Decisions

The consultation is an opportunity for the Council to express its views on the main changes made to the scheme in response to feedback from the consultation last year, further design development and environmental assessments. These changes are a combination of refinements to the design, methods of construction and changes to the use and extent of the land we need to build, maintain and operate the road. Of particular relevance to South Cambs is the new borrow pits at Caxton Gibbet to the NE and NW of the junction.

No Objection subject to recommendations set out in the body of the attached letter.

To approve and update the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Funding for Small Businesses Policy in line with the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund – Guidance for Local Authorities’ and endorse previous operational decisions of the Chief Finance Officer to award grants in accordance with government guidance.

The policy was originally developed following guidance from Government and following informal consultation with Cabinet. Central Government provided direction on eligibility and priority areas, along with a push to deliver the funding to those in need in very short timescales. The funding pot has not been fully utilised during the first tranche of the policy, and so discretion has been used to broaden the eligibility criteria in order to maximise benefit for local businesses.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering grants to eligible businesses in accordance with the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund – Guidance for Local Authorities.   In order to formalise arrangements for  carrying  out this function the Chief Executive, in exercise of the emergency delegation in paragraph 4.4 of the Scheme of Delegation in Part 3 of the Constitution, and the emergency delegation approved by the Leader of the Council on 30 March 2020, authorising the Chief Executive to exercise all executive functions, or to authorise specified officers to exercise any such functions, and after consultation with the Leader of the Council:-

1  Approves the updated Local Authority Discretionary Grant Funding for Small Businesses Policy.

2  Endorses previous operational decisions of the Chief Finance Officer to award grants in accordance with government guidance.

3. Authorises the Chief Finance Office to approve  future individual discretionary grants for small businesses up to £10,000.

The purpose of this Decision Notice is to give approval for an amendment to be made to the ‘ Land Transfer Deed’ associated with the transfer of affordable housing land to SCDC.

 A previous Decision Notice dated 11^th April 2019 gave approval for South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) to enter into Heads of Terms followed thereafter into a JCT Design & Build Contract (JCT 2016 – industry standard) to purchase 36 no affordable homes representing the S106 40% affordable housing contribution on a site at Bennell Farm, Toft.

The Land Transfer completed on 18 Dec 2019, the Transfer deed omitted provisions required to be included by the section 106 agreement.  The Transfer needs amending by way of a deed of variation otherwise the Transfer is in breach of the s106 agreement.

Planning Reference number :

The site has planning (ref: S/4552/17/RM) with all conditions now discharged.

The S106 is signed and completed.

Mix:

Contract type:

The contract will be a JCT 2016 contract. (Joint Contracts Tribunal) Design & Build Contract

no reasonable alternative or substitute – ie there are not other similar convenient sites which could reasonably be regarded as being available for development, eg in terms of being for sale, zoning, access to services etc.

Toft / Comberton are small villages which have not had any development sites commenced of this size for some considerable time. There are no other suitably sized permissioned sites in Toft/Comberton that are available for consideration at this time.

Financial

Use of Right to Buy Receipt:

This scheme consists of 25 rented homes which allows the use of Right to Buy receipts totalling £1,366,382

Use of Commuted Sum:

We are using £550,000 of commuted sum monies to assist in bringing these 11 shared ownership homes forward as council new build. This aligns with our standard £50k per unit commuted sum spend profile on new build schemes

The scheme is considered to be value for money for the council. The offer and price per sq. m is commensurate with sums paid for recent council new build development schemes. In addition a robust financial appraisal has been carried out and a commercially sensitive financial appendix is attached. The scheme has a Payback year within the business plan parameters.

To approve South Cambridgeshire District Council making amendments to the Land Transfer Deed.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are consulting upon the draft CAM Sub Strategy between 4^th May and 17^th July 2020 at 5pm.  This is a ‘daughter’ document of the Local Transport Plan for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which was adopted in March 2020 and it describes the policy framework for the CAM.  Further information and the sub strategy document can be found at the following link: https://cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk/about-us/programmes/transport/cam-sub-strategy/

Appendix 1 to this decision sets out the proposed joint response to the Combined Authority from Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.  The response is supportive of the potentially transformational role that an integrated public transport system such as the CAM could make, however it offers several areas where the sub strategy should be refined.

