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27 Greater Cambridge Joint Planning Committee PDF 456 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The County
Council resolved in May 2020 to withdraw from the Joint Development Control
Committee (JDCC) after July 2020. The effect of their resolution was that the
current JDCC would no longer be quorate.
The report
of the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development was first
considered by the Planning and Transport
Scrutiny Committee on 30 June 2020 for comments on the establishment of a new
Committee (suggested name was the Greater Cambridge Joint Planning Committee
GCJPC) and set out the proposed terms for the new Joint Committee to come into
effect from 1 August 2020.
The Joint
Director for Planning and Economic Development updated the Committee on
amendments to the original proposed Terms of Reference by both the Planning and
Transport Scrutiny Committee and the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s
Civic Affairs Committee (which met on 1 July 2020).
The amendments were:
i.
Amend the membership of the new committee
so there would be six Cambridge City Council (CCC) members and 6 South
Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) members rather than three members each.
ii.
Retain the name of the Committee as the
Joint Development Control Committee rather than the Greater Cambridge Joint
Planning Committee and reflect this throughout the terms of reference document.
Confirm
that the Chair and Vice-Chair positions rotate between Cambridge City Council
and South Cambridgeshire District Council each municipal year.
Provide for County
Council members to address the new Committee.
In response
to questions from the Committee, the Joint Director for Planning and Economic
Development said the following:
i.
The
current membership of JDCC comprised: six CCC members, six SCDC members and
four Cambridgeshire County Council members. It was originally proposed that the
new committee should have three members from CCC and SCDC but both local authority’s
scrutiny committees resolved to increase this back to six members each. Members
felt that three members from each authority was not enough to consider
strategic planning applications.
ii.
Confirmed
that Cambridgeshire County Council would be included in the updated Terms of
Reference, 14.1 Attendance at the Committee by other members of the Councils
when presented to the full Council meetings for approval.
iii.
Under
the scheme of delegation to officers the current arrangements provided for a
threshold of 100 dwellings and officers had not proposed to change this. If the
committee proposed a scheme of officer delegation for 10 units and below only,
then almost every application would be brought forward for scrutiny’s
committee’s consideration as this equated to the threshold for “major
applications” which was the Committees focus.
iv.
Following
legal advice, and in the interests of clarity, it was proposed to amend the
“Functions of the Committee” as defined in the report to make clear the power
of the Committee to amend and modify Standing Orders and to consider previous
applications of the former JDCC
v.
The
Standing Orders before the meeting provided for County Council members to “call
in” applications to the Committee and officers therefore proposed to amend
these prior to Full Council to remove this provision.
Resolved (unanimously)
to recommend to Council:
i.
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
ii.
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
iii.
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
iv.
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
v.
To
authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential amendments to the
Council’s constitution arising from the above decisions
vi.
Appoint 6
members (and substitutes) from Cambridge City Council to serve upon the new
Joint Development Control Committee from August.
vii.
To amend
the “Functions of the Committee” to insert two additional provisions:
The following points were noted:
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.
To amend part e of the scheme of delegation to exclude
County Council members from the capacity to “call in” applications under the
scheme