Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from John Adlen, Sally Hepton, Mark Hills and Simon Yates.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no new or updated declarations of Interest, other than those already on file.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous virtual meeting held on 3 February 2023.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the virtual meeting held on 3 February 2023 be approved as a correct record. The chair went through a list of actions from the previous virtual meeting and updated members on the status of each action accordingly.

To receive a detailed update on the Towns Fund and Accelerated Funding Projects & review their status.

LY2 Programming Update

The Board received an update on the LY2 programming from Helen Paton, Cheshire East Council Cultural Economy Manager and Rhys Hopkin, Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.

The proposal had been developed and submitted by Crewe Cultural Forum following approval of £750,000 of the Towns fund by Crewe Town Board. The project had been managed by Cheshire East Council, with partners including Crewe Town Council and Lyceum Theatre.

The vision for the proposal had evolved as a result of challenges presented by the pandemic and rising costs of materials. The space would be used for a new stage, big screen, artwork, improved seating, lighting and planting, exhibition area and improved public realm.

Although the current focus was on the summer season, mechanisms were being put in place for long term programming, co-production, and co-curation with the community.

The Board agreed that a co-ordinated approach was required and this would take the form of newsletters to businesses, an events group and a group of creative champions, which were a group of volunteer residents who were keen to see a more vibrant cultural scene in Crewe. There would be regular reporting back to Crewe Town Board and a Community Engagement Plan would go public once it had been signed off in March.

The Board were informed that the LY2 square handover from contractors back to Cheshire East Council was scheduled for 19 May 2023.

Towns Fund Board Monitoring Update

The Board received a presentation from Daniel Lindsay, Ekosgen, in respect of the scope of monitoring for each project. Meetings had been held with all the project leads to review the latest position in relation to:

-       Expected spend within this financial year

-       Forward expenditure profile

-       The project programme and milestones

-       Outstanding conditions of funding

Some of the projects were holding off on the detailed design and procurement process until the outcome of the reallocation process had been confirmed. The outcome was expected shortly.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

Toreceive anupdate fromthe Communication& EngagementSub-Group.

The board received an update from the Communication and Engagement Sub-Group which included:-

·         An update on the Royal Arcade works including fresh images of the site which would be released shortly.

·         There would be updated communications once the decision around the Powerhouse was received.

·         The Repurposing High Street project would be the main priority over the next month.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

To receivean updatefrom the Director of Growth and Enterprise.

Peter Skates, the Director of Growth & Enterprise attended the meeting and gave a verbal update in respect of:-

• Crewe Technical & Digital Innovation Campus (TADIC) – A report would be going to the Economy & Growth Committee on the 14 March 2023. The proposal was to repurpose the Municipal buildings extension in to a flexible, co-working space especially in the fast growing digital and creative sectors, operated by a third party. The plan would be for the operator to work with the Council’s Economic Development Team with the aim to maximise the benefit locally and provide business support and other activities for the growing/creative digital cluster and town centre businesses. The proposal was subject to agreement with DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) to ensure that outputs were being met in line with the funding available. The grant was required to be spent by March 2024.

• Royal Arcade

Phase 1 – This had now moved into commencement of the construction phase.

Phase 2 - Commercial element – There was positive interest around this from users for the commercial area.

The challenges around the commercial element were rental values yields and constructions costs. A more detailed discussion would be brought back to the board in May/June.

• Great British Railways Headquarters – It had been nearly a year since submission, but it was hoped that there would be an announcement by Easter.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.

Toput forward anyother items ofbusiness.

Post-Election meeting

There was a request to look at the possibility of convening a face to face half day meet post-election as there may be new members involved with the board. It was agreed that this could tie in with looking at skills, structure and new member induction.

To confirmthe dateof thenext meetingas 14 April 2023commencing at9.30am.

RESOLVED

That the date of the next virtual meeting take place on Friday 14 April 2023 commencing at 9.30am.