Agenda item

Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council have agreed these amendments at their Council meetings on, respectively, 30 March 2010 and 22 April 2010. The terms of reference will come into effect when all three Councils have agreed them.

The maps are available on the Council’s website at www.scambs.gov.uk/meetings

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Council RESOLVED:

(a)               to approve the amended Terms of Reference for the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee as included in Appendix A to the report; and

(b)               that the Terms of Reference for the Joint Development Control Committee be kept under review and any proposals for revision be brought back to Council when appropriate.

Councillor David Bard, New Communities Portfolio Holder, presented the revised Terms of Reference for the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee, amendments to which had been proposed to include the extended NIAB site, as set out in the relevant Site Specific Policy of the Development Plan Document, within the Joint Development Control Committee responsibilities.  The revisions had already been adopted by Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council, and would come into effect only once all three authorities had agreed to adopt them.

Councillors Tom Bygott and Douglas de Lacey opposed the revised site boundaries as development on the site could see Girton parish become part of Cambridge City, preferring to keep development control of the site solely the responsibility of South Cambridgeshire District Council.  Members noted that rejecting the amendments would require further consultation, delaying the delivery of sites for which applications were expected this year.

Councillor Ben Shelton proposed an amendment, seconded by Councillor Tom Bygott, that only South Cambridgeshire and Cambridgeshire County Councillors have voting rights for development on the NIAB2 site.  Forty-six members registered their presence to vote and, with 14 in favour, 31 against and 1 abstention, the amended motion was REJECTED.

Councillor Bard confirmed that additional lands would be included to allow for landscaping proposals, such as Councillor Bygott’s proposed woodlands or country park between Girton and Cambridge, as well as some of the surface drainage works.  He cautioned that rejecting the revisions would demonstrate to the Council’s partners that this authority was unwilling to work in partnership.

Forty-six members registered their presence to vote and, with 33 in favour, 13 against and no abstentions, Council RESOLVED:

(a)               to approve the amended Terms of Reference for the Cambridge Fringes Joint Development Control Committee as included in Appendix A to the report; and

(b)               that the Terms of Reference for the Joint Development Control Committee be kept under review and any proposals for revision be brought back to Council when appropriate.