Meeting March 2010

Notes from the Forum's March meeting follow. Any suggested amendments or omissions to the Chairman please.

The notes Convergence and the Strategic Investment Framework (SIF)
Progress with the SIF was a key theme throughout the March meeting. The SIF had been formally approved by Falmouth Town Council and SWRDA but was held up in the Cornwall Council cabinet as it was felt that the projects were 'not sufficiently transformational'. The workspace projects could be funded under Priority 2 but this has yet to be decided. A ‘Rapid Review’ is taking place which Cornwall Council are leading on. Despite this, work was continuing on working up detailed proposals. Figures in () are Convergence funds required:


Infrastructure for knowledge based enterprises

• Watson Marlow (£769k) - spent 
• Kernick BID (£350k) - combined with the next two 
• Commercial Road BID (£1.9m) - combined with next one
• Bickland Water BID (£350k) - a joint study of industrial estates has been initiated 
• ESCO studies (£187k) - a study is taking place for a Docks CHP project
• Economic Masterplan (150k) – a brief and governance terms of reference have been written. Cornwall Council are leading on this. Timeframes unknown
• Falmouth Town Centre development options (key sites) (£100k) - no news
• Other work space projects (tba) – an update was given at the meeting on 5 workspace projects that are being worked up

Growing the Marine Sector

• Port of Falmouth Masterplan (187k) - report commissioned and public consultation due in June 
• Falmouth Marine School (£1.6m) - re-location to Watersports Centre site in train
• Projects arising from Port masterplan (tba) – waiting the results of the study

Improving connectivity and legibility

• Truro - Falmouth branch line (£4.668m) - spent
• Treluswell Station Park and Rail (£2.5m) - a feasibility study is in train; no known support outside Cornwall Council
• Phase 2 Walking and Cycling Network (£1.5m) - no news. This is being written into LTP3 and SIF co-ordinator has had early discussions
• Falmouth Town Pedestrian links (£70k) - no news. Falmouth BIDs to be match funder
• Falmouth and Penryn Strategic Transport Projects (tba) - no news

Additional projects - sustainable transport

• Oyster card sustainable transport - being commissioned through Fal River Links

The newly re-constituted Falmouth and Penryn Regeneration Group, chaired by Oliver Cramp, was the lead body for steering the implementation of the SIF in Falmouth and Penryn. This would be meeting to review progress on 30 March.

Cornwall Council
A major, and beneficial, culture change is taking place within Cornwall Council. Although there are funding challenges, issues are being grasped. Internal communication has improved dramatically. Some further re-organisation will be inevitable. In the long term, it is likely the Council will be seeking to commission more services from others.

Projects highlights included:

• The construction of Penryn College which came in on time and on budget
• The re-structure of Health and Childcare services
• The need to move towards a green flag assessment
• The need to reduce the number of Council-owned buildings from around 70 to around 30
• A draft business plan has been produced which available online at Draft Business Plan
• An economic development Green paper (discussion document) has been produced. Economic Green Paper This will be shortly changing colour to White (formal proposal). Neither Falmouth Town Council nor the Forum had been formally asked to comment on this

Cornwall Council is also producing a Sustainable Community Strategy and a Local Development Framework; and a local Community Network Programme which will be informed by our own Community Plan.

• 'The Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) sets out what is important for the quality of life of the people of Cornwall and what can be done to protect or improve it in a way that is sustainable. It will look at community needs and aspirations and aims to bring together public, private, voluntary and community organisations to respond to these needs and aspirations. Cornwall Council has a legal responsibility to prepare a Sustainable Community Strategy in collaboration with the Cornwall Strategic Partnership.
• 'The Local Development Framework (LDF) will set out the Council's policies for meeting the community's economic, environmental and social aims for the future where this effects the development and use of land.'
• A Community Network Programme for the area immediately surrounding Falmouth and Penryn. Consultation on this will take place shortly and Forum members are invited to attend
• A Local Investment Plan which will be the ‘project and action’ arm of Cornwall’s regeneration approach, linked closely with the white paper on economic priorities and strategic intent (it is unclear whether this is the same as the LDF)

The draft list for the Local Investment Plan has generalised information for the whole county as well as local projects. Those specific to Falmouth are:

