Tuesday 14th March, 2023
Colchester City Council will be presenting an update on the Town Deal at the Scrutiny Panel meeting to be held at the Town Hall on March 15th.
The report provides an update on the performance of the Town Deal, which is managed by the independent We Are Colchester Board.
We are Colchester was established in January 2020. It is made up of a board chaired by an independent person and includedswhat the Council claims are “key organisations.”
The Council is the accountable body for the funds provided by the Government.
The Town Deal is part of the Government’s Levelling Up initiative, and Colchester was one of 101 English towns invited to submit a Town Investment Plan (TIP) and bid for up to £25m.
The TIP for Colchester was submitted to the Government on October 29th, 2020, and an £18.2m award was made to Colchester in March 2021.
The TIP covers the wider urban area of Colchester and focuses on six key areas, including local transport, digital connectivity, urban regeneration, planning and land use, arts, culture, and heritage, skills infrastructure, and enterprise infrastructure.
The report shows that during the Winter of 2021/2, officers and partners developed detailed Business Cases for each project.
These Business Cases were reviewed by the Council’s Section 151 Officer. The development of these Business Cases resulted in all projects being assured sound and viable to progress.
The report also raises some doubts. There is a concern on the delayed St Nicholas Square project becoming a precedent which might be replicated in other projects.
There is also a worry over the failure to achieve necessary land acquisition in Greenstead.
The report also provides an update on the progress of several other projects, including Jumbo, Essex County Hospital and the Holy Trinity Church.
Jumbo is managed by the North Essex Heritage. The design consultants have been appointed and the Trust have passed the first stage towards a full bid to the Heritage Lottery fund.
The re-tender for the construction contract at Essex County Hospital funded by closed on 27 January 2023. Colchester City Council claims there has been “encouraging levels of interest.”
There has been a delay with Holy Trinity Church:
“Our lead partner for this project, Community360, have paused their involvement while urgent repairs to the building are carried out. There was a delay to these works commencing, but listed building consent has now been granted and so these will commence shortly.”
The report mentions the progress of the Town Centre to Greenstead and University Walking and Cycling Link project, and the Transformed Youth Facilities project.
Initial engagement work with stakeholders for Link the has taken place. Public consultation focused on the prioritised sections of the route which are the High Street and East Hill. Land rights over the Moors section are being clarified.
Construction work on Stanway and Highwoods Youth Centres is now expected to complete by Summer 2023.
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