Agenda item

Report No: HAV/SE/15/001 TO FOLLOW

(Councillors Brown and Marks declared in the interests of transparency that they were both representatives on the ONE Haverhill Board and ONE Haverhill’s Town Masterplanning Core Group and remained in the meeting for the consideration of this item.)

The Working Party considered Report No: HAV/SE/15/001, which sought approval for consultation on the Issues and Options that would inform Haverhill Town Centre Masterplan. 

ONE Haverhill was leading on the Haverhill Town Centre Masterplan with the final version proposed to be adopted by the Borough Council as a Supplementary Planning Document in September 2015.

Members noted that on 21 October 2014, subject to the Haverhill Area Working Party being satisfied with it’s content, the Cabinet had given delegated authority to the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services and the Portfolio Holder with the responsibility for Haverhill, to approve the Haverhill Town Centre Masterplan Issues and Options document for consultation.  This meant that following this Working Party meeting, the consultation could commence within the necessary timescales, thus removing the need to seek further approval from Cabinet to commence consultation at its next meeting on 24 March 2015.

Matthew Lappin, David Keene and Val Conway, representatives from appointed consultants, David Lock Associates, were in attendance and undertook a presentation, explaining the purpose and scope of the Issues and Options consultation.  Members noted that this stage of the masterplanning process focussed on understanding the key issues facing the town centre, and engaging with stakeholders and the wider community to fully understand what the town centre could, and should be like.  The Issues and Options would then help shape the development of the draft Masterplan.

Having considered the relevant evidence base for Haverhill, and undertaken an analysis of the role and function of the town centre, the Working Party noted that ten broad themes had been worked up (as detailed in the report), which would be consulted upon during the consultation period due to commence on Monday 9 March 2015 to Friday 17 April 2015.

Section 1.3.3 of the report provided the format for the consultation and Members were asked to encourage the community to submit comments.

A detailed discussion was held on several issues, including:

(a)     whether the existing road infrastructure, particularly the A1307, could support growth in the town centre;

(b)     that given the changes in shopping habits and the consequential changing retail offer  in traditional town High Streets, it was more likely that local retailers delivering local services to local people would be attracted to the town rather than one of the major retailers;

(c)     whether there were sufficient opportunities for the community to partake in the consultation;

(d)     pedestrianisation of the High Street and that this topic would be considered as part of developing the draft Masterplan if the outcome of the Issues and Options consultation provided a sufficient desire for it;

(e)     the methods by which the consultants would ascertain from people what they would actually want from the town centre and how they would help people visualise how the town centre might look in the future; and

(f)      the deliverability of the options that would subsequently develop into the draft Masterplan and how each issue would be prioritised with public and private sector partners into definable projects with associated timescales for realistic, achievable delivery.

The officers and representatives of David Lock Associates duly responded to questions raised, together with Sarah Howard, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and ONE Haverhill, who had joined the meeting during the discussions.

RESOLVED:

That the Issues and Options report, attached as Appendix A to Report No: HAV/SE/15/001, be endorsed for going out to consultation from 9 March to 17 April 2015.

(Sarah Howard arrived during the consideration of this item.)