Agenda item

Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Transport Strategy

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council presented the recommendation, which was referred to in the Executive report of 23 November 2021. She said that the strategy was part of a suite of documents that would be coming forward for the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town. The strategy was subject to extensive consultation and would help in providing a green economy and transport system for the public.

 

Councillor Haysey proposed that the recommendations in the Executive report be supported. Councillor Ruffles seconded the proposal.

 

Councillor Redfern felt that this was a difficult decision as the decision had been brought forward before the Stortford river crossing planning application had been decided. She said that if a decision had been made on the river crossing, she would have supported the recommendation as it was an excellent document. She felt that the document assumed that the second river crossing would go ahead. She believed the process was the wrong way round and did not feel she could support the recommendation ahead of a planning decision on the crossing. She proposed an amendment to the recommendation to defer the decision until after the planning application had been decided. Councillor Brady seconded the amended recommendation.

 

Councillor Bell said that the Liberal Democrat Group approved of the document but could not support the policy as a whole as the potential damage of the river crossings had not been explored. She said that the planning application on the council’s website had received hundreds of comments about the potential environmental damage.

 

Councillor Haysey felt that Councillors Redfern and Bell were getting confused between the strategy proposed and the planning application which were not directly related. The strategy was to ensure sustainable transport across the Garden Town. She said that to defer the decision would not make sense as the strategy was for the whole of the Garden Town and not just one road and could not support the proposal to defer. All five councils involved in the Garden Town were putting the strategy through their own committee system.

 

Councillor Curtis said that he did not understand the proposal to defer. He said he did not think it was wise to defer and lose out on an investment opportunity. He said that it was disappointing the objections had not been raised earlier.

 

Councillor Goodeve assured the council that Members would have the opportunity to ask questions when the application came before the Development Management Committee. She urged caution and said that Members should make sure they were not pre-determining their decision on the application.

 

The motion to defer a decision on the recommendation until the planning application had been determined having being proposed and seconded, was put to the meeting and a vote taken. It was declared LOST.

 

The meeting returned to the original motion that had been proposed and seconded.

 

Councillor Wilson said that the Eastern Stort crossing was mentioned in the document as a solution. He said that an inevitable result of the Garden Town would be increased congestion for residents in Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted Abbotts and Sawbridgeworth. He said he could not support the recommendation presented as a survey had not been carried out on wildlife in the area. He said he would like to see sustainability extended to the wildlife and not just transport.

 

Councillor Curtis said that he understood elements of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town were controversial but the District Plan had listed this as a key site for development. He said that the decision could not be delayed as the strategy was required to be in place and felt it should be celebrated.

 

Having been proposed and seconded, the motion was put to the meeting and a vote taken. The motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED - That the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Transport Strategy be endorsed as a material consideration in the planning process for the preparation of masterplans, pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purpose for sites within the Garden Town area.