Agenda item

The Head of Planning and Building Control submitted a report in respect of the public speaking arrangements to be applied at the meeting (or parts of the meeting) of the Development Management Committee where the Gilston Area outline residential development applications were to be considered.

The Garden Town Leader Officer set out the existing speaking rules for public speaking at Development Management Committee. He also set out the speaking rules that had been in place for the special meeting of the Committee held on 22 February 2022.

Members were advised that the decision which they were being asked to make would relate to the speaking rules which would be in place where the application from Places for People was considered by the committee at its  28 February 2023 (ref 3/19/1045/OUT) and at a future meeting for which the date was yet to be agreed when the application in the name of Taylor Wimpey for the Gilston Area Village 7 (ref 3/19/2124/OUT) was considered

The Garden Town Lead Officer explained that the applications were 3/19/1045/OUT and 3/19/2124/OUT and the proposed speaking rules were as detailed in the report.

Councillor Deering addressed the Committee in respect of this thoughts regarding the existing speaking arrangements and the proposed amended arrangements for the meeting due to be held on 28 February 2023.

Councillor Kemp set out his thoughts on the proposed arrangements. He asked about the possibility of a timed slot for the leaders of the neighbourhood plan group. He also asked about the possible right of reply and the request for further interaction during the meeting.

Councillor Deering explained that there was no right of reply in the committee procedure rules and he believed that the current procedures worked very well. The Legal Services Manager explained that the only matter for Members to determine this evening was the duration of speaking.

The Garden Town Lead Officer said there was a distinction between Neighbourhood Plan Groups and the relevant Parish Councils. Given the interaction with the Hunsdon, Gilston and Eastwick Neighbourhood Plan Group, it was the view of Officers that the same speakers would be able to articulate the points of both sets of organisations.  The view of Officers was that any distinction, if there was any, was not sufficient for Members to introduce further speaking arrangements for the Neighbourhood Plan Group.

The Garden Town Lead Officer said there was a discretionary limit for local ward District Councillors, and this was at the discretion of the Committee Chairman. Members had a general debate in respect of the speaking time and the amount of time they felt was appropriate.

The Legal Services Manager said it was for the Committee to set the time they felt was appropriate and the time allowed should be reasonable and proportionate.

The Garden Town Lead Officer emphasised that whatever arrangements were agreed would need to be applied equally to each of the main categories of speakers. He explained that one of these categories would be reserved solely for Eastwick and Gilston and Hunsdon Parish Councils, in recognition of their significant interaction with the development proposals, with a smaller additional allowance for other Parish Councils.

Councillor B Deering proposed and Councillor C Redfern seconded, a motion that the public speaking arrangements to be applied at the meeting (or parts of the meeting) of the Development Management Committee where the Gilston Area outline residential development applications (ref 3/19/1045/OUT and 3/19/2124/OUT) were considered, would be as follows:

-       those in favour, 12 minutes in total;

-       those in objection, 12 minutes in total;

-       Eastwick and Gilston and Hunsdon Parish Councils, 12 minutes in total;

-       all other Parish Council representatives, 5 minutes in total.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the public speaking arrangements to be applied at the meeting (or parts of the meeting) of the Development Management Committee where the Gilston Area outline residential development applications (ref 3/19/1045/OUT and 3/19/2124/OUT) were considered, would be as follows:

-       those in objection, 12 minutes in total;

-       those in favour, 12 minutes in total;

-       Eastwick and Gilston and Hunsdon Parish Councils, 12 minutes in total;

-       all other Parish Council representatives, 5 minutes in total.