‘people draw’. The building has four floors, each the size of a football pitch.
The Council has co-invested £4m of FHS monies alongside Eden, in a £12m conversion to achieve:
· Relocation of Primark into Eden, as an ‘anchor store’, stabilising Eden
· Unlocking comprehensive redevelopment of Chiltern Shopping Centre, by releasing their existing Church Street store, for Dandara’s proposed 300 unit town centre living scheme, removing redundant retail floorspace (currently a live planning application).
· The conversion also includes two new leisure attractions on the upper floors – electric go-karting and soft play.
Public Question 2:
As part of this boards continued working with community organisations in High Wycombe. It is important the board recognise the work of Wycombe Food Hub, which currently has the largest community fridge in High Wycombe feeding on average 250 people a week. It currently has on average of 500 people using its basket section a week which offers dignity to our community members in need.
Wycombe Food Hub also manages Bobkins Bazaar which is serving a further average of 150 individuals a week with providing a variety of services, free sanitary products to women suffering Period Poverty in High Wycombe, free contraception through its partnership with Brook, cleaning products, washing products and toiletries all below the RRP. Giving dignity again to those needing these but can't afford High Street retailers.
Wycombe Food Hub offers support services in partnership with the DWP, Probation Service, Talkback, One Recovery Bucks, Fedcap to name but a few along with others still in their infant stages currently provide a One Stop Hub for the community as we identify it is often very hard for individuals to ask for help, many have already bonded with us by getting their food from us and have started to use our support services because they medically physically or mentally can't get to more than one providers venue. It's all under one roof with us.
We formally ask the Community Board to acknowledge the work of Wycombe Food Hub by allowing us to present to the board on 13th November 2024 the next published date for the board to meet, if the date is moved then the board held on the new date.
Please confirm tonight that this will happen and if not why with a strategic reason why to the people of High Wycombe.
Response:
The Community Board works with many organisations across the area so is unable to provide general recognition to individual organisations generally or at its meetings. Only funded projects or programmes in partnership with the Council are invited to present at the main Board meetings.
As explained previously in the letter to the Food Hub from Sarah Ashmead dated 24 April, the way forward is to engage with the Board’s meeting structure and priorities process. Where organisations have the outline of a project which aims to deliver the priorities of the Board, this would firstly be discussed with the Community Board Manager who would check it met the required criteria, if it did a further discussion would then take place with the Chairman. After that, an organisation would be invited to present to the relevant action group/task and finish group who would consider if they wanted to take the project forward.
If you have a project which you think will deliver the priorities, then please contact one of the Community Board Managers.
Question 3:
In light of the growing anticipation and viability of establishing a town council in High Wycombe. I believe it is crucial that Wycombe Community Board acknowledge and explore how the HWCB and HWTC can collaborate with the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group (HWTCSG) on the many issues that High Wycombe faces.
Over the years, the Wycombe Community Board has played a significant role in fostering community engagement and addressing local concerns. Your dedication to promoting community well-being and potentially partnership with the newly formed Wycombe Assembly is commendable. However, the High Wycombe Community Board have not reached out to the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group which has been in existence since 2019.
In 2019, the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group initiated the Community Governance Review, setting the stage for a potential town council. I am curious to know why the High Wycombe Community Board has not reached out to collaborate with the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group.
By partnering with the steering group, it would demonstrate the Wycombe Community Board's commitment to community empowerment. Therefore, I kindly request the High Wycombe Community Board to acknowledge the potential of collaborating with the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group. I also would like to ask the Community Board about how they envision working together with the steering group to ensure effective governance for our community?
I believe that by embracing this opportunity for collaboration, we can collectively work towards a stronger and more vibrant High Wycombe allowing for greater local decision-making and representation. Your agreement to formalise links between HWCB and HWTC and the High Wycombe Town Council Steering Group is sought.
Response:
As you say, the HWTC Steering Group has a particular view about the issue of whether there should be a town council or not for High Wycombe, which is perfectly legitimate. The 2019 review was conducted by Wycombe District Council so we cannot comment on what took place during the existence of a legacy council. Buckinghamshire Council was formed in April 2020. By that time the Community Governance Review originating in 2019 was in abeyance, partly because of the reorganisation of local government in Buckinghamshire and partly due to the consequent commissioning of an Electoral Review of Buckinghamshire Council during which time Community Governance issues are necessarily suspended. It would not therefore have been appropriate to have engaged with the HWTC Steering Group on that subject in that intervening time.
Similarly, once Buckinghamshire Council formally commenced a new Community Governance Review in January 2024, it would clearly not have been appropriate to engage with one side or any other about the issues raised in the Review. Rather, it was appropriate for all parties wishing to take part to use the public consultation period to submit views. It is also worth pointing out that the Community Governance Review of High Wycombe is led by this Council’s Standards & General Purposes Committee not the Community Board.
On your wider point of engaging with the HWTC Steering Group “towards a stronger and more vibrant High Wycombe allowing for greater local decision-making and representation”, we assume this means engagement about the needs of High Wycombe generally not just about local government structures. If that is the case, then the outcome of the current Community Governance Review – whatever that outcome is – may well pave the way for further and deeper local discussion with all those interested in the wellbeing of High Wycombe. I’m sure the Community Board will play a key role in fostering such discussion whether that leads to ‘formalising’ arrangements or sharing views generally. Everyone is welcome to join the Community Board, attend Community Board meetings and engage with the Board’s meeting structure and priorities process.
The Community Governance Review is currently scheduled to end by the end of this calendar year.
A question was asked; Are the number of children within the fostering network higher or lower than in previous years?
Response:
There has been an increase in children coming into care this year, with an increase among the under 12s age group.
Supporting documents:
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