BOROUGH OF POOLE
SERVICE PROVISION SCRUTINY AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
HELD ON 7TH APRIL 2005
THE MEETING COMMENCED AT 6.00 P.M. AND CONCLUDED AT 7.35 P.M.
Present:
Members of Committee:
Councillor Allen (Chairman)
Councillor Burden (Mayor) (Vice Chairman)
Councillors Adams, Belcham, Brooke, Mrs Butt (substituting for Councillor White), Clements, Mrs Hives, Montrose, Pethen and Wilson.
Also attending:
Councillor Parker (at the invitation of the Chairman).
1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor White (with the above substitution).
2.DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
The following Members declared personal (non-prejudicial) interests:-
Councillors Allen and Brooke, as traders in the High Street, Poole.
Councillor Clements as a Council representative on the Poole Tourism Panel and the Poole Town Centre Management Board.
Councillor Parker as Vice Chairman of the Poole Tourism Panel.
3.MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 24th February 2005 were submitted for approval:
M.6, P3 – Annual Audit management letter, penultimate paragraph, delete the word “now” from the first line and delete “as part of its” from the second line and replace with “and a”.
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 24th February 2005, as amended, be approved as a true record.
4.COACH PARKING IN HARBOURSIDE 2 CAR PARK – PORTFOLIO HOLDER DECISION
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated that this meeting had been convened following receipt of the following proposal:-
“We the undersigned note that the recent decision regarding coach parking in Harbourside 2 car park has left an important issue unresolved. We recognise the importance of achieving an alternative solution for the benefit of businesses in and visitors to the town and that time is of the essence. We therefore call for the Service Provision Scrutiny and Audit Committee to carry out a Select Committee style examination of this matter, in accordance with the Scrutiny Committee rules of the Council’s Constitution. We would wish to see the Committee engaging with all stakeholders and partner organisations in order to achieve the most effective outcome.”
Councillors Allen, Brooke, Clements and Wilson
The Chairman then invited a signatory to the proposal to address the Committee.
A Member stated that his concerns had arisen following the recent decision arising from the Transportation Advisory Group as he felt that this facility was a “lifeline” for local businesses. He was therefore questioning what the Authority had done to help local businesses, and what further things could be done to help local traders.
The Portfolio Holder advised the Committee that as the Vice Chairman of the Tourism Panel, he too was extremely keen to support the economic development of the town. He added that he had accepted the Transportation Advisory Group’s recommendation to not revert to having coaches back at the Harbourside 2 Car Park, based on concerns that had been expressed by trade, coach drivers and also local residents. He added that in endeavouring to find an alternative solution, a number of other sites have been considered, including the Dolphin Swimming Pool car park, however, due to the sweep clearance that would be required here, this would mean the loss of approximately 50 car park spaces. The second site that had been considered was the NCP car park near the bus station site. He advised the Committee that a legal notice had been served last September, which meant that this land should hopefully be under the Council’s control by 18th June 2005. He concluded that this site appeared to be the most favourable option.
A Member commented that because of the extreme value of this industry to the town, the Authority should be actively looking to encourage coaches/other businesses into the town.
Graham Shaw, Head of Marketing and Tourism, advised the Committee that regrettably, there were low business levels of confidence in Poole Quay and he referred to a number of factors regarding this (loss of public conveniences/loss of the pottery factory tour/poor perception of Aquarium).
He added that he would welcome and support the proposed use of the NCP car park as he felt this would appeal to the coach drivers. With regard to the earlier question regarding encouraging coaches into the town of Poole, he advised the Committee that this very issue had now been included within management plans, giving a new emphasis on coach use. He stated that it was intended to distribute a brochure some time during May/June 2005 for coach drivers and this would also be distributed to coach companies (including 500 known tour programmes). In addition, given the structure of the three-day excursions, there were often opportunities for coach drivers to make impromptu visits to Poole as an extra for their customers. This was a fabulous offer to coach drivers as in Poole, they were able to park freely.
In response to a Member question, the Portfolio Holder advised that the NCP car park was of appropriate level of standard for coaches, and therefore no additional works would need to be undertaken. He advised that if this proposal proceeded, the Authority would look to monitor coaches using the facility towards negotiating an appropriate fee. He added that as well as encouraging coach drivers to use this car park, key to the success would be encouraging them to “stay longer”, and any incentives to deliver this would be crucial.
A Member commented that, in his opinion, over the past few years, Poole Quay had lost its family attractions. He added that the Quay was fastly obtaining a wine bar culture, and not as a place for young families to visit. He added that he felt that these wider issues also needed to be addressed by this Scrutiny Committee.
Graham Shaw, Head of Marketing and Communications, stated that he did not feel that this was the case, and he made reference to the Family Fun Guide to Poole Quay which listed the varying attractions which were available on or around the Quay. Reference was also made to the leaflets which used to be produced by local businesses/local attractions which were then placed in local hotels and places of public interest. This did not now take place, due to the production of the Poole Guide, which it was felt somewhat restricted local advertising.
Graham Shaw, Head of Marketing and Communications, advised the Committee that approximately £125k was contributed towards the production of the Poole Guide and the entry level for local shops was £100 in order for them to advertise within the Guide.
Further discussions then took place and there follows a summary of the key concerns raised:-
- Need to further encourage coaches/businesses into the town
- Need to improve levels of confidence in Poole Quay and the lower end of the High Street
- Crucial need to support SMEs in the town, address issue of the perceived lack of family based attractions on and around the Quay area
- The tourism function/role in achieving what is intended for the town.
It was suggested that in order to address the above concerns, together with any others that elected Members may have, Officers look to arrange a further meeting of this Scrutiny Committee in order to fully address these further.
A Member referred to recent visit he made to France whereby varying entertainment based events took place on the streets (street entertainers/portraits/small fun fairs), and he suggested that within the remit of the new licensing laws, it may be an opportune moment to look at designating certain areas for these types of events. It was suggested that this be presented to the relevant Overview Group for consideration.
In conclusion, the Portfolio Holder stated that he was committed to providing coach parking to support the business community and he would endeavour to negotiate with NCP as soon as was practicable, regarding reaching a solution. A Member stated that whilst he supported this, he would urge the Portfolio Holder to appropriately address any failure should a solution with NCP not be reached.
RESOLVED that:
- This Scrutiny Committee welcomes the initiative for coaches to use the NCP car park and requests a further update report on negotiations when appropriate.
- This Scrutiny Committee welcomes the attempts to offer incentives to coach drivers.
- This Scrutiny Committee urges the Portfolio Holder to seek appropriate means of addressing the failure to achieve the NCP site.
- A further meeting of this Scrutiny Committee be arranged in order to fully address the broader issues/concerns raised.
- The issue of designating areas for licensed street entertainment be forwarded to the Environment Overview Group.
The meeting closed at 7.35 p.m.
Chairman
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