Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from:

·         Councillor Jane Bell – South Ribble Borough Council

·         Anne-Marie Knipe – Birchall Blackburn

·         Nik Putnam – Maple Grove Developments

There were no declarations of interest.

Attached.

The minutes of the last meeting held on Tuesday, 14 June 2022 were AGREED.

At this point on the agenda, the Chair outlined his and other Board Members’ concerns with the absence of confirmation from the Government that the necessary funding was in place for the project to progress.

It was reported that the Town Deal schemes and business cases were submitted to the Government by the required deadline of 24 March 2022.  Following this there has been a challenge to the project adjustment outlined and a review was undertaken on behalf of the Government by consultants, Arup.  This review included an open table workshop with key stakeholders and further information provided.  The feedback received at the time was that all the queries had been satisfied and the comments were complimentary.

There had been no correspondence from the Government since this review and no confirmation that the necessary funding was in place to progress the project further.

Katherine Fletcher MP stated that she was not involved in the review process and referred to a letter that she had sent to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities raising queries about communication and the current unsatisfactory situation.  The letter had been circulated by email directly before the meeting and hard copies circulated.

It was AGREED that Katherine Fletcher MP and Councillor Paul Foster would contact Arup as soon as possible to ascertain the current situation so that the project could progress.

It was reported that officers had been working with Lancashire County Council Highways on a solution to the proposed road safety scheme on Chapel Brow in Leyland. 

The County Council had not accepted the design put forward as part of the Town Deal project to improve cycling connectivity with Hough Lane and the remainder of Leyland. 

The Board was disappointed that the scheme put forward by the County Council was not aligned to the objectives of the project.  It was AGREED that the Chair would write to the County Council asking it to re-consider their position and encourage them to adopt an approach to completement the wider Town Deal project.

It was reported that 4 of the 6 planning applications associated with the project had been submitted with the Church Place and Section 278 Highways applications currently being outstanding.  A Planning Committee date for these applications was yet to be confirmed.  Councillor Foster suggested that a special Planning Committee could be held if necessary, to expedite the process.

The update was NOTED.

Officers reported that due to not having confirmation that 95% of the Government funding was in place delivery was providing challenging.  However, some of the 5% of funding previously advanced was still available and being used to progress elements of the project wherever possible.

The acquisition of the development site was continuing with tenders out to demolish the redundant buildings and make safe.  Site investigates were taking place to assess any contamination and examination of ground conditions.  The stage 4 design of the market was also being progressed.

The Board welcomed the progress and AGREED the way forward.

Attached.

The Board considered the key risks affecting the project.  Securing the 95% of Government funding was felt to be a major risk in delivering and moving the project forward.

The Chair and members of the Board reiterated their serious concern for the future of the project with the Government funding not being confirmed and lack of clarity concerning the situation.  Private sector members of the Board shared their frustration that they were freely giving of their time and experience and that the project was being held up for some inexplicable reason outside of the Board’s control.  There appeared to be no urgency in resolving the issue or the Government taking responsibility for their delaying of the project.  The Chair and members of the Board were at the stage where if progress was not made within a month they would consider their positions and be forced to resign from the Board.

It was AGREED that the Chair, Katherine Fletcher MP and the Leader of South Ribble Borough Council would write urgently to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Arup for a swift resolution to this unsatisfactory situation.  An update would be provided to the next meeting of the Board.

A copy of the project change request documentation is to be shared with Katherine Fletcher MP.

The latest version of the risk register would be circulated outside the meeting and appended to the minutes.

Other risks were reviewed around the delay in funds, land acquisitions, compulsory purchase and public perception.

None.

It was AGREED that the next meeting would be arranged for Friday, 14 October 2022 at 8am.