Minutes:
Chris Barnes (SBC Assistant Director: Regeneration) presented the Tranche 3 Town Deal Summary Business Cases for the New Towns Heritage Centre and Stevenage Sports and Leisure Hub.
(1) New Towns Heritage Centre Project
Chris advised that this project comprised the delivery of a Heritage Centre/Museum and cultural hub within the proposed Public Sector hub, offering a 21st Century cultural experience that reached more people. The scheme would be part funded by £2M from the Towns Fund, and required a further £3M of match funding from SBC and other partners. The lead organisation would be SBC, who owned much of the site, together with a few third party interests. Outline planning permission for the Public Sector hub had been granted.
Chris commented that the proposed scheme was fully consistent with the aims and objectives of the Stevenage Town Investment Plan (TIP), although the “national” cultural offer of the New Towns Heritage Centre was more challenging and would require the co-production and funding from external partners.
Chris explained that the Centre would be a new asset that incorporated celebration of New Towns and the Stevenage Museum as part of a cultural hub. It would contain high quality, technology driven displays, with maximum accessibility, and would be integrated with a café, library and ground floor community spaces in order to deliver flexible/multi-use spaces. An operating model and high level business plan would be developed, and there would be a strong economic analysis to demonstrate the value for money of the investment.
Chris referred to conditions from the Town Deal Heads of Terms, which required the provision of further analysis of costings, including more information about costs for each element of the project; the provision of more evidence on the long-term financial sustainability of the project, including how running costs would be covered; and the provision of further detail of the impact of the project through the inclusion of a broader range of outcomes and outputs. There was a need to demonstrate how these conditions had been satisfied for the stage the project had reached, and how they would be managed over time.
In respect of engagement, Chris advised that the SBC Community Select Committee had visited cultural facilities in Milton Keynes and Colchester and had discussed the New Towns Heritage Centre at various meetings, which had resulted in recommendations which had had been incorporated into the project. In addition, Stakeholder workshop sessions had been held with a range of local people, and a summary report had been produced which provided some robust evidence for the Business Case.
Chris recommended that the Business Case be endorsed.
The Board debated the Business Case, and the following points were made:
· it was confirmed that the building should be flexible enough to accommodate those undertaking academic research;
· a focus should be on ensuring that the Heritage Centre was accessible for use by all socio-economic groups;
· the timing of when the Heritage Centre would become operational in relation to the opening of the larger Public Sector hub would be flagged up as a specific risk for the project;
· a proactive strategy would need to be developed to engage with the community and education sectors in order to maximise use of the Heritage Centre. Teachers were represented on the initial Stakeholder Group, but it was noted that there would need for a broader consultation exercise (including the education sector) going forward;
· there needed to be a continuation and expansion of the cultural outreach work currently conducted by the Stevenage Museum;
· there was a projected 50% increase in visitor numbers at the Heritage Centre compared to the existing Museum. Chris agreed to supply the Board with more detailed information regarding these projected figures;
· it was felt vital that there was an individual postholder based at the Centre with responsibility for marketing and community/academic engagement, including with North Herts College and the University of Hertfordshire; and
· consideration should be given at the next stage of engagement to include professional bodies, such as the Royal Town Planning Institute.
It was RESOLVED that the New Towns Heritage Centre Project Business Case be endorsed and recommended to the Accountable Body (Stevenage Borough Council) for approval, and noting that the scheme would be delivered as a project within the wider Public Sector Hub programme and following the development of funding bids with external partners.
(2) Stevenage Sports and Leisure Hub Project
Chris advised that this project comprised the delivery of a new multi-use Sports and Leisure hub, Heritage Centre/Museum and cultural hub within the proposed Public Sector hub, including youth service provision, to deliver high quality facilities and achieve health, wellbeing and regeneration objectives. The scheme would be part funded by £10M from the Towns Fund, and would require a further £30M of match funding. The lead organisations would be SBC and HCC, who owned the land, supported by consultants Sport Leisure Culture (SLC). The project was fully consistent with the Stevenage TIP.
Chris stated that that the Hub would be an exciting facility which combined swimming and leisure on one site, with the option for the inclusion of youth services. There was an opportunity to deliver a regional quality facility that met residents’ needs now and in the future. The feasibility study, cost plan and operating model had been updated, in line with the work carried out to procure a new leisure operator contract.
Chris acknowledged that there was a significant funding requirement for the project, but commented that SBC was committed to the scheme, and that detailed funding planning was underway. There would be an extensive design process to make the building a reality, and the images shown to the Board were indicative, although it was recognised that the project would have a significant lead-in time.
In terms of engagement, Chris explained that this had taken place with over 1,200 people and had focussed on current activity levels and what leisure services they would wish to see in the town in the future. There had also been some soft market testing with potential Leisure Management contractors in order to gauge a response from the operational side.
Chris recommended that the Business Case be endorsed.
The Board debated the Business Case, and the following points were made:
· it was essential that Business Case stressed the work that had been carried out and would be continuing on addressing health inequalities in Stevenage (such as the Stevenage Healthy Hub), which would be aided by modern, high quality and accessible sports and leisure provision;
· it was clarified that the project primarily related to the provision of indoor facilities, as the extent of the site was limited. However, there would be an opportunity to link into nearby outdoor sites, such as the King George V Playing Fields;
· the SBC Leisure Management contract was in the process of being renewed and it was hoped that the operator of the new contract in 2023 would be in a position to know the level of indoor and outdoor leisure facilities that needed to be provided in Stevenage; and
· it was important to recognise that, should the scheme come to fruition, this was yet another site in Stevenage Town Centre that would be re-vitalised through the regeneration/Town Deal programme.
It was RESOLVED that the Stevenage Sports and Leisure Hub Project Business Case be endorsed and recommended to the Accountable Body (Stevenage Borough Council) for approval, and noting that a detailed funding strategy would be developed for match funding, including the development of funding bids with external partners.