Issue - meetings

A report from the Task and Finish group is attached.

Councillor Paul Myers introduced the report and asked members of the Task and Finish Group to outline the findings within each area. It was agreed that further discussion and ‘next steps’ on the Task and Finish Group’s findings would be postponed for a future meeting.

Heritage – Councillors Warrington and Myers

·  Covid has accelerated future trends within this area. Millennials may not want the same experience regarding Heritage as is on offer now.

·  Attractions outside Bath were discussed.

·  For future trends in Heritage in Tourism we can look at cities such as York.

Parking – Councillors Duguid and Elliot

·  In the long term, we cannot rely on parking income. Parking in the centre should move to be a service for residents rather than an income generator.

·  There are some pressures with residents parking. We should move forwards with Residents Parking Zones.

Commercial Estate – Councillor Hodge and Hughes

·  Again, Covid has accelerated trends, footfall in retail is down. We need to fully understand the reason for the shift in behaviour.

·  There needs to be a ‘retail experience’ and the retail estate should be built around delivering that experience. An example is ‘Instagram-able windows’.

·  The city centre nighttime economy must be attractive to a wider range of groups (not just students).

·  We have 1200 properties, we need more detailed information on how this has evolved.

·  We have sought clarification on any incentives being offered.

·  We need to protect income from Property while reducing access to vehicles.

·  We need to support our tenants for the duration of the Covid crisis.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the above upates and to postpone discussion on the next steps to a future meeting of the Panel.