At each Cabinet meeting, up to 15 minutes shall be allocated for questions from and discussion with, non-Cabinet members. Members wishing to speak during this session should if possible, give notice in advance. Who speaks and for how long will be at the complete discretion of the person presiding.
Minutes:
The following non-Cabinet Members spoke under this item:
1. Councillor Brian Harvey, asked questions/made statements in respect of Agenda Item 7 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/019 - Sunnica Energy Farm: Consultation Process).
Councillor Harvey opened by raising his concerns with regards to the scale of the proposal, which had now increased to over 850 hectares. Appendix A of Report No: CAB/WS/20/019 was a joint response from West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council (dated 26 July 2019), to the non-statutory public consultation report and Councillor Harvey asked whether a response had been received from Sunnica.
Councillor Harvey raised concerns as to whether there were informal/formal consultations taking place between Sunnica, West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council. He was also concerned to ensure that local engagement was undertaken with the Town/Parish Councils.
Paragraph 2.7 of Report No: CAB/WS/20/019 set out the expected decisions required and known timescales. Councillor Harvey made specific reference to the response to Sunnica’s Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) which was due in approximately February 2020 and asked if that was going to take place and if so, had the Council seen Sunnica’s response.
Councillor Harvey also referred to the following, which may, in his view, be affected by the proposed site:
- One of the proposed routes for the potential Mildenhall Relief Road would be through the centre of the site.
- The existing anaerobic digestion plant located in that area, may have to apply for a variation in their traffic route, meaning that there could be an increase in traffic through the local villages.
- Within the proposed area was Bay Farm Quarry, Worlington, which was an operational sand and gravel quarry.
- The development could impact on the proposed route alignment for the Cambridge Autonomous Metro (CAM) route from Cambridge to Mildenhall.
Councillor Harvey concluded by stating that the local Town/Parish Councils in the area, and particularly those located within the Manor Ward, must be provided with the opportunity to be consulted over these proposals, with the involvement of West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council, alongside Cambridgeshire County Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council.
In response, Councillor Andy Drummond, Portfolio Holder for Regulatory, replied to the questions/statements made by Councillor Harvey. In terms of the joint response submitted in July 2019, a response had not been received from Sunnica. Councillor Drummond referred to paragraph 2.7 of the report and stated that he would be informing the Cabinet that the timetable for this application had now slightly changed and that the Statement of Community Consultation was likely to be received in March 2020.
Councillor Drummond also explained that Officers were currently negotiating the terms of a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with Sunnica in respect of technical advice being sought, as part of the preparation of the Council’s response to this application.
Councillor Drummond concluded his response by explaining that the report on the Cabinet agenda this evening was not about the merits of the proposal, but as to how the Council responded as a statutory consultee. A Member briefing had been arranged for 12 February 2020 and following that, further follow-up meetings could be held with Councillor Harvey to ensure that his specific issues were addressed.
2. Councillor Diane Hind made a statement in respect of Agenda Item 8 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/020 – Recommendations of the Extraordinary Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 23 January 2020: West Suffolk Parking Review Group) and Agenda Item 9 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/021 – West Suffolk Parking Review).
Councillor Hind opened by requesting that the proposed increases in car parking charges should not be implemented. Herself and her colleagues in the Labour Group, believed that car park charges should not be raised by more than 10p per session. This alone would raise additional revenue of over £370,000 (based on paid parking events held between April 2018 and March 2019). The Council should not take the responsibility of paying the charge levied by RingGo (cashless parking), which would also save in the region of £180,000.
Councillor Hind explained that she felt the current evening charge from 6pm should be ended, with the charging period for the day to end at 7pm, provided that four-hour parking was retained in the Cattle Market Car Park. ‘Free from 3’ must be retained in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill. Alternative and additional days must also be considered, as should exploring other incentives to bring people into the Town Centres. Councillor Hind also queried the rationale for benchmarking Bury St Edmunds alongside Cambridge, as the parking in Cambridge was charged at a premium rate to encourage the use of the Park and Ride facility. In the future, Bury St Edmunds should also aspire to having Park and Ride facilities with the use of electric buses.
