Report of the Director of Development and Director of Communities

This report provides information on the activities and initiatives to support and develop District Centres. The report describes the progress to date following the findings and recommendations of the District Centres Subgroup, and includes an update on the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

The Committee received a report of the Director of Development and Director of Communities which provided information on the activities and initiatives to support and develop District Centres. The report described the progress to date following the findings and recommendations of the District Centres Subgroup, and included an update on the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Background information;
• The District Centre programme;
• Other activity relating to District Centres; and
• The Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development welcomed that the meeting was being held in Gorton to enable Members to see one of the city’s district centres and the investment that was taking place.  He highlighted some of the challenges that district centres had faced and their importance to the city and Manchester residents.

Councillor Hughes, Ward Councillor for Gorton and Abbey Hey, spoke positively about Gorton Hub, which he reported was very well-used and provided a one-stop shop for everything that people needed, commenting that every ward should have one.

Councillor Reid, Ward Councillor for Gorton and Abbey Hey, reported that she was a member of the Hub’s Strategic Board.  She outlined some of the challenges that had been faced in establishing the Hub, the benefits of having multiple agencies based in the same building and working together and some of work that was still in progress, including the GP surgery moving in, establishing a café in the Hub, getting the top floor of the building fully occupied and sufficiency of car parking.  In response to a question from the Chair about what she would like to see next for Gorton district centre, she stated that she would like to see more partners moving into the Hub and for it to be fully utilised and have a buzz about it every day.  She highlighted how well used the library within the Hub was and reported that it would be used as a Warm Hub again this winter.  Noting the levels of unemployment and lower levels of qualifications in the area, she highlighted that Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES) were based in the building but advised that more courses should be available from this site.  The Chair commented that this issue could be discussed further when the Committee considered an item on Work and Skills later in the municipal year.

A Member commented on the challenges of bringing partner agencies together to create something like Gorton Hub, including the challenges relating to NHS Capital Funding, but emphasised that it was important to do this work in order to create something which met the needs of local residents.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development reported that the Council had learnt a lot from this and other projects about working together with partner agencies, emphasising the importance of getting everyone involved from the start of the process.  He informed Members that the establishment of Gorton Hub had increased footfall in the district centre.  He stated that the Council’s role was as an enabler of these kind of projects and that it would try to access funding from a range of sources but that these projects could not be achieved without the involvement of other partners.  He reported that more housing was needed in Gorton and other district centres.

The Strategic Director (Growth and Development) highlighted the importance of health provision, education provision and other social infrastructure, noting that the city’s population had grown considerably, putting demand on existing services.  She advised that an assessment of the broader infrastructure requirements was underway and that, with major projects like Victoria North, the Council was doing what it could to plan this infrastructure from the outset; however, the situation was more complex where there was incremental growth in an area.

The District Centres Programme Manager delivered a presentation which provided an overview of the work on district centres, including specific details of the work in relation to Moston Lane, Wythenshawe, Strangeways and Gorton.

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

• To welcome the progress made on this work, including the depth, breadth and geographical spread of the activity, and that it involved a deep dive understanding of a place;
• The importance of the co-location of public sector partners, the private sector and housing and what levers the Council had to achieve this;
• That footfall data was very useful and could it be shared more widely;
• The importance of getting the basics right, such as street cleaning, repairing uneven pavements and broken signage and people feeling safe;
• The importance of improved public transport, noting the opportunity that bus franchising offered;
• Were predicted demographics taken into account when determining what housing would be built and what facilities an area would need; 
• The amount of work being placed on Neighbourhood Teams and the range of different duties they were expected to cover and whether some of the engagement work with and support for traders should be carried out by a different team; and
• Funding risks and challenges.

The Director of Strategic Housing and Development outlined how the establishment of Gorton Hub had helped to break down barriers with public sector partners and reported that a pipeline of locations for investment was now being mapped out, particularly in areas of population growth.  He reported that the Council was also able to use surplus buildings and available land as levers to get other organisations on board.  The Strategic Director (Growth and Development) highlighted the role of Strategic Regeneration Frameworks, as having a clear vision enabled the Council to align partners behind it and have early-stage discussions.  She stated that the private sector would invest where there was certainty about what was being brought forward.  She acknowledged the Member’s point about sharing the footfall data more widely and stated that officers would look into how this could be done.

The Director of Communities reported that additional investment had been made, including on cleansing in district centres and the city centre, and that Ward Councillors would have influence of how additional spending for their ward was allocated.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development acknowledged a Member’s comments about Levelling Up Funding, commenting that Manchester had not had much success in the first two rounds of funding.  He reported that the Council had invested in District Centres Programme Managers and that Work and Skills Teams were engaging with businesses across the city, providing support and access to grants and funding.  He informed the Committee about the range of data used to inform the Council’s plans, including consultation with residents and Ward Councillors.  In response to a Member’s question about gathering additional data on footfall, such as where people were travelling from and the purpose of their visit, he advised that more work would be needed to understand this better, while commenting that some data could be gathered from other assets such as Libraries, which undertook surveys and gathered information on people accessing their services.  He acknowledged a Member’s comments about the importance of having opportunities for smaller independent traders to grow and develop, for example, starting on a market stall, and about campaigns to encourage people to support small local businesses.

The Strategic Director (Growth and Development) reported that at the start of a piece of work on a Neighbourhood Development Framework or Strategic Regeneration Framework, the Council would undertake an analysis of the current socio-demographics of the area and adjacent areas.  She recognised Members’ comments on transport, highlighting the introduction of the Active Travel Strategy the previous year and reporting that a City Centre Movement Plan was being developed.  She stated that transport across and beyond the city would also need to be looked at, commenting that the plan over time was to see a reduction in car usage and the need for car parking but that public transport had to be reliable, efficient and affordable, with bus franchising providing a good opportunity to address this.  She acknowledged a Member’s comments on the importance of good communication, including during periods when there might not be much visible progress, for example, while the Council was working to identify a development partner, and advised that discussions were taking place with the Communications Team about this.  In response to a Member’s question, she provided an update on the Shared Prosperity Fund and reported that the Council had been informed that there would be a third round of Levelling Up funding and that the Council would want clarity on the criteria but would do whatever it could to access available funding streams.  In response to a question from the Chair, she reported that a Retail and Leisure Study would be undertaken as part of the Local Plan and that this would include a review of how District Centres were defined.  In response to further questions, she advised that, while an analysis of need and demand for development-led interventions was undertaken, consideration also had to be given to where the Council had land assets and was in position to deliver the plan.

A Member requested that a future update include a deep dive comparison between a district centre which had a Development Framework and one which was being proactively supported by the Neighbourhood Team. 

Decisions:

1.            To note the report.

2.            To receive an update report in the next municipal year, including a deep dive comparison between a district centre which has a Development Framework and one which is being proactively supported by the Neighbourhood Team.