• Promoting the continued development of the CUC Hub and rim and proposals for the CUC masterplan up to 2016 , phase 3 funding £13.8m 
• Supporting the identification of land and provision of student accommodation on and off site 
• CUC centres of excellence
• Kernick Industrial estate BID (Convergence)
• Commercial Road BID (Convergence)
• Bickland Water Rd (Convergence)
• Bickland Water Road ecopark live/work scheme extension? (Homes and Communities Agency (HCA))
• Falmouth Wharves project
• ESCO studies
• Port of Falmouth /docks masterplanning and projects mixed use commercial and employment (Convergence)
• Marine school – relocation and site redevelopment (Convergence)
• Upgrading and enhancement of the Truro/Falmouth branch line (Convergence)
• Treluswell park and ride (Convergence)
• Falmouth town centre redevelopment options: Retail housing/waterfront enhancements 
• Sustainable transport package (Convergence)
• Strategic brownfield site redevelopment – Swanvale oiltanks (HCA/planning gain)
• Falmouth school playfield relocation (PFI (housing and education)/HCA)
• Falmouth pitch and putt (HCA/planning gain)
• Swanpool (HCA/planning gain)
• College Hill housing site (HCA/planning gain)
• Kernick Farm housing / employment site (HCA/planning gain)
• Gabbons Nursery housing site (HCA/planning gain)

The general impression was that this is a tired and muddled-looking list which needed much further work.

Cornwall Council are also working on a review of all their land and building assets including Church Street Car Park. The Church Street Car Park development brief work was 'not wasted' but had not been brought to a formal conclusion. The appearance of a developer willing to invest on the site had brought into focus the need to link development here with changes elsewhere in the town, notably on car parks.

Elsewhere, the Transport Department is known to be working on the next Local Transport Plan (LTP3). No contact, discussion or consultation has so far taken place.

The department was also working (slowly) on a county-wide car parking policy.

Falmouth and Penryn Community Plan
The Community Plan has been formally adopted by Falmouth Town Council and is awiating endorsement at Cornwall Council level. Despite this, it is being quoted widely in official documents. The membership of the Management Group is being widened to involve all implementers and Falmouth Town Council is assisting in providing resource to monitor the Plan's implementation.

Town Management
The retail situation is looking up with many of the empty shops likely to come back into use quite soon. In particular, Woolworth's site has been let. Rick Stein's new venture will open on 19 March.

The events programme is developing well with planning already taking place for Christmas and hanging baskets are planned for the summer. Training was planned to assist traders to develop their businesses.

The big issue is the proposed increase in business rates which could have a significant economic impact on struggling traders.

Business Improvement District
The BID is coming to the end of its first year which had been a foundation year. Unspent money will be carried over into future years. Richard Wilcox has joined and is driving projects forward.

Two benches are to be installed outside SpecSavers and the One-stop Shop. A new map is going to press very shortly and a new brand for the town is being developed. The website will follow in a few months as it would be a time-consuming task to collect all the necessary information. These projects all reflected the programme that had been voted on which emphasised marketing of the town.

Transport issues
Cornwall Council is about to start work on re-arranging the Kimberley Road junction (the lights). The thinking is unclear and the solution is believed to be confused and flawed. Sadly, the consultation period has passed.

They were also consulting on the idea of removing the overtaking restriction on Dracaena Hill. This would 'reduce clutter' as three signs could be removed. Efforts were being made to get them to incorporate a speed limit extension, moving the 30mph limit to MacDonalds in line with the recommendation in the Community Plan.

There was no news on the signing about the bollard in the main street which had been promised for the end of August (2009).

The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
There was regret but understanding at the closure of the Poly as an arts centre. All were keen to see the centre back in operation if this could be possible. The Society itself was in good health. A Members' meeting was planned for the week of 15 March.

Membership
It looked likely that John Slaughter would be leaving for Cardiff. There was therefore a need for a Vice Chairman (and Secretary). Members were asked to volunteer.

Attendance:
The following attended the meeting:
Jonathan Griffin - National Maritime Museum Cornwall (chair)
Mike Reynolds - A& P
Cliff Brown - 81 Employers Group
Roger Radcliffe - Cornwall Council
Tim Light – Fal River Links
Nigel Carpenter - Falmouth BID
Dick Stiles - Falmouth Civic Society
John Langan - Falmouth Harbour Commissioners
John Slaughter - Independent
Sally Stiles - Falmouth Residents Association
Oliver Cramp - Falmouth Town Council
Jackie George - Falmouth Watersports Association
Davdi Pollard - Independent
Chris Smith - RIBA
Keith Hambly-Staite – Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
Lorely Lloyd - Transition Falmouth
John Bottomley – Transport Group
Jilly Easterby - University College Falmouth

Meeting November 2009

Sarah Newton (Sarah) had been invited as part of a series of discussions with the prospective parliamentary candidates. She was pleased to bring along Mark Prisk MP (MP) Shadow Minister for Business & Enterprise and for Cornwall

Sarah highlight two big issues for Cornwall: the importance of Convergence funding along with its matched funding from the UK Government, and the implications for strategy when the RDA is abolished. She emphasised the importance of listening to business and local people.

