Agenda and minutes

Endorsement of the Panel’s nomination of the Vice-Chairman at the informal meeting of the Place Policy and Scrutiny Panel held on 14^th July 2021.

Resolved: that Councillor Peter Crew be elected Vice-Chairman.

To receive and hear any person who wishes to address the Panel on matters which affect the District and fall within the remit of the Panel.  The Chairman will select the order of the matters to be heard.

Members of the Panel may ask questions of the member of the public and a dialogue between the parties can be undertaken.

Requests to speak must be submitted in writing to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, or the officer mentioned at the top of this agenda letter, by noon on the day before the meeting and the request must detail the subject matter of the address.

None.

A Member must declare any disclosable pecuniary interest where it relates to any matter being considered at the meeting. A declaration of a disclosable pecuniary interest should indicate the interest and the agenda item to which it relates. A Member is not permitted to participate in this agenda item by law and should immediately leave the meeting before the start of any debate.

If the Member leaves the Chamber in respect of a declaration, he or she should ensure that the Chairman is aware of this before he or she leaves to enable their exit from the meeting to be recorded in the minutes in accordance with Standing Order 37.

None.

5.1  Minutes of the last formal Meeting of the Panel held on 10th March 2021 – to approve as a correct record

5.2  Notes of the informal panel meetings held on14th July 2021 and 24th November 2021 – for noting

5.1 Minutes of the last formal Meeting of the Panel held on 10 March 2021

5.2 Notes of the informal panel meetings held on 14 July 2021 and 24

November 2021.

Resolved:

(1) that the minutes of the meeting of 10 March 2021 be approved as a correct record; and

(2) that the notes of the informal meetings of 14 July 2021 and 24 November 2021 be noted.

None.

Report of the Head of Development and Placemaking.

As the Head of Development was unable to attend the meeting, Members discussed the report. The following themes emerged from the discussion:

·       There was to be a joint informal briefing on this topic with PCOM on Wednesday 23 March.

·       Development of North Somerset-owned sites should not only be about providing housing, but about the best community use of the land; housing should be interspersed with other uses, as in a traditional town centre such as Weston-super-Mare.

·       The policy surrounding development might need revision – in some recent examples, appropriation of some land had come after the planning of the development, which some Members felt was contrary to national guidance.

·       If North Somerset-owned land was removed from sites identified in the Local Plan, it would need to be compensated for by adding land elsewhere.

·       There was a query about how employment figures in reports were linked to housing.

·       Was there an overarching local style that could be used in development?

·       Innovative thinking should go alongside the strategic development (FoodWorks was referenced).

·       Existing use of brownfield sites (e.g. car parks) – would these be incorporated into new development?

·       Consultation should be wide – the correct groups to communicate with should be identified (an example given was with elder care).

·       What was the deadline for Member feedback to the Head of Development on this topic?

Concluded: that the report be noted, and comments sent to officers in the form of minutes.

Report of the Finance Business Partner (Place).

The Finance Business Partner (Place) introduced the Place Finance Update report, which summarised the current forecast against budget for the Place Directorate.

In discussion, the following points were raised: the offset provided by staffing vacancies was not a planned mitigation and was due to difficulties in recruiting, and the amalgamation of Somerset Councils could be an opportunity for recruitment; whether ward Members could be drafted in to help vet cases for planning enforcement; whether there would be a report to the Panel on the possible MTFP savings from the sale of recyclable goods by NSEC.

Concluded: that the report be noted, and comments sent to officers in the form of minutes.

Discussion to include items listed on the Work Plan and:

·       future delivery of the highways service – establishment of working group

·       bus services

·       any other items proposed by Members

The Scrutiny Officer presented the Panel’s Work Plan and asked for Members’ input into areas to focus on.

There was to be an all-Member briefing on the Local Plan, but dates had yet to be confirmed. A meeting of the Cladding Working Group would need to be set up to update Members on changes to legislation. It was unlikely that Members would be able to provide input to the 2022/23 Place Directorate Annual Statement at this stage. Members also requested an update on bus services.

Concluded: that the work plan be updated, picking up actions and discussion outcomes from the present meeting.