Agenda item

Cabinet agreed

a.    A three-step “education, enforcement & engineering” approach to reducing incidences of illegal fly-tipping of waste at Setchel Drove, Cottenham;

b.    That, as part of that approach, some combination of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to restrict access to Setchel Drove, Cottenham and surveillance of Setchel Drove and the surrounding areas be justified to reduce the incidence of illegal fly-tipping of waste, and increase the likelihood of successful prosecution when incidents do occur;

c.     That the task of liaising with local interested parties be delegated to the Director of Housing, Health and Environmental Services in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing and the local Ward Members to determine the optimal combination and location of physical barriers and surveillance equipment to achieve the desired results; and

d.    the Public Space Protection Order and the effectiveness of the solution be reviewed after two years of operation.

Cabinet considered a report from the Director of Housing, Health and Environmental Services.

Councillor Neil Gough addressed the meeting as a local Member. He highlighted the issues needing to be addressed, and thanked officers for the actions they had taken so far.

Councillor Brian Milnes (Vice-Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee) welcomed the amount of public engagement but recognised that it was unlikely that a solution could be found that would satisfy all the interested parties.

Councillor Nick Wright urged caution. He said that the Council should learn from the experience of dealing with similar issues on other Travellers sites. He said that the crucial point was to tackle fly-tipping itself and suggested that a gate would simply divert that fly-tipping to elsewhere in South Cambridgeshire or nearby while being inconvenient to those farmers using Setchel Drove. Councillor Gough pointed out that Setchel Drove was relatively secluded and that, while fly-tipping might indeed be diverted elsewhere, it was likely to be to more visible areas and therefore to areas that would be cleared up more quickly.

The Director of Housing, Health and Environmental Services acknowledged the challenge and said that the Council was keen to adopt a mixed approach to find a solution acceptable to all interested parties, including farmers.

Cabinet agreed

a.    A three-step “education, enforcement & engineering” approach to reducing incidences of illegal fly-tipping of waste at Setchel Drove, Cottenham;

b.    That, as part of that approach, some combination of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to restrict access to Setchel Drove, Cottenham and surveillance of Setchel Drove and the surrounding areas be justified to reduce the incidence of illegal fly-tipping of waste, and increase the likelihood of successful prosecution when incidents do occur;

c.     That the task of liaising with local interested parties be delegated to the Director of Housing, Health and Environmental Services in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing and the local Ward Members to determine the optimal combination and location of physical barriers and surveillance equipment to achieve the desired results; and

d.    the Public Space Protection Order and the effectiveness of the solution be reviewed after two years of operation.