As far as Falmouth was concerned, she thought there were three main priorities:

• Dredging around the docks which would help Cornwall maintain its lead in renewable energy, develop a marine energy park and maximise the benefit from the Wave Hub investment. The planning application for the first geo-thermal plant had just gone in.
• The CUC where the arrival of Dartington would be significant and there were opportunities for greater community involvement. Growth could assist tourism businesses.
• Local decision-making where she believed that decisions should be reaching the Falmouth level, which would be a challenge for the Town Forum and Falmouth Town Council.

MP set out the main thrusts as he saw them:

• Centralisation was the wrong answer. There was a need to ‘trust people at the local level’. There was a need to remove tiers of management and let decisions be made locally at an accountable level. The Regional Assemblies would go and Cornwall Council would take on things like housing needs. This would be mirrored in economic activity.
• What was needed was a partnership between business and government

Issues raised in discussion included:
Housing where there was a big shortage and developers were constantly constrained by lack of support from government and lack of funding from banks. MP responded that the Local Development Framework should be set by CC and selective incentives could be used by local councils – eg retention of 6 years’ rates – who stimulate development. A similar match might be used for social housing. Councils could give Business Rate discounts if necessary and these should be automatic and should not require the business to apply for them.
Localism was undeveloped. Might locally-elected mayors be an idea with income from car parks used to contribute to local solutions? MP pointed out that this was easier in cities where the boundaries were more obvious and there would obviously be a need for some scrutiny of the mayor. The emphasis should be on the development of town centres and not out of town shopping centres where parking was free. The BID model might be suitable for such things with the car park revenue going to the BID.
Obtaining funding is a very real problem as banks are not lending. MP recognised this and pointed out the attractiveness, to the banks, of the international as opposed to local markets for lending. The banks were saying one thing to MPs and doing something different. There was a need for a series of Loan Guarantee Schemes perhaps along the lines of the Investors in Industry model which allowed co-investment with government to provide finance. For small investors, Venture Capital Trusts and Business Angels could provide micro-finance.
As regards the Docks, things were still very vague. Over £1m had been spent on environmental studies and the financial studies had now time-expired and were being re-visited at further cost. MP believed that there should be a bonfire of the quangos as they were unable to look at the bigger picture and took decisions in a vacuum. Ministers could take a more rounded decision and that was what was needed in the Docks. The case for dredging was well-made, in his view: there was a range of businesses and it was essential for the RFA repair work which was the life-blood of the business.
Convergence was essential to Cornwall but what would happen after the RDA was abolished? MP explained the nature of the single pot of RDA money and that he was having trouble finding out on what the RDA spent its money. In future government support, and EU funding, would go to CC to create partnerships with GoSW having an audit function. The aim would be to disturb as little as possible and it might be that one would have the same staff doing similar jobs in different organisations.
How should one work to shape policy? MP suggested that Sarah was the best conduit. His acid test in Westminster was would be ‘will it work in Cornwall?’
Local services remained an issue with, for example, water bills being significantly higher for Cornwall than for Thames Valley customers. Waste disposal was also well behind schedule. MP agreed and said that solutions needed to be appropriate to the area. Waste was a big challenge for CC.
Employment costs had risen, especially for SMEs. MP felt there was a need to re-balance things as the number of vexatious cases had increased dramatically with costs falling to small employers. There was a need to opt out of the EU Social Chapter so that we could set our own standards. Indeed, he was generally a Euro-Sceptic and resented the way the UK gold-plated instructions from Brussels. It would be important actively to engage with the EU and to dig one’s heels in when necessary.
MP ended by commending SN to the Forum and pointing out the stronger representation that Cornwall would have in Westminster were she elected. SN and MP were thanked for their contributions.
Membership changesJohn Slaughter expects that January will be his last meeting of the Forum before emigrating to Wales.
It was understood that five prospective Town Managers had been interviewed and a candidate offered the job who would be starting in the new year.
Cornwall Council updateThe CC Scrutiny report on Community Networks had been produced, recommending that each group of Councillors should decide the nature of the Networks in their area. In the Falmouth case this would involve nine councillors.

While this was resolved Scott Sharples was working on a range of issues:

• The local councillors had agreed to put a proportion on their ‘local pocket money’ into Christmas lights
• He was exploring whether CC could fund the collection of the BID levy
• He was exploring whether Falmouth Town Council could take on management of the Moor
• He was spending time working with Cornwall Development Company on the Strategic Investment Framework Consultation

Falmouth and Penryn Community PlanThe Plan was now at the printers – and available on line at http://sites.google.com/site/fpcomplan/ The intention was to launch it in early December when Kevin Lavery was available. The Management Group would move on to become a policing unit to chivvy organisations to deliver the community aspirations.

