Resolved

1.         That the draft policy set out in Appendix 1 to the report (CAB 043/101) be noted; and

2.         That the Corporate Director of Development and Renewal be authorised to consult on the draft policy.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL (A. DALVI)

Service Head Asset Management, Development and Renewal (A. Algar)

Head of Corporate Property Services, Development and Renewal (T. Osibogun)

Mr Osibogun, Head of Asset Management, Corporate Property Services, at the request of the Chair, in introducing the report:

·                    Briefly summarised the key points contained therein, highlighting in particular that:

o                   The Authority currently owned approximately 270 shops producing income, amounting to just over £2 million per annum currently.

o                   The availability of a wide range of goods locally improves accessibility for those less able to travel to district shopping centres, especially the elderly and disabled.

o                   Officers considered it important to ensure the Authority had a consistent approach to the way its shops were managed and had therefore drafted a Shops Policy, Appendix 1 to the report, which was now before the Cabinet for consideration.

·                    Addressed the matters raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held on 5^th October 2010, in relation to the report; as set out in the tabled sheet of questions and comments presented by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier in the proceedings:

A discussion followed, during which the policy proposals in the report were broadly welcomed, and which focused on the following points:-

·                    Mr Algar, Service Head Asset Management and Mr Osibogun, Head of Asset Management, Corporate Property Services and their Officer Team were formally thanked for their contribution towards developing the Policy.

·                    Welcomed, with reference to paragraph 3.5 of the draft Shops Policy attached at Appendix 1 to the report, the proposed approach, and its clarity, to A3, A5 [restaurant/ hot food, take away) and A2 [financial services] uses. This addressed Member concerns regarding health/ healthy eating, dead shop frontage in daytime hours and Anti Social Behaviour implications. It also addressed the rapid negative impact on the economic viability of an area where shops were converted to office use.

·                    Clarification/ assurance was sought and given regarding the avenues for businesses, located on the ground floor of blocks underneath housing units, to identify the party responsible for dealing with communal issues such as faulty stack pipes.

·                    Clarification/ assurance was sought and given regarding the avenues for businesses where small plots of adjacent land were used to dump rubbish to have this problem dealt with.

The Chair in Moving for the consideration of members of the Cabinet that:

·                    In relation to recommendation 2.1 contained in the report, that the draft Shops Policy, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted.

·                    Recommendation 2.2, as set out in the report be agreed.

commented that:

·                    The performance of the Authority’s property management service had dramatically improved in recent years.

·                    The proposed policy would provide a consistent approach to the way its shops were managed, and was pro-active not re-active, as before, particularly with regard to the proposed approach to A3, A5 [restaurant/ hot food, take away) and A2 [financial services] uses.

And it was:-

Resolved

1.         That the draft policy set out in Appendix 1 to the report (CAB 043/101) be noted; and

2.         That the Corporate Director of Development and Renewal be authorised to consult on the draft policy.