Issue - meetings

Cabinet thanked Trevor Banks for his efforts in successfully managing this project.

Cabinet received the survey results and the Leader commented that there were more caravans on authorised plots in South Cambs than anywhere else in the country.  The shortage of approved sites was a national problem as much as it was a local one.  The Development Services Director cautioned against amendments to the recommendation, explaining that the Council would be weakly-placed tactically if it recommended to the Regional Housing Board that allocations should not be made: a better argument would be to demonstrate the existing disproportionate provision.  The revised figure of 110-130 allocations already was lower than had been suggested previously, and there could be room to argue further reductions.

It was noted that the Council’s definition of Gypsy / Traveller included travelling showpeople, and therefore was wider than the government’s definition.

Cabinet

Cabinet thanked Trevor Banks for his efforts in successfully managing this project.

Noted. 

The Committee NOTED a report onemerging official guidance, to be taken into account when preparing the Council’s Supplementary Guidance to the Local Development Framework (LDF) on the future provision of Traveller sites, and on the provisional outcomes of the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey, carried out in partnership with other agencies in the Cambridge Sub-Region.

The Deputy Director of Development Services highlighted paragraph 27 of the report.

Members identified the following as issues in need of attention:

In response to a Member’s question, the Deputy Director of Development Services said that officers were formulating a bid for funding from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of new sites planned within the District, but added that there was no current need for similar funding for improving existing sites.

Cabinet NOTED the provisional findings of the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey as they related to South Cambridgeshire, as set out in paragraph 21 of the report and the appendix; and AGREED

(a)               to instruct officers to make the survey findings available to the Regional Housing Board and, at the same time, make the case as to why not all of the need currently found in the district should be met long-term within the South Cambridgeshire district, as set out in paragraphs 25-26 of the report;

(b)               to instruct officers to adopt the same approach as in (a) above in respect to the Examination in Public of the East of England Plan;

(c)               to use the results of the survey to support any future bids for capital or revenue funding for site provision;

(d)               to refer this report and the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey to the Development and Conservation Control Committee for its information; and

(e)               that the survey output inform the work of the Local Development Framework (LDF) including work on finding suitable locations for sites.

The provisional outcomes of the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey were presented to Cabinet, with a full report due later in the 2005/06 financial year.  The Leader highlighted that South Cambridgeshire had more caravans on authorised private plots than anywhere else in the country and also that it was in the top 10% of all districts for the number of caravans on council-run sites.

The delay in the report had been due to other organisations requesting additional work not included in the contract: the Council had not requested anything outside the original brief.  Details on the other organisations involved would be included in the full report.

Councillor SM Edwards highlighted the concerns of a member of Cottenham Parish Council, who had contacted him regarding Cabinet’s conclusion in September 2005 that the Council did not own any land for land swap purposes, but was now selling off Council land.  Cabinet emphasised that their conclusion in September 2005 was regarding land suitable for land swap, and the Housing Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Council owned odd pockets of land, often locked by other properties or of a size adequate for a garden extension, and it was land such as this being considered for sale.  A report to Cabinet in January 2006 would publish the results of the recent survey of Council-owned land, which could identify some pockets of potentially suitable land, and there was an audit trail demonstrating that the Council’s own policies had been applied to all Council-owned land to confirm whether or not it was suitable for travellers.  The Leader emphasised that anything the Council could do, it would, and expressed his hope that Cottenham Parish Council felt that there was enough openness between the two authorities to contact the Corporate Project Officer for clarification of any of their concerns.

Councillor Mrs DP Roberts voiced her concern that a public report should indicate demand for a further 170-220 Traveller pitches over the next 5 years, which could cause distress in villages, especially if misreported in the local press as a definite figure.  Any press releases would make it clear that the Council did not confuse demand with provision.

Cabinet NOTED the provisional findings of the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey as they related to South Cambridgeshire, as set out in paragraph 21 of the report and the appendix; and AGREED

(a)               To instruct officers to make the survey findings available to the Regional Housing Board and, at the same time, make the case as to why not all of the need currently found in the district should be met long-term within the South Cambridgeshire district, as set out in paragraphs 25-26 of the report;

(b)               To instruct officers to adopt the same approach as in (a) above in respect to the Examination in Public of the East of England Plan;

(c)               To use the results of the survey to support any future bids for capital or revenue funding for site provision;

(d)               To refer this report and the Travellers’ Housing Needs Survey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12