PAPER B
Purpose
: For Noting
REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE
Date : 26
JANUARY 2005
Title : SANDOWN
BAY REGENERATION STRATEGY UPDATE
JOINT REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR TOURISM AND LEISURE AND THE
PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UK AND EU, REGIONAL ISSUES
IMPLEMENTATION
DATE: 7 February 2005
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
1.
To
note the circumstances which have affected the implementation of the Sandown
Bay Regeneration Strategy and to agree the allocation of resources needed to
deliver prioritised projects in partnership with local stakeholders.
BACKGROUND
2.
At
its meeting on 14 January 2004 the Executive received a presentation from
consultants about the findings of their study which supported the Sandown Bay
Regeneration Strategy. At that stage
the Strategy was still out to consultation and it was hoped that there would be
adequate support from the community to allow the development of Supplementary
Planning Guidance. During that
presentation the Executive noted that there was an aspiration that funding from
the Area Investment Framework may be needed to support infrastructure
investment but it was clarified that this was not possible in the short term.
3.
At
the public consultation meetings which followed the Executive meeting there was
general support for the main principles of the proposals in the Strategy. However, there were also concerns about the
mix of the elements of the proposals and whether they were sustainable or
financially viable. As a result it was
recognised by officers that there was insufficient support for the development
of comprehensive development proposals which could warrant the preparation of
Supplementary Planning Guidance under legislation which existed at that time.
4.
Over
recent months, a number of collaborative projects have been developed which
have addressed some of the immediate solutions suggested in the Strategy using
the opportunity to attract funding through the Market Towns Initiative. The key achievements as a result of this
approach have been:-
(a)
Cycleway
improvements between Shanklin and Wroxall
(b)
Improvements
to the revetment lighting
(c)
Landscaping
to the front of the Dinosaur Museum
(d)
Improved
transport links to stations during Summer season.
5.
From
a strategic perspective, the profile of Sandown Bay on the Island’s
regeneration agenda has been increased as a result of the Strategy and its
needs are better understood. In
addition, the deep seated need for investment in a higher quality tourism product
in the Bay and on the Island generally has greatly influenced the Tourism
Development Plan which is receiving industry-wide support. The raised profile and potential for further
investment in the Tourism industry continues to interest Tourism South East
which has agreed to part fund further initiatives to take the regeneration of
the Bay forward.
6.
In
planning terms proposals to develop the regeneration of the Bay will now be
able to benefit from changes in legislation enacted in 2004. The first step in these changes will emerge
from the South East Plan and the opportunity has been taken by leading members
to influence the nature of the plan by securing a Special Policy Area status
for the Island. The consultation draft
of the South East Plan currently contains robust policies to support regeneration
particularly in the tourism sector.
7.
The
Island will have the opportunity to build on the policies through its own Local
Development Framework which will replace the Urban Development Plan and
essentially deliver the Vision for the Island through to 2026. This ‘Island Plan’ will also go out to
consultation with an anticipated completion date in early 2007. The regeneration of the Bay will form an
important part of the plan and it is intended that the special and detailed
proposals for the Bay will form an Area Action Plan within the development
documents. The change of emphasis in
planning legislation should help to identify viable development opportunities
and one of the key issues will be changes to the supply side of holiday
accommodation to encourage investment in a quality market.
8.
To
support the development of appropriate retention, renewal and exit strategies
for holiday accommodation in the Area Action Plan, Tourism South East has
agreed to support studies for the whole of the Bay area. This work will usefully inform the work of
identifying strategic development opportunities and is a key to rebalancing the
holiday accommodation market so that businesses can invest in higher quality
standards with confidence in long term success.
9.
Further
work still needs to be carried out on the ground to achieve improvements in
advance of the important changes in the planning framework in the Bay. To achieve this end a cross cutting Working
Group of officers has been formed under the Chairmanship of the Strategic
Director for Environment Services to develop a series of prioritised projects
utilising existing assets to maximise their potential to regenerate the
Bay. This work will be supported by a
special project officer using pump priming funds from the Tourism Service
supported by Tourism South East.
10.
The
key to the success of this approach will be the pursuit of realistic priority
projects which will make a significant contribution to the infrastructure of
the Bay and which will underpin private sector investment. To ensure these are the best place to start
it will be vital to test and agree these priorities with stakeholders through a
joint Regeneration Steering Group for the whole Bay. Work is currently in hand to agree with stakeholders how these arrangements
can be put effectively in place so that the regeneration of the Bay becomes
part of the delivery of the Island’s Vision.
11.
The
top priority projects are currently being developed with local stakeholders and
the potential top 20 and other projects yet to be prioritised are set out in
the attached Appendix A.
12.