As mentioned, four-hour parking should be retained in the Cattle Market Car Park, as it would give people more opportunity to want to shop, eat and visit an entertainment venue in the Town. Charging people for both parking and charging their electric cars was not an incentive to encourage the use of electric cars in towns. There should be a maximum top-up charge, with the charges being the same as those for disabled users.
At a time when High Streets were generally suffering from decline, the Council should be protecting its own High Streets and increasing car park charges did not assist to support visitors, residents, businesses or employees. There were already empty shops within the Town and she did not want that number to rise.
Councillor Hind concluded by stating her views of having a dead town centre versus having a thriving town centre.
In response, Councillor Peter Stevens, Portfolio Holder for Operations, replied to the statements made by Councillor Hind. Councillor Stevens thanked Councillor Hind for the points raised and explained that the Car Parking Review Group and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also considered these. The Cabinet would be considering their recommendations later on the agenda. Councillor Stevens also wished to acknowledge that it was not just car parking charges which was relevant to the health and well-being of Town Centres and that there was a wider debate to be had to address the challenges, particularly the changing nature of retailing.
3. Councillor Rachel Hood made a statement in respect of Agenda Item 8 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/020 – Recommendations of the Extraordinary Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 23 January 2020: West Suffolk Parking Review Group) and Agenda Item 9 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/021 – West Suffolk Parking Review).
Councillor Hood opened by expressing her concerns with regard to the extremely disappointing state of the car parks in Newmarket. The maintenance of the car parks in Newmarket had been sporadic, resulting in them being in an unsatisfactory state. This was preventing the Town from being able to contribute, as it would wish, to the West Suffolk area as a major tourist destination, the international historic home of horseracing and a town that welcomed visitors.
Councillor Hood wished to make it very clear that there should be no increase in any car parking charges before the car parks in Newmarket had been satisfactorily renovated. Councillor Hood, therefore, asked for reassurances from the Cabinet that all the car parks in Newmarket would be brought up to an acceptable standard before there was any change in car parking charges.
In response, Councillor Peter Stevens, Portfolio Holder for Operations, made reference to his previous response and that the Cabinet would be considering the recommendations from the Car Parking Review Group and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee later on the agenda.
4. Councillor Jim Meikle made a statement in respect of Agenda Item 9 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/021 – West Suffolk Parking Review).
Councillor Meikle opened by explaining that he was the Ward Member for Clare, Hundon and Kedington. In Clare, a further three shops would be closing this month, which meant that there were now five empty shops within the Town. One contributory factor was the under-capacity of car parking facilities in the Town.
Councillor Meikle expressed his disappointment that the Car Parking Review Group had not recommended any definitive solutions to the parking issues within Clare. In his view, one solution could be the relocation of the existing fire station on donated land to the west of the Town. Councillor Meikle felt there was the opportunity for the delivery of a wider long-term vision for the Town, with the creation of a public service hub to include a fire and rescue base, an ambulance and clinical response service and community hospital outreach medical services. Councillor Meikle had been working with Officers over the last few months to develop this project.
Councillor Meikle concluded by asking the Cabinet to consider the creation of this public service hub in Clare to provide the services needed, the provision of a short-term parking solution, alongside the development of a longer-term solution for off-street parking in Clare.
In response, Councillor Jo Rayner, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community Hubs, thanked Councillor Meikle for his statement and explained that the Car Parking Review Group had addressed this issue, in part. It was recognised that Clare needed more off-street parking and further opportunities would be reviewed and reported back to Cabinet accordingly. Councillor Rayner also explained that she was aware of Councillor Meikles’ vision for a public service hub in Clare and she would ensure that the West Suffolk Property Board worked on the recommendations from the Car Parking Review with regards to off-street parking opportunities, so that all suitable options could be reviewed and brought together for the benefit of Clare.