SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL
Individual Cabinet Member Report
Report of: Simon Green, Executive Director for Place Portfolio ______
Report to: Cllr Harry Harpham, Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods ______
Date: 30/01/2014 ______
Subject: Attercliffe Brand Street Artwork and Environmental Improvements Scheme ______
Author of Report: Steve Birch – 35880 ______
Summary: Using ring-fenced Local Growth Fund monies, this scheme will implement a number of small scale but high impact initiatives to promote a new brand identity for Attercliffe Centre alongside environmental improvements targeted at specific eyesore sites. With the aim of changing negative perceptions that many people have of the area, and reinforcing the strong points of history and high street, the project seeks to brighten and freshen the local environment to attract increased footfall in the Centre and begin to convince housing developers and home buyers that Attercliffe can be a viable option. ______
Reasons for Recommendations: • Proposals are in keeping with recommendations for Attercliffe contained within the Thriving District and Local Centres Cabinet Report and Attercliffe Action Plan. • Proposals have been favourably received during community consultation. • Investor confidence is low however there is real enthusiasm for the regeneration of Attercliffe among local traders and residents. The Council needs to take the lead to unlock the private sector investment. • Attercliffe has the greatest potential in terms of available development sites for housing in Sheffield. With options being explored for the future of Don Valley Stadium, and the prospect of the Tour de France 2014 arriving in the Attercliffe area, it is vital that action is taken early to make the centre ‘fit for purpose’.
Form 2 – Executive Report 2 August 2013
Recommendations: • That the proposed scheme set out in this report be approved. • That the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to finalise the procurement processes, evaluate tenders and select the contractors to deliver works under the above scheme, in accordance with Council procedures. • That the Director of Commercial Services, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the Director for Finance, be authorised to negotiate and agree the terms of appointment with contractors selected to deliver the works under the scheme. • That the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to implement and administer the scheme including amending the scheme to accommodate new opportunities that may arise which further the aim and objectives of the scheme. ______
Background Papers: • Thriving District and Local Centres (TDLC) Cabinet Report and Community Assembly Strategy and Action Plan March 2011 - items 10a and 10e using this link - http://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council- meetings/cabinet/agendas-2011/agenda-9th-march-2011 • Attercliffe Action Plan approved at Cabinet in March 2011 - http://meetings.sheffield.gov.uk/council-meetings/cabinet/agendas- 2011/agenda-23rd-march-2011
Category of Report: OPEN
Page 2 of 10 Statutory and Council Policy Checklist
Financial Implications
YES Cleared by: Paul Schofield
Legal Implications
YES Cleared by: Brendan Twomey
Equality of Opportunity Implications YES Cleared by: Ian Oldershaw
Tackling Health Inequalities Implications
NO
Human rights Implications
NO
Environmental and Sustainability implications
YES
Economic impact
YES
Community safety implications
NO
Human resources implications
NO
Property impli cations
YES
Area(s) affected
Attercliffe centre in Darnall ward
Relevant Cabinet Portfolio Leader
Harry Harpham, Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods
Relevant Scrutiny Committee if decision called in
Economic and Environmental Wellbeing
Is the item a matter which is reserved for approval by the City Council? NO
Press release
YES – when appropriate
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Report to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods
ATTERCLIFFE BRAND STREET ARTWORK AND ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENTS SCHEME
1.0 SUMMARY
1.1 Using ring-fenced Sheffield City Council ‘Local Growth Fund’ monies, this scheme will implement a number of small scale but high impact initiatives to promote activities which improve the visual appearance and quality of the centre. With the aim of changing negative perceptions that many people have of the area, and reinforcing the strong points of history and high street, the project seeks to address eyesores and blight by brightening and freshening the local environment to begin to convince housing developers and home buyers that Attercliffe can be a viable option. A key focus is a new brand identity and promotional campaign for Attercliffe Centre, whilst other improvements to landscaping and green spaces are being explored opportunistically with landowners and developers (designs shown in Appendix A).
