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MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BAY OF COLWYN TOWN COUNCIL, HELD
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, TOWN HALL, RHIW ROAD, COLWYN BAY,
HELD AT 6.30 P.M. ON MONDAY 15TH JULY 2013
PRESENT:
The Mayor, Cllr C Perry (Chairman)
Cllrs: W Bagnall; N Bastow; Mrs M Burrows; J Davies; R Foreman;
D Griffiths; Mrs L Griffiths; C Hughes; Mrs M Jones; A Khan;
Mrs H Meredith; A Pearson; Mrs V Perry; D Porter; J Reaney;
Mrs S Roy; S Taylor; S Williams
OFFICERS:
Mrs C J Earley (Town Clerk)
Student Advisors: Miss S Stewart & Miss L Rossington
OTHERS:
Tom Davidson (Press)
84/13 Apologies for Absence:
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs: Mrs Danson, J Pearson and Mrs V
Smith, Deputy Mayor.
85/13 Announcements: There were no announcements from The Mayor.
86/13 Declarations of Interest:
Members were reminded that they must declare the existence and nature of any
personal and/or prejudicial interests. None were declared.
87/13 Visitors to the Council:
a. It was noted that the visit by Cllr Ronnie Hughes, Deputy Leader, CCBC, to
speak about his portfolio responsibilities and respond to any questions from
Members, has been postponed until 2nd September.
b. The Chairman welcomed Mr Rob Dix, CCBC, to update the Council regarding
the restoration and development of the Victoria Pier and the Vibrant and Viable
Places bid (Welsh Government’s new regeneration framework) and to respond to
any questions from Members.
i.
Mr Dix referred back to his previous visit, when the outline plans for the
redevelopment of the pier had been presented. These had been submitted and
accepted as part of the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the project has
now been awarded almost £560,000 to cover the costs of the development
phase, which include costs of architects, structural engineers, the fully
developed business plan, conservation management etc. The total costs of
this phase of the project are estimated at £1.2m, to include in-kind costs
(CCBC Officers, Directors and Volunteers’ time). A shortfall of
approximately £200,000 will need to be found to complete this work and,
providing the fully developed and costed project does not change, a further
sum of £4.5m has been agreed in principle towards the total project costs of
an estimated £12m. This is subject to the project proving it is deliverable and
sustainable in the long term, i.e. sufficient income can be generated to cover
running costs and pay for future maintenance. The popularity of the beach in
recent weeks has given the partners in the project (Shore Thing, Coleg
Llandrillo and CCBC) confidence that the projected visitor numbers are
reasonable and achievable.
On behalf of the partner organisations, Mr Dix requested that the Town
Council considers:
1. Being a formal partner in the development phase, with a
member appointed to the Project Team, and
2. Making a financial contribution towards the costs of the
development phase, possibly over two financial years.
This, together with fundraising by Shore Thing, would help to demonstrate
community involvement and support and would assist bids to other funders,
such as CADW, Welsh Government, European Fnding, Environmental Trusts
and the Tourism partnership.
Resolved to refer this request to the Policy & Finance Committee, for
consideration.
Questions/comments were then invited from Members of the Council and
the ensuing discussion covered the following points: the level of contribution
from CCBC, the need to demonstrate a united approach from the town,
concern that total project costs are already escalating, the need to meet the
requirements of CADW and further develop the site to achieve long-term
sustainability and self-sufficiency, whether Shore Thing has the necessary
business acumen and experience to manage the Pier going forward,
recognition of the need to broaden the skills base of the proposed Community
Interest Company during the development phase, the involvement of Coleg
Llandrillo as an active participant/tenant, the competitive nature of funding
and inclusion of some revenue (staffing) costs for first few years of the
project, the impact of the Pier and Porth Eirias on each other, the listed status
of the Pier, which means that restoration must be the first priority, with other
options only being discussed if this is not possible, the location of the Pier as a
focal point in the Colwyn Bay Masterplan for achieving movement of people
from the town centre to the Promenade and vice-versa.
ii. Mr Dix gave a brief verbal update on the Vibrant & Viable Places bid, which
has now been submitted to the Welsh Government. A shortlist of 10-12 bids
is expected to be announced by September 2013, with the final 6-8
settlements being designated by January 2014 and funding available from
April 2014 to March 2017. The Colwyn Bay bid has requested up to £15m
over the three year period, which it is anticipated will help drawdown similar
levels of investment from other funders, including the private sector. The
Bay Life+ Board met recently to finalise the details of the bid and has agreed
that the Town Council should be asked to nominate a representative for both
the Board and Officer groups. A letter will follow to confirm this.
Mr Dix was thanked for attending the meeting to give his reports and he
retired from the meeting.
