Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - South Cambs Hall. View directions

Contact: Ian Senior  03450 450 500

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chairman

Minutes:

Jo Mills, Planning and New Communities Director at South Cambridgeshire District Council, was in the Chair for this item.

 

Councillor Philip Read nominated Councillor Tim Wotherspoon as Chairman of the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee.  This was duly seconded and, there being no further nominations, Councillor Tim Wotherspoon was elected Chairman of the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee for the remainder of the civic year 2013-14.

Councillor Tim Wotherspoon took the Chair.

2.

Appointment of Vice-Chairman

Minutes:

Councillor Ray Manning nominated Councillor Philip Read as Vice-Chairman of the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee.  Councillor Lynda Harford seconded this and, there being no further nominations, Councillor Philip Read was appointed Vice- Chairman of the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee for the remainder of the civic year 2013-14.

3.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Interests were declared as follows:

 

Councillor Trisha Bear

No declarable Interest at this meeting but considering the matter afresh.

 

Councillor Brian Burling

Non-Pecuniary Interest as a member of Over Parish Council and, as a South Cambridgeshire District Council representative, of Swavesey Internal Drainage Board.  Councillor Burling grazes cattle either side of Swavesey Drain and further downstream.  Considering the matter afresh.

 

Councillor Lynda Harford

Non-pecuniary interest as Vice-Chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Planning Committee.

 

Councillor David Jenkins

Non-pecuniary Interest as a member of Cambridgeshire County Council and of Histon & Impington Parish Council.  Considering the matter afresh.

 

Councillor Phil Read

Non-pecuniary Interest as a member of Cambridgeshire County Council and of that Council’s Development Control   Committee. Considering the matter afresh.

 

Councillor Tim Wotherspoon

Non-Pecuniary Interest as a member of Cottenham Parish Council, Cottenham Village Design Group, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Twentieth Century Society, Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee, and the Old West Internal Drainage Board.  Councillor Wotherspoon had publicly endorsed the OWIDB’s representations but stated that, should any new information become apparent about surface water drainage, he would consider it afresh.  Considering the matter afresh.

 

4.

Apologies for Absence

To receive apologies for absence from committee members. 

Minutes:

Councillors Mike Mason (Cambridgeshire County Council) and Alex Riley and Edd Stonham (South Cambridgeshire District Council) sent apologies for Absence.

5.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 47 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2013 as a correct record. 

Minutes:

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee authorised the Chairman to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2013 as a correct record, subject to the following amendment:

 

Minute 40 – Declarations of Interest

The section relating to Councillor Philip Read should have referred to his Chairmanship of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Development Control Committee, not its Scrutiny Committee.

6.

Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990: Phase 1 Planning Application pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee received a report informing Members about progress with the Phase 1 planning application for Northstowe and, in particular, the provisions in the agreed Legal Agreement made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. 

 

The Chairman announced that lawyers acting on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC), Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and Gallagher had now reached agreement over all outstanding drafting points.  The Planning Lawyer added that the next step was to circulate the engrossed Agreement with a view to formal completion as soon as possible.  Once the Section 106 Agreement had been completed, it would be possible to issue the Northstowe Phase 1 Decision Notice.

 

The Planning Lawyer referred Members to the Summary of the Agreement attached to the report as Appendix 1 and presented the full document as a document circulated at the meeting.  He highlighted its similarity to the draft previously considered by Members at the meeting held on 19th March 2013.  The principal changes related to:

 

  • Household Waste Recycling
  • Governance
  • A reduction of £10,000 in financial contribution towards temporary waste facilities from £34,000 to £24,000

 

He explained the relationship between the payment of monies by Gallagher to South Cambridgeshire District Council and works to be carried out by Gallagher instead of payment.  He pointed out that it was still unclear as to who would provide the Community Centre.  For that reason, Schedule 8 of the Section 106 Agreement set out four alternative options.  In those cases where Gallaghers were to carry out works instead of paying monies to the District Council, maximum payment levels had been agreed.  With regard to the Agreement as a whole, a cost cap of £30 million had been agreed, subject to clauses 29.2 to 29.10 inclusive.  All parties would aim to work towards cost savings amounting to circa £3.25 million to be used to reduce the difference between the levels of community infrastructure considered as necessary to render the Phase 1 planning application acceptable in planning terms. and that offered by Gallagher. 

