Executive Member Report to Council

EXECUTIVE MEMBER REPORT TO COUNCIL WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2014

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY PROTECTION 1. Planning and Development Committee considered and determined a number of significant planning applications at their meeting on 16th December:

i) the revised scheme for the conversion of the Albert Road side of the Cleveland Centre to a Hotel (135 No. bedrooms), was approved; and, ii) the three inter-related applications for the Prissick area could not be approved in their entirety, due to an objection from Sport England to the need for further information in respect of loss of some of the existing open place space. Whilst Committee provided an endorsement of the application for the Sports Village development and the application for the new access road further negotiations are required to address Sport England’s concerns. The Committee could, and did, approve the separate application for the new junction on Ladgate Lane (which will provide the access into the whole site).

2. Work on the new junction has now begun.

3. The Secretary of State has not intervened in the planning applications for the three Sainsbury’s proposals (at Cargo Fleet and Wilson Street). The Council will now issue the planning permissions.

4. Planning and Development Committee considered other significant applications at the meeting on 10th January:

i) two proposals by Middlesbrough College on Dock Street (next to the main College building) for a new STEM technology building (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); ii) the development of the Clairville Stadium site for 153 dwelling houses; iii) the conversion of Rede House for 230 student flats; iv)a new 326 space car park at James Cook University Hospital (part of the former site of St. Lukes Hospital).

5. £10m Neuro-Rehab Facility Opens at Middlehaven - the first neuro and spinal- rehabilitation centre of its kind in the UK opened its doors to clients on the 6th January (2014). The facility built by Keiro, will provided a specialist service for people with acquired brain and spinal injury, neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntingdon’s disease. The 'Gateway' boasts six purpose-designed floors with 40 beds as well as a specialist health and wellbeing hub. In partnership with social landlord Erimus, it also provides 12 supported housing units. The spa-like wellbeing hub will also be accessible to non-residents and charities offering services appropriate for those accessing The Gateway. For the past four years Executive Members and Officers have worked hard to secure this investment.

1 6. Hemlington Grange - the development of the 57ha Hemlington Grange site will move a step closer when Taylor Wimpey submit a planning application for the site in February 2014. The application for the site will be an outline application for the whole of a site and a detailed application for the first phase of 300 houses. It is hoped following the application that Taylor Wimpey will start on site by the end of the year with the first units been available to prospective owners by spring 2015. Also following a competition to find a name for their proposed development at the old Hemlington Hospital site Taylor Wimpey are pleased to announce their winning name: ‘Welberry’; a name which was picked following a number of entries from people across the borough. The name Welberry is a nod to the previous use of the land as a Hospital with many entrants including the term ‘Well’ in their proposed name. The latter half of the name; ‘berry’ is derived from the views of Roseberry Topping that the site benefits from. Again, these views of the Cleveland Hills were discussed in many entries.

7. Southfield Road - Teesside University have now adapted their designs to accommodate the comments of the Mayor, following the meeting of 16 December when provisional plans were presented. The additional works would have a cost implication, for which the University is seeking additional funding approval.

8. These revised plans will be presented to the Mayor for consideration, before being presented to the public for informal consultation. The consultation will present the long term vision for Southfield Road and the campus heart, subject to current programmes and approvals, along with the first phases of implementation. Assuming approvals, the consultation will be presented in February 2014.

9. Following consultation, the plans and evidence gathered through the experimental closure period will be presented to the Mayor / Executive for consideration.

10. Assuming the necessary approvals, the University aims to commence works before the new academic year in September 2014.

COMMUNITY PROTECTION SERVICE

Community Safety

11. A new initiative has recently been launched across the Tees Valley by the Police and Crime Commission, Barry Coppinger. The Safe Places Scheme is a national project involving local organisations and businesses, who are able to offer a place of safety to vulnerable members of society, typically the elderly or those with learning difficulties. Members of the public may wish to use a venue if they perhaps feel isolated, suffer with dementia and become lost or disorientated or have experienced a particular incident. Businesses will be expected to offer good customer service, contact a friend/relative or provide appropriate guidance and support.

