Agenda item

That the progress in delivering the Vibrant and Viable Places programme be noted.

The Economic Development Manager introduced the progress update on the delivery of the Vibrant and Viable Places (VVP) programme in Deeside.  He explained the background to the report, culminating in the Council securing a funding package of £6.024m from the Welsh Government (WG) over three years to support projects relating to the wider regeneration of Deeside.  Although funding allocated to each of the three years needed to be utilised within those periods and could not be carried forward, it could be moved between projects.  Formal approval had not been received until July 2014 which had impacted on initial progress with projects for 2014/15, however work was now largely on track.

The Housing Regeneration & Strategy Manager and Economic Development Manager gave an overview of progress on projects within their respective areas, as set out in the report.  Outputs achieved by the programme to date included the creation of 28 new jobs and 105 qualifications gained by trainees in the Green Team.

The Chairman welcomed the implications of the programme across Flintshire and the creation of employment opportunities.  In response to a question on timescales, it was stated that the VVP programme spanned three years whereas the creation of an estimated 7,000 jobs in the development of the Deeside Enterprise Zone would take over five years.  It was estimated that around 2,000 new jobs had already been created through investment by businesses in Deeside.

In welcoming the report, Councillor Paul Shotton referred to the Council’s original bid for £15m funding which had been reduced to £6m by WG.  He welcomed work undertaken by the Green Team and the initiative to acquire and develop stalled sites through the Strategic Housing and Regeneration Programme (SHARP).

Councillor Peter Curtis hoped that other areas of the county would benefit from the programme and commented that social enterprise in Holywell had been initiated by Communities First.

In welcoming the conversion of vacant spaces above shops into accommodation for letting purposes, Councillor Brian Lloyd said that provision should be made for rear access in those buildings.  The Housing Regeneration & Strategy Manager explained that this could be facilitated through VVP grant funding or through the empty property loans in all other parts of the county as part of the Private Sector Housing Renewal and Improvement Policy.

In response to comments from Councillor Nancy Matthews on reducing business rates, the Economic Development Manager explained that the WG had a programme of support to help smaller retailers access a rebate on a sliding scale.  He went on to agree with remarks around the importance of effective delivery of Wifi to local residents and businesses as well as shoppers in town centres and the need to encourage shoppers to their local high street.

Councillor Ian Dunbar welcomed a number of the projects, particularly on those encouraging use of high street shops.  In response to queries, the Economic Development Manager said that grant funding was available to individual businesses wishing to improve the visibility of their shop front, with 18 enquiries received since the launch of the scheme.  Despite the detailed application process leading up to approval, one scheme had been approved whilst two were currently being progressed.  In relation to the purchase of two vacant shops for a business start-up project, it had been decided to defer this to year 2 of the programme to focus on the civic building demolition in Connah’s Quay.

Councillor Rosetta Dolphin congratulated the Council on its success in achieving the £6.024m grant funding in the current climate, despite the bid for a higher amount.  In response to a query on energy efficiency measures, the Housing Regeneration & Strategy Manager agreed to respond separately with the number of properties where solar panels had been installed and how much money this had generated.  However, he advised that this amount would have been re-invested for further energy efficiency work.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood highlighted the importance of having efficient transport links in place around the Deeside area to connect residents and businesses to opportunities.  The Economic Development Manager pointed out that the Council’s bid had included an element for transportation which had been unsuccessful.  However, it was noted that the WG was undertaking work, outside the VVP programme, on transportation across North Wales.

In response to queries by Councillor Matthews on the installation of solar panels on Council properties, the Housing Regeneration & Strategy Manager explained that the Council received the Feed in Tariff payments whilst the tenant benefited from reduced energy bills.  Although solar thermal panels had been installed in Shotton, solar photovoltaics (PV) systems had been installed in Greenfield, Connah’s Quay and Garden City.  However, each install considered was dependent upon the capacity of electricity sub-stations in those areas to accommodate that.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Curtis that some shops remained empty despite improvements made through the grant funding.  He suggested that this could be addressed by including a clause in the approval process for the shop to be utilised within a set period.

The Chairman thanked Members of the Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee for their input on this item.

Following agreement by the Chairman, Councillor Mike Reece raised another matter in relation to difficulties being experienced by some residents on alternative methods of paying rent as they would be unable to use the Post Office in the future.  The Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment commented that this matter was under the remit of the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  However, he explained that as part of the budget process for 2015/16, it had been agreed to delay the rollout of these changes for three months to enable contact with all affected service users and offer appropriate assistance.  He asked that the contact details of the individuals be passed to officers to make contact.

RESOLVED:

That the progress in delivering the Vibrant and Viable Places programme be noted.