Cabinet received questions from pupils of Berkshire College of Agriculture (BCA).

Niamh Bulbeck asked the following question: There is going to be a new hospice built by Bray Lake which is a level 3 flood plane. How did the environment sector allow this to be developed? I live across from the site and it floods every year.

The Lead Member for Planning explained that planning permission had been granted for the relocation and expansion of the Thames Hospice, currently based in Windsor, together with the amalgamation with the Paul Bevan Hospice which was at the Heatherwood site in Ascot.  The site was located on land south of Bray Lake, the wider site was one of the sites identified in the emerging Borough Local Plan (BLP) for housing and specialist housing.  The Hospice fell into the specialist housing bracket.

Flood zones were shown on the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment maps.  In Flood Zone 1, 2 and 3A residential development can be permitted; in zone 3A it had to pass some technical tests to show that there was not another suitable site available and that a safe means of escape in the event of a flood was possible.  This had been done through a Flood Risk Assessment.

The site was actually located in flood zones 1, 2 and 3.  None of the building would be located in flood zone 3, it was mostly located in flood zone 2.  The building had been designed to be flood resilient and the floor levels had been set to reduce the risk of the actual building itself flooding.  An escape route had also been identified through the flood zone. Given the vulnerability of the users the applicant was expected to devise a Flood Management Plan.  The Council was satisfied that this would ensure that no one was put in danger from flooding.

In addition to flooding the application showed that drainage would be dealt with on site through a sustainable drainage system.  Some water would be discharged into the lake however parts of the site had been designed to be floodable during a flood event.

By way of a supplementary question, Niamh Bulbeck stated that the plans showed floodwater would be drained back into Bray Lake. However this flooded so how could it be planned to drain back into the lake?

The Lead Member for Planning agreed to provide Ms Bulbeck with a written response to her supplementary question. He was sure that the issue would have been taken into account by the Flood Risk Assessment.

Niamh Bulbeck asked the following question:   In the next few years my friends and I might be looking into moving out of our family homes and into houses or apartments of our own however this isn't possible with houses being the prices they are. Is there any way of making houses and apartments move affordable to young people to buy or to rent?

The Deputy Lead Member for Policy and Affordable Housing commented that this was one of the biggest conundrums faced by local authorities, who needed to be imaginative and innovative in terms of the products provided in response. At present any development of more than 15 units was required to provide 30% affordable housing; this would be down to 10 units in the Borough Local Plan. When considering what was ‘affordable’ it was important to think about different products (such as Shared Ownership) rather than simply a reduction in rent or land value. Surrey was currently building a lot of affordable homes and it was possible to purchase a property valued at £420,000 with a 25% share of £105,000.

The Secretary of State was undertaking a review of social housing, in the wake of the Grenfell disaster. In the 1950s the government was building 2 million homes per annum, however vested interests in the market had significantly slowed this rate over the years. With the Joint Venture and BLP the council was demonstrating it was fully committed to do all in its powers to generate the building of affordable homes. Once the Local Plan was adopted, the council’s housing and planning teams would work together to produce a supplementary planning document which would set out the mix between ownership and rent to buy. When affordable homes were delivered as part of a planning permission, the council entered into an agreement with the developer which set the number of affordable homes, the mix, and the tenures.  Usually the council would also seek an agreement which enabled residents in this Borough to have first call on those properties.

By way of a supplementary question, Niamh Bulbeck asked how the loopholes used by developers to avoid including affordable housing could be closed?

The Chairman responded that the council’s planning policy was to require 30% but developers often cited viability issues. The large Boulters Lock development in his ward was one example, and this had unfortunately been approved by the Inspector witout affordable housing. Where private markets were broken, the state had to intervene. This would happen over the next few years, with the state becoming the enabler for house building.

Christine Gray asked the following question: The agriculture industry is facing a large and growing skilled labour shortage.  How will the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead ensure that the agriculture is properly portrayed in local schools as a professional STEM subject area, with career opportunities at all levels?

The Lead Member for School Improvement explained that he had grown up on a smallholding in Wales. His brother had attended an agricultural college, which had enabled him to grow the smallholding and become an entrepreneur. The courses on offer at BCA were interesting and full of opportunity; it was unlikely that a robot would be able to do such jobs in the future. The council needed to get the message across about the importance of STEM subjects. When the borough met with teachers to discuss the curriculum, it needed to be more proactive about the opportunities available.

Christine Gray asked the following question, on behalf of Luke Boughey: Brexit looks set to substantially change the support provided to farmers in the UK. What support is the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead providing to help local businesses adapt and prepare for the unknown changes ahead? 

