Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of City Development setting out the terms of the Government’s Future High Street Fund and how it could help to facilitate the city’s inclusive growth ambitions by supporting new investment and regeneration within Leeds’ district centres and local high streets.

The Director of City Development submitted a report setting out the terms of the government’s £675m Future High Street Fund and how it could help to facilitate the city’s inclusive growth ambitions by supporting new investment in physical infrastructure to support the regeneration, resilience and sustainability of Leeds’ district centres and local high streets.

It was noted that whilst the 26^th December 2018 publication suggested that only one bid could be made, the additional guidance published on 7^th February 2019 increased the number of bids to five.

In discussing the proposed approach to the submission of expressions of interest for the two bidding rounds announced, the Board supported the recommendation for Armley Town Centre to be submitted by the 22nd March 2019 deadline. In considering the second bidding round, anticipated in 2020, the Board noted a request to conduct wider engagement with Members and external stakeholders and emphasised the importance of securing the benefits of regeneration for the wider community. Additionally, a request to submit progress reports on the second bidding round at the appropriate time was noted.

Appendix 1 to the report included a map showing Neighbour Priority Areas, Wards and Local Centres with the detail of the assessment of the local centres in the priority wards included at Appendix 2.

RESOLVED -

a)  That the approach to the assessment and shortlisting of local centres for their potential to meet the criteria for success under the Future High Street Fund, as outlined in paragraph 3.5-3.6 and Appendix 2 of the submitted report be endorsed.

b)  That approval be given for submission of an expression of interest to the Future High Street Fund for Armley Town Centre on or before 22^nd March 2019.

c)  That officers be instructed to begin an engagement exercise with Members and external stakeholders to inform the Council’s proposals for the second round of the Future High Street Fund.

d)  That approval be given to exempt the resolutions arising from this report from the ‘Call-In’ process, on the grounds of urgency, as detailed within sections 4.5.1 to 4.5.3 of the submitted report.

(The Council’s Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules state that a decision may be declared as being exempt from the Call In process if it is considered that any delay would seriously prejudice the Council’s, or the public’s interests. In line with this, the resolutions contained within this minute were exempted from the Call In process, as per resolution (d) above, and for the reasons as detailed within sections 4.5.1 – 4.5.3 of the submitted report)