Agenda and minutes

To agree the minutes of the Committee meeting held on 2 February 2012 as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2012 be agreed as an accurate record.

To agree the final draft of the Area Plan.

The Committee considered the draft Wood Green Area Plan setting out the areas priorities for 2012/13 and centred on a number of key concerns including community health, regeneration and young people. Members expressed concern that the tabling of the Area Plan document at the meeting had prevented the Committee and attendees of the Forum from having sufficient time to read and comment on the document. Officers apologised for the late distribution of the papers and the Assistant Director of Planning agreed to raise the issue at the next Place and Sustainability directorate management team meeting. Additionally, it was emphasised that the version of the Area Plan provided was not the final draft and that Members still had the opportunity to make amendments. The final version would be provided for sign off at the next Committee meeting in June.

The Committee provided general comments that the Plan should be more concise and clearly aligned with the priorities of the Forum and to operate as a more aspirational document for the area. It was also requested that air quality be included as an issue for future focus within the Plan.

19 June (provisional)

The next meeting was scheduled for 19 June and would be held if possible at a venue in Woodside ward. Potential themes for the meeting were discussed and it was proposed that the regeneration of Wood Green could be a suitable topic. The meeting could potentially be run as a workshop session covering the various plans and schemes currently in development for the town centre area such as the Town Centre Strategy and plans to improve the streetscene and transport arrangements on the High Road etc. It was recognised however that this would be dependant on the timetabling for these key pieces of Council work and as a result that this might need to be deferred to a meeting later in the year.  

The Committee discussed a number of issues that had been raised during the Forum and confirmed further actions. Cllr Strickland agreed to seek clarification on the allocation of tickets via Ticketmaster for the Olympic Torch event at Alexandra Palace as it had been suggested during the Forum that other boroughs had managed to ringfence their allocations to borough residents. Cllr Strickland would also check the feasibility for large screens showing the Olympics to be erected in public spaces in the borough such as Ducketts Common.

The Committee were advised of a £450 underspend to the Making the Difference funds allocated to the area to support local community projects. The Chair had sought the views of attendees during the Forum part of the meeting on how the surplus money should be allocated. Two suggestions had been put forward: allocating further funds to Parkside Malvern Resident’s Association for their Community Garden Project and the re-instatement of Dolly Popes plaque to the bench outside Wood Green bus garage.

RESOLVED

That the Chair approve the final allocation of the underspend to the two projects proposed above.