Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Kerry Nicholls  020 8313 4602

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies had been received from Carol Arnfield – Bromley Adult Education College, Bek Bekir – National Apprenticeships Service, Neville Cavendish – Jobcentre Plus, Robert Cundy – Federation of Small Businesses, Mandi Grice – Jobcentre Plus, Paul King – LBB Head of Bromley Youth Support Programme and Sam Parrett – Bromley College of Further and Higher Education.

 

The Chairman welcomed Suzanne Sharp to the meeting who would be joining the Partnership as a representative of NewsQuest.

2.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 10TH JULY 2012 AND MATTERS ARISING pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Minutes:

In considering the minutes, Alicia Munday, Bromley Adult Education College, confirmed that the work club opened in partnership with Jobcentre Plus to support people looking for work in the north of the Borough was at the Kentwood Centre.

 

Colin MacLean, Community Links Bromley confirmed that the reception to be hosted by the Mayor on 17th October 2012 was on behalf of the Bromley Community Fund and all members of the Partnership were invited to attend.

 

There were no matters arising

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10th July 2012 be agreed, subject to the above amendments

3.

UPDATES ON MAIN PARTNERSHIP THEMES AND OTHER RELEVANT COUNCIL INITIATIVES:

Minutes:

Members of the Partnership gave an update around progress across the main themes of the Partnership.

3a

TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENT pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Town Centre Renewal gave an update around Town Centre Development across the Borough.

 

Progress was continuing across the sites that made up the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan.  The Council had received the judgement of the High Court with regard to the challenge from Linden Homes/Network Rail in relation to the number of residential units that could be accommodated on Site A: Bromley North, and the Council had now prepared letters to be issued to all parties who made representations on Opportunity Site A during the Area Action Plan development to seek views on an appropriate land use mix for the site.  The Options Report on Dockland Light Rail extensions had been requested from Transport for London to allow Officers the opportunity to assess the potential for the Dockland Light Railway to be extended to Bromley North.

 

The Council was moving closer to the procurement of a development partner in relation to Churchill Place (Site G), which would deliver a significant expansion in retail and office space to the town centre as well as housing.  The Council had received a number of returns to the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire tender process which were currently being assessed and would be considered at the meeting of the Executive on 24th October 2012, with the aim of confirming the preferred developer by April 2013. 

 

The planning application for the redevelopment of Site K: Westmoreland Road Car Park had been approved by Development Control Committee on 6th March 2012.  Officers had met with the Cathedral project team on 1st October 2012 to confirm the development programme for the closure and demolition of the car park, and it had now been agreed that the closure of the car park would not take place until early 2013.  A Variable Messaging System would be introduced to Bromley Town Centre by the end of November 2012 to support traffic management in the town centre during the Christmas period. 

 

In terms of development across the Borough, Officers were working with a new consortium that was seeking to implement a comprehensive improvement programme in the Walnuts Shopping Centre, Orpington.  An application for the development of a 7 screen cinema and new restaurants and retail floor space which would comprise the first phase of the redevelopment programme had been approved by the Development Control Committee on 20th September 2012.

 

Work had been completed on the development on a public realm concept design for Beckenham town centre.  This formed the basis of a Step 1 Bid which had been submitted to the Transport for London Area Based Programme on 7th September 2012.  Initial feedback on the bid was due in mid-November 2012.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

 

3b

TOWN CENTRE MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SUPPORT pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Minutes:

 

The Head of Town Centre Management and Business Support gave an update on progress across the main Partnership themes of Town Centre Management and Business Support in Quarter 2 2012/13.

 

In Quarter 2 2012/13, the main priorities of the Town Centre Management had included the planning and delivery of a number of summer events in town centres including the Bromley Festival of Sport, Art and Culture and the Big Dance event.  A Town Centre Manager to cover Beckenham, Penge, Hayes and Mottingham areas had been appointed and was working with businesses across these town centres to ensure that Christmas lights and seasonal events were a success. 

