Agenda

South Cambridgeshire District Council has received an application to designate the “Melbourn Neighbourhood Area” with a view to developing a Neighbourhood Plan. Public consultation on this application begins on Wednesday 30 March 2016 for a four week period. The application by Melbourn Parish Council and more general information on Neighbourhood Planning can be viewed on our website: www.scambs.gov.uk/content/neighbourhood-areas

Comments must be received by the Council no later than 5pm on Wednesday 27 April 2016.

For more information on this application and neighbourhood planning in general contact Alison Talkington in the Planning Policy Team – alison.talkington@scambs.gov.uk

Tel: 01954 713182

Please find attached the spring edition of the Housing Market Bulletin, which keeps track of local, regional and national housing market signals. The Bulletin covers various aspects of our housing market, from the number of sales completed, to comparative affordability of different tenures.

Given the number of significant planning applications which are ready for decision, an additional Planning Committee Meeting will be required in April.  This will be held on Friday 22 April at 10am.

The listing of The Pemberton Arms public house, Harston, was upheld on internal review, decision published 11 March 2016.

The Council has made the decision to list The King William IV public house, 43, Chishill Road, Heydon, SG8 8PN as an Asset of Community Value; the listing will remain in place until 16 March 2021.

New nominations have been received from Harlton Parish Council of The Hare and Hounds public house, Harlton and The Wheatsheaf, La Pergola Restaurant, Harlton as Assets of Community Value. A decision will be made on these nominations by 17 May 2016.

For further information about ACVs please see:

https://www.scambs.gov.uk/community-right-bid

Friday 18 March: Telegraph: “Voters don’t want them, but the march of the mayors is unstoppable”

Frank Nelson warns that “all nine cities which rejected the offer of a mayor” as part of recent local referendum will soon have one anyway under devolution deals “forced upon local communities” by George Osborne.

Friday 18 March: Times: £350,000 salaries for Britain’s social housing chiefs

Some of the highest-paid housing association bosses, earning up to £350,000 a year, are among the worst performers for building new homes, according to a new investigation.

Saturday 19 March: Times: Let developers pay to build on green belt, urged architects

Landscape architects the Landscape Institute have proposed that developers could build thousands of homes in the green belt in return for paying a levy to enhance the remaining land.

Sunday 20 March: Observer: How the British “café culture” drinks revolution ended in failure

Longer licensing hours have triggered an increase in binge drinking and associated mental and physical health problems, according to new research by Lancaster University.

Monday 21 March: BBC Online: Apprenticeships “failing young people”, says commission

The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has said that the Government’s apprenticeships drive is failing to deliver for young people in England.

Monday 21 March: Times: It’s quicker to build homes in cities than on green belt

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has found that new homes are finished more than six months sooner on brownfield than greenfield sites because brownfield sites are more likely to have services and transport links already in place.

Tuesday 22 March: Guardian: 60 foot tree leads to £38,000 compensation claim

Derby City Council has agreed to pay £38,000 compensation to a couple after their £400,000 home began to subside because of a 60 foot tree.

Wednesday 23 March: BBC Online: Government facing housing defeat

Moves to impose increases on the rents paid by better-off council tenants are to be rejected by peers.

Wednesday 23 March: Times: Recycling rate falls

Households are recycling less waste for the first time in at least 15 years, with a decline blamed on a combination of apathy and confusion.

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

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

The Housing Portfolio Holder:

a)    APPROVED the Handyperson Service pilot proposal

b)    AGREED to a further report to be brought back in January 2017 for consideration following evaluation of the initial 9 months of the service.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 March and the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 March at 5pm. If not called-in it can be implemented on the next working day, which is Tuesday 29 March.

The Housing Portfolio Holder:

a)    APPROVED the Affordable Homes Service Plan for 2016/17

b)    NOTED the progress to date on existing projects within the 2015/16 Service Plan.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 March and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 March at 5pm. If not called-in the decision can be implemented on the next working day, which due to bank holidays is Tuesday 29 March.

The Portfolio Holder APPROVED the revised phasing and longer term approach to the Wilford Furlong/Brickhills regeneration scheme as specified in Option C:

·         To use existing revenue budgets, and top slice them to achieve ‘energy efficiency improvement works’ (EEIW) to each of the Council owned properties on the estate.

·         Postpone any work on infill property construction or hard and soft landscaping works until we have explored all potential alternative funding options. Should there be a means by which we can proceed a case for decision on this will be put before Portfolio Holder at a future date

This requires:

Final property surveys by April 2016 to assess suitability for the following works funded in 2016 and beginning by Q2 2016/17:

-       New electric Quantum Heating Systems

-       New windows and doors

-       New bathrooms and kitchens as appropriate

The following works funded in 2017:

-       Installation of External Wall Insulation (EWI). Works staggered to allow for budget and to ensure all internal and external works completed before EWI installed.

-       Continued roll out of Solar PV installations across the council owned properties on the estate.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 March and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 March at 5pm. If not called-in the decision can be implemented on the next working day which due to bank holidays is Tuesday 22 March.

The Leader of the Council acting on behalf of the Portfolio Holder, ENDORSED and RECOMMENDED to the Planning Committee that the current scheme of delegation be amended in the following manner:

a)    To allow all decisions to be delegated other than those listed in Appendix A of the report.

b)    That the time given for District Councillors to request an application be considered by Planning Committee is extended from 21 to 28 days.

c)    That the automatic referral to Planning Committee is removed when an officer recommendation of approval conflicts with representations by the Parish Council and these cannot be substantially addressed by planning condition. Instead this is replaced by the right of the Parish Council to request an application is considered by Planning Committee. The request must be supported by material planning reasons and the final decision on whether the application is considered by Planning Committee will be taken by the Chairman of Planning Committee as advised by the Designated Officer (Head of Development Management or Head of New Communities).

As this was a recommendation to Planning Committee it cannot be called-in.

The Leader of the Council acting on behalf of the Portfolio Holder, AGREED the following recommendations to Full Council:

a)    That the Report on Consultation (Appendix A), the Proposed Modifications (Appendix C) and the supplement to the Sustainability Appraisal Addendum (Appendix E) be submitted for consideration by Full Council on 23 March 2016 and approved for submission to the Inspectors examining the Local Plan;

b)    To agree that the documents attached to the report as Appendices F to J are noted and submitted as part of the evidence base for the Local Plan;

c)    To agree that delegated authority be given to the Director of Planning and New Communities to make any subsequent minor amendments and editing changes, in consultation with the Planning Portfolio Holder.

As these were recommendations to Council they cannot be called-in.

The Leader of the Council acting on behalf of the Portfolio Holder:

a)    NOTED the comments made during the consultation about strategic policies with parish councils in South Cambridgeshire contained in Appendix B of the report

b)    AGREED the policies in the currently adopted development plan for South Cambridgeshire that are to be considered as strategic for the purposes of neighbourhood planning.

This decision was first published on Wednesday 16 March and so the deadline for call-in is Wednesday 23 March at 5pm. If not called-in the decision can be implemented on Thursday 24 March.

Please click on the link below to find details of decisions made by officers under delegated authority:

https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/access-information