We have prepared the business plan for the Weald Centre Project and have held meetings and discussions with TWBC. The Business Plan was submitted in person 16th July. It was discussed at the TWBC Cabinet meeting 17th July.

We are confident that this innovative plan is supported by the majority and that TWBC should now take a constructive involvement in ensuring its implementation for the community.

Thanks to all the visitors to this site for all of the support. This site now gets 14,000 visitors per month.

Here are the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting 17th July 2008 following submission of the WCG Business Plan: [Click on the down arrow to review)

Cabinet was reminded that the Cranbrook community facilities were last considered at its meeting dated 12 June 2008, from which five recommendations had been made. The report before Members updated them on the progress made and the current situation. A letter was tabled for Members’ information that had been emailed to the Chief Executive. It contained allegations towards the Leader and statements that were considered by the Cabinet to be untrue. The Chief Executive confirmed that she would be replying to the letter. The Director of Planning and Development informed Cabinet that a meeting was due to take place on 25 July 2008 with Kent County Council; following which a final draft of the Feasibility Study would be produced for comment. 

{{{this has now been postponed for 8 weeks}}}}

A first draft of an inventory of all public and private assets used as community facilities in Cranbrook and its immediate hinterland was attached to the report at Appendix B. Members were advised that this still required

further detail and the Parish Council would be consulted before a final draft was drawn up. Members requested that the community facilities in Benenden should also be included in the inventory. Officers were asked to include details of the present usage of the facilities listed in the inventory and present a further report to the special meeting of Cabinet on 31 July.

The Director of Planning and Development stated that the Weald Centre Team had been contacted and further advice was given in response to questions that had been submitted. A meeting had been held to discuss the content of the Business Plan, which had been very constructive and positive.

The Weald Centre Business Plan was tabled for Members’ information at the meeting. It was noted that, for audit purposes, external scrutiny of the business model and viability would be required to inform a future Cabinet

decision.

That the Borough Council formally consider the Weald Centre Team’s Business Plan contents and subject it to independent external scrutiny, to ensure that it contains reasonable assumptions and to assess the viability of the proposals for the former Borough Council Office Site; and (2) That a final report be submitted to Cabinet on 3 September 2008. Members are asked to consider the Weald Centre Business Plan, submitted at the meeting which informs the recommendation. The work carrying on in parallel with regard to the Library Site and the inventory of community facilities would also be used as a basis for any future Cabinet decision.

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From Rob Cotrill’s (Business Planning Director) own report to Cabinet:

Members are asked to consider the Weald Centre Business Plan, submitted at the meeting which informs the recommendation. The work carrying on in parallel with regard to the Library Site and the inventory of community facilities would also be used as a basis for any future Cabinet decision.

Risk Management

8. The issues surrounding the future of the office site has provoked a great deal of local public concern. There are clear reputational risks associated with the future of the site. The Council has sought to minimise financial risks by engaging consultants to appraise the external bids and by engaging architects to appraise the viability of the library site proposal.

Environment / Sustainability

11. The existing Council Office building is unlikely to meet the requirements of the EU Energy Performance in Buildings Directive (with an estimated cost of £100k to ensure compliance by 2009). A clear message from the Urban Practitioners report was that any proposal for the redevelopment of the site should take account of sustainability issues. There is also a backlog in excess of £600,000 in outstanding maintenance

Councillor Roy Bullock MBE

The Town Hall

Royal Tunbridge Wells

August 13th 2008

Dear Councillor,

On 16th July the Weald Centre Group delivered for your personal attention at the Town Hall, ahead of schedule, our proposal for a Community Centre in Cranbrook.  Four weeks later we have not received either acknowledgement of its receipt by you, nor your response!

Bearing in mind we were given only 3 weeks to produce a complete Business Plan to compare with the TWBC/KCC Business Plan for a Library/Community facility in Cranbrook, --- still not completed after 13 months of study, we are concerned as to whether your Council is treating our proposal with the  seriousness and speed it warranted and we had assumed it would be granted?

Every line and every item of the Plan was reviewed and explained to Mr Robert Cotterill, Director of  Development and Mr Sean Clarke, Director of Finance, before formal submission of our Plan.  We remain very grateful for the time and admirable advice they gave to assist us.

But, regretfully, the slow schedule and progress of decision-making by the KCC and the TWBC shows a full comparison of the WCG plan with the KCC/TWBC project will not be possible by you for many months ahead.  Indeed no end is in sight.  Nor, with respect, is there visibility of the needed sense of urgency expected by the public in coming to a decision on how to fill the void in community facilities.

With these concerns and taking account of the decline in the national economy,  whilst our funding resources remain intact and likewise our customer demand forecasts, we will, if no decision is forthcoming within twenty-eight more days require to revisit the data we submitted on July 16th.  We are sure you will appreciate this to be reasonable and sensible business practice.  We would appreciate confirmation of receipt of this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Denis East Esq & Sir Kenneth Warren.

Joint Chairmen, Weald Centre Group.

Copy; Cllr Michael Hill OBE.  Kent County Council.

Councillor R. Bullock MBE

The Leader

The Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

The Town Hall

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Kent. TN1 1RS

18th August 2008

Dear Councillor Bullock,

On 13th August the Weald Centre Group sent you a reminder (we have proof of receipt) that since delivery of our bid addressed to you personally on 16th July, a day ahead of the date requested, you had failed to respond.  Another week has gone by.  No response. So we must repeat our concern that in three weeks we may have the need to revisit our bid.

You have told Councillors that the e-mail from Mr Cotterill to us, endorsing the written receipt of delivery of our bid that we had already obtained at the Town Hall, is a response.  This is nonsense unworthy of the leader of a Council.  We are not the ones, as you allege, who have ”problems of internal communication“. Please do not load your own management problems on us.    

In our bid we asked you to collaborate with us to serve our neighbours, your constituents. Why can we not work together? We have massive public support.  Surely the way forward is for the TWBC to engage with us in the  project people want.  Everybody hereabouts is baffled why you are opposed to everything we propose.  As KCC Councillor Roger Manning said;  ”What price democracy?“

Our bid is composed of thousands of voluntary man-hours by voters in the Borough, all with sound records of relevant experience.  It is a fine team. We are supported by the Cranbrook Parish Council, the five churches, by the Business Association, by our County Councillor, by Ann Widdecombe and Greg Clarke whose constituencies overlap our catchment area and by fifty-three local voluntary organizations.  None subscribe to, nor have faith in your plan, in collaboration with the KCC, to tear down Cranbrook’s library and erect an insufficient community facility, to cost £2,000,000, of no advantage compared with our self-financing proposal.

Frankly, we are astounded by your mismanagement of our bid. We know absolutely nothing as to what you are up to.  We hear with amazement that you have no time to meet, at any time in the next month, Cranbrook and Benenden Councillors, --- members of your own Party who want to know what is going on.  So can you please tell us which member of your Council you will allow to act for you?   

We are ready and eager to talk.

Yours sincerely,

Denis East Esq & Sir Kenneth Warren.

Joint Chairmen, The Weald Centre Group.

Copies to; MPs, Borough & County Cllrs for Benenden & Cranbrook, Cllr Michael Hill OBE, KCC,

The Cranbrook Parish Council.