Keynsham Development Advisory Group

Keynsham Development Advisory Group 5.30, Tuesday 02 Sep 2014, Keynsham Riverside

Draft Minutes

Present:

Cllr Brian Simmons Bath & NE Somerset Council Cllr Charles Gerrish Bath & NE Somerset Council Jo Swift (Keynsham Town Keynsham Town Council Clerk) Cllr Tony Crouch Keynsham Town Council Cllr Keith Kirwan Keynsham Town Council Rab Smith Transportation Tim Hewitt Regeneration Team Leader Sara Dixon Policy & Partnerships Apologies Cllrs Marie Longstaff, Cllr Clive Fricker. Cllr Ben Stevens (Chair) Jonathan Medlin Neil Best, Kelvin Packer

Agenda Title Actions Item 1 and 2 Apologies from: Cllrs Marie Longstaff, Cllr Clive Fricker. Cllr Ben Stevens (Chair) Jonathan Medlin Neil Best, Kelvin Packer

3 Community Screen Peter Morgan and George Morgan provided an update on the Community Screen project. A number of questions were received with action points arising.

ACTION: Peter Morgan/George Morgan to clarify on plans – where exactly is the screen, where does it face, so that KDAG and Town PM/GM Council can give a view. Town Council did not have sufficient information to make a decision at their meeting on 1st September.

ACTION: Peter Morgan/George Morgan to provide further details of:

- Materials

- ‘legs’/supports for the screen

- Ability to show films (has been requested by B&NES officers)

KDAG suggested that the screen could detract from design of the building, automatic ventilation, access to ground level doors. Screen would need rear access for maintenance. Tim Hewitt agreed to check TH these issues with Property Services B&NES as landowner will need to give Property permission. Entirely separate to planning permission.

It was helpfully suggested that Impact Screens will need lawyers to negotiate this with B&NES Property. Sainsbury’s will also need to be JM consulted. In advance of this Jon Medlin has contacted Sainsbury’s property Dept and will update on their views.

There remains concern re controversial, religions, political messages will be relayed by the screen. Sara Dixon check with B&NES Equalities team, and Jon Medlin the Communications and Marketing Team.

4 & 5 Bath Hill/Temple Street Highways Scheme and Transport Strategy

Cllrs Gerrish & Hale had met with Derek Quilter but had been advised that it is too late for any further changes, including those which KDAG had previously sought:

1. Crossing on Temple Street

2. Secure crossing point for elderly residents of Back lane (not possible s needed new writing)

3. Kerb build adjacent to Rock Road is obstructing buses – URGENT. Roundabout may need redesign. Is design safe? B&NES can’t be digging up road again.

4. Why is pavement so wide when it is no longer a shared space.

5. Loading bays: B&NES to clarify where they are, why and whether access is restricted.

6. Why is pavement with so wide ? no longer a shared space scheme?

7. Old road markings are still in place, causing confusion.

8. Cycle lane unclear – is it still in the scheme?

9. Traffic lights required on Rock Road.

ACTION: Tim Hewitt: Circulate Keynsham Transport Strategy ASAP to JM KDAG, especially the options which have been considered. KDAG must have meaningful input to and influence over the Keynsham Transport Strategy. JM Note: A Transport Strategy-specific meeting was sought in September, but has now been scheduled for the next available KDAG Meeting (Oct)

6 Core Strategy Core Strategy Update

The Core Strategy has been found sound, subject to a number of modifications. The full report and recommended modifications can be found below:

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning- and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Core- Strategy/cs_pins_final_report.pdf

The legal challenge has now passed.

The next stage is to work on the Placemaking Plan, which is Part 2 of the local Plan, covering certain site specific requirements. This will undergo consultation on options in late 2014.

7,8 Keynsham Town Centre, and other sites.

KDAG request information on

1) any more retailers signed up?

2) Who will be the concession catering contractor? JM

3) Confirmation on when will Alistair Colston be contacting all unit occupiers? Are leases being renewed?

Alistair Colston of Colston & Colston had been instructed to advise traders. JM to check that he is seeking meetings with all traders/occupiers. JM will also ensure further visits/assistance is provided as necessary. The advice is centred on leasehold issues, but the receivers have contacted occupiers to offer them extended leases.

JM to provide a further update.

SOMERDALE

KDAG require further information on the disposal of part of the site which has been reported.

9 AOB IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Tim Hewitt outlined the funding and suggested items, all of which are traced to sources outlined in the Plan (e.g. Keynsham Town Plan, JM KDAG, Core Strategy etc). In summary, KDAG requested the following changes:

OBJECT to Leisure Centre outline planning application: REMOVE

Outdoor gym/Memorial Park improvements: SUPPORTED, but is this enough? Refurbish existing play equipment? INCREASE 20,000.

Cycling improvements: NOT a cycle path through the park. Base on Sustrans recommendation MUST be clear on what exactly this means. NOT ENOUGH DETAIL.

Conservation Area Appraisal – more detail needed to justify. What other CAA’s.

Wayfinding – SUPPORTED.

In Bloom/Environmental Enhancement INCREASE

Skills Engagement: INCREASE to £30k. Economic Development to suggest additional employment/skills items.

