To receive questions from members of the public who wish to ask a general question in respect of matters within the Council’s area of responsibility or influence.
Subject to the Chair’s discretion, members of the public may ask one question and one supplementary question, which should relate to the original question and answered received.
Councillors may also ask questions under this agenda item.
Minutes:
(1) Mr. Felstead referred to a previous question he had asked regarding housing schemes and informed Cabinet that he had received a response via a Freedom of Information request that stated the loss was at £15.4 Million. Mr Felstead claimed that there had been untruths presented at Cabinet that should be looked into. In response the Leader confirmed that he was not aware of any untruths told but stated that he would look into it.
Mr. Felstead’s substantive question related to the proposed demolition of the old Primark building in the town centre and whether any alternative uses had been looked into, such as the relocation of the indoor markets. He also asked for the cost benefit analysis to be sent to him along with details of any alternative development plans.
The Strategic Director Regeneration and Environment explained that the old Primark building had been put forward as part of the Towns Fund process which was Government funding. As part of that process a Board had to be established which was chaired by the private sector. The input from the Board had led to proposals to spend the first £1 Million of the Fund. The rest would form part of a bid that would be submitted to Government in January 2021. In terms of the rationale behind the plan to demolish the building, an overall aim was to shrink the amount of retail footprint in the town centre due to the increase in online shopping. Other buildings and areas within the town centre were being repurposed for residential development or leisure development. The demolition of the old Primark building would allow for more public open space but would also keep open the possibility of future development on the site.
In response to a comment from Mr. Felstead on why the building was not listed in the Town Centre Masterplan as a building that detracted from the town centre, the Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy explained that the Plan had to evolve to keep up with changes. Addressing Mr. Felstead’s concerns about anti-social behaviour at the site if only one third of the site was turned into the public open space as set out in the planning application, the Cabinet Member confirmed that the Council did hold regular meetings with South Yorkshire Police and with town centre businesses to address anti-social behaviour issues. The Cabinet Member agreed to raise the issue of police attendance at incidents in the town centre with the Assistant Director for Community Safety and Street Scene. The Cabinet Member also confirmed that the old Primark building had been selected by the Town Centre Board and that there would be no waste land as part of the proposal.
The Leader agreed he would look into what documents could be sent to Mr. Felstead regarding the old Primark building scheme.