Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Urban Growth Project Manager.

 

The report explained that the council ran its latest S106 bidding round between June and August 2015. Proposals were invited for projects that could help mitigate the impact of development in Cambridge through funding from generic, off-site developer contributions. The report set out details of twelve proposals for local projects in South Area, of which eleven were recommended for S106 funding. Whilst the other proposal (for the next phase of the Cherry Hinton community hub) was not yet ready to be considered, the report recommended ring-fencing some local S106 funding for improved community facilities in Cherry Hinton.

 

The report also highlighted that the S106 funding available for devolved decision-making was tapering off and running down. Even though South Area had more devolved funds than any other area, it faced particular pressures caused by significant variations in availability between wards. Care had been taken to ensure the each ward could get as much benefit as possible from available S106 contributions.

 

The Urban Growth Project Manager drew attention to the following clarifications and updates:

       i.          The devolved funding availability figures in Table 1 on agenda page 68 were rounded to the nearest £25,000.

     ii.          The report (including recommendation 2.1e) should make clear that the community facilities grant proposal at St Paul’s Primary School is for a multi-purpose community space outside of school hours.

   iii.          Queen Edith Medical Practice staff had contacted the Council to offer strong support for the three applications for S106 developer funds for projects at Nightingale Park.

   iv.          There was a typographical error in paragraph 4.28 of the report regarding Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground. The recommended figure should be £25,000 as per recommendation 2.1f.

 

4.28   Officer comments: There are elements of this proposal that are eligible for S106 funding and which can be taken forward.

a.  This would be for a scheme focussed on: improved access; path improvements, landscaping and a new pond. It is recommended that £20,000 £25,000 of devolved informal open space contributions should be allocated for these works.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Urban Growth Project Manager said the following:

       i.          There was sufficient devolved S106 funding available for the Area Committee to make the S106 allocations set out in report recommendations 2.1 – 2.5.

     ii.          The proposal for a £127,000 grant for the next phase of the development of Cherry Hinton community hub at Cherry Hinton library was not yet ready to be considered. This was because of both the limited levels of devolved S106 community facilities funding left available from developments in and around Cherry Hinton (currently £10,000) and the need for greater clarity about the details of the next phase of the Cherry Hinton community hub project, its costs, project management, viability and timescales. Attention was drawn to footnote 13 and paragraphs 4.10 – 4.13 of the report.

   iii.          Recommendation 2.5 referred to ear-marking at least £10,000 of devolved community facilities S106 contributions to improved community facilities in Cherry Hinton. This was on the expectation that other devolved community facilities S106 contributions, which had been agreed but were still awaited from developments in and around Cherry Hinton, would be added to the earmarked allocation once received.

   iv.          Confirmation that the grant applications for community facility improvements at Rock Road and Cherry Hinton libraries had been considered consistently, even though the recommendations were different. The recommendations in these two cases reflected differences in the levels of grant requested, the availability of community facilities S106 funding available in/around Queen Edith’s and Cherry Hinton wards and the clarity of the specific project proposals.

 

Following discussion, Members resolved:

       i.          (Unanimously) to allocate devolved S106 funding to the following local project proposals, subject to (as appropriate) project appraisal and community use agreement:

A.   up to £200,000 (outdoor sports contributions) to phase 2 of refurbishment of pavilion at Cherry Hinton Recreation Ground, which is in addition to the £100,000 already allocated for phase 1;

B.   up to £203,000 more (up to £170k outdoor sports and around £33k community facilities) for the new pavilion at Nightingale Avenue Recreation Ground, in addition to the existing £200,000 already earmarked (and now allocated) for the project;

C.   a community facilities grant of up to £45,000 to improve community facilities at the Lutheran Church on Shaftesbury Road;

D.   a community facilities grant of up to £16,000 to improve the community room facilities at Rock Road library;

E.   a community facilities grant of up to £40,000 for a multi-purpose community space at St Paul’s Primary School;

F.    £25,000 (informal open space) for a community green space on the former bowling green at Nightingale Avenue Rec Ground;

G.  around £25,000 (£15k play areas and £10k informal open space) to improve Reilly Way play area, Cherry Hinton;

H.   around £60,000 (£35k play areas and £25k informal open space) to upgrade Nightingale Avenue Rec play area;

I.      up to £15,000 (play areas contributions) to provide junior ‘fit kit’ equipment at the Accordia development.

     ii.          (Unanimously) to de-allocate an existing, devolved S106 funding (£20,000 of informal open space contributions) for an adult trim trail at the Accordia development, given that junior ‘fit kit’ is now proposed for that site.

 

Councillor Avery withdrew from discussion and room, and did not vote after speaking as a member of the public on recommendation 2.3. He returned for recommendations 2.4 and 2.5.

 

   iii.          (By 7 votes to 0) to allocate devolved informal open space S106 contributions to a grant of up to £35,000 for a footbridge across Hobson’s Brook at the Accordia development, subject to project appraisal, planning approval and agreement to transfer the asset to the city council.

 

Councillor Pippas withdrew from discussion and room, and did not vote after speaking as a member of the public on recommendation 2.4. He returned for recommendation 2.5.

 

   iv.          (By 7 votes to 0) to contribute £25,000 of devolved community facilities S106 contributions towards a £150k grant to the Greek Orthodox Community, to refurbish the Memorial Hall and church hall on Cherry Hinton Road, subject to project appraisal and community use agreement.

 

Councillor Ashton asked for it to be minuted that the Church Community Facilities Cherry Hinton Road/Hartington Grove lies in the East Area, and at a time when South Area 106 funds are unable to meet their own Area requests, it was difficult to see why SAC should match East funding of £40,000.

 

If funding was given the principle will have been set, so he hoped that in future consideration will also be given to funding from the central pot and transferred from other Wards to enable Community projects to be funded.

 

Councillor Ashton withdrew from discussion and room, and did not vote after speaking as a member of the public on recommendation 2.5. He returned after the vote on recommendation 2.5.

 

Councillor McPherson withdrew from acting as the meeting Chair for recommendation 2.5 and did not vote. Councillor Meftah took the Chair for this vote.

 

    v.          (By 6 votes to 0) to earmark at least £10,000 of devolved community facilities S106 contributions to improved community facilities in Cherry Hinton, although the proposal for the next phase of the development of the Cherry Hinton community hub is not yet ready to be considered.