Motion from Councillor Peter Topping
This Council notes with some concern the five year land supply and housing trajectory calculations as they apply to South Cambridgeshire District Council that have been approved by one member of the administration, outside of any council meeting, or meeting to which councillors could have been invited to be briefed.
In particular, the Council notes that the five year land supply is now calculated to be 5.3, down from six, according to the Council’s own report published on 6 November.
The Council considers the proposed consultation on this issue – which is to send comments by email to the Director of Planning for the Council - to be insufficient in terms of challenge and discussion by elected members, given how important this issue is to all of our villages and towns and their residents, who are rightly concerned with the impact of speculative development.
Therefore, this Council calls on the Lead Members for Housing and Planning to offer to, and attend with, members of this Council, a meeting and full briefing on the issue, to be arranged during the month of October. The purpose of the meeting would be to provide transparency on how the calculations have been arrived at, and to enable discussion, testing and challenge of matters such as the confidence rating attached to specific parts of the overall assessment.
Decision:
The following motion was LOST:
This Council notes with some concern the five year land supply and housing trajectory calculations as they apply to South Cambridgeshire District Council that have been approved by one member of the administration, outside of any council meeting, or meeting to which councillors could have been invited to be briefed.
In particular, the Council notes that the five year land supply is now calculated to be 5.3, down from six, according to the Council’s own report published on 6 November.
The Council considers the proposed consultation on this issue – which is to send comments by email to the Director of Planning for the Council - to be insufficient in terms of challenge and discussion by elected members, given how important this issue is to all of our villages and towns and their residents, who are rightly concerned with the impact of speculative development.
Therefore, this Council calls on the Lead Members for Housing and Planning to offer to, and attend with, members of this Council, a meeting and full briefing on the issue, to be arranged during the month of October. The purpose of the meeting would be to provide transparency on how the calculations have been arrived at, and to enable discussion, testing and challenge of matters such as the confidence rating attached to specific parts of the overall assessment.
Minutes:
Councillor Peter Topping moved and Councillor Nick Wright seconded the following motion, as set out in the agenda:-
“This Council notes with some concern the five year land supply and housing trajectory calculations as they apply to South Cambridgeshire District Council that have been approved by one member of the administration, outside of any council meeting, or meeting to which councillors could have been invited to be briefed.
In particular, the Council notes that the five year land supply is now calculated to be 5.3, down from six, according to the Council’s own report published on 6 November.
The Council considers the proposed consultation on this issue – which is to send comments by email to the Director of Planning for the Council - to be insufficient in terms of challenge and discussion by elected members, given how important this issue is to all of our villages and towns and their residents, who are rightly concerned with the impact of speculative development.
Therefore, this Council calls on the Lead Members for Housing and Planning to offer to, and attend with, members of this Council, a meeting and full briefing on the issue, to be arranged during the month of October. The purpose of the meeting would be to provide transparency on how the calculations have been arrived at, and to enable discussion, testing and challenge of matters such as the confidence rating attached to specific parts of the overall assessment.”
Councillor Peter Topping expressed concern that the Council’s five year land supply was calculated to be 5.3, down from 6. He stated that decisions had been approved by a single member of Council and not in a meeting, where questions could have been asked and risks assessed.
Councillor Nick Wright commented that after 18 months, the five year land supply was falling rapidly and the Council should be given an opportunity to work together to address this.
Upon the motion being put, votes were cast as follows:
In favour (10):
Councillors Ruth Betson, Dr. Shrobona Bhattacharya, Tom Bygott, Graham Cone, Sue Ellington, Deborah Roberts, Peter Topping, Bunty Waters, Heather Williams and Nick Wright.
Against (23)
Councillors Henry Batchelor, John Batchelor, Anna Bradnam, Dr. Martin Cahn, Dr. Claire Daunton, Clare Delderfield, Neil Gough, Jose Hales, Bill Handley, Philippa Hart, Dr. Tumi Hawkins, Pippa Heylings, Steve Hunt, Peter McDonald, Brian Milnes, Dawn Percival, Judith Rippeth, Bridget Smith, Hazel Smith, Dr. Ian Sollom, Dr. Aidan Van de Weyer, John Williams and Eileen Wilson.
Abstain (3)
Gavin Clayton, Dr. Douglas de Lacey and Peter Fane,
The Chairman declared the motion to be LOST.