Agenda item

Report No: COU/SE/18/025

 

Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 6 November 2018
There are no referrals emanating from the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee meeting held on 6 November 2018.
Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 11 December 2018
1.	West Suffolk Housing Strategy 2018-2023
	Portfolio Holder: Cllrs Susan Glossop and Sara Mildmay-White
2.	Mid- Year Treasury Management Report and Investment Activity (1 April – 30 September 2018)
	Portfolio Holder: Cllr Ian Houlder
3.	West Suffolk Local Development Scheme (LDS) December 2018: Adoption
	Portfolio Holder: Cllr Susan Glossop
4.	West Suffolk Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) December 2018: Adoption
	Portfolio Holder: Cllr Susan Glossop
5.	Exempt: Investing in our Commercial Asset Portfolio (para 3)   This item will be considered in private session under Agenda Item 12.
	Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths

 

Council considered the Referrals Report of Recommendations from the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee contained within Report No: COU/SE/18/025.

 

(A)    Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 6 November 2018

 

Council noted that there were no referrals emanating from the meeting of the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee held on 6 November 2018.

 

(B)    Referrals from Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee: 11 December 2018

 

1.       West Suffolk Housing Strategy 2018-2023

 

(Councillor Sarah Broughton declared a local non-pecuniary interest in this item as her husband is a landholder in the area, which may have an impact as a result of the adoption of the West Suffolk Housing Strategy.  Councillor Broughton remained in the meeting for the consideration of this item.)

 

Approval was sought for the West Suffolk Housing Strategy 2018–2023, which was attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/051.

 

The draft Strategy had been subject to consultation and was considered by the Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury Overview and Scrutiny Committees as part of the consultation process. A number of themes had emerged during the consultation and some suggestions for amendment had been made, which were incorporated into the document ahead of its consideration by the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee, as summarised in the Referrals report (COU/SE/18/025).

 

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, Portfolio Holder for Housing, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including that:

 

(a)     an Implementation Plan (Appendix C), which accompanied the Housing Strategy had been developed (and further refined following comments received during the consultation) to support the West Suffolk Councils’ delivery of the priorities and actions set out in the Strategy;

 

(b)     a new revised West Suffolk Tenancy Strategy had also been developed alongside the Housing Strategy, which was approved by the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee on 11 December 2018; however as that Strategy did not form part of the policy framework, it did not require Council approval;

 

(c)     the proposed Housing Delivery Plan had been commissioned, as referred to in Section 1.3 of the Housing Strategy.  This included actions the West Suffolk Councils could take through working with key partners and developers to expedite the rate of future housing delivery, and this was expected to be presented to the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee in spring 2019 for approval; and

 

(d)     a minor amendment had been made to the figures on Page 8 of the Housing Strategy’s Evidence Base (Appendix B).  This amendment had been previously circulated to Members and had not required an amendment to the recommendation from the Joint Executive (Cabinet) Committee.

 

A detailed discussion was held and a number of issues were raised, which included:

 

(a)     that provision of more affordable housing was paramount to ensure the future prosperity and growth of St Edmundsbury and West Suffolk, as businesses were not considered able to invest in the area if their staff were unable to afford to live within the locality;

 

(b)     the Strategy was generally supported and commended; however some concern was expressed regarding delivery and whether a stronger stance should be taken with developers to ensure the delivery of affordable housing on new developments, as required and in accordance with planning policy;

 

(c)     that ‘affordable’ housing was becoming unaffordable in some areas, particularly in Bury St Edmunds, and whether further emphasis should be placed on increased provision of social housing;

 

(d)     the provision of affordable housing for local residents and whether priority should be given to access this to those already living in the locality;

 

(e)     the need for promoting the building of new independent  community-based developments rather than the vast, Marham Park-style strategic sites, which would encourage local community integration;

 

(f)      the timing of when new planning policies were developed and approved to when these came into practice to assist the determination of planning applications;

 

(g)     the role of Barley Homes in the forthcoming Housing Delivery Plan;

 

(h)     the potential impact on infrastructure and services in Bury St Edmunds following approval of the proposed provision of circa 800 homes in neighbouring Thurston by Mid Suffolk District Council’s Development Control Committee; and

 

(i)      the number of rough sleepers presently in St Edmundsbury and how this was being addressed (details of which was contained in the separate recently approved Homelessness Strategy).

 

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White provided comprehensive responses to questions raised, including:

 

(a)     housing provision in St Edmundsbury, particularly in Bury St Edmunds, had largely been dependent on the development of the larger strategic sites, however, the development of smaller sites was encouraged and this was set out in the forthcoming Housing Delivery Plan;

 

(b)     in accordance with policy, priority for housing local people already living in the area was only given if the site had been identified as an exception site; however, allocations were given to those that had a connection with St Edmundsbury;

 

(c)     whilst the Government was now allowing social housing to be built, the Council was not a stock-holding authority; however, it would work closely with housing associations such as Havebury Housing Partnership to promote the building of social housing; and

 

(d)     two of the Barley Homes’ initial small sites were expected to come forward for development shortly.  Affordable housing provision on these sites would provide affordable rents.

