Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from:

Howard Bluston - North West London Chamber of Commerce;

Pat Carvalho - Harrow College;

Alan Emm - GE Capital;

Fran Pulford - St George’s Shopping Centre;

Councillor Ben Wealthy.

To agree the minutes of the:

·         Harrow Town Centre Forum Annual General Meeting held on 21 September 2010;

·         Harrow Town Centre Forum Ordinary Meeting held on 21 September 2010.

AGREED: That the minutes of the Ordinary and Annual General Meetings held on 21 September 2010 be agreed subject to the following amendment:

Sergeant Tom Stag to read Sergeant Tom Stagg.

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting.

AGREED: That there were no matters arising.

Report of the Regeneration Project Manager.

Having considered the revised Harrow Town Centre Forum Constitution and Rules, the following amendments were suggested:

·               paragraph 3.4 to read: ‘Non-voting Advisers shall be nominated and may be appointed by a simple majority of the Forum. Each Adviser shall be entitled to appoint one representative at the Forum and may send a substitute to any Forum meeting provided that the Chairperson of the Forum has been notified of the identity of the substitute.  Each Adviser or substitute shall be entitled to attend all meetings of the Forum. The Forum may by a simple majority vote at any meeting to terminate the membership of the non-voting advisers’;

·               paragraph 3.5 to read: ‘The Forum may by a simple majority vote at any meeting to terminate the membership of any member or adviser who it considers has engaged in conduct or activity incompatible with the objectives of the Forum’;

·               paragraph 5.1, to read: ‘The Forum shall meet a minimum of 2 times per annum.  The date for holding each ordinary meeting shall be agreed by the members at the preceding ordinary meeting, or alternatively, upon such date as the Executive shall communicate to each Member by notice in writing sent no less than 21 days before the date upon which such meeting is to take place’;

·               paragraph 6.2.5 to read; ‘Any other business that has been communicated to the Chairperson may be conducted at the discretion of the Chairperson at the meeting’;

·               paragraph 7 to read: ‘The Accounts of the Forum for the previous financial year ended 31 March shall be reported annually to a meeting of the Forum. Proper accounting records should be kept’;

·               paragraph 8.1 to read: ‘At least 21 days before any ordinary meeting, Extraordinary General Meeting or Annual General Meeting, the Executive shall send every member at his or her address as recorded in the Forum’s records, a notice of the time when and the place where the meeting will be held and the business to be conducted’;

·               paragraph 14 to read: ‘ No alteration to these rules may be made except by resolution carried by a majority of two-thirds of the members voting on it’.

AGREED:  that the revised Harrow Town Centre Forum Constitution and Rules incorporate the suggested changes, subject to final approval of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairman.

Report of the Regeneration Project Manager.

The Regeneration Project Manager, Harrow Council, provided an update on the Harrow Business Improvement District.

He advised that:

·               The shadow BID Board had considered options to promote the BID in Harrow Town Centre.  The Board concluded that the BID Company should employ a Development Officer for a six month period to promote it amongst local businesses. At the end of this period, a ballot would be held;

·               as part of the development for the Unilateral undertaking of the Travis Perkins/Neptune Point proposals, a contribution of £25,000 would be made towards the cost of town centre management initiatives in Harrow Town Centre. This funding would only be made available upon commencement of the development.  It was proposed that this contribution, under a Section 106 agreement, could be used to fund the position of the BID Development Officer;

·               approximately £12,000 was available in the Harrow Town Centre Forum budget, which could be used to support the recruitment of a BID Development Officer and for the production of promotional material including the final business plan.

Following a discussion, Members of the Forum suggested:

·               a Member of the Forum could Project Manage the BID Development Officer;

·               Members of the North West London Chamber of Commerce and Harrows Councillors should meet in 2011 to discuss measures of implementing the BID;

·               literature could be designed with the purpose of informing businesses of the benefits of the BID, and mailing it to businesses in the Town Centre.

In response to questions, the Regeneration Project Manager advised that:

·               due to a lack of funding there was no Harrow Town Centre Manager, and no immediate plans to reinstate the post;

·               the BID Development Officer would be required to have a legal understanding of the processes involved in the BID.  Whether the Officer would be a Council employee or recruited externally would be a decision for the Shadow BID Board;

AGREED:  To:

1)           support the development of a BID through the appointment of a BID Development Officer;

2)           support the use of the money from the Travis Perkins development towards the appointment of the BID Development Officer;

3)           use the remaining Harrow Town Centre Forum budget to fund the publication of material related to the BID including the business plan.

Verbal update of the Regeneration Project Manager.

AGREED:  That the item be deferred to a future meeting.

- Police

- Planning

Police - Town Centre Team:

Sergeant Stagg of the Metropolitan Police, Greenhill Safer Neighbourhood Team (Harrow Town Centre Team) advised that:

·               there was an ongoing plain clothed operation currently being conducted in the Town Centre. Initial results had been positive;

·               a ‘Week of Action’ would commence on 6 December 2010 in the Town Centre, with a fire engine, stalls from immigration and trading standards being held;

·               there was historically a slight rise in shoplifting over the Christmas period;

·               there was no apparent involvement of Harrow’s Schools or Colleges in the recent student protests.

AGREED:  That the update be noted.

Officer Updates:

The Head of Major Development Projects provided an update on a number of matters relating to the Town Centre.

Harrow and Wealdstone Intensification Area Action Plan

·               East, an Architecture and Urban Design practice, had put forward proposals for 4 high level development options for Harrow, Wealdstone and Station Road.  These proposals were being presented to numerous business and community forums over the forthcoming weeks;

·               the proposals sought to produce 2,500 new dwellings and 3,000 new jobs over the next 15-20 years;

·               the Station Road road works were due for completion by March 2011. Work would cease over the Christmas period to prevent disruption to trade during this busy time.

AGREED:  That the updates be noted.

Which the Chairman has decided is urgent and cannot otherwise be dealt with.

Christmas Decorations:

Christmas decorations had been erected in the Town Centre. There were no further plans to decorate the Town Centre.

2012 Olympics:

Promotion for the 2012 Olympics would be carried out within the St Ann’s Shopping Centre.

AGREED:  That the items be noted.