Convergence and the Strategic Investment FrameworkThe final draft of the SIF had been circulated for comments. Tim Light continues to lead a small group commenting on this. Responses were required by 4 December. Those wishing to see the report should contact Jackie George at CDC.

Church Street Car Park development briefThere is still no date for the completion of this piece of work which has become caught up in a consideration of the Cornwall Council land holdings in Falmouth in general and the need to replace the car parking capacity in some way. An Economic Green Paper would be issued by CC very soon.

Events programmeAn expanded Christmas Festival will start on 29 November with lights funded by councillors and the BID. The BID had also funded a general leaflet promoting the town and its events.

Transport issues and the bollardCornwall Council had applied for an extension of the Traffic Order to cover all 24 hours despite the Forum’s objection to this. The Regeneration Group had asked the Forum to re-consider which it had done through its Transport Working Group (TWG). The Group had recommended that CC should continue to seek the 24-hour ban but that the bollard should only be operational between 11:00 and 16:00 until a specific consultation had taken place. Oliver Cramp had carried out a survey of his own and the results from traders were far from conclusive with many seeing no change in levels of business and a mixed reaction to closure of Church Street car park.

The recommendations of the TWG were agreed and this would be reported to CC through the Regeneration Group. The long term objective was clear: to move the bollard to the entrance to Market Street and to limit traffic in the main street as far as possible for both the comfort and safety of shoppers. John Bottomley would be taking on management of the TWG in the absence of John Slaughter.

Business Improvement DistrictWork was progressing well. Grants had been made for Christmas lights and Christmas leaflet. Meanwhile, a new brand design was being developed to promote Falmouth for both locals and tourists and work on the website was well advanced.

Future speakersThere were mixed reactions to the idea of inviting additional political speakers to the Forum. A balance needed to be preserved and the Forum needed to be seen to be a-political. Speakers with more local and executive power might be more suitable.

Prince of Wales pierFollowing representations, a letter would be sent to CC commenting on the lack of development work on Prince of Wales pier which continued to be a half-finished job and an eyesore.

AttendanceThe following attended the meeting:
Sarah Newton, PPC for the Conservative Party
Mark Prisk MP, Shadow Minister of Business and the Economy and Shadow Minister for Cornwall
Jonathan Griffin - National Maritime Museum Cornwall (chair)
Cliff Brown - 81 Employers Group
Neil Tinson – Churches Together
Roger Radcliffe - Cornwall Council
Scott Sharples - Cornwall Council
Tim Light – Fal River Links
Pam Faulkner – Falmouth and District Hotels Association
Sandra Pilson – Falmouth Chamber of Commerce
Dick Stiles - Falmouth Civic Society
John Langan - Falmouth Harbour Commissioners
John Slaughter - Falmouth Marine School
Sally Stiles - Falmouth Residents Association
Oliver Cramp - Falmouth Town Council
Jackie George - Falmouth Watersports Association
Chris Smith - RIBA
Keith Hambly-Staite – Royal Polytechnic Society
Lorely Lloyd - Transition Falmouth
John Bottomley – Transport Group
Jilly Easterby - University College Falmouth

John Slaughter's departure

John is shortly to move to Cardiff which will be a loss to the town as he has not only chaired the Town Forum but been in the vanguard on many development projects in the town. The Town Council recently presented him with a plaque. In his acceptance letter, John said:

'I will be sorry to move away from Falmouth and the many people, involved in the public life of the town, that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. I have been privileged to be involved in various projects from the Maritime Museum and regeneration of the Moor through to achieving the first step towards pedestrianisation of the main streets – the rising bollard – and the Community Plan. I have enjoyed them all enormously. In all cases I was impressed by how much could be achieved for the town once everyone was agreed on the objectives. The combined efforts of the Town Council and the member organisations in the Town Forum can produce what Gerald Chin-Quee once described as an irresistible force. A force for the good of the town! I am sure that this will continue to bear fruit in the next, exciting years of regeneration.

'Our recent work this year on the Community Plan for Falmouth and Penryn has showed me how the two towns share many of the same opportunities and problems. It has also demonstrated how effectively the two communities can work together with a clear, common objective. There are significant areas of synergy that have emerged that will enable a common position to be established in the new community area we now share. I am sure that Falmouth and Penryn together makes this the most important and dynamic of all the community areas in Cornwall and I am sure that the Community Plan can contribute to this future success.

'We wish you all and Falmouth as a whole every success.'