Agenda item - Valley Gardens Governance & Southern Section Update

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Agenda item

Valley Gardens Governance & Southern Section Update

Report of the Executive Director of Environment, Development & Housing (copy attached).

 

Decision:

1)           That Committee agrees a Project Management Board arrangement to enable cross party involvement in project delivery through to implementation.

 

2)           That Committee agrees that a Business Case should be prepared that could enable the council to access approximately £6million Local Growth Fund funding to enable delivery of the Southern section of Valley Gardens.

 

3)           That Committee agrees amendments to the preferred option previously presented at Committee to enable delivery of the Northern Section of Valley Gardens with reduced impact on open space and trees.

 

Minutes:

41.1      The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Environment, Development & Housing that proposed a Project Management Board structure for the project, recommended a design amendment to the existing plans that would minimise impact on open space and trees whilst maintaining carriageway capacity and sought approval to commence with a Business Case that would enable the council to access funding for Phase 3 of the scheme.

 

41.2      The Senior Project Manager noted a correction to appendix 4 where it stated that the North Street junction would operate at 92% capacity- this figure was in fact 88% capacity. Furthermore, there would be two southbound lanes between North Road and Church Street.

 

41.3      Councillor Cox asked if a community representative could be a member of the Project Board for example, from Community Works.

 

41.4      The Senior Project Manager stated that option could be investigated.

 

41.5      Councillor Janio noted that the appendix two was identified as a concept scheme. Councillor Janio asked if the plan could be changed subsequent to traffic modelling if it was found not to be at its optimum.

 

41.6      The Senior Project Manager confirmed that the scheme could be changed and officers were not bound to the current proposal.

 

41.7      Councillor Davey noted that the Project Board would be a very useful vehicle to consider minor changes to the scheme. Councillor Davey welcomed the proposals as an opportunity to realise a vision that had been a long term objective of the council and with the further funding, there was an opportunity to complete the whole vison from St Peter’s Church to the Aquarium Roundabout and dramatically improve the public realm in the heart of the city. Councillor Davey added that Valley Gardens currently had ample and considerable road space that was rarely used at one time and the proposal would make use of that road space. Councillor Davey supplemented that the project was a fantastic opportunity for the city and he hoped the Committee could recognise that and support the recommendations.

 

41.8      Councillor Mitchell stated that she would not be supporting the proposals as the project appeared vague and there was no considered, thorough evidence of technical detail or economic benefit. Councillor Mitchell stated that the previous report covering Phase 1 and 2 reduced road space by 30% and the report also stated that opportunities to reduce congestion were beyond the scope of the proposal. Councillor Mitchell noted that the current report would reduce road space, a solution based on better signalling however, there were no projections or evidence made on that assertion. Councillor Mitchell stated that the scheme was still a concept design 18 months after the Committee had first considered the proposals and there was no traffic modelling data. The Committee were being request to implicitly trust that the removal of the Aquarium Roundabout would have no impact on traffic flow. Councillor Mitchell stated that she was very concerned that the report was requesting committing scare resources to draw up a business case on the basis of a concept scheme, that such an important project had been provided in a brief, four page report and that there was no clear corporate buy-in. Councillor Mitchell added that this was of particular concern in relation to the councils own budgets and that the local authority would have to provide £4m to match fund the £18m granted by the LEP. £3m of this was planned to be taken from 2015/16 LTP funding however, the report was clear that there was no guarantee on the certainty of that funding. Councillor Mitchell stated that the administration had already borrowed £1.5m from the 2015/16 LTP allocation to complete the works to the i360 Arches. Councillors Mitchell clarified that she was extremely concerned that a total of £3m would eventually be taken from future LTP funding when it was not clear how much that funding would amount to and nor had LTP 4 been agreed. Councillor Mitchell supplemented that she was deeply concerned that this could lead to the project running out of funding or taking finance from other capital budgets that were already stretched.

 

41.9      Councillor Robins stated that he did not agree with the removal of the Aquarium Roundabout particularly without public support.

 

41.10   Councillor Janio stated that he supported the project as an opportunity to boost local employment and the public realm in an area that desperately needed it and there was a clear need for the project to go ahead.

 

41.11   Councillor Cox stated that he welcomed the project and did not understand the opposition to the scheme from the Labour & Co-operative Group. Councillor Cox added that £16m of funding was available to improve a key area of the city and there was no logic in rejecting that offer.

 

41.12   RESOLVED-  

 

1)           That Committee agrees a Project Management Board arrangement to enable cross party involvement in project delivery through to implementation.

 

2)           That Committee agrees that a Business Case should be prepared that could enable the council to access approximately £6million Local Growth Fund funding to enable delivery of the Southern section of Valley Gardens.

 

3)           That Committee agrees amendments to the preferred option previously presented at Committee to enable delivery of the Northern Section of Valley Gardens with reduced impact on open space and trees.

 

Supporting documents:

 


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