Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 10 September 2019 were declared a true record and signed by the Chairman.

To answer questions submitted by Opposition Group Leaders on items on the agenda.

Question from Councillor B Gray to Councillor R Upton.

“With regards to the Abbey Road Progress Report – Design code DC1.3 outlines the proposed housing mix for the site, how is this allocated?”

Councillor Upton responded by saying that the 76 houses being built would provide a good housing mix in line with housing and planning policies and the scheme would deliver 30% affordable housing.

Councillor B Gray asked a supplementary question to Councillor R Upton.

“Given the aspirations of the developers to deliver 30%+ affordable housing on the site, could this be adjusted to deliver more 1-2 bed properties to address local need?”

Councillor Upton responded by advising that the proposed housing mix conforms to Policy 8 of the Rushcliffe Local Plan Part 1 (Housing Size, Mix and Choice) and as the detailed project planning progressed the type and number of affordable homes could be reviewed subject to the project’s viability. 

To answer questions submitted by citizens on the Council or its services.

There were no questions.

The report of the Executive Manager – Communities is attached.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)      all of the Examiner’s recommended modifications to the Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan be accepted;

b)      the Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan Decision Statement and its publication be approved; and

c)      the holding of a referendum for the Upper Borough Neighbourhood Plan, with the area for the referendum being the Parish of Upper Broughton be approved.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing presented the report of the Executive Manager – Communities providing information on the Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan. The documents had been introduced by the Localism Act 2011 and were recognised by the National Planning Policy Framework, with local residents empowered to shape the future of their community. A plan had to be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the local planning authority and if the plan was made part of the Local Development Plan, then planning applications within that area would be determined in accordance with both the Rushcliffe Local Plan and the relevant Neighbourhood Plan. The Plan had been promoted by the Parish Council, publicised, consulted on, examined by an independent Examiner and considered by the Borough Council. If the Plan was approved it would then proceed to a referendum and if more than 50% of those voting voted “yes” then the Borough Council was required to “adopt” the Plan. If the result was “no”, then the Parish Council would have to decide what it wanted to do.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Moore commended all those involved for their hard work and referred to the increasing number of local communities who wanted to shape the future vision of their communities, which was encouraging to note.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)      all of the Examiner’s recommended modifications to the Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan be accepted;

b)      the Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan Decision Statement and its publication be approved; and

c)      the holding of a referendum for the Upper Borough Neighbourhood Plan, with the area for the referendum being the Parish of Upper Broughton be approved.

Reasons for Decision

The Borough Council, as Local Planning Authority, has a statutory duty to assist in the production of Neighbourhood Plans where communities wish to produce them under the Localism Act 2011.

The Upper Broughton Neighbourhood Plan has been produced by Upper Broughton Parish Council, in conjunction with the local community. It was submitted to the Borough Council in March 2019 and contains a number of policies which would form part of the statutory Development Plan and be applied to the determination of planning applications. The Borough Council is required by the Localism Act to assess whether the Plan and its policies meet certain criteria (the ‘Basic Conditions’ and other legal requirements). In order to assist in this process, the Borough Council is required to invite representations on the Plan and appoint an independent Examiner to review whether the Plan meets the Basic Conditions and other legal requirements.

The submitted Plan was publicised and representations were invited from the public and other stakeholders, with the period for representations closing on 7 June 2019. The Plan has been assessed by an independent Examiner and, on 14 October 2019, he published his report which concluded that, subject to the modifications proposed in his report, the Plan should proceed to referendum (see Appendix 1 of the report).

The legislation sets out that the Borough Council must consider each  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

It was RESOLVED that under Regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

The report of the Executive Manager – Transformation is attached.

It is RESOLVED that:

a)           the offer set out in the report be accepted in principle; and

b)     the Chief Executive be instructed to finalise the contract details to include a timeline for the delivery of housing on the site.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager – Transformation providing information about the negotiations for the disposal of the land for housing development.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)        the offer set out in the report be accepted in principle; and

b)      the Chief Executive be instructed to finalise the contract details to include a timeline for the delivery of housing on the site.

Reason for Decision

This land has been allocated in the Council’s Local Plan Part 2 and delivery of housing on this allocated site will assist the Council in meeting its Borough-wide housing targets and thus protect against development on unallocated sites.

The report of the Executive Manager – Transformation is attached.

It was RESOLVED that:

Bid A be progressed to exchange and complete the sale of the former Abbey Road depot, subject to: due diligence; conditions; agreed provisions in the Design Code and Masterplan; and following input from the Growth and Development Scrutiny Group where practicable within the constraints of the site and scheme.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager – Transformation outlining progress of the Abbey Road depot redevelopment.

It was RESOLVED that:

Bid A be progressed to exchange and complete the sale of the former Abbey Road depot, subject to: due diligence; conditions; agreed provisions in the Design Code and Masterplan; and following input from the Growth and Development Scrutiny Group where practicable within the constraints of the site and scheme.

Reason for Decision

To meet the Council’s objectives for the site, as set out in the Cabinet report of 9 October 2018 where it was identified that the former depot should deliver:

·         much needed additional housing numbers (both private and affordable) to assist the five year housing supply;

·         the potential for a landmark scheme that showcases great design; and

·         a capital receipt for the Council that will offset the costs of providing the depot services from alternative sites.