2.0 WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SHEFFIELD PEOPLE
2.1 At present the majority of local stakeholders are from the business sector as the residential population in Attercliffe centre is relatively small. These art and environmental improvements support and reinforce a separate stream of ongoing work which has successfully engaged and involved local stakeholders including traders and other business owners, culminating in the establishment of a multi-agency Town Team. This follows the publication of the Attercliffe Action Plan which has highlighted a number of issues which are considered to inhibit business growth.
2.2 A major factor is the poor quality of the environment in Attercliffe, which many business owners find embarrassing when inviting clients or prospective investors to meetings. Measures are being progressed to address this, for example a restriction on the number of dirty and noisy HGV’s that drive through the centre, and stewardship of car parks. However, this does not address a number of sites, buildings and frontages which have a particularly negative impact on the environment.
2.3 The proposed art work and environmental improvements will tidy and brighten the centre, supporting local businesses to have pride in their current location to have confidence that Attercliffe is a fitting place to do business, and to aspire to grow. It will also start to change the perceptions of people from outside the city, particularly given the number of regional attractions in the vicinity such as the Arena and English Institute of Sport. In this way, it will help improve the first impressions that visitors have of Sheffield as a whole.
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2.4 Ultimately, improving the image of Attercliffe is intended to help rebuild it as a new, diverse and vibrant residential neighbourhood serving hundreds of new inhabitants. In these ways, the project contributes to the Corporate Plan 2011-14, ‘Standing Up For Sheffield’, including priorities of ‘supporting communities’ and being ‘business friendly’; values of being ‘aspirational’ and ‘working better together’; and outcomes of ‘a strong and competitive economy’, ‘a great place to live’ and ‘a vibrant city’.
3.0 OUTCOME AND SUSTAINABIL ITY
3.1 Implementation is forecasted to contribute to the following outcomes: • Increased pride in Attercliffe among residents and business owners • Improved perception of Attercliffe among local people, visitors and passers by, leading to an increase in footfall in the Centre • Aspiration among local business owners to introduce more colour and quality into the streetscene through greater investment in their own frontages and landscaping • Greater involvement of local stakeholders in the Attercliffe Town Team through evidenced positive outcomes and momentum • Increased confidence among house builders that Attercliffe is a viable and exciting location to invest • Raised awareness and recognition of the Attercliffe brand
4.0 MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT
Background and key issues
4.1 Following wide spread demolition in the late 20th century, Attercliffe now has the potential to reinvent itself as the newest housing neighbourhood in Sheffield. The area is well served by local transport infrastructure, and there are sites with potential to deliver over 800 new homes within five minutes walk of Attercliffe Road.
4.2 However, the environment within the centre is poor with neglected vacant sites, eyesore properties and undesirable uses occupying existing premises. Nevertheless, there are considerable heritage, history and architectural assets in Attercliffe, and this project seeks to bring these to the fore, promote them and change negative perceptions of the area.
4.3 The project will show the Council taking a visible lead role to stimulate regeneration in Attercliffe and make the centre fit for the private sector to then invest in new homes. This project is particularly timely, with the Tour de France route set to arrive in the Lower Don Valley.
4.4 Furthermore, the demolition of Don Valley Stadium in the next year creates a huge opportunity for redevelopment, which again will be facilitated by environmental improvement of this sort in Attercliffe. This
Page 5 of 10 project sits in the wider context of feasibility work to bring forward the Stadium and two other sites in the area for the construction of 330 new homes, as well as proposals for public realm improvements to improve access, movement and attractiveness in the centre.
4.5 This art and environmental project supports the strategic aims set out in the new Attercliffe Action Plan approved by Cabinet in March 2011, as well as the Thriving District and Local Centres (TDLC) Cabinet Report and Community Assembly Strategy and Action Plan also of March 2011. Subsequently, as the TDLC programme became the Successful Centres Programme, funding for community engagement and environmental improvements in Attercliffe was allocated through the Local Growth Fund.
Stakeholder engagement
4.6 Local Growth Fund money has been used to support public engagement in Attercliffe in the past three years and involve local people in the implementation of the Attercliffe Action Plan. Trust has been rebuilt with many local stakeholders, and strong relationships have been developed with traders and other service providers who now participate actively.
