Agenda and minutes

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 19^th June 2019.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 19^th June 2019, be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

A briefing note for attached for information.

Prior to a tour of the Carriage Works the Committee welcomed Mr Shane Moore (Founder and CEO of VanHeroes) who had agreed to provide some insight to working at the Carriage Works and the business environment for a small business. The Committee considered an oral report by the Head of Town Development who commented on:

·       The opening of Unit 3 of the Workshed in July 2018 which was followed by Unit 5.

·       That all but one unit/offices in the Workshed was currently occupied.

·       The sympathetic development of the premises to retain as much character of the building as possible whilst promoting a dynamic environment for businesses in the digital sector.

·       The benefits to small businesses in being able to cluster together with likeminded business people.

·       The interaction and collaboration of businesses based within the Workshed.

·       The value of the Workshed in promoting start-up businesses with the town and in providing an environment to help them grow.

·       The development of businesses based within the Workshed.

·       Plans for the further development of the Carriage Works, including work currently being undertaken to Unit 11 with planning and listed building consents in place.

·       The use of the Carriage Works by the Royal Agricultural College for post graduate courses and the University of Cultural Heritage Institute who would be offering community courses.

·       The creation of larger offices in Units 7 and 9 of the Carriage Works.

·       The Council’s future marketing strategy and marketing pack for the Carriage Works.

The Chair welcomed Mr Shane Moore, Founder and CEO of VanHeroes, who provided the Committee with some insight to small businesses occupying the Carriage Works and commented upon his business and experience of Swindon commenting on:

·       His business which provided a van and moving service which could be available to customers within an hour of the booking.

·       The use of the company app to provide the booking service, which provided a customised quote for jobs, received payment and forwarded the appropriate details to a network of drivers.

·       The company had been a tenant in the Workshed for nearly a year and had initially been supported by Nationwide and had their own office for six months.

·       The benefits of working with an established community of entrepreneurs of a roughly similar size and sharing common experiences.

·       That the Carriage Works offered an environment for up-sizing businesses but that more work or time was needed to maximise the start-up environment and to make it more accessible to young entrepreneurs wishing to start their own company.

·       The cost for small businesses, especially those still establishing themselves, of renting offices at the Carriage Works and the need to weigh this cost against the positive environment and value offered from interacting with other tenants.

·       That the cost of car-parking at the site was a burden for start-up businesses.

·       Support available for tenants and the benefits that would accrue from being offered proactive support and for such support to be available during evenings and weekends.

·       The positive energy produced by having a number of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Committee considered (a) a report of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Place on Business Retention and Expansion and (b) an update by the Cabinet Member for Economy and Place and Julia Stuckey (Business and Economy Manager) updated the Committee on the work of the Honda CMAG meeting held on 12^th September 2019.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Cabinet Member for Highways and Environment, the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and the Service Manager – Transport Planning, Development and Street Works Management updating Members on current Park and Ride schemes in the Borough and the future development of Park and Ride.  Mr Shah, Service Manager – Transport Planning, Development and Street Works Management, commented upon:

·       The retention of the current Park and Ride Sites within the Local Plan Review.

·       The need for an evidence based approach for any further development of Park and Ride operations and this would include evidence of need for additional sites as well as capacity of town centre parking facilities.

·       The emergence of the Town Centre Movement Strategy and Urban Traffic Management System and how these would help inform future Park and Ride polices.

·       The forthcoming review of the Council’s Local Transport Plan.

Following his presentation the Service Manager – Transport Planning, Development and Street Works Management answered Members questions in respect of:

·       Future plans for a Park and Ride site in North Swindon.

·       The role of Rapid Transit Routes and Park and Ride routes in reducing travel time for residents visiting the town centre.

·       Current work on gathering and updating traffic data prior to any decision in respect of changes to Park and Ride facilities in Swindon.

·       Borough wide Traffic Modelling to inform traffic related decisions moving forward.

·       Traffic issues directly affecting Rodbourne arising from visitors to the Outlet Centre and timescales for Park and Ride mitigation for the North Star Development which would also assist traffic pressure in Rodbourne.

·       The need to ensure any park and ride or other types of mitigation work was of maximum effectiveness based upon the most up-to-date evidence and projections and provided value for money.

·       The key crossing points to allow traffic moving across the railway line when moving from North to South Swindon.

·       The process and timescales for reviewing the Council’s Local Transport Plan.

·       The Council’s long term traffic management strategy to develop traffic movement in a strategic and systematic manner.

·       The need to ensure park and Ride is an attractive alternative option for commuters and reasons for its historical usage levels.

·       Technological advances that might help reduce traffic issues in parts of the Borough.

·       Work currently being undertaken by officers to address traffic issues in the Rodbourne Road area.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

Draft Terms of Reference are appended for information

The Committee considered a request from the Children’s Health, Social Care and Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee for a nomination to serve on a sub-group of that Committee looking at ways to improve post 16 Education, Employment and Training outcomes for young people in Swindon.

Resolved - That Councillor Jim Robbins be nominated to represent this Committee on the Children’s Health, Social Care and Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Sub-Group looking at ways to improve post 16 Education, Employment and Training outcomes for young people in Swindon.

The Committee considered a report by the Chief Legal Officer setting out the Committee’s proposed Work Programme for the Municipal Year 2019/20.

Resolved – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That, further to Minute 11(2) a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee regarding the identification of potential Mentors within Swindon.