Issue - meetings

The Senior Economic Development Officer – Pleasley Vale, updated Members on the progress of the Pleasley Vale Regeneration Programme.

It was noted that the Council was fully committed to ensure that Pleasley Vale Mills and parkland was preserved and enhanced for future generations. Currently the Business Park was approximately 85% occupied, however, the rents alone did not cover the extensive capital repairs required to maintain and improve the buildings and land.

The site at Pleasley Vale was located along the river Meden and contained a number of ponds and other water sources. Flood Modelling was commissioned in 2021 to identify the position of the Flood Zones in relation to the built structures and natural environment.

Following submission of the data, the Environment Agency was appointed to

commission a formal Review of the modelling to confirm the position of the Flood Plane and inform the principle of development. The first review received in August 2023 identified a number of errors in the data and confirmed that the 2021 modelling was out of date and needed to be re-run.

The two Grade II Listed Gatehouses were currently vacant and falling into a state of decline. In order to accurately assess the amount of work required to renovate the Gatehouses, a fully costed Schedule of Repairs and Improvements for Renovation document was commissioned by Smith and Roper in April 2023. This identified that the Coach House required £95,500 of repairs and Gardeners Lodge required £151,300 of repairs.

Residents of Pleasley Vale were engaged in the project and were regularly updated during their Residents Association meetings, where the project manager had attended to provide updates and listen to their views. Residents had also been actively involved in creating a digital, historic archive of Pleasley Vale, through their extensive collection of photographs, other memorabilia, and personal memories.

A feasibility study had been undertaken to confirm the costs and build implications of installing electric vehicle charging points at Mills 1 and 3 and was in the final stages of confirming the costs of delivery.

A Biodiversity Strategy would be commissioned to confirm the ecological baseline of the site, to identify areas which required improvement and to provide a management plan to ensure that enhancements were made.

Leisure Services had identified the silt levels within the Mill Pond had a potential health and safety implication for delivery of their activities. Costs and implications associated with draining the pond, removing, and disposing of the silt, carrying out repairs to the dam wall and reinforcing banks of the pond had been assessed. To date, no business case or report had been taken to Council to request the additional funding needed to carry out these works to support the delivery of the activities on the Mill Pond.

Moved by Councillor Duncan Haywood and seconded by Councillor Jeanne Raspin

RESOLVED that the report be noted.