4.7 In 2012, a new Town Team for Attercliffe was set up in keeping with recommendations from the Mary Portas Review of British High Streets. The Group is led by local stakeholders who chair, administer and promote the Town Team. Members include Sheffield International Venues, the Workers Educational Association (WEA), the Council, and a number of local business owners. LGF funding is being used to support empowerment of the Group through branding, promotion and fund raising activities.
4.8 The Town Team has been consulted on, and approved, the brand logo for Attercliffe (see Appendix A), and has now taken ownership for implementing this through their own promotional projects.
4.9 The proposed artwork interventions are located on two privately owned properties (see Appendix B). Through existing relations, these owners have been engaged at an early stage and involved in the development of the artwork application for their own specific site. More widely, the proposed plans were displayed at a new festival in Attercliffe which was organised by the Town Team, and received positive feedback for their visual impact and potential to improve the appearance of the centre at key gateways.
4.10 Further environmental improvements are being carried out through new collaborations with local businesses who have raised the issue of eyesore buildings and sites and have invested their own time and money to contribute towards addressing the issue. With the benefit of a small amount of Local Growth Fund money, the Council has supported a local Company to assume long term maintenance responsibility for a vacant plot on a key gateway junction to Attercliffe, which has seen dense
Page 6 of 10 shrubbery cleared and replaced with well managed landscaping. Similar approaches are being pursued with other businesses for other sites in the centre. This LGF fund has the ability to stimulate, facilitate and enable important opportunities of this type which are currently being explored in other locations in Attercliffe.
Environmental implications
4.11 The project will deliver high impact environmental enhancements for Attercliffe centre, by cleaning and tidying ugly building frontages and using them then for high profile public art interventions which will introduce colour and brightness into the otherwise grey and drab surroundings.
4.12 Working in partnership with local partners, landscaping improvements to overgrown vacant plots also replace unkempt streetscenes with quality and well maintained green spaces which show that local parties are taking pride in their area, thus motivating others to do the same with their own sites.
Equality of opportunity implications
4.13 No equality impacts have been identified. The proposal should be positive for all local people regardless of age, race, faith, disability, gender and sexuality. The local community has been engaged in the design of the Attercliffe brand to ensure it is reflective of the diverse local community, for example by the inclusion of a local mosque in the imagery and some urdu lettering.
Procurement implications
4.14 The Council’s Communications Service have a Framework Contract of Suppliers for artwork production of the sort referred to in this report, whereby project briefs are released and contracted parties provide quotes with the most cost effective selected subject to submissions meeting necessary quality requirements. (Framework Contract Ref CR-1119)
4.15 The scope of the artworks for this project with indicative designs (as shown in Appendix A) has been issued within the Framework and a provider has been selected on condition of the necessary authorities being secured. This will accelerate appointment and allow an immediate start on site in January 2014.
4.16 Discussions with Commercial Services have confirmed that site environmental improvement works may be procured through a tender process involving three written quotes.
Property implications
4.17 The artwork element of the scheme will be implemented on two properties which are in private ownership, as demonstrated in Appendix B. Ongoing
Page 7 of 10 consultation with the property owners has enabled them to contribute to the development of the designs to ensure that they meet with their expectations at the same time as fulfilling the objectives of the project.
4.18 The land owners have agreed to the works, and a simple agreement may be required with each owner to formalise this. The land owners will make no financial contribution to the scheme, but are providing the use of their property free of charge as a canvas for the artwork.
4.19 The Council is in the process of submitting a planning application for advertisement consent for the sites. This will be determined by officers with delegated authority. Initial consultation with planning officers has been positive.
Financial implications
4.20 The project has been approved within the Successful Centres programme for £20,000 Local Growth Fund money in 2013-14. In Attercliffe, the objective of this fund is defined as delivering shorter term measures to support business and retail development and the improvement of the public realm, and as such this proposal is consistent with this aim.
4.21 To date, from this budget, approximately £3,000 has been spent and/or committed to community engagement activities to establish a new forum called the Attercliffe Town Team and run the first summer festival in Attercliffe which was held in September 2013.
