2020 November: Cheadle Town Centre Projects
Cheadle Unite - Comments Re Cheadle Town Centre Projects
A Cabinet Report With Significant consequences for Cheadle Staffs, Main Assets of The South Moorlands Leisure Centre, Cheadle Community Hospital and Main Town Centre car parks including Tape Street car park has been published. This has gone to Call in on the 18th Nov 2020. There are significant reasons for concern.
Cheadle Unite with the support of local residents are starting to piece together the history.
Timeline:
2016 SMDC Asset Management Report (Link here)
In itself doesn’t have to be anything insidious however it details that insufficient funds are going into Leisure Facilities.
And it talks about Asset Realisation (Looking at under utilisation of Car Parks, Reducing or Consolidating Facilities , providing reduced specification facilities)
2017 FMG Consultation Commissioned by SMDC (We haven’ seen this yet – Requested)
Guess this covers all SMDC Assets in some form of Asset release review. Probably Fed into Leisure Centre Options below
2019 Dec 03 Cabinet Report - Leisure Centre Options (Link Here)
Covers across the Moorlands
Talks about replacing South Moorlands Leisure Centre with smaller community pool and fitness Offer.
None of this was flagged to Cheadle Town Council, however the Sentinel published an article in which the Cheadle Mayor apparently passed some comments.
This was around the time of the National election so focus was on that. It certainly never came back to Cheadle Town Council From SMDC or the Mayor.
2019/20 Cushman and Wakefield Consultation Report (Not seen the full Text yet but extracts go into the 2020 Oct 06 below)
This appears to take things further in terms of Cheadle assets and feeds into the Cheadle Town Centre Projects below
2020 Oct 06 Cabinet Report - Cheadle Town Centre Projects (Link here)
At this point is constructed into proposals for 2 Panels and consideration of Options
1) Stakeholder Panel (Contentious – Not Enough Local Representation on the panel by those that use the Facilities, the Town and Hinterlands)
2) Delivery Panel (Contentious – Only the Chair of the Stakeholder Panel is on this panel and is out numbered at least 3:1). Further the document infers inclusion of the Stakeholder panel is optional (The Deliver Panel ‘May Refer to the Stakeholder Panel’)
3) Prescribed Options Are Presented for the Leisure Centre (With no option to retain / refurbish the existing Leisure Centre), Options to Build on Tape Street Car Parks and Various Options for The Community Hospital. Considered controversial.
4) The Report muddles together the High Street Regeneration (Which the Town Council knew About) with Contentious plans for The Hospital , Leisure Centre and Main Car Parks (Which at least the majority of The Town Council did not know about)
5) The Report is later presented as urgent and we need to get on with this.
6) No Consultation has yet taken place with the Community and there is real concern this is an Asset Strip.
2020 Oct ? The Report is called in by Councillor Linda Malyon, Peter Wilkinson, Kate Martin, Ian Whitehouse, Ian Plant and Gary Bentley (see below).
2020 Oct 19th Cheadle Full Town Council Meeting and Visit by SMDC Occurs over Zoom.
Cllr Sybil Ralphs and Chief Exec Andrew Stokes and Executive Neil Rogers attend Cheadle Town Council.
Cllr Ralphs gives a Statement/Presentation regarding the 2020 06 Cabinet report above and assures public that nothing is set in stone the objective is only to set up 2 boards at this time and no options are off the table. However the cabinet report is the official Council position so the above numbered concerns remain.
As only 10 General Public were admitted to attend the meeting by written request and only 2 Residents submitted questions in a very short timeframe, we have produced a full transcript of an off air recording of Agenda Items 5 &6 with highlights in Bold. The Town Council would not agree to creating a full written document as part of the minutes despite a request. However they did agree not to destroy the Zoom recording as was originally stated.
The Full transcript (Link here)
A compilation of reasons from Cheadle Residents for objection was presented By Cllr Greg Powell to the 6 call in councillors and later the Scrutiny Panel
(Link Here).
2020 Nov 18th Call in to Scrutiny Panel
The Call in above goes to the Scrutiny Panel.