12. The scheme will be piloted initially within the town centre. Six organisations have agreed to sign up to the scheme, namely; Marks & Spencer, Age UK, Bus Station, Central Library, Life Store and mima. All organisations have been briefed (including Street Wardens & Bus Station Guards) & premises are now displaying the Safe Places logo within their premises. Organisations currently taking part will be revisited in the New Year to review the scheme and establish if we are able to roll this out further within the community.

13. In response to over 40 reported incidents of anti-social behaviour and fire setting at the Southlands Centre, a multi agency action plan was implemented in order to address 2 the issues. Police and Street Wardens increased patrols and staff at the Southlands Centre, were asked to keep a daily log of incidents. As young people were identified, the Neighbourhood Safety Team co-ordinated actions, which resulted in 36 young people attending interviews with their parents. Southlands Centre staff also attended these meetings to highlight the impact their behaviour was having on the centre, staff and service users. All young people were referred to IYSS and were asked to sign Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. Erimus Housing complemented these actions with warnings being sent to their tenants. A Dispersal Order was implemented by Police and a number of environmental improvements were made, including improvements to boundary fencing and lighting. Following these interventions there have only been 2 reported incidents. The area will continue to be monitored.

14. Following an increase in town centre begging Neighbourhood Safety Officers and Street Wardens have used a combination of enforcement and supportive interventions to tackle the issue. Although begging is a recordable criminal offence, it is a difficult offence to prove criminally therefore the role of community safety staff has been vital. Since October 2013 a total of 27 individuals were identified as being engaged in some form of begging activity within the town centre and surrounding wards. Interestingly the common perception of beggars being homeless was dispelled with only 1 of the 27 individuals not having secure accommodation. Five of the offenders did not actually live in Middlesbrough. Joint interviews and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts were conducted with 22 individuals. Advice was given regarding food banks, drug and alcohol recovery services and other appropriate services, whilst some individuals were issued with warnings.

15. Court proceedings were taken and 2 Interim ASBO’s were granted to the most prolific individuals with a third application being heard at Teesside Magistrates this month. In the last 8 weeks, begging offences have reduced by 55% (from 35 incidents to 16).

16. Street Wardens have been heavily involved in Cleveland Police’ Operation Boost within the Town Centre over the last few months. The operation was implemented to target shoplifting and begging offences over the festive period. Other partnership work was undertaken to address environmental issues such as; business waste disposal, licensing issues for Street Traders and the collation of evidence for ASBO applications as above. Street Wardens & CCTV are now involved in Middlesbrough’s Town Centre Retail Crime Partnership, which was recently developed to support town centre retailers and security staff. Information is regularly shared regarding shoplifting offenders and town centre targets. All staff now share the same radio link, enabling prompt action and information sharing.

17. Each year, the Street Warden Service collects for a particular charity in the run up to Christmas. This year the wardens chose Middlesbrough Food Bank as they wanted to support some of the town’s most vulnerable residents. During routine patrols, Wardens visited various businesses to request donations, in addition to staff within the service providing various food items. Over 500 items were collected and presented to staff at Trinity Centre’s food bank.

3 18. Wardens have been praised for their efforts following 2 separate medical accidents within the town centre. In one incident, wardens responded immediately to an 85 year old lady who had fallen and banged her head. Wardens provided emergency first aid first aid whilst waiting for emergency services to arrive. In the second incident, wardens gave assistance to a young lady who suffered an epileptic in the Hill Street Centre.

19. During the early hours of the morning, CCTV cameras identified two females in the town centre. Both females were acting suspiciously and were wearing hooded tops, which had been pulled around their faces. One of the females was pointing towards the direction of a nearby pizza shop. Cameras immediately monitor the area and capture one of the females enter the takeaway then running out with a handbag. Both females run along Corporation Road, heading towards Newport Road. CCTV cameras were able to follow the offenders whilst logging an emergency call to the Police control room. Both females were stopped and arrested near to the bus station.

