Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that planning permission had been granted in January 2025 for 10,000 new homes in the Gilston area, alongside provision for two new major roads and bridges and the many facilities required for these neighbourhoods to thrive.

Members were advised that the proposals were of a scale and complexity previously unseen in East Herts and policy DEL4 of the District Plan required the council to monitor its progress annually. The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the Section 106 agreement associated with the planning permission also contained monitoring obligations for the provision of data and information to assist in decision making relating primarily to education, transport and travel planning, and also economic development.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said there were also triggers and milestones for the delivery of onsite infrastructure and the payment of financial contributions towards the provision of offsite infrastructure. She said that to provide a structured approach to the monitoring and delivery of the development, a monitoring framework had been developed.

Members were advised that a review group comprising of Officers from East Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council,  in addition to Officers required in the Section 106 agreement would ensure the co-ordination and oversight of the various monitoring activities.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that this group was not a decision-making body but a means of ensuring that there was co-ordination and oversight between the two signatories of the Section 106 agreement. She said that this allowed for discussion on all aspects of the development between the bodies responsible for monitoring and in some instances for delivery.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that East Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council had obligations in the Section 106 agreement both as individual bodies and in collaboration. She said that it was important that Officers had a safe space in which to conduct these meetings.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the monitoring framework set out the council’s approach to how information about the progress of the development would  be publicised and shared with local communities and other key stakeholders. She said that its objectives were to provide a mechanism for tracking the progress of development throughout the build out of the planning permission to help ensure delivery of homes, infrastructure and mitigations in accordance with the required development milestones and triggers, and a record of delivery.

Members were advised that late comments had been received from the Parishes of Hunsdon and Eastwick and Gilston, after the Democratic Services deadline. The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that the council wished to take the opportunity to respond. As a listening council, the input of local communities was  welcomed and encouraged in respect of all development activities across the district.

Members were advised that the council had established several new forums to facilitate community engagement in matters relating to planning applications and the delivery of permitted schemes. She  ...  view the full minutes text for item 130

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth presented the Gilston Area Monitoring Framework which would be used to monitor the 10,000 new homes being built in Gilston. The S106 agreement contained monitoring obligations with triggers and milestones for onsite infrastructure and payment of financial contributions for off-site infrastructure.

The Executive Member for Planning and Growth said that there was a structured approach with representatives from East Herts Council and Herts County Council to ensure coordination and oversight of the various monitoring activities. She said that once the monitoring framework had been agreed, an annual monitoring report would be produced with the first report published in January 2026.

Councillor Glover-Ward proposed that the recommendations in the report, as amended, be supported. Councillor Brittain seconded the proposal.

Councillor E Buckmaster felt that the report needed more clarification such as a reference to the potential future as a unitary authority. He also said that stakeholders were mentioned but it did not reference elected members and democratic processes. He referred to page 43 which related to land being sold on and said that the community would like assurance that they had the right to be informed when this occurred.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that the developer may wish to have another developer involved and the council could not fetter their commercial decision in that respect. However, the developer had been clear at all community forums that they would stay involved in the process as they were interested in delivering affordable housing and other facilities. She said that she could not see any reason why, once the information was no longer commercially sensitive, the community would not be informed that parcels of land had been sold on to other developers.

Councillor E Buckmaster asked about the rights of members.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that members, along with any stakeholders, will be able to get involved in any Development Management Forums or in Community Forums.

Councillor Dunlop asked if parish councils and Neighbourhood Planning Groups would be involved in the monitoring review group.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that the purpose of the group was more relevant to larger stakeholders such as the Environment Agency. There was a role for parish councils to get involved in the monitoring and in the trust and stewardship group. She said that councillor input was expected in the normal way as they were on the ground and community forums were key and the main conduit for the wider community to input into the developers. 

Councillor Dunlop referred to section 5.3 which related to the continual monitoring to enable issues to be identified beyond the s106 triggers. He felt there should be a business plan around certain targets happening and said it was not clear that this was the case.

Councillor Glover-Ward said any renegotiation would take place directly between the council and developers. She said that she would not expect the community to be at the negotiation meetings.

Councillor Dunlop asked how the Development Management Forums were different to the Community Forums.

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96