Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Marchant-Daisley.

No interests were declared.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of 16^th April 2013. The minutes of 29^th May 2013 will be available in future.

The minutes of the meeting of the 16^th April 2013 were agreed as a correct record.

Malcolm Schofield

Malcolm Schofield addressed the Committee and made the following points:

·       Previous meetings of the Committee had considered public concerns about the impact of developments on wildlife.

·       The Cambridge North East site merits a full wildlife investigation.

·       Developers are already looking at the opportunities in the area and future decisions deserve to be Council led and not developer driven.

The Head of Planning responded. She stated that her team were already preparing an Area Action Plan for the site which would include a full wildlife and bio diversity study. This would involve joint working with South Cambridgeshire District Council. No development would be permitted until the document was in place.

Malcolm Schofield

Joint working will be the key and will be essential when areas such as Fen Road Travellers site are considered.

Councillor Ward stated that the boundaries of the Area Action Plan had not yet been finalised and would be agreed in consultation with South Cambridgeshire DC. However, there was already agreement that the traveller’s site would not be redeveloped.

The Chair ruled that under 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 the late item Cambridge City Council Local Development Scheme 2013 be considered despite not being made publicly available for this Committee five clear days prior to the meeting.

Matter for Decision:  

In March 2010 Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council commissioned an Infrastructure Delivery Study. It was endorsed as an evidence base document for the Cambridge Local Plan Review and the Cambridge Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) at Development Plan Scrutiny Sub-Committee in September 2012. The document was agreed as a live document that can be updated over time to reflect changing circumstances such as changes in the planned level of provision of housing and employment.

This update had been carried out to reflect the now agreed planned levels of provision emerging through the Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Local Plan Reviews. The updated Infrastructure Delivery Study sets out when and where infrastructure will need to be provided, the scale of funding needed to achieve this and potential sources of funding.

The study had been produced in collaboration with infrastructure and community service providers in order to obtain first hand views on requirements. The output is a study that provides the Council with an evidence base to support its planning policies on infrastructure and developer contributions. The document would form a key part of the evidence base at both Local Plan and Community Infrastructure Levy examinations.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning and Climate Change:

The Executive Councillor resolved:

       i.          To endorse the update to the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Infrastructure Delivery Study Update for use as an evidence base document for the Draft Cambridge Local Plan 2031 and the Cambridge Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations:

The Committee received a report from the Senior Planning Policy Officer regarding the update to the Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council infrastructure delivery study.

The Officer clarified the following points in response to questions from the Committee.

       i.          Page 120, Ref 396. The apparent shortfall in education funding could be due an existing deficiency. The Head of Planning would investigate this issue and include any corrections in the final version of the report which will be submitted as part of the evidence base at both Local Plan and CIL examinations. .

Action

     ii.          Questions were asked regarding leisure provision and the Head of Planning confirmed that while s106 money could not be used to fund existing deficiencies and that CIL should not be used to remedy pre-existing deficiencies unless those deficiencies will be made more severe by new development.

   iii.          CIL could also be used to fund utility infrastructure. However, this was thought to be unlikely in Cambridgeshire.

The Committee agreed that it was very difficult for them to scrutinise the document in its current form, and without more detailed background information. The Head of Planning confirmed that the document had been presented at this stage due to its links to the Local Plan. However, the Committee would get further opportunities to scrutinise the document as governance processes and approaches to determining funding priorities are  developed.

The Committee resolved by 2 votes to 0 to endorse the recommendations.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.

The Council was in the process of reviewing its Local Plan in order to plan and manage development to 2031. In order to inform development of the Council’s affordable housing policy position, the Council commissioned consultants to carry out a high level assessment of the likely potential for the provision of affordable housing on smaller sites than currently required through the adopted Cambridge Local Plan 2006 (15 units). This may be either through on-site provision of affordable housing or via a financial contribution mechanism.

The findings of the draft report (Supplementary Report Small Sites –Affordable Housing Viability) informed the development of the draft policy on affordable housing which was reported to and agreed at Full Council on 27 June 2013.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning and Climate Change:

The Executive Councillor resolved:

       i.          To endorse the content of the Supplementary Report on Small Sites – Affordable Housing Viability 2013, the findings of which have been used as a part of development of the draft affordable housing policy agreed at Full Council on 27 June 2013, for use as an evidence base for the review of the Local Plan and as a material consideration in planning decisions.

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations:

The Committee received a report from the Principal Planning Policy Officer regarding the Small Sites Affordable Housing Viability Assessment.

The Committee asked the following questions regarding commuted sums:

       i.          Could they be added to right to buy receipts?

     ii.          How long could the financial contributions be kept before they had to be spent?

   iii.          Who was the money available to?

   iv.          Could Housing Associations access it?

The Principal Planning Policy Officer stated that   she would investigate if commuted sums could be added to right to buy receipts. She agreed to contact the Legal and Housing Departments for guidance regarding the how long the financial contributions could be kept for. She further agreed to contact the Strategic Housing Manager for more information on which organisations could access the money.

Action

In response to questions from the Committee, the Head of Planning confirmed that an Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document would be prepared and was planned to be available ready for adoption of the new local plan. This would include a methodology for calculating commuted sums.    

The Committee resolved unanimously to endorse the recommendations.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.

Matter for Decision:  

Cambridge City Council is required to maintain a Local Development Scheme (LDS). An LDS sets out a timetable for the production of new or revised Development Plan Documents (such as a Local Plan).

Following Full Council approval on 27th June 2013 of the Proposed Submission Cambridge Local Plan, it is necessary to update the Council’s LDS with the latest timetable and publish it on our website.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning and Climate Change:

The Executive Councillor resolved to:

       i.           Approve the updated Local Development Scheme 2013 and agree to it being brought into effect on 10 July 2013.

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations:

The Committee received a report from the Principal Planning Policy Officer regarding Cambridge City Council Local Development Scheme 2013.

The Committee resolved unanimiously to endorse the recommendations.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.