Vision for Windsor
To receive an update from Chris Joyce, Assistant Director of Placemaking Partnerships and Sustainability, on the Vision for Windsor.
NOTE: This item follows up from Vision for Windsor being discussed in previous Forum meetings:
Minutes:
Chris Joyce first off informed that he had taken feedback from the last time Vision for Windsor was presented at the Forum, namely what the Windsor Vision entailed and further details on the project. He added that he would welcome a discussion on the next steps and priorities.
Giving the context, Chris Joyce explained that the Vision for Windsor, adopted by Cabinet in February 2023, was a high vision statement which involved a lot of community and stakeholder engagement. While the intention was to move the project to the delivery phase following the adoption by Cabinet, this had been put on hold as the new administration focused on setting a balanced budget for the financial year 2024-25.
Chris Joyce explained the vision statements. The overall vision statement was “[a]n attractive, thriving and welcoming town for the local and global community”, balancing out the recognition of the Windsor brand as a world class visitor destination as well as the impact on the local community. The five Vision Statements were:
• Transport and movement: “Develop sustainable, convenient & affordable options to travel into Windsor town centre.”
• Built environment: “Protect and enhance the heritage, character and identity of Windsor.”
• Natural environment: “Promote, activate and improve access to the natural assets and resources.”
• Local community: “Create a thriving local economy of business and community partnerships that benefit from Windsor’s global brand.”
• Global community: “Deliver a world-class visitor experience supported by a diverse and resilient hospitality industry.”
Chris Joyce then went through each strategy area, their action points and any developments taking place for them.
For Gateways and Arrivals:
1) Develop satellite parking sites – Recognising the difficulty in providing sufficient parking in the Town Centre and investigate whether satellite parking sites around the town edges could be developed.
2) Celebrate Arrival into Windsor – Belief that the vehicle routes into Windsor were not giving a welcome.
o Maintenance works on the Coach park footbridge and lifts (with some funding from the Welcome to Windsor project).
o Surface car parking improvements, including resurfacing, relining and signage improvements.
o Welcome signage at entry points.
3) Invest in improving transport connections – Investigate improving public transport connections, recognising the changing travel patterns which affect the bus and trains.
o Bus enhanced partnership meetings established to engage with bus operators.
4) Encourage a shift in active travel – Implement the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) in Windsor as well as consider accessibility and movement around Windsor.
o Stovell Road/Barry Avenue scheme, promoting active travel investments.
o Windsor Leisure cycle parking hub
o Improve crossing points at Thames Street/Datchet Road junction.
o Windsor Great cycle link.
For Town Centre Movement:
5) Discourage unnecessary vehicle movement and through-traffic in the Town Centre – Investigate options on where to prioritise traffic and movement of people.
6) Improve cycling and walking connections – Focus on movement around Windsor.
o Stovell Road/Barry Avenue scheme.
o Improve crossing points at Thames Street/Datchet Road junction.
o Update wayfinding information monoliths.
7) Take advantage of the Rover Thames for Access and Movement – Taking advantage of the River Thames in terms of access and movement as well as make use of it as an asset to raise revenue.
8) Consolidate Town Centre Parking – Look at a broader strategy for car parking within the Town Centre and the role that satellite parking could create and the already-established surface-level car parking.
9) Maintain priority parking and access – Maintain access for people with reduced accessibility.
10)Invest in the Riverside to create an attractive entrance into Windsor – Create an attractive entrance into Windsor.
11)Employ guideline and regulations to maintain the character of the heritage core – Possibly create a character area strategy for Windsor, such as different fields (e.g., heritage core, Riverside, etc.).
12)Diversify Town Centre uses.
o Windsor Yards development, which would bring different uses into the Town Centre, such as a cinema.
13)Nurture the local culture, arts and retail.
o My Royal Borough network activity
o Series of social events in Windsor.
o Training programmes for local businesses
For Public Realm:
14)Apply and maintain a quality materiality of the public realm.
o Castle Hill public ream improvements
15)Improve engagement with the River and Riverfront
16)Develop a framework for regeneration of Riverside parking sites.
For Local Governance and Community Partnerships:
17)Build a directory of community groups and partnerships.
o Work in progress to develop the directory.
18)Establish a collective voice of stakeholder representation across Windsor.
19)Create a register of ownerships and landlords.
20)Engage with Windsor Castle and The Crown Estate.
o Engagement with Windsor Castle and the Crown Estate through existing channels.
21)Capitalise on Royal warrants and the Windsor brand.
o Tourism Strategy in development through Visit Windsor Partnership
To conclude, Chris Joyce informed on the next steps of the project:
• An officer meeting was followed up with a workshop session with a group of Councillors.
• A presentation to Cabinet to take place to establish proposed options for priority projects to take forward.
• A stakeholder steering group to be established.
• Ongoing updates to key business partnerships and Town Forum as work progresses.
Chris Joyce stated that he welcomed views and feedback from the Forum, residents and Councillors on who should be involved with the project as well as discussions on the project’s priorities. He informed that there would be ongoing updates in the delivery of the Vision for Windsor project to businesses partnerships and the Forum.
