Agenda item

Consideration was given to report of the Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services.

The Corporate Director Regeneration & Community Services presented the annual service activity report for the period April 2020 to July 2021.  The Corporate Director went through the report and highlighted the main points contained therein.

A Member referred to previous discussions in relation to the Audit of Commemoration that went through Welsh Government in November 2020, and asked when a report on this could be expected.

In response the Corporate Director undertook to investigate.

Another Member enquired as to the current percentage of rented properties against home ownership, and whether there was greater need for social housing or private housing within the Borough.

The Corporate Director said balance was key in meeting the needs of the community and having the right mix of housing to meet those needs.  In terms of the percentage of rented properties, he said this was approximately 30% including social landlords and private rented.  He confirmed that the Housing Market Needs Assessment was used to identify trends and demands coming through, and there was currently a demand for people wanting to move to Blaenau Gwent, and also for people wanting to move-up the property ladder, which had resulted in interest from private housing developers, however, it was important not to lose sight of the needs of our existing community.  He confirmed that the Housing Market Needs Assessment would be brought to Scrutiny in due course to ensure we have the right balance and understanding of future demand.

The Team Leader Connected Communities said moving forward a more blended approach to new housing developments would be encouraged i.e. a mix of social rented and intermediate products, and also low cost home ownership.

Another Member asked how many long term empty properties there were currently in the Borough.

The Corporate Director said this figure was currently in the region of 800-900 vacant properties.  There were a number of initiatives to reduce this figure, i.e. reduced empty property discount, and there was also a very active grant and loan programme in place to bring empty properties back into use.  In 2019/20 56 properties were brought back into use, however, this number was less during 2021 due to the redeployment of staff in response to the Covid pandemic.  However, there were less properties vacant for a period of 6 months which meant the work being done in this area was proving beneficial.

A Member expressed concern regarding the impact of the rental increase of the Council’s business units, which had resulted in some businesses leaving the Borough.  She also felt that the new Box Works units had not been sufficiently advertised.

In response the Corporate Director said Members would be aware that as part of the Council’s plans to become a more commercial organisation and to manage our units more effectively a service charge was introduced for our business units.  Whilst this resulted in an increase in rental for occupiers, they were now getting an improved service.  He said the retention of businesses in the Borough was paramount, and while many of our business units were designed for ‘start-ups’, it was expected they would move on to larger units as they grow, and the Council was focussed on ensuring that we have that ladder of accommodation for businesses, but also taking a business-like approach in the management of our units.

In relation to the Box Works site the Corporate Director explained that the Council had yet to take possession of the units from the contractor and this was anticipated to take place during the next week.  He was optimistic that demand would increase significantly over the coming weeks.

Another Member referred to the refurbishment of Trinity Chapel and expressed concern that the relocation of the Library to the building, along with the plans for a community shop and café in the former library building would draw people away from the Town Centre.  He also looked forward to the refurbishment of Monwel and asked whether it was possible bring the scheme forward.

In relation to the Monwel site the Corporate Director said it was intended that the scheme would be completed and open for students in September 2022.  This was a tight timescale due to the significant remodelling to reach the high aspirations for the site.

In terms of the proposals for the former Abertillery Library, he said the community shop and café was more of an ancillary facility for people accessing the training centre.

A Member said the report was evidence of the good work being undertaken within the Department.  However, he said it lacked detail in relation to employability, in terms of the number of people employed locally and also initiatives in place within the Borough to get people into work.  He said there were a number of projects through the voluntary sector and partners and their work in supporting the Borough and employment opportunities should be highlighted in the report moving forward.

The Corporate Director agreed that this should be included moving forward.

A Member reported that the bridge over Cwmcelyn Pond was in need of repair, and asked that it be included on the Forward Work Programme for the relevant Scrutiny Committee as it provided a vital link to areas within the community.

The Member also expressed concern that the electric vehicle charging point in Blaina was not being used.

In response the Team Manager Regeneration Opportunities said it was important to have every area within the Borough included within the project.  The locations were based on forecast usage, and usage across most of the charging points was good.  However, more work would be done to promote the provision, but it may be that electric vehicle ownership was lower in Blaina and other locations were more prominent and in busier locations.

Another Member referred back to the refurbishment of Trinity Chapel and said a further consultation exercise was needed.  He was aware that many residents were against the proposals to move the library provision from a purpose built premises and undertake extensive renovations of Trinity Chapel in order to relocate the library.  He also referred to the community supermarket and pointed out that the plans for the building, under the previous administration, would have provided an excellent resource during the Covid pandemic but the building had now stood empty for 4 years.

In response the Corporate Director said the scheme for Trinity Chapel had been agreed and was progressing along with significant investment from Coalfields Regeneration Trust to bring back the building into a meaningful use. 

A discussion ensued a Member said the project and was an excellent opportunity for Abertillery.  Another Member expressed concern that the refurbishment costs seemed to be escalating, and asked regarding the current costs of the project.

The Team Leader Regeneration Opportunities said she was unable to provide the figure as the tender review process was currently underway.  However, the Covid pandemic had impacted on the figures due to an increase in building and construction costs due to the lack of materials available.  The full costs of refurbishment would be available in the next few weeks.

The Member asked that this be highlighted as an action point.

Another Member referred to the rail link to Abertillery and disagreed that the link and increased frequency of trains would increase footfall in the town centre.  He also said that increased frequency of trains did not guarantee more passengers, and expressed concern that in years to come the Ebbw Valley railway would become unviable.

The Corporate Director reported that when undertaking original work to justify reopening of the railway, passenger numbers were estimated at 400k per annum, however, following reopening the numbers exceeded 700k.  Our forecast also assumed travel from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff, however, there was a huge number of journeys within the Valley which were not in the original forecast.  He said increased frequency would make travel within the Borough easier for people accessing jobs and visiting family etc, and provide a strong public transport pub at the edge of town.

Another Member referred to the public consultation exercise undertaken on Llanhilleth Pithead Baths and the fact that the public were against the proposed use of the site for housing.  He asked whether an alternative proposal was intended, and whether the Council would be in a position to purchase the land without the proposed housing.

In response the Corporate Director said this report highlighted progress on projects.  He said feedback from the consultation on the Pithead Baths would be considered to understand the nature of those concerns, and how best to deal with them. 

The Service Manager Business & Regeneration confirmed that a number of consultations exercises were planned to continue this work which was fundamental to the development of the site, to achieve a deliverable scheme to improve the area.

The Committee AGREED to recommend that the report be accepted as provided. (Option 2).