 

In respect of a specific question raised by Councillor Terry Clements, this would be provided in the form of a written reply and circulated to all Members for their perusal.

 

On the motion of Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, seconded by Councillor Susan Glossop, and duly carried, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the West Suffolk Housing Strategy 2018-2023, attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/051, be adopted.

 

 

2.       Mid Year Treasury Management Report and Investment Activity

          (1 April to 30 September 2018)

 

Approval was sought for the Mid Year Treasury Management Report covering the period 1 April to 30 September 2018.

 

In the absence of Councillor Ian Houlder, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council.

 

In respect of a specific question raised by Councillor Diane Hind, this would be provided in the form of a written reply and circulated to all Members for their perusal.

 

On the motion of Councillor Griffiths, seconded by Councillor Clive Pollington, and duly carried, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Mid Year Treasury Management Report 2018-2019 and Investment Activity (1 April to 30 September 2018), as set out in Report No: TMS/SE/18/004, be approved.

 

 

3.       West Suffolk Local Development Scheme (LDS) December 2018: Adoption

 

(Councillor Sarah Broughton declared a local non-pecuniary interest in this item as her husband is a landholder in the area, which may have an impact as a result of the adoption of the West Suffolk Local Development Scheme.  Councillor Broughton remained in the meeting for the consideration of this item.)

 

Approval was sought for the adoption of the West Suffolk Local Development Scheme. The Scheme outlined the programme for preparing the West Suffolk Local Plan by outlining the development plan documents to be produced, their subject matter and the broad timetable for their preparation including consultation, examination and adoption.

 

Councillor Susan Glossop, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including that a revision to the 2016 joint St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath LDS was now required in order to:

 

(a)     reflect recent changes to the planning system;

 

(b)     prioritise plan preparation and progression in order to meet the West Suffolk single council consequential order clause which required West Suffolk Council to prepare a Local Plan across the administrative area within five years of becoming a single council (April 2024);

 

(c)     to update progress on the development plan documents currently in preparation; and

 

(d)     to roll the programme forward to 2023 for the preparation of a West Suffolk Local Plan.

 

Councillor Glossop provided an outline of the broad timetable for the preparation of the West Suffolk Local Plan, which was provided in Annex 1 of the LDS, which culminated in the final key milestone being the adoption of the new Local Plan in May 2023.

 

A discussion was held on ensuring Ward Members became involved in the development of the new Local Plan to take advantage of local knowledge.  Encouragement was given for getting involved with the public consultation on the emerging Local Plan.  Some Members felt that training was required to ensure Members sufficiently engaged with parish/town councils and communities within their wards through meaningful discussion to support the consultation process and to gain appropriate outcomes for building into the new Local Plan for the relevant area.  This led to a discussion on means of encouraging young people to become involved with the consultation process and to engage in meaningful discussion to help shape the Local Plan.

 

Councillor Glossop responded accordingly and assured Members that a full consultation programme, as set in the Statement of Community Involvement, would be rolled out at the appropriate time, which would include many platforms to encourage better engagement with Ward Members, parish/town councils and the public in general, such as through face-to-face exhibitions, workshops, social media etc (a list of proposed engagement platforms was contained in Table 1 of Working  Paper 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/055 (proposed Statement of Community Involvement). 

 

On the motion of Councillor Glossop, seconded by Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, and duly carried, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the West Suffolk Local Development Scheme (LDS), as set out in Working Paper 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/054, be adopted.

 

4.       West Suffolk Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) December 2018: Adoption

 

(Councillor Sarah Broughton declared a local non-pecuniary interest in this item as her husband is a landholder in the area, which may have an impact as a result of the adoption of the West Suffolk Statement of Community Involvement.  Councillor Broughton remained in the meeting for the consideration of this item.)

 

Approval was sought for the adoption of the West Suffolk Statement of Community Involvement. This document detailed how the Council would:

 

(a)     consult and engage on planning applications;

(b)     produce and engage on the West Suffolk Local Plan; and

(c)     support the preparation of Neighbourhood Plans.

 

Before commencing with the development of the West Suffolk Local Plan, the West Suffolk Councils were required to produce a SCI, which explained how they would engage local communities and other interested parties in producing their Local Plan and determining planning applications.

 

Councillor Susan Glossop, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council, including that a revision to the 2014 joint St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath SCI was now required in order to make legislative amendments and to reflect changes in the Councils’ working practices and procedures. 

 

In response to a question which had emanated following the discussion on the previous item (Local Development Scheme), Council was informed that ‘social media’, would be added to the list of proposed engagement platforms contained in Table 1 of Working  Paper 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/055. 

 

On the motion of Councillor Glossop, seconded by Councillor Carol Bull, and duly carried, it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the West Suffolk Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) as set out in Working Paper 1 to Report No: CAB/JT/18/055, be adopted.

 

5.       Exempt: Investing in our Commercial Asset Portfolio

 

As this item was exempt, Council would consider this item later in the meeting in private session under Agenda Item 12.