Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

Councillor Taylor declared a personal non prejudicial interest in agenda item 4 (Cultural Quarter – Interim Report) as he was due to start a new job as Marketing Manager for City Screen in York.

Councillor Crisp declared a personal non prejudicial interest in agenda item 4 (Cultural Quarter – Interim Report) as a member of the York Theatre Royal Board.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Committees remit can do so. Anyone who wishes to register or requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer on the contact details listed at the foot of this agenda. The deadline for registering is Tuesday 16 September 2008 at 5.00pm. 

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme on general issues within the remit of the Committee.

To approve and sign the minutes of the first meeting of the Committee held on Monday 21 July 2008.

RESOLVED:             That the minutes of the “Cultural Quarter” Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee held on 21 July 2008 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record subject to the wording in Minute 3 – “Cultural Quarter” Scrutiny Review – Scoping Report – being amended as follows:

List of bullet points on 4^th page of minutes under wording “Members Made the following points”:

First bullet point should read “A cultural quarter should not be a re-branding exercise but the chance to regenerate an area and an opportunity for York to attract finance to support it;

Third to last bullet point should read “ Getting the transport hierarchy correct, ie with pedestrians at the top of that hierarchy

To consider the Interim Report in relation to the review of the topic to examine the ‘Vision’ developed in 2007 for a Cultural Quarter in York, linking the city centre with development sites in York North West. To progress this review the Committee are asked to approve the fact-finding timetable and defer consideration of inviting a representative of another Local Authority to address them.

Consideration was given to an interim report and timetable of events for the Cultural Quarter Scrutiny Review.  The review aimed to contribute towards achieving a long-term direction for the area between the National Railway Museum, York Railway Station and the Minster and to consider any positive and/ or adverse effects on the city.

Officers advised the Committee that Sir Ron Cooke, former Vice Chancellor of the University of York, had now been formally co-opted onto the Cultural Quarter Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee for the duration of the review. The Chairman formally welcomed him to the Committee.

Officers updated that they were still trying to source copies of the book ‘“Cultural Quarter” – Principles and Practice’ by Simon Roodhouse.

Public Drop In session

·        Arrangements for a public drop in session to take place on 4^th November 2008 were underway.

·        Members discussed possible venues, costs and timings.

·        Members discussed the format for the session including possible use of visual aids, questionnaires etc.

·        Officers agreed to arrange a press release closer to the date of the session. ^3.

·        The aims of the session were to engage the public, disseminate factual information on the proposals and encourage discussion on the vision.

·        Members raised the point that care should be taken not to raise public expectations unduly over what could be taken forward.

·        Concerns were raised over the use of the term “cultural” and how it could be perceived and stressed the need to explain it properly.

Visit to Newcastle/Gateshead

Officers had arranged for Members to visit Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council on 23^rd September 2008. The visit would include tours of the Sage Gateshead (live music venue), the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Gateshead Quays and Newcastle City Centre. Members would also have the opportunity to see how the Cultural Quarter has expanded from the original area and meet with Council Officers and Members who had been involved in the process of creating the Quarter.

Investigations into other cities.

At the last meeting of the Committee, Members had agreed to investigate other cultural quarters and provide feedback on their findings at this meeting. The findings are reported below:-

Belfast

Celebrate Belfast was launched in October 2005 and was a 15 month programme of events and activities centred on the programme themes “City Hall Centenary”, Festivals, Cultural Quarters and Sporting Activities. The aim of the Celebrate Belfast Programme was to help stimulate economic activity and contribute to the cultural life in Belfast through increased arts activity, increased tourism and economic activity, increased community activity and a change in the perception of Belfast as a place to live and visit.

Belfast City Council commissioned an independent evaluation of the programme and the report entitled Belfast City Council Evaluation of Celebrate Belfast 2006 Final Report – Draft Version 2 – April 2007” was produced. This outlined the key achievements, additional outcomes, legacy, and future focus. The Executive Summary to the report was appended to the agenda as Annex C. The full report can  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.