Teresa Haggart, a resident and Chair of Heritage and Environment Committee of the Windsor and Eton Society, stated that the Society were involved in a two-day planning session for the project and had since then not been contacted by the Borough. She further stated that she sought to get meetings between the Society and the Borough back on track for the last year but had experienced repeated cancelled meeting arrangements. She said that it would be ideal for the Windsor and Eton Society (alongside the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan Group) to be part of the Vision for Windsor project, stating that the Society had a vast knowledge of the heritage and environment of Windsor and Eton, and alleged that these were being ignored.
Chris Joyce responded that he would be open to having a meeting with the Windsor and Eton Society and the Windsor Neighbourhood Plan Group and how to involve the two community groups as the project moved forward, requesting for an email address either directly sent to him or through Councillor A. Tisi. He subsequently highlighted that there had been significant financial challenges amongst officers at the Borough, such as in-year budget overspends and achieving a balanced budget, which slowed progress on the project.
Teresa Haggart responded that this was not about the money but rather the expectation and developments which Windsor needed. She stated that planning could have taken place in the meantime in preparation until things settled down. Teresa Haggart asserted that she did not know about the final plan since the two-day planning session before seeing the Chris Joyce’s presentation.
Chris Joyce clarified that progress on the project had been slow due to officer time rather than due to money as they had been focused on rectifying the Borough’s financial challenges. Regarding the aftermath of the two-day workshop, the final report was published and presented at RBWM Cabinet and then published on the Council website. Chris Joyce further added that Andrew Durrant had presented the Vision for Windsor at a Forum meeting in March 2023 and Chris Joyce himself gave an update in September 2023. He reassured that the Borough sought to publicise the final Prince’s Foundation report and how this would be taken forward.
Teresa Haggart reiterated that her last meeting with Borough officers and Councillors was November 2022. The Chair then stated that the project had been relaunched and that she could forward Teresa Haggart’s details to Chris Joyce.
ACTION: The Chair to forward the email details of Teresa Haggart from the Windsor and Eton Society to Chris Joyce.
Martin, a resident, asked if Chris Joyce was approached by Windsor Forest College for any input on support, labour or finance for the Town Centre plan. Chris Joyce answered that Windsor Forest College were a member of the Windsor and Eton Business Partnership and thus would be engaged through this body.
John Bowden asked about the status of the Windsor Yards development, namely the current position between the Borough, the freeholders and the developers on progress and the financial impact. Chris Joyce was aware of ongoing discussions but did not know the details as he was not involved with those discussions. He mentioned that he could pick this up with colleagues though he added he would not be able to publicly reveal the details of the commercial elements as the discussions were ongoing.
Councillor Knowles stated that he viewed the Windsor Forum as a stakeholder group as it brought together Borough Councillors from Windsor wards, concerned residents and sometimes a few local societies, and therefore it should be approached as such rather than just simply presenting updates. He argued that the Forum could create a better pool of information whereby differing groups could be gathered and represented. Chris Joyce replied that the reason he attended the Windsor Forum was to acquire feedback on some of the big priorities and how to gather stakeholders. While he would use existing partnerships and forums to help guide the Windsor Vision, he also sought to acquire views from Windsor Forum attendees on the project’s priorities based on which had greater value, such as whether to focus on the Riverside, parking or movement.
When Councillor Knowles perceived that the stakeholders had already been selected and that the Windsor Forum was mistakenly not included, Chris Joyce responded that he had raised the question at the end of his presentation which included who should be included and how they should be included.
The Chair stated that it would be good to include the Windsor Forum as part of the stakeholders of the Vision for Windsor project. She then suggested that a specific topic could be published ahead of a Forum meeting and then attendees could come along with their views and suggestions.
Councillor Wilson firstly expressed his support of the thought on how the project was going to be organised, stating the importance of the governance and organisation being sufficient. He then mentioned the Windsor and Eton Business Partnership, asking for them to be considered as a key stakeholder, stating that they had some proactive ideas. Chris Joyce was to attend a Windsor and Eton Business Partnership on the following day and therefore he would pick this up there.
Councillor W. Da Costa highlighted that Borough officers were spread quite thin in terms of time and costs with many responsibilities, such as environmentalism, climate change and emergency planning, which then meant there could not be anu focus on the Windsor Vison project. He suggested that more people in resourcing need to be included to ensure proactiveness with issues. Raising his points, he first asked how the issue of costs and funding were being dealt with. He agreed that Windsor Forum should be involved as stakeholder group alongside local businesses, community groups and Windsor Councillors. He then asked whether the implementation of a night bus could be accelerated, namely working with local businesses who would fund it to encourage travel into Windsor and overcome the issue with parking.
Chris Joyce believed that some teams have had meetings with Councillor W. Da Costa to discuss the night bus proposal, adding he would check this out. In regard to funding, he stated the Borough possessed capital funding to finance some of the projects and expected that other funding opportunities and pots of capital may open up. He stated he was happy to discuss this after the meeting.
Councillor A. Tisi highlighted that young people was a stakeholder group which was noticeably missing from the Forum, arguing that it was important to get them involve as the projects were long-term. She suggested groups like Youth Council and Girls’ Forum should be stakeholders.
(Chris Joyce left the meeting at 7:43pm)