Agenda and minutes

To receive Apologies for Absence from Committee members.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Bridget Smith.

Regarding agenda item 4, the committee was informed of the following:

·       Councillors Henry Batchelor and Mark Howell were both county councillors and as such they had been part of the County Council’s decision making earlier in the year, regarding the JDCC.

·       Councillor Douglas de Lacey was the Chair of the current Joint Development Control Committee.

·       Councillor Claire Daunton was the Vice Chair of the current Joint Development Control Committee.

To authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 2 June 2020 as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 June 2020 were agreed as a correct record.

The Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development presented the report which sought agreement to the establishment of a new committee (the Greater Cambridge Joint Planning Committee) and set out the proposed terms of reference for the new joint committee to come into effect from 1 August 2020. The key changes to membership, scope and geography were explained. Approval of the formal dissolution of the existing JDCC from 1August 2020 was also sought.

The Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development informed the committee that Cambridge City Council’s Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee had discussed the proposals and wished to make the following changes to the terms of the new joint committee. These resolutions would be discussed by Cambridge City Council’s Civic Affairs Committee:

·       The existing name of the committee be retained (Joint Development Control Committee).

·       The appointment of the Chair and Vice Chair to alternate annually between the two councils.

·       County Councillors to be able to attend and address the committee.

·       The number of members to be increased from three to six per council, which reflected the existing arrangements for the Joint Development Control Committee.

Civic Affairs Committee members discussed these proposals and indicated their support for them.

The following amendment to recommendation 4, was agreed by the committee (amendments are shown in bold text):

To authorise the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Joint Development Control Committee, to decide whether to refer any development control matters for determination by the new joint development control committee, where the boundary of the site concerned overlaps or is adjacent to the boundary between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The draft standing orders of the new joint committee were discussed by the Civic Affairs Committee. It was suggested that votes of the new committee be recorded for the benefit of transparency. As it was for the new joint committee to agree the standing orders, this request would be conveyed to the new committee for consideration.

The Civic Affairs Committee recommended to Council that:

1.    On the withdrawal of the Cambridgeshire County Council to dissolve the JDCC between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council as surviving members, pursuant to section 101 (5) Local Government Act 1972 and cease all delegations to the same with effect from 31 July 2020; and

2.    To establish a new joint planning committee between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council (to be called the Joint Development Control Committee) with the Terms of Reference as set in Appendix A subject to the number of members from each council to be increased from three to six, and to delegate functions to the joint committee and officers as set out therein, pursuant to section 101(5) and section 102 Local Government Act 1972 with effect from 1 August 2020.

3.    To agree that ongoing planning matters or any other continuing actionwhich would otherwise fall to be determined by the JDCC will,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Monitoring Officer presented this report which invited the committee to note the progress made on outstanding Code of Conduct complaints and the conclusion of cases since the last meeting. He informed the committee that there had been an additional complaint against all members of Coton Parish Council and that following consultation with the independent person, the complaint relating to Linton would not be going forward.

The committee noted the report.

To note that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at 10am.

The committee noted that their next meeting would be held on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at 10am.