10 Dates for future meetings Dates for future meetings First Tuesday of the month for the coming months. JM to arrange a separate Transport Strategy Meeting in September. Do we wish to vary the time? Conservation Area Character Appraisal Proposal:

It is best practice for planning authorities to prepare conservation area character appraisals to identify the special qualities which give an area its unique character. By establishing what makes a conservation area special, the reasons for designation should be clearer to those who live, work or propose to carry out development within them. Understanding and appreciating an area’s character is important as not only does it provide a framework within which individual planning applications can be assessed, but also the starting point for both its management. There is also a duty on local planning authorities to formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of its conservation areas. A conservation area appraisal should also therefore seek to develop a management or action plan for the area, the main function of which is to guide the work of all those with an interest in the conservation area, to ensure that the character of the conservation area is preserved or enhanced and to look at ways of tackling the major issues affecting the area.

Five of the Council’s 38 conservation areas are considered, by English Heritage criteria, to be “at risk”, of which Keynsham, High Street and Dapps Hill, are two. These are therefore priority for understanding and analysis and preparation of plans for future management and action. Key issues are signage, shopfront design, public realm / clutter and traffic dominance; collective and interrelated matters.

Reasonably up to date character appraisals (i.e.to the current format and produced within the last 10 years) exist for 12 of the Council’s 38 conservation areas. Work has started on another two. The Planning and Conservation Team is currently prioritising the preparation of character appraisals for the remaining areas and will be proposing a plan for their development. Funding to date has been considered on a case by case basis with a focus on opportunities for partnership funding. We will continue to seek a partnership approach to funding and also be looking at opportunities to work with partners such as Universities and colleges. Further capital funding may be needed for other areas and particularly Bath. Energy funding for Keynsham The proposal: £10,000 is allocated to developing a strategy/ delivery plan and getting expert advice on energy to investigate options for greener, cheaper energy for the Keynsham Town Centre regeneration and to: 1. Build on the accomplishment of the exemplary low carbon Keynsham New Build and make green innovation part of the Keynsham story.

2. Maximise revenue opportunities: Renewable energy, and in particular energy networks (see Appendix) can enable revenues from energy production to be taken into local control. Our previous study by AECOM (2010) identified Keynsham Town Centre as the most financially viable heat network opportunity in the district. The planned development mix supports their findings; for example, the Leisure Centre will be a key purchaser of heat as will the residential development. Keynsham Town Hall has been built to connect to a heat network.

3. Leverage £20,000 grant funding from Government: The proposed £10,000 could count as the 1/3rd match needed funding for a bid to DECC’s Heat Network Delivery Unit (HNDU). HNDU bids have a high rate of success, and if secured, the grant would bring the total fund to £30,000, enough to do a thorough study of the opportunities and inform the design of the Leisure Centre and other developments to make sure opportunities are not missed.

4. Strengthen existing work on energy and climate change, namely:

a. The Council’s Strategic Review project which will evaluate opportunities for Council involvement in energy provision. Keynsham could provide a chance to start delivering this.

b. The development of an Energy Strategy for the Enterprise Area. We have already secured a £95,000 grant from HNDU for this project which will consider the same issues as the proposed work in Keynsham, so the approach to these sites could be coordinated for a more efficient solution.

c. The new Leisure Centre. An energy network could provide cheaper, lower carbon power. It could also “anchor” a larger energy network for Keynsham Town Centre e.g. by providing boiler room and pipes that are large enough to serve other buildings in the area. However, taking advantage of this opportunity will require expert advice during the leisure centre commissioning process, which could be resourced through this funding plus an HNDU grant.

5. Support delivery of Core Strategy Policy CP4: District Heating: CP4 requires district heating to be used in the key priority areas identified in the AECOM study, including Keynsham Town Centre. This means that developers should already incorporate energy networks, but they are likely to do this just for their own sites, rather than connecting up with others for a more efficient network. The strategic coordination of energy networks is a role usually played by local government, which would be funded through this proposal.

Appendix: Energy Networks in Bath and North East Somerset What are Energy Networks? The term “energy networks” refers to the distribution of locally-generated energy which could include heat, electricity and cooling. This includes heat networks (or “district heating”) where heat or cooling from a central boiler is provided directly to homes and businesses in an area through a network of pipes carrying hot water, as per the diagram. An energy network might also produce electricity with a Combined Heat and Power boiler (CHP) which uses the waste heat from electricity production as district heating. Energy networks that produce heat, electricity and cooling, such as in Birmingham, are referred to as “tri- generation” networks. Energy networks are a very established technology, widely used in other parts of Europe e.g. Denmark and becoming more widespread in the UK. What are the benefits of Energy Networks? Reducing CO2 and energy waste: Bath and North East Somerset Council is committed to tackling climate change and fuel poverty, aiming for a reduction of district-wide CO2 emissions by 45% by 2026. Energy networks can reduce CO2 in two ways; by using a low carbon fuel source such as biomass, or by more efficiently using fossil fuels e.g. with a gas-fired CHP engine which uses the waste heat produced by electricity generation, unlike traditional gas power stations where the heat is simply wasted. Gas-fired CHP is around 80% efficient whilst gas fired power stations can be as low as 40% efficient. Reducing energy costs: Local control over energy production and distribution can also reduce energy costs for consumers, depending on how the network is set up and governed. As noted, larger heat networks are more efficient and revenues are larger, so local government energy planning and coordination between developers is necessary. Government has recognised this by setting up the HNDU, which is solely focussed on supporting local authorities. Further Reading: AECOM’s 2010 District Heating Opportunity Assessment Study can be found here: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/planning-and-building- control/planning-policy/evidence-base/sustainability