To receive any announcements from the Leader.
Minutes:
The Leader made the following announcements:
“Despite us being on the cusp of the summer break, we are continuing to work hard for our residents and there continues to be much going on in Spelthorne.
Firstly, following Parliament’s approval for a third runway at Heathrow, Cabinet Member Cllr John Boughtflower will be heading up a working group to look in detail at Heathrow’s proposals as they develop. For example, we are strongly opposing a proposal to site up to 25,000 parking spaces, with taxi feeds, car rentals and an HGV lorry park in the Borough. Residents, especially in Stanwell and Stanwell Moor are understandably very concerned and I would like to reassure them that we are, and will continue to do all we can to mitigate this. Indeed, this week we have issued a press release, I have been interviewed on BBC Surrey and we have had frank conversations with Heathrow senior staff to make clear our and residents concerns about this.
Whilst we remain convinced of the overall beneficial impact of a world leading Heathrow Airport we will continue to do all we can to ensure that airport related development is proportionate and brings positive benefits to residents, we are and continue to be very mindful of negative impacts and will not pause in our efforts to seek the best for our residents and remain committed to our recently announced “10 point demands”.
Following the Leisure Centre Members Briefing on 9th May, where many Members attended, and gave unanimous support for the initial proposals and for us to commence initial public consultation, the first stage of consultation on our proposals for a new Spelthorne Leisure Centre commenced on 22nd June and ends on Monday 23 July. We have been very encouraged by the level of response we have received, with over 1000 questionnaires returned so far.
We are of course aware of some local concerns and I wish to make it clear that NOTHING has been decided, despite some rather outlandish and in some cases downright dishonest rumours being put about. Our aim has always been to provide the best possible leisure facilities for the borough’s residents, from the youngest to the more mature. I am mindful that last year we had 578,000 visits, which if one assumes an average of once a month (some visit several times a week), amounts to over 48,000 different people visiting, that’s half of all Spelthorne residents.
The fact is that the existing leisure centre is very close to the end of its life, and rather like an old car, there comes a point when further investment in it is not viable or prudent. We expect to reach that point in about 2 years. If we do not take action shortly then we will be left with only the Sunbury Leisure Centre available for public use.
We remain open to comments on all aspects of the proposals, including the mix of facilities and location. In view of the level of interest, it will take some time to analyse the feedback we have received but we will ensure that we give due consideration to all responses before deciding on our next steps. A second consultation is scheduled for the autumn.
Members will be aware that Shepperton Studios are developing plans to significantly increase their investment in and commitment to the Borough, which if effected are likely to bring significant employment, skills and training and economic benefits to the Borough. Members had a briefing on this on Monday and Shepperton are also seeking to engage widely with local residents.
A celebration event has been held to mark the completion of the £50m Stanwell New Start regeneration project which delivered new 326 properties. Over half the new homes were affordable, exceeding the Borough's policy requirements of minimum 50% affordable, and every property incorporated off-street parking and solar technologies.
Planning officers are analysing the responses to the recent Issues and Options consultation for the new Local Plan, which ended on 25 June. The Council will be now developing ‘preferred options’ using feedback from the consultation, before holding two more consultation stages. The plan will then be submitted to the Secretary of State who will confirm if it can be recommended for adoption. We expect this process to be completed by September 2020.
Congratulations to the Swan Sanctuary and the Spelthorne Natural History Society for both being awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest honour for volunteer groups across the UK. Both organisations do tremendous work here in the Borough and I’m very pleased they have been recognised in this way.
We are all aware of the Traveller incursions once again over the last few weeks, and indeed as we speak. As we have progressively hardened our parks they have become more proactive in their means of gaining entry, including cutting locks, removing bollards and other defences. I would firstly like to thank Jackie Taylor and her JET team, as well as our legal officers for their unstinting efforts. Surrey Leaders are actively discussing how we can alleviate this County wide issue and one option is the development of a Transit Camp within Surrey. There will be a special meeting of Surrey Leaders and Chief Executives in September to explore this further. We also recently submitted our response to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on unauthorised encampments.
In the meantime, Spelthorne Means Business and we remain committed to protecting our assets from unauthorised encampments.
I would like to congratulate Team Spelthorne for finishing third in the Specsavers Surrey Youth Games in Guildford on 23 and 24 June. Over 300 local children aged between 7 and 16 received up to seven weeks of free coaching across 12 different sports in the lead up to the event, with 161 children going on to represent Team Spelthorne at the Games. Thank you to our sponsors Everyone Active, Shepperton Studios and the Jockey Club and all the clubs, coaches and volunteers for their fantastic support.
Finally, I would like to thank the Council’s Independent Living team who have been delivering bottles of water to Meals on Wheels clients to ensure they are staying well hydrated during the recent heatwave.
Thank you, Madam Mayor, and may I wish all Members, Officers and residents a happy summer holiday.”