20. Sharp eyed CCTV operators picked up on the aggressive body language of a male who approached a group on a night out near to Flares Public House. The footage of the live incident was transmitted to Police Headquarters who immediately despatched a unit. This resulted in 3 arrests and the prevention of a potential large scale disturbance.

21. Following the receipt of Police intelligence regarding increased thefts from HGV drivers, CCTV operatives observed a male and female acting suspicious in a lorry car park at Cannon Park. The camera was directed onto the Police monitor to observe the situation. The female was quickly identified as being subject to a warrant for prostitution offences. Police attended the scene to make an arrest and it soon became apparent that the male was a lorry driver who had been reporting the thefts.

22. The attached figures relate to no. of incidents dealt with by CCTV last month.

Total Arrests 49 Intelligence Reports 359 Evidential Reviews 61 Speaker Interventions 3

23. Micro-chipping - the Dog Warden Service held a free health check event with Dogs Trust on 13th January which was focused on Hemlington. Each dog was offered a basic health check, micro-chipping, neutering, worming, flea treatment and vaccinations - all 4 completely free of charge. The event ran at 'The Pod' at Hemlington Rec between 11am and 2pm. Over 80 dogs and their owners attended.

24. A free micro-chipping event will be held on Saturday. 1st February at Marton Community Centre on Cypress Rd and is open to all Middlesbrough residents. The event will run from 10am to 2pm and will be free of charge to the dog owners.

25. Eyesore Property - substantial works have been carried out to improve the former Liberties site on Longlands Road. Following repeated break-ins and a small fire at the premises works have been carried out to increase the security of the building and improve its appearance. Windows have had boards replaced with steel screens, trees have been cut back so the site is more visible, fencing at the rear has been improved, graffiti has been painted over and anti-vandal measures such as anti-climb devices have been installed. The Council's Eyesore officer led the process and arranged for multi- agency input, so that the best-fit solution could be determined with the property owner's agent.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE AND COMMUNITIES

26. Tees Valley Skills and Apprenticeship Programme - the Council are working with TVU to deliver a new programme of investment in skills and employment funded through the Regional Growth Fund. Employers will be offered a twelve month wage subsidy of 50% (up to £10,000) towards the employment costs of new trainees, apprentices or graduates – as long as the roles will last more than 24 months. Companies interested in taking up the grant in Middlesbrough are currently being identified, with over xx expressing an interest to date. The funding is part of a £7m allocation made to the Tees Valley Skills Hub as part of the recent City Deal announcement.

27. Middlesbrough Business Forum - the second round of Middlesbrough Business Forum’s Business Brilliance events took place on 30th January. The series of events will be aimed at businesses that recognise that they have a problem and need to change something – either themselves or their products. This second round of events follows on from the successful programme held in October that was aimed at preparing young, passionate businesses with the business skills to back up their early enthusiasm. These events are part of wider programme delivered through the Business Forum that is aimed at supporting business survival rates.

28. DigitalCity Changes - a number of changes have been put in place to bring together the two key elements within the overall DigitalCity project (DigitalCity Business and DigitalCity Innovation), in preparation for the new round of European funding potentially available from April 2015. David Jeffries from Teesside University will be taking a strategic lead on developing closer integration between the two ends of the ‘graduates to entrepreneurs’ pipeline, and raising the profile of the overall project with key national organisations. Malcolm Taylor will also be taking up a greater role in managing DigitalCity Business through to the end of the project, as Mark Elliott steps down in March.

29. Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park (TAMP) - proposals to sell the 13 ha TAMP site to a company specialising in the development of science parks are due to be brought before the Council’s Executive in February. The potential sale would enable the site to be promoted through the national and international networks the company are involved with, and ensure that any interest from occupiers could be capitalised upon quickly. If approved, this would end the Council’s financial role in leading on the development of TAMP, although the Council would still be involved in a wider partnership to encourage advanced engineering in the area. 5 30. Feedback from Retailers - overall feedback received on the trading performance of retailers in Middlesbrough Town Centre over the Christmas period has been very positive. Most stores have reported better than expected results, and outperforming other stores within their group (including some located on popular retail parks). The positive results are in stark contrast with negative national trends, where high street trading over the Christmas period is around -2% down on 2012. The Council has supported the retail offer in the town centre over the Christmas period through free and low price car parking, Christmas events and promotional brochures. Retailers specifically identified the discounted parking as a main driver in their success.

Community Regeneration

31. Community Hubs – the continued success of the Hubs is evident. 82,445 people used the Community Hub facilities over the last quarter to December 2013, an increase on both of the previous two quarters.

32. Newport Hub - new courses include Tai Chai for the over 50's, Weight Management and Literacy Champions. New services include a weekly Mutual Aid Christmas Savings Scheme, operating on Saturdays 9am till 12.30pm

33. Easterside Hub – a course on Weight Management has started. Easterside and District Residents Association (EDRA) are relocating into the Hub at the end of January providing light refreshments 3 days a week.

34. Grove Hill Hub - 160 people to date have accessed the weekly advice sessions provided by CAB and funded by the Lottery. Additional advice services are provided by CHAC, TANDEM and Age Concern. New Weight Management sessions begin on 15 January.

35. Thorntree Hub - the ‘Friends of Group’ have agreed to fund 6K of improvements to the car park. Work will include clearer signage, speed ramps and bollards. This will make the car park safer for the many children that access the building. The funding was passed to the Fiends Group from the now dissolved Youth and Community Centre Management Committee

36. North Ormesby Hub - the upper floor area has been improved including renovation of the original 1879 floor. The area will now be home to a Performing Arts School. An open evening and enrolment night generated much local interest from young people. MIND now use the HUB on a weekly basis to support adults with mental health issues

37. Volunteering Update - work has been taking place with Community Learning resulting in 2 courses beginning on 21 January which are aimed at Council volunteers. The 'Ready to Volunteer Programme' is a pre-volunteering course for people interested in volunteering with the Council and 'The Volunteering Experience' is an accredited course which will provide recognition for people already volunteering. Both courses take place every Wednesday for 2 hours and last for 5 weeks.

Culture

6 38. Theatre - Panto succeeded in selling 80% of available seats during the run (compared to 67% nationally), and we expect to come in on target for profit. Spring sales are looking strong with the new brochure being distributed now.

39. Town Hall - development of the capital project is moving ahead, with the appointment of the design team complete and the start of public consultation on the heritage activities to take place in the building starting by early February.

40. Dorman Museum - The development of the Christopher Dresser gallery has started, with the clearing of the Linthorpe Pottery gallery taking place now, and contractors on site by end of January. The Linthorpe pottery collection will be on display in the temporary exhibition gallery during the works. There has already been significant interest in the Dresser collection with media coverage from 'Flog It' (to air in March) and Elle Interiors magazine in the US. An invitation has been received to attend the Decorative Arts Society exhibition in London, and the team will be presenting at conference there.

41. Captain Cook Museum - We have had confirmation that the National Portrait Gallery will loan a portrait of Captain Cook, to be part of a temporary exhibition in summer 2014. Sir David Attenborough (patron of the Captain Cook Birthplace Trust) will be delivering a talk in Middlesbrough in March jointly organised with the Royal Geographical Society.

Libraries

42. Middlesbrough Digital Library - the Middlesbrough Digital Library provides 24/7 access, 365 days per year to a wide range of eBooks for library customers. Registered users can download 4 eBooks for 21 days to compatible eReaders, smartphones, tablet computers and Windows/Mac computers. Regular sessions are held to promote this service to new users who are keen to explore the world of eBooks. Since its launch in 2011 there have been 3,454 books downloaded.