Leader's Announcements
To receive such announcements as may be made by the Leader.
Minutes:
In the absence of the Leader of the Council, who had submitted apologies, the Deputy Leader wished all those present a Happy Christmas and made a number of announcements as follows:-
1. He gave the Leader’s apologies for absence from the morning’s Special Meeting of the Council and from this meeting and reported that the Leader was engaged in negotiations with local businesses. He hoped that everyone was very impressed to be meeting in the Crewe Lifestyle Centre. Council staff and contractors had worked tirelessly over the past two-three years to bring this, Cheshire East’s first Lifestyle Centre, into being. It had brought together several Council services under one roof, serving the residents of Crewe and helping them to live healthier lifestyles. Over 350,000 people had visited the Lifestyle Centre, which was a tremendous achievement. Part of the success of the Lifestyle Centre was its location in the heart of Crewe town centre, making it easy to reach, whether visitors come by bus, car, bike or on foot. Bringing the Lifestyle Centre into Crewe town centre was a key part of our Regeneration Plans for Crewe. The Lifestyle Centre was the first part of the Council’s approach in regenerating Crewe town centre and in making sure it was well placed to benefit from future growth linked to the new HS2 hub station.
2. Another part of the town centre’s transformation had also commenced in the current year, with the new University Technical College opening its doors on West Street. The UTC, through a strong partnership which included key local employers such as Bentley, had taken its first intake of 200 14-19 year olds, all keen on developing vocational skills in design and engineering, to meet the future needs of those employers. Next year its new building would be fully open and the number of students would grow towards its capacity of 800.
3. He reported that the Regeneration team was well advanced in the procurement of a development partner for the Royal Arcade, at the heart of Crewe town centre. The plans included a brand-new bus station, multi-storey car park, cinema and a mix of other leisure and retail uses, which would help transform both the town’s day and night-time economy. More detailed plans would be announced in the coming months. The Council was also working closely with a number of other landowners and developers in the town centre who, whilst recognising the challenges facing town centres, agreed that Crewe was now ideally-placed to start “punching above its weight”. With over half a million people living within 30 minutes’ drive of Crewe, including significantly more ‘affluent achievers’ than the GB average, investors were now realising the opportunities presented by Crewe and its wider catchment, including its rural hinterland. Indeed, just a few months ago, Property Week magazine had ranked Crewe as the “Best residential location in the UK”, taking account of a number of factors including the area’s quality of life, connectivity, employment levels, and education.
4. He concluded his ... view the full minutes text for item 70