 

Future activities for the Town Centre Management and Business Support Service included the engagement of all business rate payers within the Orpington Business Improvement District (BID) area prior to the official BID ballot which would be held in February 2013.  A range of autumn and winter events were planned and a number of markets would be held, including a Christmas market in Bromley Town Centre.  Delivery of the Outer London Fund Round 2 projects would continue, as would the Local Parades Improvement initiative, and Town Teams in Bromley North Village and Chislehurst would continue to be supported to implement improvements in these areas.  Local business workshops and seminars were also planned and would be delivered in partnership with local and regional business support organisations.

 

The Chairman noted that the Bromley Charter Market had now moved to the pedestrianised area in Bromley Town Centre and was popular with traders and shoppers.  Feasibility work was also taking place on a potential redesign of the layout of the market to ensure that market stalls did not divert shoppers away from shop fronts.

 

Howard Oldstein, The Glades Shopping Centre, highlighted that work was currently being undertaken with the Town Centre Management and Business Support Team to deliver an outdoor fashion show in the Queen’s Gardens in May 2013.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1)  Recent work around Town Centre Management and Business Support in the 2nd Quarter of 2012/13 be noted; and

 

2)  The plans for Town Centre Management and Business Support activity for the 3rd Quarter of 2012/13 be noted.

 

3c

OUTER LONDON FUND

Minutes:

The Head of Town Centre Renewal confirmed that work was ongoing to deliver Round 2 projects funded by successful bids to the Outer London Fund.  Work was now being undertaken with design teams to extend public realm improvements in Bromley North Village throughout Bromley Town Centre which would include work in Bromley South which would complement the improvements to Bromley South station and the forthcoming development at Site K: Westmoreland Road Car Park.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

 

3d

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Minutes:

The Head of Planning Strategy provided an update on the development of planning policy in the Borough.  The National Planning Policy Framework had been published on 27th March 2012, and there was now a need to develop a Local Plan rather than a Local Development Framework.  The Local Plan would work alongside the London Plan to set the direction of development in the Borough for the next 10-15 years.

 

Key areas of interest to the members of the Partnership included provision of employment land, business areas and the support of town centres across the Borough, as well as broader quality of life issues which would affect businesses.  As options were developed around the future use of business and employment land, key stakeholders would be consulted and members of the Economic Partnership were asked to contribute to this discussion.

 

Peter Pledger, South London Business highlighted the need to ensure that land for industrial and employment use was not lost to housing development.  It was also important to ensure the continued development of successful industry sectors in the Borough was supported in strategic plans.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

 

3e

BROMLEY EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

Minutes:

Hannah Jackson, LBB Project Officer outlined the Bromley Youth Employment Project which had been developed by Bromley Council following a decision by the Executive to allocate £500k to support sustainable employment opportunities for young people who were unemployed.  The project would run from 1st April 2013 for a three year period, and would provide internship and apprenticeship opportunities for a minimum of 80 young people aged between 18-24 years who were resident in the Borough with a view to supporting these young people to gain recognised qualifications and enter sustained employment. 

 

Colin Maclean highlighted the potential for the voluntary community sector to work within the project’s partnership framework, providing young people with access to a range of opportunities in the voluntary and community sector.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

 

4.

PARTNER UPDATES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOINT WORKING TO INCLUDE:

Minutes:

Members of the Partnership had undertaken a range of activities since the last meeting.

4a

UNEMPLOYMENT AND EMPLOYMENT TRENDS IN THE BOROUGH

Minutes:

The Head of Town Centre Management and Business Support (reporting on behalf of Jobcentre Plus) advised members of the Partnership that Christmas recruitment was currently being undertaken by Jobcentre Plus and that additional retail job opportunities had been made available by the opening of Toys R Us in The Glades Shopping Centre in October 2012.

 

Jobcentre Plus was still offering a work experience programme to young people looking for work, and members of the Partnership were asked to contact Jobcentre Plus if they were able to provide any short term opportunities to provide work experience for young people. 

 

Recent statistics for employment levels in Bromley would be circulated to members of the Partnership following the meeting.

 

4b

BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT DEVELOPMENTS

Minutes:

Katy Woolcott provided an update on developments at London Biggin Hill Airport following its identification as a Strategic Outer London Development Centre in the London Plan, and as part of the LoCATE (London Centre for Aviation Technology and Enterprise) project which brought together a cluster of modern aviation-related businesses at and around London Biggin Hill Airport to support continued economic development in the area.

