Agenda

A new planning application system has been installed and went live on 26th July.  Like its predecessor, the new system enables the public to search for planning application information via the web.  For a few days last week, we experienced a technical problem with part of this search facility.  The search facility was always available but some of its options were not. Those problems have now been resolved by our IT team and our supplier and the search facility is now working again.

The Council has made Community Orchards a priority action this year and is supporting local people establish or restore one in their area.  We aim to help six projects get up and running in 2010/11, but the more that can be achieved the better. Orchards need to have at least five trees and be accessible to the public to qualify for support.

Orchards are part and parcel of South Cambridgeshire’s landscapes and heritage, and give us beautiful spring blossom, distinctive varieties of fruit and havens for wildlife. They can create attractive places, dappled with sun and shade, and teach children about where food comes from and healthy eating.

Community orchards bring people together - everyone can contribute something - and give villages the chance to see an orchard grow and mature over time.

Community orchards are very much local projects run by local people. The community takes the lead, sets up an orchard group or enlists an existing group to organise the project, and arranges the planting and maintenance.

We will provide general advice and flag-up sources of guidance (for example on planting, tree care or involving communities) and funding (including our own grants). 

Enclosed is a copy of our Community Orchards leaflet that gives an introduction to:

• Getting started
• Choosing a site and trees
• Caring for your tree
• Involving your community
• Grants
• Sources of further information

Also enclosed is an article on Community Orchards from the Autumn South Cambs Magazine.

The leaflet, article and other information is on our web site www.scambs.gov.uk/CommunityOrchards. For more advice contact our Ecology Officer on (01954) 713402.  

The Rural Services Network is a group of over 250 service providers and local authorities working to establish best practice across the spectrum of rural service provision. The network has representation across the complete range of rural services.  For general comments or enquiries, email: editor@ruralcity.co.uk 

To view the list of planning applications submitted in the past seven days, please visit the Council’s on-line Planning Application Search.  Once the page has loaded, select the Planning Weekly List option to see planning applications determined or registered each week for the past ten weeks, or use the Search option to set your own criteria.

The system will provide a range of information on current and decided applications since 1948, including a brief description of the development, reference number, decision and the date of decision.  More recent applications show the name and telephone number of the council officer who is dealing with the application.

Search results are presented in a collection of pages, the number of which depends on the number of results your search produces.  There are navigation tools to allow you to browse your results.

In accordance with the Access to Information Procedure Rules in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, any executive decision shall be published normally within five days of being made.  That record will bear the date on which it is published and will specify that the decision will come into force, and may then be implemented, on the expiry of 5 working days after the publication of the decision, unless called in for review by the Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or by any five other councillors.

A list of decisions currently within the call-in period is available on the Council’s website.

Any member considering calling in a decision is requested to contact the Democratic Services Section to determine whether any relevant amendments have been incorporated.

The call in procedure is set out in full in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, ‘Scrutiny and Overview Committee Procedure Rules’. 

Agendas

·                      Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder's Meeting 17 August 2010

Decisions

·                      Planning Committee 04 August 2010

Minutes

·                      Climate Change Working Group 08 July 2010

·                      Planning Portfolio Holder's Meeting 13 July 2010

·                      New Communities Portfolio Holder's Meeting 13 July 2010

·                      Policy and Performance Portfolio Holder's Meeting 20 July 2010

·                      Environmental Services Portfolio Holder meeting 27 July 2010

Leavers

Emma George – Personal Assistant to Executive Director (Operational Services) left on 10 August 2010.

Sarah Manktelow – Student Environmental Health Officer, Health and Environmental Services, will leave on 11 August 2010.

Greg Harlock – Chief Executive, will leave on 17 August 2010.

Change of Position

Trevor Faulkner - Principal Planning Officer, Planning & New Communities, fixed term contact to permanent post from 31 July 2010.