The Director of Regeneration, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property and the Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager have been invited to attend for this item.

A paper which Members will be referring to at the meeting was added on 20 October 2020.

The Chairman welcomed the Director of Regeneration, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property and the Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager to the Meeting.  The Chairman referred to the tabled update for this item, which had previously been emailed to Members and added to the online agenda.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property gave an update and reported that sections 1 and 2 of the Bourne Place Leisure Development had reached practical completion, and the development had moved from phase 1 (construction) to phase 2 (fit-out and operational).  Tenants were now fitting-out their units, and some were trading.  She said that fitting-out of the bowling alley was progressing well, and seating had been installed in the cinema.  Sentado Lounge restaurant, situated under the hotel, had opened last week.  Savills continued to market the two remaining units, which had been a challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic downturn.  The Cabinet Member said that the totems had been installed and these would be used for wayfinding.  There was an ongoing issue with the concrete slab in the Princes Street Retail Park and efforts were being made to find the least disruptive solution to the problem.

Members were invited to comment and ask questions.  A summary of the topics raised, and answers given are set-out below.

Page 1 of the tabled update

A Member referred to the two-year rent guarantee period, and the Chief Financial Officer explained that it was not possible to go into detail as there were different levels of rent, and he invited the Member to speak privately to him regarding this matter.  The Member also asked about the edge protection around Spring Street car park and the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property confirmed that there was a difference in height and measures would be taken to rectify this.  The Member also requested an update on the longstanding issue of the Vodafone cabling.  The Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager explained that although Spirit of Sittingbourne (SoS) were chasing this, he did not have an update on this issue.  He advised that the work that needed to be carried out was contained within the highway, and not within the leisure area.

A Member considered the High Street/Station Street junction was dangerous, with a blind sport.  In response, the Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager advised that this had been reported to Kent County Council (KCC) in the road safety audit.  A sign had now been installed, and the Head of Highway Development at KCC had said they would monitor the situation before the final certificate was signed-off.  Another Member considered there should be road markings at this location in Station Street.   The Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager explained that the road layout had gone through the KCC technical process and audit, and they had been satisfied with the road layout and markings.

A Member asked whether there were plans to address traffic congestion in the town centre?  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property said that traffic flow through the town would be looked into in the future as part of a wider town centre project, separate from the SoS development.

Page 2

The Chairman asked how many bowling lanes there would be in the bowling alley?  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property explained that there would be nine, which was considered to be a good size.  She added that Light had said the increase in the number of lanes made the bowling alley more viable.  As a result, two units had been ‘moved along’ to create more space for the bowling alley.

Page 3

The Chairman asked about two potential tenants joining the scheme, and the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property confirmed that they were no longer taking the units, but with the bowling alley taking-up an additional two units, there was a net gain.  The Chief Financial Officer reminded Members that the scheme had been designed in 2011/12, and had originally been largely dependent on restaurants taking-up the units, but in the last 18 months the scheme had evolved and it was a lot less dependent on restaurants.  The take-up of units was more diversified now and the scheme was now quite different in take-up than was originally envisaged.  The Chief Financial Officer added that the Council worked closely with Savills in finding tenants for the remaining units.

Page 4

A Member asked about the timescale with regard to work on the footpath between the multi-storey car park (MSCP), and whether it would be paving or tarmac?  The Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager explained that there was only a very small area of resurfacing required, and this would be asphalt, similar to what was already there.  There were some marks on the surface, and these would be removed before this part of the project was signed-off.  It was hoped the work would be completed in the next few weeks, and would take hours, rather than days to complete.

The Chairman said that some of the double yellow lines on the one-way system had gone ‘blotchy’, and that some of the road markings coming out of the Retail Park were confusing.  The Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager explained that the double yellow lines on the bend of the one-way system had melted due to the hot summer weather.  They had now been re-painted.  He requested more detail for the Retail Park issue, and another Member advised that the left-hand lane markings were laid out too late for drivers to see, and were not visible until drivers were very near to the traffic lights.  The Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager explained that this was not part of the regeneration scheme and would need to be submitted to KCC for them to evaluate.

Page 5

A Member asked if there would be seating at the totems?  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property explained that the totems would facilitate the signposting, and seating was positioned near to the green wall, and this had now been completed.

The Chairman said that as the scheme had moved from phase 1, Members might want to consider how they wanted to scrutinise Sittingbourne Town Centre Regeneration going forward.  He outlined some options which included reporting to every other meeting; carrying on as is; written updates; and invitations to relevant invitees as and when something came up.  He added that the scheme still needed to be scrutinised as it was not completely finished.  There was some discussion on the frequency of any updates and invitees attending, with a suggestion that Members were updated when the remaining units looked like they were being taken-up.  The Chief Financial Officer reminded Members that commercial discussions with potential tenants were sensitive and any discussion, prior to a final agreement was not advisable.

Members agreed the following: that if there was a significant development, this be reported to the Scrutiny Committee; that there be a written report/snagging list every quarter; and that the usual invitees be requested to join the meeting only when there was a particular issue to consider.

The Chairman then suggested that wider aspects of town centres throughout the Borough be considered and added to the agenda at a future meeting.  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property advised that work was ongoing in developing a policy for the town centres but was in the early stages.  She suggested mid-2021 and confirmed she would update Members if this date was brought forward.  Members agreed that future town centre plans be added to the Scrutiny Committee agenda in March 2021.

The Chairman thanked the Director of Regeneration, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property and the Sittingbourne Town Centre Scheme Manager for attending the meeting for this item.

Resolved:

(1)   That the tabled update report be noted.

(2)      That the Scrutiny Committee, going forward, continued to scrutinise Sittingbourne Town Centre Regeneration in the following ways: that if there was a significant development, this be reported to the Scrutiny Committee; that there be a written report/snagging list every quarter; and that the usual invitees be requested to join the meeting only when there was a particular issue to consider.

(3)      That future wider town centre plans throughout the Borough be added to the March 2021 Scrutiny Committee agenda.