 

The LoCATE Team had completed both a property report and an analysis of the economic value of the airport to the local economic community.  This had identified the airport’s key role in continuing to meet the need for direct air services to London into the future.  The airport currently had a turnover of £225m per annum, £15m of which was spent within the Borough, and there were 980 jobs in and around the airport and industrial estate.  Over the next five years, the airport aimed to increase the number of businesses on the airport and industrial estate from 62 to 130, which could realise an additional 1000 jobs. 

 

A meeting had recently been held with LoCATE stakeholders around the viability of establishing a skills academy, potentially linked to the proposed heritage centre which would support local people in gaining the skills needed to be employed by aviation-related businesses at London Biggin Hill Airport.

 

It was noted that an Oxford Economics Report had been published in September 2012 which explored the role of business aviation in the European economy and the benefits it realised for business and the local economy.  This report would be provided to members of the Partnership following the meeting.

 

4c

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARKET

Minutes:

Mike Lewis, Michael Rogers LLP gave an update on the commercial property market in the Borough.  There had been a steady demand for commercial property in the Borough since August 2012, and of the quality office space available in Bromley approximately 10% was currently vacant.

 

4d

OFFICE SECTOR WORKSHOP

Minutes:

The Head of Town Centre Renewal confirmed that work had commenced with local property agents to gather information on the office stock in Bromley Town Centre.  This would allow further analysis of the future supply and demand for office floor space across the borough with a view to promoting the benefits for businesses to locate in the Borough. 

 

Bromley Town Centre had been identified as a key location to attract larger companies seeking office space.  Site L: Former DHSS had been identified as a potential location to develop more quality office space as part of the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan, however a pre-application enquiry for a mixed use, hotel-led development had been submitted by agents in respect of this site and would be considered as part of the planning application cycle in November 2012.  Biggin Hill had also been recognised as a key location to attract aviation-related businesses into the Borough.

 

The results of the London Office Policy Review 2012 had been published in September 2012.  The review charted changes in demand and supply of office space and office market trends across London, and outcomes from the review were currently being considered by Officers.

 

It was noted that an Office Sector Workshop would be held in early 2013 to understand the office/employment market in Bromley and consider how it might be developed and promoted into the future and all members of the Partnership were invited to attend.

 

4e

GENERAL NEWS ROUND

Minutes:

Howard Oldstein confirmed that the celebrations to mark the 21st anniversary of The Glades Shopping Centre continued.  Apple had recently moved into The Glades Shopping Centre and Toys R Us would open shortly. 

 

Alicia Munday reported that Bromley Adult Education College was continuing to work in partnership with Jobcentre Plus to deliver a work club at the Kentwood Centre to support people looking for work in the north of the Borough.

 

Peter Pledger was pleased to announce that South London Business had developed and organised the 2012 Bromley Business Awards which were being sponsored by London Biggin Hill Airport and provided an excellent marketing opportunity for Bromley-based businesses.  The award ceremony would be held at The Warren on 25th October 2012 and all members of the Partnership were welcome to attend.  South London Business was now part of the Prospect Services Ltd Group and would be expanding the offer available to businesses in Bromley.

 

Katy Woolcott confirmed that the demand for business aviation services continued to increase, but that there had been a slight reduction in business over the period of the London 2012 Olympics following the introduction of restricted airspace during this period.

 

Robert Goddard confirmed that demand for legal services had been slow during Summer 2012, but that the steady demand for commercial property in the Borough since August 2012 should generate new business.

 

Suzanne Sharp confirmed that circulation figures for the News Shopper had recently increased by 13,000.  The Glades Shopping Centre 21st birthday would be celebrated with an eight page spread in this week’s Bromley News Shopper, and the Council would also be publishing a double page spread on Christmas events and activities towards the end of the year.

 

RESOLVED that the updates be noted.

 

5.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Minutes:

There was no other business.

6.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

4.00pm, Tuesday 8th January 2013

4.00pm, Tuesday 9th April 2013

Minutes:

4.00pm, Tuesday 8th January 2013

4.00pm, Tuesday 9th April 2013