Agenda item

Representatives of the Developer Consortium for the Earl Shilton SUE will be in attendance to present their proposals.

Representatives of AMEC, Barwood and Jelson were present at the meeting to provide an update on plans for the Earl Shilton SUE. During their presentation, reference was made to:

• The need for a ‘legible’ well signposted and branded town centre in Earl Shilton;
• The specification for affordable home provision with no flats;
• The need for a range of residential properties to meet local need;
• The preference of the healthcare providers to extend the existing surgery rather than create additional provision;
• The creation of many jobs during the construction phase;
• The intention to provide informal open space to a level exceeding the Council’s requirement and, with regard to formal open space, to negotiate with the Town Council to fund the existing provision;
• The submitting of a design and access statement with the scheme and conditions attached to the application in order to ensure quality;
• The siting of the employment area exiting onto Clickers Way;
• The main access points being Mill Lane and Astley Road.

With regard to the section 106 agreement, the consortium agreed to finalise a list of contributions prior to bringing the application before the Planning Committee and this would also include details on the phasing and delivery of various components of the development.

Concern was expressed that as Persimmon would be commencing their part of the development first and would have immediate access via Mill Lane they may be selective about the work required and the legal agreements may not apply to them. In response it was confirmed that the Section 106 agreement would be binding on the land and all developers and that early completion would trigger the relevant section 106 agreements and occupancy restrictions. It was also stated that other parts of the development would be delivered early too.

With regard to affordable housing, the Consortium was still discussing whether all of it would be provided on site, or if they would provide a proportion in the form of commuted sums.

It was acknowledged that during the presentation reference had been made to the creation of construction jobs, but a member expressed concern that existing contractors would be used for this and they would bring existing employees in rather than employing locally, thereby creating local jobs. In response the representative from Jelson’s explained that they had a huge employment base and provided most services in-house from the Leicester office rather than via contractors. Therefore, the majority of employees were based in Leicestershire and many were from Hinckley & Bosworth. He also reported that they had an annual intake of apprentices.

A member asked how much of the contribution towards regeneration would be spent locally and whether any funding in addition to the Section 106 monies would be coming directly from the developers.

In response to a question about engaging with the Town Council, one of the representatives reported that there was regular contact with the Clerk to the Council and meetings with the Town Council and other local stakeholders.

Concern was expressed regarding volumes of traffic and in response it was reported that there would be natural traffic calming measures around the school due to a mini roundabout and parking bays. It was also stated that the County Council was reviewing traffic calming.

In respect of education provision, it was noted that the school would be delivered in a phased manner and that the Education Authority was happy that there was capacity in existing schools until the new school was open.

In respect of design the consortium confirmed that the scheme would be high quality and create a sense of place for Earl Shilton. Members asked the representatives about other similar projects with which they had been involved. Following a brief discussion, the Consortium agreed to bring forward examples of SUE projects that they had developed.