4.22 The balance of approximately £17,000 has been earmarked for this street artwork and environmental initiative. Initial quotes have been obtained for the artwork element of the scheme which total £13,773. Further discussions with land owners are ongoing relating to a final environmental improvement opportunity which would utilise any remaining budget of around £3,000, meaning that the project would spend all of its allocation and complete within budget in 2013-14.
4.23 Costings for the site environmental improvement works are being obtained through a competitive tender process. This would be expected to include some site clearance, management of vegetation and installation of a knee rail. Should the opportunity arise to enhance the quality of the delivery, for example through planting of a summer wild flower mix, at a small increase in cost, the opportunity to utilise any unspent LGF within the wider 2013-14 programme will be explored.
Legal implications
4.24 The Localism Act 2011 provides local authorities with a ‘general power of competence’ which enables them to do anything that an individual can do as long as the proposed action is not specifically prohibited.
4.25 A purpose of the Act is to enable local authorities to work in innovative
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4.26 The proposed scheme falls within the general power of competence. In addition, there is no specific statutory prohibition, preventing the Council from implementing the proposed scheme. The Council therefore is empowered to produce, implement and administer the scheme as detailed in this report.
5.0 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED
5.1 Do nothing – this would mean no artwork or landscape improvements would take place, and as such there would be no enhancement to the public realm which would remain in a very poor condition. Images and perceptions of Attercliffe would continue to be negative, and as such housing developers would be reluctant to invest on the basis that people are unlikely to want to live in the area.
5.2 Graffiti style urban art – early contact with a popular graffiti artist in Sheffield, Phlegm, created an exciting vision for introduction of this style of art on sites within Attercliffe. However, in consultation with the Council’s Public Art Officer, the decision was taken that this option would not promote and strengthen the positive aspects of character in Attercliffe, and the ‘black and white’ images would not create the colour desired. However, other forms of art such as murals produced by the artist ‘Rocket’ in the city centre, most notably of Harry Brearly (with relevant references to the steel industry) may still form part of further efforts to illustrate Attercliffe in the future as part of a diverse public art strategy for the centre.
5.3 Design work for green space enhancements at the Cocked Hat Village Green, or public realm improvements to Attercliffe Road – the strategic aspiration for Attercliffe is to invest substantially in the public spaces to improve the look, feel and usability of the centre. Initial design work could help bring these capital works forward, however the risk would be that this would not deliver a tangible outcome in the immediate term. In addition, it was concluded that uncertainty over the future of the Don Valley Stadium site would make it difficult to design the Cocked Hat Village Green in a way that would work for the long term. Furthermore, ideas for streetscene improvements in Attercliffe will be incorporated within a wider ‘Attercliffe Growth Zone’ application to the Local Growth Fund which will take a wider view including the implications of the Don Valley Stadium redevelopment.
6.0 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Proposals are in keeping with recommendations for Attercliffe contained within the Thriving District and Local Centres Cabinet Report and Attercliffe Action Plan.
6.2 Proposals have been favourably received during community consultation.
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6.3 Investor confidence is low however there is real enthusiasm for the regeneration of Attercliffe among local traders and residents. The Council needs to take the lead to unlock the private sector investment.
6.4 Attercliffe has the greatest potential in terms of available development sites for housing in Sheffield. With options being explored for the future of Don Valley Stadium, and the prospect of the Tour de France 2014 arriving in the Attercliffe area, it is vital that action is taken early to make the centre ‘fit for purpose’.
7.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1 That the proposed scheme set out in this report be approved.
7.2 That the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to finalise the procurement processes, evaluate tenders and select the contractors to deliver works under the above scheme, in accordance with Council procedures.
7.3 That the Director of Commercial Services, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services and the Director for Finance, be authorised to negotiate and agree the terms of appointment with contractors selected to deliver the works under the scheme.
7.4 That the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to implement and administer the scheme including amending the scheme to accommodate new opportunities that may arise which further the aim and objectives of the scheme.
Author Steve Birch Job Title Principal Development Officer Date 30/01/2014
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