Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors P. Andrews, Hughes, Prew-Smith and Quilty.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the above meetings, having been circulated, be approved as a correct record.

None received.

Report of the Senior Members’ Services Officer.

Including questions to the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Development on the following area of his Portfolio:

The Planning Process and Town Centres Strategy.

i)             Rolling Programme of Portfolio Holder Holding to Account

The Chair welcomed Councillor Pulk, Portfolio Holder, Leisure and Development, and Paula Darlington, Corporate Director, who had been invited to respond to questions on the following areas of the Leisure and Development Portfolio: The Planning Process and Town Centres Strategy.

Advance questions received from Members:

1.    Given that GBC has spent public money on obtaining advice from URS regarding the best place to build, what to build and necessary infrastructure related to developments in Calverton, Ravenshead and Bestwood and given that the number of houses in each village has been decided, what is the sense of considering planning applications in these villages before the URS report has been received and considered?

2.    What is the point of taking green belt land and designating it as white or safeguarded land unless it is to point developers at land that could be useful to them?

Response of Portfolio Holder and Corporate Director: The Strategic Planning Process

Before answering the specific questions raised by Scrutiny the Portfolio Holder placed the Strategic Planning Process into context. Key stages outlined as below:

-               Develop a Core Strategy which details areas of development to take place and all the policies which support and control development.

-               Gedling has produced an Aligned Strategy with Broxtowe and Nottingham City and this was submitted to the Planning Inspector for examination in late 2013.

-               Inspector suggested some modification and Gedling responded with some amendments that the Inspector wished us to re consult on.

-               Consultation on the modifications ended last week and we are in the process of submitting these to the Planning Inspector.

-               If the Inspector finds the Core Strategy sound then it will go to Full Council about July 2014 for adoption.

The Council has to produce a Local Plan

-               The Local Plan comprises of the Core Strategy and the Local Planning Document.

-               The Local Planning Document comprises of site allocations for the key villages and Development Control Policies.

During consultation on the Core Strategy the Council committed to undertaking further consultation with the 3 key villages to determine views on exact locations for development and the resulting infrastructure requirement.

-               The Council secured £30k of Growth Point Funding and used that money to employ a company named URS to produce master plans which would be evidence for public the site specific allocations in consultation with the key 3 villages.

-               That consultation has now ended and the results have been shared with the consultees.

The Portfolio Holder and Corporate Director then specifically answered the questions raised by Scrutiny as follows:

Question 1

Response: Corporate Director

-               In an ideal world we would have the Core Strategy, the Local Planning Document and therefore the Local Plan adopted before any development take place, however, legally we have to deal with planning applications when and as they are submitted.

-               If we do not deal with planning applications in a timely manner then hey will be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Item for information.

Members considered a list of items referred to the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee under the Constitution or Law.

These included:

Notification of decision to dispose of land or property other than the sale of council houses to sitting tenants pursuant to the right to buy.

-       Transfer of land at the junction of Church Road and Chestnut Grove, Burton Joyce (the Land) together with the toilets erected thereon to Burton Joyce Parish Council (the Parish Council) and pay a contribution of £2,500 towards demolition costs.

-       Surrender of lease of land at St Wilfred’s Square, Calverton. Purchase of same land at St Wilfred’s Square, Calverton and then to transfer this land together with the toilets erected thereon to Calverton Parish Council.

RESOLVED:

To note the items referred to the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee under the Constitution or Law.

None.