88/13 Minutes:
a. Resolved to receive, approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the last
Meeting of the Council, held on 3rd June 2013.
b. A copy of the minutes of the following meetings were received:
i. The General Purpose & Planning Committee, held on 11th June 2013.
ii. The Policy & Finance Committee, held on 26th June 2013 (draft).
iii. The General Purposes & Planning Committee, held on 2nd July 2013 (draft).
89/13 Matters Arising from Those Minutes:
a. The recommendations of the Committees, as detailed in the following Minutes,
were considered:
i. Min. 18/13(c) – CCBC Review of Boundaries and Electoral
Arrangements:
Resolved to approve and submit the consultation response.
ii. Min. 44/13 – One Voice Wales’ Larger Councils Conference: It was noted
that no-one had been able to attend.
iii. Min. 62/13(e)(ii) – Engedi Grant Application: Members considered the
further information and financial statements submitted by Engedi, in support
of its application for funding for a month-long ‘ADVENTurous’ arts festival
in December. Concern was expressed that the financial statements presented
do not reflect the premises costs referred to in the application. It was noted
that the applicant was pressing for a quick decision.
It was proposed that a reduced grant of £2,600, to exclude premises costs, is
offered. This was not seconded.
Resolved to decline the application for funding.
b. Resolved to note the resolutions of the Committees, as detailed in the Minutes.
90/13 Casual Vacancy:
Resolved to receive notice of resignation from Cllr Tristan Owens and instruct the
Clerk to inform CCBC of the resulting causal vacancy in Colwyn Ward.
91/13 Representatives on Outside Bodies:
Members were asked to consider the appointment of representatives to the following
Outside Bodies:
a. Colwyn Bay Stakeholder Group – see Min. 76/13(f)
Resolved to appoint Cllrs S Williams and D Porter, as per the recommendation
of the General Purpose & Planning Committee.
b. CCBC Town and Community Council Forum – see Min. 77/13(a)
Resolved to appoint Cllr Mrs H Meredith as the additional representative of the
Town Council (in addition to The Mayor and Town Clerk).
c. Colwyn Bay, Abergele & District Twinning Association:
It was noted that Cllr J Reaney has withdrawn his notice of intention to stand
down as the Town Council’s representative.
d. Bay Life+ Board – Members’ Forum – see Min. 87/13(b)(ii):
Resolved to appoint Cllr W Bagnall to the Bay Life+ Board and the Town Clerk
to the Officers’ Group.
92/13 Conwy CBC:
a. It was noted that Code of Conduct training is to be offered by CCBC to those
members that have not yet attended a session since the last elections. The Town
Clerk will forward further information when it is received.
b. The Mayor and Clerk conducted a ballot for the distribution of free tickets
received from Conwy CBC for the Voices in the Park (20th July) and Access all
Eirias (21st July) concerts.
c.
Vibrant & Viable Places Bid: The Clerk gave a brief verbal report on three recent
meetings she had been requested to attend, in preparation for the submission of
the Vibrant & Viable Places regeneration funding bid to the Welsh Government
by Conwy CBC:
i. 11th June – One Stop Shop: Meeting of representatives from local
organisations to discuss the need for a one-stop shop to house additional
services and sign-post to other agencies based in the town.
ii. 21st June – Meeting of local community / stakeholders to introduce V&VP
and explain the background of the Masterplan, projects completed to date and
work in progress. The emphasis of the funding is to support prosperous,
healthy and learning communities, with a particular focus on coastal
communities, communities first areas and declining town centres. An open
discussion was held after the presentation to share ideas.
iii. Bay Life+ Steering Board – Meeting to present and agree the final projects
for inclusion in the bid, to include the One Stop Shop, streetscape
improvements (Abergele/Conway Road), continuation of Waterfront project,
Housing Renewal, Key Residential units, THI and Community Grant Fund
(other projects would also continue, at no cost to V&VP bid, including arts
framework, wi-fi town, evening economy, primary healthcare centre, pod
shop, CCBC Office Accommodation strategy and private redevelopment).
Resolved to thank the Clerk for attending and giving her report.
The County Councillors present stressed the importance of getting behind the
bid and supporting every project.
93/13 Public Services Ombudsman for Wales:
It was noted that a copy of the Ombudsman’s Annual Report for 2012/13 is available
on request from the Clerk.
94/13 Visit to Welsh Government Offices:
It was noted that the visit scheduled for 10th July was cancelled by the WG and a
revised date will now be arranged in the Autumn. The Clerk will forward details of
two available dates in Sept/Oct by e-mail and an early response would be appreciated.
The Meeting Closed at approximately 8:05 p.m.
…………………………………..
Chairman

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