Appendix 1 includes a draft letter and more detailed responses to parts of the sub strategy (indicating which question in the CAM Sub Strategy questionnaire they relate to).  The purpose of this decision is to agree these, so that they can be submitted before the deadline.

Note: 

To ensure an aligned agreement on this consultation document between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Leader of Cambridge City Council is also taking an out of cycle decision on them at the same time.

To confirm that the letter and detailed responses set out in Appendix 1 of this decision should be made to the Combined Authority on the CAM Sub Strategy.

Council

AGREED        that given the unprecedented circumstances officers have been working in during the covid-19 pandemic, this Council asks the Chairman to correspond with all officers, of all tiers, to thank them for their on going work during this incredibly challenging time on behalf of all 45 councilors of South Cambridgeshire.

Council

AGREED       That South Cambridgeshire District Council, while committed to the promotion of exception sites, is dedicated to protecting the greenbelt in the emerging local plan in line with the National Planning Policy Framework.

Council

AGREED to

A)        Re-appoint Graham Jagger as a member of the Independent Remuneration Panel for a term of office expiring 30 September 2022.

B)        Ratify the re-appointment of Grant Osbourn as the Council’s Independent Person for a further year.

C)        Ratify the re-appointment of Gillian Holmes as the Council’s Deputy Independent Person for a further year.

Council

AGREED

A)   On the withdrawal of 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

B)   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 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

C)   To agree that any ongoing planning matters or any other continuing action

relating to development covered by the terms of reference in appendix A

which would otherwise fall to be determined by the previous Committee

will, after 31 July 2020, transfer to the newly formed Joint Development

Control Committee for determination

D)   To authorise the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, in

consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee, to decide

whether to refer any development control matters for determination by the

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

E)   To authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential

amendments to the Council’s constitution arising from the above decisions

F)    To appoint 6 members (and substitutes) from SCDC to serve upon the new

Joint Development Control Committee from August (4 Liberal Democrat group members: Councillors Anna Bradnam (spokesperson), Steve Hunt, Dr Claire Daunton and Dr Tumi Hawkins (substitutes: Councillors John Williams and Peter Fane) and 2 Conservative group members: Councillor Tom Bygott and Grenville Chamberlain (substitutes: Councillors Graham Cone and Mark Howell)

G)   To comment upon the proposed draft standing orders for the Committee

as appropriate.

H)   To agree the following amendments to the Terms of Reference of the Committee, as proposed by the Civic Affairs Committee of Cambridge City Council:

                    i.    To add the following two additional provisions to the “Functions of the Committee”:

§    The review, change, amendment or modification of the Standing Orders of the Committee.

§    Any matter related to an application previously determined by the Joint Development Control Committee for Cambridge Fringes and which would continue to form a part of this Committees functions.

                  ii.    To update the “Joint Development Control Committee Scheme of Delegation” part e to remove the “call-in” capabilities of the County Council so as to read as follows:

§    e) The application is one where, within 21 days of being notified of the application or within 14 days of receipt of any subsequent material amendment to the proposal, any Member of the City Council or of the District Council requests in writing (including e-mail), that the application should be determined by Committee, stating the planning grounds on which the request is based.

Council

AGREED        to approve and adopt the New Build Council Housing Strategy as set out in Appendix A to the report.

Council

AGREED

A)       To change ward representation for Thriplow Parish Council to 5 for Thriplow village ward and to 4 for Heathfield ward from the next scheduled election in May 2022.

B)       To change the name of the Parish to the Parish of Thriplow and Heathfield, with immediate effect as requested by Thriplow Parish Council.

This decision relates to specific delegations to the Cabinet Member for Planning agreed by Cabinet at its meeting held on 29^th June 2020.

The draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan (the “AAP”) was reported to South Cambridgeshire District Council Cabinet on 29th June 2020 and to Cambridge City Council Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee on 30th June 2020. Both decision making bodies agreed the draft AAP and supporting documentation for a ten-week period of public consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

Both decisions included the recommendation that five further Topic Papers are delegated to the Cambridge Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Open Spaces (in consultation with the Chair and Spokes for the Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee) and the Deputy Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council to agree ahead of public consultation.

This recommendation was required because the Topic Papers were still being finalised and the Lead Planning Members are asked to agree them under an out of meeting decision ahead of the public consultation. The issues addressed in these topic papers have nevertheless been considered in drafting the AAP.

The purpose of this decision is to approve the five Topic Papers which are:

·         Transport Topic Paper - Further transport work including to consider traffic movements on King's Hedges Road and complementary measures to support the application of a Trip Budget, including reductions in car parking within the AAP area and the management of any potential implications of this on surrounding communities, including consideration of any future requirement for controlled parking zones and parking enforcement.

·         Internalisation Topic Paper - Considers how to maximise internal trips within NEC through sustainable modes to reduce the need to travel by private motor vehicle.

·         Health Facilities and Wellbeing Topic Paper - Considers how health facilities and wellbeing can be improved through well designed places and how policies within the AAP can maximise health and wellbeing benefits for future residents and existing residents in the surrounding area. The preparation of this paper has been impacted by health specialists focus on the Covid-19 crisis.

·         Environmental Health Topic Paper - Identifies the existing environmental health constraints of the area including air quality, noise, odour, land contamination, ground conditions and light pollution.

·         Community Safety Topic Paper - Explores the issues of community safety in North East Cambridge and how development should be socially inclusive and safe.

Note: To ensure an aligned agreement on these documents between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Cambridge City Council Executive Councillor for Planning Policy & Open Spaces is also taking an out of cycle decision on them at the same time.

To agree the five Topic Papers appended to this decision in support of the draft North East Cambridge Area Action Plan.

All planning applications for Caldecote considered by the Planning Committee since May 2003. For individual reports, please click on the ‘Meetings’ tab above. For further details on all Caldecote planning applications, please visit our Planning Applications Database and select Caldecote from the drop-down list of parishes.

By ten votes to nil, with one Member not voting, the Committee approved the application subject to

1.    An additional Condition requiring the applicant to submit to the Local Planning Authority a statement detailing the species of trees to be planted on site;

2.    An additional condition requiring details of tree protection measures for existing trees on the site;

3.    An additional Condition requiring the applicant to arrange for an Ecological Clerk of the Works to be present on-site during clearance of that site to establish the presence or otherwise of breeding Great Crested Newts; and

4.    The Conditions and Informatives set out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development

the precise wording of the Conditions and Informatives referred to in 1, 2, 3 and 4 above being agreed by officers in consultation with the Chair of Planning Committee and Vice-Chair of this meeting.

Councillor Dr. Martin Cahn joined the meeting during consideration of this item. While he took part in the debate, Councillor Cahn did not vote.

All planning applications for Wimpole considered by the Planning Committee since May 2003. For individual reports, please click on the ‘Meetings’ tab above. For further details on all Wimpole planning applications, please visit our Planning Applications Database and select Wimpole from the drop-down list of parishes

http://plan.scambs.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/wphappcriteria.display

By affirmation, the Committee agreed

1.    That, as Order Making Authority, South Cambridgeshire District Council should approve the proposed diversion of Public Footpath No. 5 in Wimpole as meeting the legislative tests set out in Section 257 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and

2.    That Cambridgeshire County Council be directed to make an appropriate Order as agents for South Cambridgeshire District Council.

All planning applications for Waterbeach considered by the Planning Committee since May 2003. For individual reports, please click on the ‘Meetings’ tab above. For further details on all Waterbeach planning applications, please visit our Planning Applications Database and select Waterbeach from the drop-down list of parishes

By affirmation, the Committee deferred the application without debate to allow time for the applicant to amend the red line application boundary to include all areas of the access required to undertake the proposed development.

Councillor Dr. Martin Cahn was not present and was not part of the affirmation.