During
the course of the coming months, work on the agreed priority projects will help
to confirm the resource allocation needed and the viability funding from all
appropriate sectors. As part of this
approach the Council will at a later date need to consider the potential for
strategic disposals and how any receipts might be used to pump prime investment
in the public realm. Opportunities will
also be taken to develop appropriate bids through the Area Investment Framework
funding from SEEDA and other potential sources possibly commencing in the year
2006/7.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
13.
Opportunities
to regenerate the Island have been secured in the South East Plan and these
policies clearly identify a role for strategic changes in the development of
tourism. During the course of the next
two years, the Island’s Local Development Framework or ‘Island Plan’ will seek
to identify clear opportunities which will support private sector investment in
a higher quality tourism product. A
specific Area Action Plan will be prepared to support this approach and the
work currently being undertaken to develop priority projects will help to
inform this process with close consultation with local stakeholders.
14.
Developing
tourism is one of the 7 Themes of the Community Strategy. Action 6.2 of the Strategy relates to the
developing of plans for the key gateways and resort towns and Action 6.9 is to
‘bring forward redevelopment proposals for Ventnor, Shanklin, Sandown, Ryde and
Newport’.
15.
Tourism
development is a fundamental element in the Council’s Corporate Plan with the
specific objective of ‘encouraging job creation and economic prosperity’. Within this objective the Council’s declared
aim is to ‘support development of the Island as one of the UK’s leading tourist
and leisure destination’.
16.
The
Head of Tourism Services is currently consulting local stakeholders about a
revised Tourism Development Plan and seeks to address many of the issues which
need to be addressed as part of the Sandown Bay Regeneration Strategy. Work in this area will have long term
benefits and the Service has secured resources from Tourism South East to match
its own to ensure that a special project officer can co-ordinate the
development of projects which are consistent with this Plan.
17.
The
recently produced Island Cultural Strategy recognises the importance of the
links between Cultural Services and Tourism.
One of its 6 Themes relates to the development of all year round tourism
and part of its overall aim is to use Cultural Services to ‘assist’ in
underpinning the Island’s tourism industry.
CONSULTATION
18.
Extensive
consultation was undertaken as part of the delivery of the Strategy document
prepared by the consultancy led by ARUP.
Further work is now being undertaken to establish a joint Steering Group
of stakeholders from the community to ensure that the prioritisation of
projects to deliver the Strategy are well understood. It is hoped that through clear communication, the business sector
will be sufficiently informed and involved in the opportunities to regenerate
the Bay that they have the confidence to invest high quality products which
will meet the demands of future visitor markets.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
19.
The
arrangements to develop a Working Group and provide a special project officer
can be met from existing budgets.
20.
At
some future date the Council may be required to consider how its property
assets may be used to maximise the potential of future investment in grading
and managing the public realm.
21.
Further
analysis will be developed during the course of the next few months once the
priorities are agreed with the local community and the Working Group supported
by the special project officer is able to identify an appropriate resource
plan.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
22.
Part
1 of the Local Government Act 2000 provides the Council with power to do
anything which it considers is likely to promote the economic, social and/or
environmental well-being of its area.
The Council must have due regard to the Community Strategy in exercising
this power.
23.
Part
1 of the Local Government Act 2000 extends the power in Section 144 of the
Local Government Act 1972 which enables a local authority to, ‘encourage by
advertisement or otherwise’, recreational visitors. That power subsists.
24.
OPTIONS
1.
To
note the continuation of work to deliver the Sandown Bay Regeneration Strategy.
2.
To
consider whether alternative measures should be used to deliver the proposals
contained in the Sandown Bay Regeneration Strategy.
EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT
25.
The
production of the Regeneration Strategy was well-informed through extensive
local consultation and research into local, national and international policies
and trends which could have an impact on the Bay area. It therefore provides an effective baseline
on which to judge a series of priority projects which can be used to regenerate
the Bay area based on a viable partnership between the public and private
sector.
26.
The
Strategy prepared by ARUP was generally accepted by the community, however,
there were concerns about the viability of some of the projects proposed and
whether in fact they could be implemented.
As a result it was not possible to adopt large proportions of the Strategy
Special Planning Guidance and officers are now working to address these
concerns through further consultation which will be considered as part of the
delivery of the Island Plan through an Action Area Plan specifically for the
Bay area.
27.
The
Bay area is central to the Island’s tourism economy and provides opportunities
to provide an improved product which will improve the viability of businesses
and aid the regeneration to the Island’s economy. The key to future project is the development of realistic and
viable priority projects which can be delivered within existing resources and
the development of strategies to underpin the confidence of private sector
investors through timely improvements in the public realm. As part of the development of new opportunities,
the Council will consider seeking contributions from developers through the
planning process to support investment in tourism and related infrastructure.