 

The Planning Lawyer highlighted the trigger points set out in the Section 106 Agreement.

 

In terms of Affordable Housing, the agreement provided for 20% (300 units) across Phase 1.  There would be a minimum of 13 development parcels of which not more than three would contain no Affordable Housing element.  The remaining parcels would each contain between 15% and 25% affordable dwellings in clusters, each consisting of between 15 and 30 units.  Across the ten parcels containing Affordable Housing, there would be 12 clusters. Within each development parcel, the proportion of affordable units would be 40% shared ownership and 60% rental, subject to variation in each parcel but not across Phase 1 as a whole.  The Agreement provided that Affordable Housing should be built to Code for Sustainable Homes level 4 and be indistinguishable in appearance from the market housing.  Councillor David Jenkins said there should be more certainty as to the proportion of Affordable Housing within each  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Education proposals: Phase 1

Minutes:

Clare Buckingham (Cambridgeshire County Council) gave Members a verbal update on the latest proposals for primary and secondary education at Northstowe. 

 

Until completion of the community centre, the primary school would provide facilities for community use.  For a period of up to three years, the primary school would also provide accommodation for secondary education.

8.

Highways Agency: Consultation update and scoping note on transport assessment

Minutes:

Tam Parry (Northstowe Transport Officer), Jeremy Damrel and Thomas Darcy gave Members a verbal update on A14 consultation and enhancement measures. 

 

Councillor Ray Manning and Councillor Philip Read stressed the need to pay urgent attention to the state of the B1050 given its significance to Phase 1 of Northstowe.

 

County Councillor John Reynolds attended the meeting as an observer.  His major concern was to ensure that the A14 proposals were resilient.

 

The Chairman noted these concerns but said it was important not to allow uncertainty over the A14 to hamper the scheduled build out of Northstowe Phase 1.  He thanked the Highways Agency for explaining the current position and intended programme.

 

9.

Proposed times and dates of future meetings

Meetings are currently shown online as being at 10.00am on the following Wednesdays:

2014 - 19 February, 26 March*, 23 April*, 28 May

 

Officers recommend that the Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee continues to meet on Wednesdays as follows:

2014 - 25 June*, 30 July, 27 August, 24 September, 29 October*. 26 November* and, provisionally, 17 December

2015 - 28 January, 25 February, 25 March and 27 May (Council Chamber not available in April due to Elections)

 

Of the 15 dates listed above, the five marked * are likely to clash with Executive Management Team meetings at South Cambridgeshire District Council.  EMT is an officer-only meeting starting at 9.30am, and attended by the Planning and New Communities Director. 

 

Members are asked to consider this clash when deciding when Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee meetings should begin: 10.00am or 2.00pm.

Minutes:

Members noted the dates of Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee meetings remaining in 2013-14.

 

The Northstowe Joint Development Control Committee

 

1.    endorsed the following dates (Wednesdays) in 2014-15:

 

25 June, 30 July, 27 August, 24 September, 29 October, 26 November and, provisionally, 17 December

2015 - 28 January, 25 February, 25 March and 27 May (Council Chamber not available in April due to Elections)

 

2.    agreed that, with effect from February 2014, Committee meetings should start at 2.00pm.

 

 

Letter from the Environment Agency

This item was not included on the agenda.  This note does not form part of the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2014.

 

Officers distributed, at the meeting, copies of a letter from the Environment Agency.  Councillor Brian Burling expressed concern at the Environment Agency’s approach towards carrying out effective maintenance at Chain Ditch.  He had further concerns relating to Webbs Hole and the implications of future development at Cambourne. Further concerns about the Environment Agency were raised by Councillors Ray Manning and Philip Read.

 

Councillor Manning offered to write to the Environment Agency, in his capacity as Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, conveying these concerns and seeking a considered response.