Agenda item

This report provides an update on the public realm project at Place St Maur, Bognor Regis and will be presented by the Principal Landscape & Project Officer. This update is for noting.

The Principal Landscape Officer introduced her report and provided the Working Group with an update on the plans for Place St Maur in Bognor Regis.

          There were a number of questions raised by the Working Group these are detailed below:

·       Cllr Dixon expressed his concerns that the whole project is being based around the ice rink which takes up the whole of Place St Maur, therefore leaving no opportunity for above the surface infrastructure.  He asked if the Ice Rink could be moved The Esplanade meaning Place St Maur could have trees, a central feature, raised beds, above the surface water features etc.  The Principal Landscape Officer advised that it was very early stages in the design and the design team were looking at Place St Maur as being a very flexible area.

·       Cllr Bicknell commented that the idea of this project was to link the town, seafront and the Regis Centre.  Now the Regis centre project had been delayed, if we go forward with the Place St Maur scheme, we might lose the ability to link the three areas in the future.  Regarding the cooling system for the ice rink that could be put underground and therefore other retail outlets could go above and this would also reduce the noise from it. He also queried the documented project team structure within the report. The Principal Landscape Officer confirmed that the client project manager was herself, and she would be overseeing the day to day delivery of the project and reporting to the project board on a regular basis, not daily.  The project board will meet every few weeks and sign off milestones, this followed the process used for the delivery of the Littlehampton Wave project. 

The Chairman then, with permission of the Working Group allowed questions from non-Working Group Members, where it was raised that there was confusion as to why these updates had not also been taken to the Bognor Regis Regeneration Committee. The Director of Services advised that the route for the project had been approved by Cabinet and that this point had also already been raised at the last Full Council Meeting in November 2020, where the confirmation was again provided that the route for this project had been approved by Cabinet and that the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Mrs Staniforth, was overseeing the scheme. Also, at this time it was supported by the Cabinet Member for Technical Services and the Chairman of the Bognor Regeneration Committee, Councillor Stanley, that he was also in support of the project updates to be reported into this Working Group.

There were also further comments on the public consultation opportunity for the project, where it was confirmed by the Principal Landscape Officer that it would be widely advertised, and the details of the consultation could be circulated to members.

In responses to comments made about the lack of regeneration committee meetings, it was also confirmed by the Committee Services Manager that there was ongoing consultation with both the Chairman of the Bognor Regis Regeneration Committee and the Littlehampton Regeneration Committee to see if there would be further meetings of both these Committees in March 2021, however no confirmation could be given at this time as the decision was yet to be made.

          The Working Group noted the update.