Minutes:
The Director of City Regeneration and Development provided an overview of the work packages and budget envelopes which had been agreed through the City Growth and Regeneration Committee and the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in relation to the DfC Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme.
She highlighted the collective programme of projects that, through the Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme, officers had been working with city stakeholders to help rebalance the use of public space, to safely promote economic recovery and provide a people focused approach. She presented some of the ongoing physical and streetscape improvements in the city such as new parklets, public realm and environmental schemes including outdoor seating areas, proposed community gardens and shop front improvements.
She tabled an update in relation to the Business Cluster and Community Grant Scheme applications. She explained that officers had now re-engaged all applicants through the Small Business Grant Scheme and, due to reasons including applicants withdrawing from the scheme and actual claims totalling less than originally requested, there was now an underspend of approximately £95k within this budget line of the DfC Revitalisation Programme.
The Director of City Regeneration and Development highlighted that, in addition to the recommendations outlined in the report, the Committee was asked to also consider the reallocation of the aforementioned £95k of underspend, and any future underspend within the Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme, to the Business Cluster and Community Grant Scheme to meet the funding gap as identified within the report. She pointed out that this underspend would be allocated to extinguish the remaining City Centre Business Cluster fund, followed by assessing the application in the order in which they were received as previously agreed by Committee.
She reminded the Committee that the Council’s request for additional support from DfC for the Business Cluster and Community Grant scheme would be issued to the Minister for Communities, as agreed by the Committee at its last meeting.
During discussion, the Director of City Regeneration and Development provided further information in relation to sustainable active travel and advised that a report on the outcome of the feasibility study on additional city wide infrastructure to support the cycling network and to inform potential capital interventions would be submitted to a future meeting. In response to a Members query she confirmed that this included the potential for a temporary Active Travel Hub at Cathedral Gardens.
In response to a Member’s query on the success of the pop up park at Cathedral Gardens, the Director City Regeneration and Development also confirmed that work was being undertaken in relation to a permanent park, as agreed by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
After discussion, the Committee:
· Noted that £4.039m of funding had been provided to the Council through the DfC Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme to date;
· Noted the progress update on the various agreed strands of work underway through this Revitalisation Programme with the developing designs for the proposed physical improvements and streetscape improvements presented at the Committee meeting;
· Approved the reallocation of this £95k of underspend, and any future underspend within the Covid-19 Revitalisation Programme, to the Business Cluster and Community Grant Scheme to meet the funding gap as identified within the report. The Committee noted that the underspend would be allocated to extinguish the remaining City Centre Business Cluster and Community Grant fund, followed by assessing the applications in the order in which they were received, as previously agreed by Committee;
· Noted that a request for additional support from DfC for the Business Cluster and Community Grant scheme would be issued to the Minister for Communities, as agreed by the Committee in February and ratified at Council on 1st March, 2021; and
· Noted that a report on the outcome of the feasibility study on additional city wide infrastructure to support the cycling network and to inform potential capital interventions, as previously identified as part of the DfC Revitalisation Fund, would be submitted to Committee for consideration in the near future.