Decisions

Confirm delegated functions of the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development for providing responses on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council to specific stages of the statutory process for infrastructure proposals being promoted through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and Transport and Works Act.

Cabinet:

Noted that the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development has the authority for providing responses on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council relating to specific stages of the statutory process for infrastructure proposals being promoted through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects scheme and Transport and Works Act.

Cabinet:

Reviewed and noted the KPI results and comments at Appendix A and progress against Business Plan actions at Appendix B.

We require Cabinet to approve this document so that it can be taken through the consultation process, improved through that effort, and bought back to Cabinet later in the year for adoption.

Cabinet:

Agreed to support the passage of this Supplementary Planning Document through this process to the next phase, which is public consultation prior to its return to this committee for review and adoption in late 2021.

To approve the Private Sector Housing Policy to ensure the council deals with private sector housing issues in a fair and consistent manner and incorporate guidance from Government departments.

Cabinet:

a)    Approved the Private Sector Housing Policy, to ensure the Council follows guidance from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to tackle substandard conditions in the private rented sector.

b)    Delegated authority to the Head of Shared Waste and Environment to make minor amendments, in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing.

To consider the criteria and approach for a rolling programme of Conservation Area appraisals and management plans and based on this, to consider whether the Longstanton Conservation Area should be reviewed at this time.

Cabinet:

a)    Endorsed the criteria and approach for the rolling programme of Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans reviews, with the programme to be reviewed bi-annually.

b)    Confirmed that it will not prioritise a review the Longstanton Conservation Area at this time.

To implement changes to the Design Review Service (Design Enabling Panel at South Cambridgeshire District Council and the Conservation Panel at Cambridge City Council), taking account of the findings and recommendations of the independent expert commissioned to review the panels.

Cabinet:

a)    Agreed to replace the Design Enabling Panel to create the Greater Cambridge Design Review Panel and approve the Terms of Reference (including charges) set out at Appendix B from 1 January 2022.

b)    Agreed to grant delegated authority to the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Delivery to make minor changes to the Terms of Reference set out at Appendix B.

c)     Noted the findings and to implement the recommendations from Urban Design Learning set out in Appendix A.

d)    Noted the Milestones for Implementing the GCDRP set out in Appendix D.

The purpose of this Decision Notice is to give approval for South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) to enter into a contract subject to planning permission,  to purchase land from Sue Stephenson at nil cost apart from relevant legal fees etc,  in order to develop and construct a 2 bedroom house for her two granddaughters to reside in.

The site is situated adjacent to Mrs Sue Stephenson’s property as landowner she will enter into an agreement with the council to transfer the ownership of the land to South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The site is of a sufficient size to construct a 2-bedroom house only.  The property will be in the ownership of South Cambridgeshire District Council and will be included in its housing stock.

Mrs Stephenson is next of kin for her 2 grand daughters who are both in their early 20s and have learning difficulties.

The grand daughters will be granted a tenancy to reside in the property, based on their current income they may be entitled to universal credit and possibly housing benefit.

Enabling/Strategic support

Strategic Housing fully support this development as the property will be meeting the needs of a disabled household.

Indicative Scheme Details (subject to planning permission) – 2 Bedroom Detached House 80sqm

Contract Type: Land Purchase Agreement

Financial

Use of Right to Buy Receipt

The development of this 2-bedroom house will allow for the use of Right to Buy receipts totalling

£67,053

No commuted sums will be used for this development as this is not a shared ownership property.

A full viability appraisal has been carried out and approved by Martin Lee, Principal Housing Accountant confirming that the scheme is viable. The viability is based on a build cost of £180,000 which has a payback of year 31 which is within the term of the councils 35-year business plan.

The scheme is value for money for the council. The offer and price per sq. m are commensurate with sums paid for recent council new build development schemes.

We will also investigate the possibility of obtaining external funding for this development, through any specialist accommodation funds that are available through Homes England.

To approve South Cambridgeshire District Council to enter into a land purchase  contract ( subject to planning permission being granted), with Mrs Stephenson ( landowner) to purchase the land at nil cost, except  for legal fees or other associated costs, and to construct a 2 Bedroom Detached House to meet the housing needs of Mrs Stephenson’s granddaughters.

On 25 June 2021 the Grants Advisory Committee reviewed all Community Chest applications and Covid Recovery Grant applications received between 15 May 2021 and the 15 June 2021, to the Community Chest funding scheme during 2021/2022

4 Community Chest Applications were brought forward in Appendix A of the meetings report pack 25 June 2021 Agenda Pack . 4 applications were approved.  The total amount of the funding requested is £3987.23

After consideration of these applications, the Committee recommended to the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance that:

Community Chest Applications

1. Eltisley Parochial Church RRLDXXNX– to be funded at the requested amount of £1,000
2. Cottenham Day Centre QCGTMWZZ - to be funded at the requested amount of £1,000
3. Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination DGFKFBRZ - to be funded at the requested amount of £996.30
4. Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership MQDSPCZT - to be funded at the requested amount of £990.93

 * Please refer to further information section

To accept the recommendations of the Grants Advisory Committee.

The purpose of this decision is to approve the following policies, set out in Appendix A, as annexes to the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy:

·         Build to Rent

·         Clustering and Distribution of Affordable Housing

·         Affordable Rents

The policies have been considered previously by Cabinet on 3^rd February 2021 where approval was given for the draft policies to go out to wider public consultation; and then delegated authority given to the Lead Member for Housing to approve the final policies subject to any minor amendments.

Following the public consultation, amendments to the policies have been highlighted in yellow to identify where changes have been made.

To approve the following policies as annexes to the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy:

·         Build to Rent

·         Clustering and Distribution of Affordable Housing

·         Affordable Rents

[attached at Appendix A]

1.    West Wickham Parish Council is preparing a Neighbourhood Plan and has reached the stage of pre-submission consultation (Regulation 14 in the national guidance).  At this stage it is the responsibility of the parish council to carry out a public consultation on the neighbourhood plan for their area. We congratulate the Neighbourhood Plan team and recognise the hard work has been put into the preparation of this plan for West Wickham by the parish council and local community.

2.    Officers have considered the contents of the West Wickham Neighbourhood Plan against the basic condition tests that all neighbourhood plans are assessed against by an independent examiner (these tests include such matters as general conformity with national planning policy and the policies of the adopted  Local Plan).

3.    Through this consideration several comments have been identified.

4.    Cabinet agreed on the 26^th July 2018 that the submission of such comments be delegated to officers at this stage of plan preparation.

5.    The proposed comments include both general and specific matters and are attached at Appendix A.  They include such matters as

• Clear unambiguous policies
• Mapping
• Comments on all the policies and proposals of the plan itself

6.    The comments are intended to enable the group taking forward the Neighbourhood Plan to consider the need to amend it to improve the likelihood that a NP examiner would be able to recommend that it proceed to referendum and to help ensure that the plan is capable of effective implementation through the development management process.

7.    While there are several comments set out in Appendix A we hope that these comments are seen, not  as unhelpful criticism of the plan, but rather a genuine attempt by  officers to support the NP team by identifying a number of areas where the plan could be further refined so that it is successful at examination. We wish the parish council well for the next steps in the plan making

That the Joint Director for Planning and Economic, having liaised with the Lead Cabinet Member for Planning agrees the response to the pre- submission consultation on the West Wickham Neighbourhood Plan by South Cambridgeshire District Council as set out in Appendix.