Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport submitted a report on the Brickendon Conservation Area Appraisal following public consultation.  He detailed the outcome of the public consultation in the report now submitted and advised that some comments had been taken on board.

The Appraisal identified the special character of the Conservation Area together with the elements that should be retained or enhanced and those which detracted from the identified character.  Once adopted by the Council, the Appraisal would become a ‘material consideration’ in the process of determining planning applications.  It would also link into the development of neighbourhood planning.

The Executive supported the recommendations as now detailed.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the responses to the public consultation be noted and the Officer responses and proposed changes to the Brickendon Conservation Area Appraisal be agreed;

(B)      authority be delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with the Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, to make any further minor and consequential changes to the Appraisal which may be necessary; and

(C)      the Brickendon Conservation Area Appraisal be approved for adoption.

The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport submitted a report on the Little Berkhamstead Conservation Area Appraisal following public consultation.  He detailed the outcome of the public consultation in the report now submitted and advised that some comments had been taken on board.

The Appraisal identified the special character of the Conservation Area together with the elements that should be retained or enhanced and those which detracted from the identified character.  Once adopted by the Council, the Appraisal would become a ‘material consideration’ in the process of determining planning applications.  It would also link into the development of neighbourhood planning.

Councillor P Ruffles referred to the work undertaken generally on Conservation Area Appraisals to date and on behalf of backbench Members, wished to place on record their thanks and appreciation.

The Executive supported the recommendations as now detailed.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the responses to the public consultation be noted and the Officer responses and proposed changes to the Little Berkhamsted Conservation Area Appraisal be agreed;

(B)      authority be delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with the Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, to make any further minor and consequential changes to the Appraisal which may be necessary; and

(C)      the Little Berkhamsted Conservation Area Appraisal be approved for adoption.

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the East Herts Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Identification of Potential Sites Study, September 2014.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the East Herts Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Identification of Potential Sites Study, September 2014, be agreed as part of the evidence base to inform and support the East Herts District Plan;

(B)      the East Herts Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Identification of Potential Sites Study, September 2014, be agreed to inform Development Management decisions; and

(C)      in light of the potential site options suggested in the Identification of Potential Sites Study, a joint Member/Officer Working Group be established to take forward the requirement to provide sufficient pitches and plots to meet the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople and to formulate an appropriate policy approach.

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the draft Mead Lane Urban Design Framework.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the issues raised during the public consultation on the draft Mead Lane Urban Design Framework, together with the Officer responses, be agreed;

(B)      in light of the responses received, the suggested amendments to the document be agreed; and

(C)      the Mead Lane Urban Design Framework be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document to the East Herts Local Plan, Second Review, April 2007 (Saved Policies).

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the Neighbourhood Planning Guidance Note.

RECOMMENDED – that the Neighbourhood Planning Guidance Note contained at Essential Reference ‘B’ to the report submitted be agreed and published.

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the Greater Essex Demographic Forecasts 2012 - 2037 Phase 6 technical study.

RECOMMENDED – that the Greater Essex Demographic Forecasts 2012 - 2037 Phase 6 technical study, be agreed as part of the evidence base to inform and support the East Herts District Plan.

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the District Plan Delivery Study Briefing Note from Peter Brett Associates.

RECOMMENDED – that the District Plan Delivery Study Briefing Note from Peter Brett Associates, including the implications for the District Plan timeline, and the updated ATLAS Deliverability Advice Note, contained at Essential Reference Papers B and C of the report submitted, be noted.

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the Duty to Co-operate Update Report.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the notes of Member-level meetings held with Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield Councils, be agreed; and

(B)   the Terms of Reference for the ‘Co-Operation for Sustainable Development Group’ of Authorities, be noted.

(see also Minute 327)

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on the East Herts Resident Survey July 2014.

RECOMMENDED – that the East Herts Resident Survey July 2014, on the Draft District Plan Preferred Options, be agreed as part of the evidence base to inform the East Herts District Plan.

(see also Minute 327)

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the Executive meeting held on 7 October 2014, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

That Stansted Airport be informed that, in respect of its public consultation on its draft Sustainable Development Plan, paragraphs 2.7 to 2.63 of the report submitted form the Council’s formal response.

The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport submitted a report detailing the public consultation by Stansted Airport on its draft Sustainable Development Plan (SDP), which also suggested a formal response to it. 

The draft SDP posed a series of questions in each of four main subject documents.  As many of the issues raised separately were inter-related, it was therefore considered more appropriate to respond as a whole rather than framing it around answering the set questions.

