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Minutes – Business Plan Sub-Committee – 19 August 2025

The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Business Plan Sub-Committee – 19 August 2025 – agenda and papers.

The minutes of this meeting are presented below.

You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Business Plan Sub-Committee – 19 August 2025.

BUSINESS PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE

Minutes

Date: Tuesday 19 August 2025

Time: 10.00am to 11.39am

Location: Council Chamber, The Council House • North Street • Chichester • West Sussex • PO19 1LQ

PRESENT: Councillors Loxton (SL), Miall (RMi), C.Gershater (CG).

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Town Clerk (TC), Deputy Town Clerk (DTC), Project Manager (PM), Communities Officer (CO) and Communications, Civic and Council Support Officer (CCCSO).

11. ELECTION OF SUB-COMMITTEE CHAIR FOR 2025-2026

CG proposed that RM be appointed as Chair of the Committee. The proposal was seconded by SL.

With no objections, RM was duly ELECTED as Chair.

12. MEETING TIMES FOR BUSINESS PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE

Sub Committee RESOLVED that meetings would be held at 10am

13. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Cllr Chant, Squire and Quail gave their apologies.

14. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING

No declarations were made.

15. UPDATES ON ACTIONS ARISING FROM THE LAST MEETING

a. Minute 4a refers – Prepare a report on 20mph zones in the City for Councillors and provide feedback from Residents Associations on support for a 20MPH zone.

To be discussed under agenda item 9

b. Minute 4 refers – Provide a link to the Project Management page on the intranet

Link was sent to the Sub-Committee on 3 June 2025.

c. Minute 5 refers – To write and publish an update on the business plan for residents

Advised this had been completed and sent to contacts on our mailing list. It would also be published on the website and social media campaigns, and a short press release would be sent to Chichester Observer.

d. Minute 6 refers – Provide a site selection report on community space sites

To be discussed under agenda item 8

e. Minute 8 refers – Circulate designs of E-Ink signage to Councillors via email

To be discussed under agenda item 8

16. UPDATE ON CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS PLAN PROJECTS, BUDGETS AND FUNDING TO DATE

DTC also Responsible Financial Officer provided an update on funding and future CIL allocations.

  • Advised that the Bognor Road scheme is still being designed and assessed at West Sussex County Council.
  • Cathedral Flower Beds – completed for this year
  • Energy efficiency schemes – £50k left in budget.
  • Public Realm schemes – likely to be needed by spring 2026.
  • New Park Centre – funding for roof project has not yet been requested.
  • Aluminum staging – is currently in final stages of planning.
  • Notice boards – covered later on the agenda
  • Community Grants – Spent
  • Community Hall – update later on agenda
  • Playgrounds – £75K has been spent.

CIL income projections had been revised to reflect the latest data from Chichester District Council, which indicated a likely delay in the delivery of Whitehouse Farm Phase 2. The Clerk noted that the updated figures were based solely on permissions already granted and did not yet account for the additional 270 homes proposed in the Local Plan, as these are expected to come forward towards the latter end of the cashflow horizon.

The sub-committee RESOLVED to recommend to the Finance Committee that the £325,000 previously earmarked for the pump track project be reallocated to the general CIL funds reserve. This recommendation was made in light of the project’s scheduled delivery in 2028/29, by which time the delivery partner—Chichester District Council (CDC)—is expected to no longer exist due to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The sub-committee reviewed the budget-setting timeline and agreed that the public meeting scheduled for 27 October would serve as an opportunity to gauge public sentiment regarding potential increases to the budget and precept. Prior to this, informal workshops for Councillors will be held, with dates to be circulated to all members.

Committee considered if funds would be needed in 2026/27 to cover shortfalls in projected CIL receipts to allow Community Centre development to go ahead.

17. PROJECT MANAGER’S UPDATE

The project manager provided an overview of the items covered in his report:

The intranet site for the Project Management Framework is now live and has been shared, providing access to all associated documentation.

The Project Management Software, Monday.com, is now live, and Councillors have been granted access to project tracking reports.

Committee members REQUESTED a demonstration and workshop of the Project Management Framework and Software.
Community Space in the South of the City – The site selection process has been completed, and the accompanying document has been published. Partnership development is progressing with two local organisations, and a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been prepared. The MOU is expected to be signed shortly, enabling the commencement of detailed design work. An Expression of Interest (EOI) has also been submitted for land at Florence Park.

The Project Manager is currently developing a business plan to assess the financial viability of the centre and to support the Community Asset Transfer business case for Florence Park. In parallel, a funding strategy is being prepared to attract external investment, with an initial lottery funding application targeted for submission in the autumn. Early-stage design work is also underway, with input being sought from designers and architects to inform the next phase of project development.

Committee REQUESTED that reporting structure and decision-making processes for the project be clarified and presented to the next Community Centre working group meeting.

Streetlighting Project – Installation of new lighting has been completed at both Oxmarket and New Park Recreation Ground. However, some vandalism issues have arisen at New Park, which are currently being addressed by the manufacturer. In response, the manufacturer has designed a modification to the light columns aimed at improving vandal resistance. These enhancements are scheduled for installation next week and will be monitored to assess their effectiveness. The next phase of the project will focus on either the Chichester City–University corridor or the Minerva Heights lighting along St Paul’s Road. As developer obligations exist for this site, efforts will be made to secure funding contributions from the relevant developers to cover associated costs.

Wayfinding and Signage in Chichester – E-ink displays are scheduled for installation next week, with user training planned for this Friday. A consultation will be carried out to gather feedback from users and residents on the content and functionality they would like to see. Collaboration with West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is also underway to explore how these displays can be integrated into the wider wayfinding proposals within WSCC’s public realm scheme.

Performance Stage Project – The final design solution is currently being developed and is expected to be agreed upon imminently.

18. 20MPH ZONES FOR THE CITY CENTRE

Sub Committee reviewed the report from the CO and noted the work required and the commitment that would be needed from members to deliver a successful scheme. Sub Committee RECOMMENDED that the report be presented to Full Council for a decision on if they still wished to pursue this.

19. ITEMS FOR THE NEXT AGENDA

  • Tourism development project – CG to prepare report
  • General update from PM

20. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Date of next Ordinary Meeting – Monday 24 November 2025

The meeting closed at 11.39am.

ACTIONS ARISING FROM THIS MEETING

Minute ref.ActionAssigned to
12Publish meeting time for the Business Plan Sub-CommitteeOfficers
15cPublish the latest Business Plan update on the website and social media channels and prepare an article for the Observer highlighting the key points.CCCSO
16Request Finance Committee to allocate funds from playground improvements to CIL funds reserve.Officers
17Set-up demonstration and workshop of the Project Management Framework and Software.Officers
17Clarify reporting structure and decision-making process for the Community Centre project for the next Community Centre Working Group meeting.Officers
18Place item ‘20mph zones for the City Centre’ on the next Full Council Agenda.Officers
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