Operations Committee

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SHREWSBURY TOWN COUNCIL
Livesey House
7 St Johns Hill
Shrewsbury
SY1 1JD

(Please note this meeting is not recorded)

To Members of the Operations Committee

Councillors D Vasmer (Chairman), J Dean, K Halliday, H Hancock-Davies, V Moore, J Tandy, A Wagner and R Wilson

All other members of the Council for information

Dear Councillor

You are hereby summoned to attend the meeting of the Town Council’s Operations Committee scheduled to take place on Wednesday 5th November at 6.00pm in Livesey House, 7 St Johns Hill, in order to transact the following business.

Meeting Agenda Items

• 1APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

  To receive and accept apologies for absence

• 2DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

  To receive Declarations of Pecuniary Interest in accordance with the Code of Conduct

• 3MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

  To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2025.

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 3 - Operations Committee Minutes 25.09.03

• 4MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING

  To consider any matters arising from previous meetings

• 5BUDGET SETTING PROCESS

  To receive an update from the Town Clerk regarding this year’s budget process and the Committees input into that process.

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 5 - Budget Setting

• 6RECREATION GROUND MATTERS

  1. To receive a general update on Grounds Maintenance
  2. To review requests for solar lighting on Recreation Grounds
  3. To consider a request to re-purpose the old tennis courts at Monkmoor into a pétanque course
  4. To update the Committee on the recent Tree Survey at Castlewalk Recreation Ground and the level of works required.

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 6(i) - Grounds Maintenance Update
  • Agenda 6(iv) - Appendix 1 Tree Risk Assessment - Castlewalk Park Sept 2025
  • Agenda 6(iv) - Appendix 2 Tree Work Recommendations - Castlewalk Park Oct 2025
  • Agenda 6(iv) - Appendix 3 Tree Survey Plan Castlewalk Sept 2025
  • Agenda 6(iv) - Tree Condition Survey Castlewalk Park Shrewsbury October 2025

• 7ASH DIE BACK

  To report into the 4-year Review of Ash Die Back across the Town Council Estate and agree the Ash Die back programme of work for 2025

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 7 - Ash dieback report update 2025

• 8CAPITAL PROGRAMME

  To Review the new Capital Programme for 2025/26.

• 9SHREWSBURY IN BLOOM

  To update members on the Heart of England in Bloom and Britain in Bloom results

• 10STEPPING UP TEAM

  To update the committee on the work of the Stepping Up Team

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 10 - Stepping Up team Report

• 11FUTURE SERVICE DELIVERY

  To provide the Committee with a brief update on discussions around future service delivery and potential resource requirements

• 12NATURE RECOVERY – THE TOWN COUNCIL’S APPROACH

  1. To consider the report into developing a Localised Nature Recovery Plan;
  2. To note the Town Council’s response to the recent Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation

  Attachments:

  • Agenda 12(i) - Town Council Approach to Nature Recovery & Rewilding
  • Agenda 12(ii)- Shrewsbury Town Council Response to LNRS - October 2025

• 13COMMUTED SUMS

  To receive an update on outstanding developer discussions/negotiations:

  • Copthorne Barracks Play and Open Space – offsite contributions to play (£30,498 – £20498 for Shorncliffe Drive & £10000 for Silks Meadow – to be paid on 75% occupancy) and open space (£115,000 for sports pitches & associated facilities at County Ground – paid on 50% occupancy) – funds in relation to landscaping at the County Ground have been drawn down
  • Barratt Homes/Bovis Homes – Mytton Oak Road – Phase 1 adopted; Snagging Phase 2/3 commenced. No identified date for transfer.  Significant work has been made on site and it is hoped transfer will take place later in the year.  The developer has also asked us to adopt the railings on site. Currently working on a snagging list, still awaiting replies over various issues. Identified a further 70 plus trees that need to be replaced and 200 plus transplants.
  • Shrewsbury South Urban
    1. Sutton Grange site – ongoing – likely transfer in 2024/25 – recent meeting with Taylor Wimpey to discuss logistics for transfer. Following a hiatus in work the Technical Director of Taylor Wimpey is pressing adoption.  Solicitors have been appointed to develop transfer documents. Taylor Wimpey have informed us that the order for some of the works has been raised, but have not contacted us regarding a site meeting.
    2. Bellway Homes site – discussion on land adoption and adoption of acoustic fencing. This is very near completion and may be transferred early in 2026
    3. Galliers site – early discussions on land adoption
    4. Community Centre – location on the site
  • Radbrook College site – Open space adoption – officers met with Floreat Homes on site – likely adoption once all phases are complete. A planned site visit has been cancelled by Connexus. A new date will be agreed. We have been informed the site is ready to be transferred.
  • Weir Hill – Agreements to adopt the land at a future time have been signed -meeting with Taylor Wimpey looking at the possibility of the countryside land to be transferred ahead of the POS on the development site. Persimmon has sought solicitors to develop transfer documents and it is hoped transfer will take place later in the year.  Taylor Wimpey are leading on the initial Phase III works and they are keen to have a conversation about the possible adoption of that countryside space so that it links up with Phase I & II land.