The Executive Member welcomed the positive aspects of the SDP, as the principle of developing a new plan would provide a fresh impetus for improvement at the airport and signalled the current owner’s intentions to continue to revitalise the airport.  However, he drew attention to some questions that remained unanswered, namely, where elements of technical evidence had yet to be completed.  Particular incomplete evidence base areas related to traffic modelling, air quality impacts and land use principles, which were all key elements that would underpin any airport development plan. 

In response to Members’ questions and comments, the Executive Member referred to the Little Hadham bypass scheme and the need to utilise available funds for short-term junction and flood alleviation improvements before any long-term larger scale option would become a reality.  He also commented that the need for widening the M11 from junction 8 towards Cambridge would be made via the District Planning process.

The Executive approved the response as now submitted.

RESOLVED - that Stansted Airport be informed that, in respect of its public consultation on its draft Sustainable Development Plan, paragraphs 2.7 to 2.63 of the report submitted form the Council’s formal response.

That additional resources in the Conservation service area as outlined in the report submitted, be approved.

The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport submitted a proposal to increase the level of resources available to support the delivery of improvement works identified through Conservation Area Assessments.  He referred to the number of such assessments that had been submitted to the Executive in recent months and advised that a number of outstanding assessments were still in the pipeline for reporting in the near future.  To this end, Environment Scrutiny Committee would be asked to look at the progress made to date.

The Executive noted that the proposal would be funded from the “Priority spend” budget which had been established using 25% of the Council’s annual New Homes Bonus funding stream.

The Executive approved the proposals as now submitted.

RESOLVED - that additional resources in the Conservation service area as outlined in the report submitted, be approved.

The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Transport submitted a report on the Tewin Conservation Area Appraisal following public consultation.  He detailed the outcome of the public consultation in the report now submitted and advised that further representations had been received from Tewin Parish Council in the last couple of days.  Therefore, he proposed that the report be deferred to enable further discussions with the Parish Council and the local Member to be held.

RESOLVED – that the report be deferred to enable further discussions before being resubmitted.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, be received.

(see also Minutes 316 – 322 and 328)

The Executive considered and approved the recommendations of the District Planning Executive Panel meeting held on 22 October 2014, on Chapters 20 - 25 of the Draft District Plan Preferred Options.

RESOLVED – that (A) the issues raised in respect of Chapters 20 - 25 of the Draft District Plan Preferred Options, as detailed at Essential Reference Papers B - G to this report, be received;

(B)      the Officer response to the issues referred to in (A) above, as detailed in Essential Reference Papers B - G to the report submitted, be noted; and

(C)      the draft revised chapters, as detailed in Essential Reference Papers B - F to the report submitted, be noted, with decision on their final content being deferred to allow consideration of further technical work and other issues.

(see also Minute 327)

That (A) the budgetary variances set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report be noted;

(B)     the current position for ‘EHPI 181 ­– Time taken to process housing benefit new claims and change events’ that is currently in the ‘red’ for the third consecutive occasion be noted, and the position continue to be closely monitored by Officers in liaison with the Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support;

(C)    a further drawdown of £55k from the Local Plan Reserve to fund additional expenditure on the Local Development Plan as set out in paragraph 2.13 of the report submitted, be approved;

(D)    a capital bid of £30k for essential maintenance on the Council’s Causeway Car Park in Bishop’s Stortford, as set out in paragraph 2.29 of the report submitted, be approved;

(E)     the changes to the capital programme as detailed in paragraphs 2.33 to 2.35 of the report submitted, be approved; and

(F)     the risk controls, as detailed at paragraphs 2.38 to 2.40 of the report submitted, be approved.

The Leader of the Council submitted an exception report on finance, performance and risk monitoring for September 2014.

In respect of ‘EHPI 181 ­– Time taken to process housing benefit new claims and change events’, the Executive agreed that the situation should continue to be closely monitored by Officers in liaison with the Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support.

The Executive approved the proposals as now detailed.

RESOLVED - that (A) the budgetary variances set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report be noted;

(B)      the current position for ‘EHPI 181 ­– Time taken to process housing benefit new claims and change events’ that is currently in the ‘red’ for the third consecutive occasion be noted, and the position continue to be closely monitored by Officers in liaison with the Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support;

(C)      a further drawdown of £55k from the Local Plan Reserve to fund additional expenditure on the Local Development Plan as set out in paragraph 2.13 of the report submitted, be approved;

(D)      a capital bid of £30k for essential maintenance on the Council’s Causeway Car Park in Bishop’s Stortford, as set out in paragraph 2.29 of the report submitted, be approved;

(E)      the changes to the capital programme as detailed in paragraphs 2.33 to 2.35 of the report submitted, be approved; and

(F)       the risk controls, as detailed at paragraphs 2.38 to 2.40 of the report submitted, be approved.