The Lead Member for Economic Development, Property and Deputy Finance explained that leaving the EU had introduced uncertainty into the economy. This was of course outside the council control however he had been pleased to hear there had been some progress in Brexit discussions in recent days. The council could take action locally in two areas: communication and infrastructure. In terms of communication, it had already been announced that the council was planning to invest in its economic development resources. The council interacted with parishes in a number of forums, many of whom were more closely linked to the rural parishes than those at the Town Hall. At a recent event at Rinders Farm members of the Rural Forum commented that the discussions at the Forum were valued, but did not always run through to council policy. In terms of infrastructure, he was the council representative on the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which was investing in Superfast Broadband and the Solutions Lab.

Maggie Walker asked the following question: One of your manifesto commitments is to: 'Support the rural economy and agriculture by adopting policies that have worked elsewhere'.   Apart from Superfast Broadband, what policies are you adopting?

The Principal Member for Neighbourhood Planning, Ascot & the Sunnings responded that the ongoing support the Royal Borough provided for local Farmers Markets provided opportunities to local farmers and businesses to access a direct marketplace of local people and visitors. The council would continue to work in partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership to actively seek to secure additional project funding which could support initiatives such as Enterprise Hubs. This would help start-up and emerging businesses and seek to link these with the wider programme of regeneration the Borough had embarked upon.

Sean Keating-Bell asked the following question, on behalf of Claire Hutchinson: As a volunteer youth worker, I am concerned that not enough of my peers appreciate the value of building up their experience and enhancing their CV. How can you encourage more young people to get involved in volunteering?

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities commented that employers looked for more than just a good academic record:  they wanted to see wider interest, commitment and collaboration.  Many young people in the Borough were on programmes like the Duke of Edinburgh's award which combined volunteering commitments with personal skill development. The council did encourage volunteering through its youth services, with over half of the sessions being supported by volunteers.  Youth services would be happy to visit any local sixth form or college to explain how young people could take part and she would ask the Director of Children’s Services to write out to Ms May and other leaders.  Through the partner organisation ‘WAM Get Involved’ the council had access to 5000 volunteers, which added £16m in added value to the borough. There were currently 305 separate volunteering opportunities offered by a range of local organisations.

By way of a supplementary question, Sean Keating-Bell commented that one reason young people did not take up volunteering was because finance was often a big issue, particularly for overseas volunteering. Were there any plans to lower the costs?

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities commented that the council did not set the costs for such schemes, however there were a number of trusts supported by the council that offered grants for such programmes. The Lead Member for Maidenhead Regeneration and Maidenhead highlighted such a fund for those living in the Waltham St Lawrence and Shurlock Row area.

Stuart Kerr asked the following question: There seems to have been a reduction in facilities for young people in the area in recent years which has a negative affect on 'anti-social' behaviour. How can we tackle this problem?

The Lead Member for Environmental Services explained that the council continued to invest in youth clubs with services for 8 to 18 year olds delivered in Pinkneys Green, Larchfield, Marlow Road as well as centres in Ascot and Windsor.  These services were open to all, including three nights a week in Maidenhead town centre.  In addition to youth services there were facilities for ‘turn up and play’ in leisure centres at Cox Green, Furze Platt, Magnet and soon the Braywick Leisure Centre.  These centres offered facilities for aerobics, Zumba, Spinning, badminton, squash, table tennis, football, basketball, swimming, gym workouts, spa relaxation, Pilates, yoga, and much more.

In addition to council provided services there were many sports clubs that welcomed young people of all abilities,  to take part in a broad range of sports , both indoor and outdoor, including rowing, Tae Kwon Do, football, rugby, athletics, Park Run, cricket, hockey, swimming and roller disco. The council's sports development team offered targeted support for clubs to recruit new members and ran two events a year called ‘Fit for Life’ weeks where free sessions were offered to local residents by local sports clubs. From 2-8 October 2017 it was running a “Girls get Going” set of activities. Finally of course, the borough was well served with parks and green spaces.

The council did not have evidence of an increase in anti social behaviour, however if young people were concerned and there was a perception of a problem, the council needed to know. Young people could raise any issues with Community Wardens, so the council could work with the community to address any underlying issues.   

The Chairman invited the young people present to write to the Cabinet with suggestions about what could be included in the town centre as it was being redeveloped.

Adam Robinson asked the following question: There isn't much to do for young people in the Maidenhead area. How will the proposed relocation of the Magnet Leisure Centre to Braywick Park help and what else can be done to keep young people occupied?

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities explained that the new Braywick Leisure Centre would allow the whole Braywick site to become more of a sports and leisure hub including the rugby club, the athletics club, SportsAble and more all alongside the new state of the art leisure centre. The Leisure Centre would also provide a better ‘clubhouse area’ for clubs using Braywick. The pool area was designed for all ages including a competition pool. The event hall would be available for drama and music. Outdoor courts would be available for football and netball. Film showings would be possible in the sports hall. The outdoor piazza could hold concerts. The Lead Member requested young people to tell the council what other facilities the would like.