Agenda and minutes

Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee - Friday 23 November 2018 10.00 am

Venue: Belvedere Room, Barrow Park Complex, Mount Edgcumbe, Cremyll, Cornwall

Contact: Helen Prendergast/Amelia Boulter Email: democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk

Items

No.

Item

29.

Declarations of Interest

Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

Minutes:

In accordance with the code of conduct Councillor Johnson declared a personal interest as she knew the owner of Miss Ivy Events.

30.

Minutes PDF 74 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2018 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Joint Committee agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2018 subject to the following amendments –

(1)	minute 21 refers – Councillor Mrs Pengelly did not own the chalet it was a relative;

(2)	minute 24a refers – Dr Kate Fellus.

31.

Chair's Urgent Business

To receive reports on business, which in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

Minutes:

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

32.

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2018/19 PDF 453 KB

Minutes:

Sarah Fell (Plymouth City Council) presented the revenue budget monitoring report 2018/19 which provided an update on the financial position of the Park and detailed the key variations to the budget.

The main areas of questioning from Councillors related to –

(a)	the wedding packages available, pricing, advertising and accommodation for wedding guests;

(b)	whether the adoption of the living wage by Cornwall Council would have an adverse impact on the budget;

(c)	the income generated from livestock grazing in the Park;

(d)	the investment required to replace the boiler;

(e)	the subsidy from the constituent authorities.

The Joint Committee was assured that any budget issues would be raised in a timely manner, in advance of the budget settings meetings for both Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council.

The Joint Committee –

(1)	notes the financial position contained in the report together with the risks, issues and any mitigating actions;

(2)	approves the capital proposal to be presented to Plymouth City Council’s Investment Board.

33.

Wonder Nights

Minutes:

Richard Toy provided an overview of the Wonder Nights event that would be held for the first time in the Park during December 2018 and January 2019 following a year of planning for this event.

The key points of the overview included –

(a)	the event had been a least two years in the planning following site visits to other locations that held similar events (such as Longleat and Kew Gardens);

(b)	the event would be open from 4pm and held between 11 December 2018 and 6 January 2019 (excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day) and would take up to two hours to walk through;

(c)	the event would include four main lit areas -


	?	Enchantia – a beautiful woodland glade adorned with Christmas cheer;
	?	Earls Secret Garden – mirage of glowing plants, colourful towering trees and a laser tunnel;
	?	Realm of the Red Flower –a fiery camp deep within the woods;
	?	Grand East Lawn – garden ornaments and formal features adorned with thousands of delicate fairy lights;

(d)	other attractions included a bar, food and shopping;

(e)	ferry services would run from Admiral’s Hard, Stonehouse and the Royal William Yard on a regular basis (the last ferry would be at 9.45pm December 2018 and 9.45pm January 2019 returning to the Royal William Yard).

The main areas of questioning from Members related to –

(f)	whether the light would be able to be seen from Plymouth (which would draw more people in to attend the event);

(g)	how the event had been advertised;

(h)	what demographic sectors were being targeted for this event;

(i)	whether the event would be dog friendly;

(j)	whether there had been engagement with the local councils, parish councils and schools;

(k)	what security measures would be put in place for this event (ie locking the gates, etc);

(l)	whether there were contingency plans should there be adverse weather conditions;

(m)	what branding had been used for this event.

The Chair thanked Richard Toy for his overview of the event.

34.

Commercial Development

Minutes:

Chris Burton (Park Manager) provided the Joint Committee with a presentation on the commercial development opportunities within the Park. This included the refurbishment works being undertaken to Lady Emma’s Cottage, Captain Blake’s Hut and the Orangery Lodge, in order to provide further holiday lets in the Park, progress with tree house and the events which included Wonder Nights, ABBA and Pink Floyd concerts.

The main areas of questioning from Members related to –

(a)	whether the Orangery Lodge was a Listed building;

(b)	the issued with traffic management for the Classic Car Rally;

(c)	the issue of classic cars leaving the event prior to its conclusion;


(d)	the road infrastructure for the Rame Peninsula;

(e)	whether the Park would be involved in the celebrations for Mayflower 400.

The Joint Committee noted the report.

The Joint Committee agreed to invite a Transport Officer from Cornwall Council to address the next meeting to provide an overview of the future infrastructure plans to support the economic viability of the Park (Peter Marsh (Cornwall Council) agreed to action this request).

35.

Park Manager's Report PDF 53 KB

Minutes:

Chris Burton (Park Manager) presented the Park activity report which highlighted the works and activities carried out in the Park which included buildings and Park infrastructure, business development and weddings.

The main area of questioning related to the contingency plans for Brexit.

The Joint Committee noted the report.

36.

Friends of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park Update PDF 44 KB

Minutes:

Neil Rugg, Chair of the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park provided an update on the key areas of work that the Friends undertook in supporting the Park which included financial and practical support and social events.

Neil Rugg raised concerns on behalf of the Friends that –

(a)	requests to provide funding were being made when allocations from the constituent authorities had not been fully utilised;

(b)	there had been a reduction in care of the valuable artefacts contained within the House and general maintenance within the Park.

The Joint Committee was assured that ‘one off’ key items required in the Park, would continue to be addressed by utilising funding outside of the operational budget (such as the recent purchase of the Land Rover).

The key area of questioning from Members related to the maintenance of the artefacts within the House.

The Joint Committee agreed to include an update on the maintenance of the artefacts at the next meeting.

On behalf of the Joint Committee, the Joint Chairs thanked the Friends for their continued and highly valued support.