Agenda and minutes
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Apologies for Absence and Named Substitutes Minutes: Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor R.J. Deemingand P.M. McDonald.
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Transport Planning Report - To follow Minutes: Members were informed that the consideration of the Transport Planning Review draft report had been deferred to the next meeting in April, 2019. The Chairman explained that the small sub group of Members (Councillors Mallett, Webb, Colella and Thomas) who had met with the officers from Worcestershire County Council would be meeting to discuss the draft final report, before it was brought before the Board.
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Declarations of Interest and Whipping Arrangements To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest or whipping arrangements. |
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Minutes: The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 11th February, 2019 were submitted for Members’ consideration.
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Planning Enforcement Process The Head of Planning and Regeneration is invited to the meeting to provide members with an update.
Additional documents: Minutes: Members were reminded that at the Overview and Scrutiny meeting held on 14th January, 2019 a topic proposal form was submitted to review the Council’s Planning Enforcement Department, in particular, to look at processes and breaches of Planning Policy and Regulations.
Members were advised that should the Board agree to establish a Task Group for an investigation of the work and processes of the Council Planning Department that the initial meeting would need to be arranged in the new municipal year.
The Development Management Manager and the Head of Planning and Regeneration gave a presentation in respect of the planning enforcement process and the breach of planning control. The key areas were highlighted as follows:
· What was a breach of planning control? A breach of planning control was defined in section 171A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If there was a breach of planning control, the Council would initially try to resolve the matter locally, before resorting to any formal enforcement action. · When should enforcement action be taken? Whilst the Council had powers to take enforcement action if there was a breach, enforcement was there to prevent inappropriate development that would not get planning permission. It was explained that a large number of breaches had no action taken against them because they caused no planning harm. · What are the time limits for taking enforcement action? It was explained that there were set time limits as to when enforcement action could be taken. · What happens with enforcement enquiries? The process of how an enquiry would be dealt with from the initial report was explained, including the allocation of an officer to each case.
Arising from the presentation Members made the following comments and raised a number of concerns. Officers provided responses as follows:
· With regards to enforcement cases, Members felt that the current mechanism in place, to inform Members of any cases in relation to enforcement, was not working. Members were advised that if an enforcement enquiry was made, they would be advised at the initial stage and would also be made available to the public. However, once enforcement action had started this would not be available as it became a criminal case and the sharing of information may impact on the Council’s case. However, The Head of Planning and Regeneration confirmed that she would be happy to share some of this information, in confidence, with Members, upon request. · Officers clarified that any orders made would be available to the public; however, the full details of the case would remain confidential. · It was explained that the information would not be made available for public interest until a notice was served.
The Head of Planning and Regeneration emphasised that if Members had any concerns in relation to a particular site then they should contact her and she would be happy to discuss this with them.
The Head of Planning and Regeneration offered to meet with Members individually to go through any particular enforcement concerns they may have in ... view the full minutes text for item 116/18 |
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WCC LTP4 on the district of Bromsgrove The Head of Planning and Regeneration is invited to the meeting to provide members with an update.
Minutes: Members were reminded that at the last meeting, the Board considered a proposal that had been received fromCouncillor S. Colella, for a scrutiny review in respect of an investigationinto the effect of WCC LTP4 on the District of Bromsgrove. Members had concluded that the Head of Planning and Regeneration be invited toattend this meeting to discuss the subject matter further in order to determine whether this would be a suitable topic for furtherscrutiny.
Councillor S. Colella requested that, as the Transport Planning Report had been deferred, that the consideration of the review also be deferred pending the outcome of the report to be considered at the next meeting.
The Head of Planning and Regeneration provided a brief update to Members in respect of the transport infrastructure in Bromsgrove. She informed the Board that whilst the accuracy of the data used for the Local Transport Plan 4(LTP4) was a key issue, the transport review would underpin the Strategic Transport Assessment which Worcestershire County Council (WCC) would carry out, supported by this Council’s officers and Mott MacDonald. Members were informed that WCC had commissioned Jacobs to carry out the work and confirmed that they were the current consultant at WCC.
Councillor S. Colella commented that following the meeting, which had been held with a number of officers from WCC he had felt that they had not fully appreciated or considered the traffic infrastructure in the District and he was concerned that there was no vision for the future of the District. Councillor Colella further reiterated that the issues raised had not been considered in the LTP4. He felt that the LTP4 did not support the population, development and economic growth for Bromsgrove.
In reviewing the plan it was felt that the ‘Predict and Provide’ methodology used was not fit for purpose for Bromsgrove District and this had been replaced with ‘Vision and Validates’. It was felt that the new approach was more appropriate for Bromsgrove.
Following the discussions it was agreed that the item would be deferred until the next meeting of the Board in order for it to be discussed in conjunction with the draft Transport Planning Review Report. |
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Finance and Budget Working Group - Verbal Update Minutes: Members were informed that the next meeting of this Group would take place on 4th March, 2019 when the working group would consider a number of reports including the Investment and Acquisition Strategy and that an update would be provided at the next meeting of the Board in April 2019.
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Corporate Performance Working Group - Verbal Update Minutes: Members were informed that the March 2019 scheduled meeting of the Group had been cancelled. The next performance report would be considered in June 2019, In light of this, the next meeting would be arranged to take place in the new municipal year.
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Task Group Updates
Minutes: Councillor M. Thompson provided thefollowing updates:
· Bromsgrove Sporting Football Club Task Group – The Group was yet to meet and an update would be provided once the first meeting had taken place;
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Business Rates Relief
Short Sharp Review – as previously
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Cabinet Work Programme - Tabled at the meeting Minutes: Members considered the Cabinet Leader’s Work Programme
from the
· Corporate Performance Reports would be considered by the Corporate Performance Working Group; · Bromsgrove Enterprise Park – Build out was already on the Board’s work programme and had been put back, so would now be considered at theOverview and Scrutiny Board in April, 2019.
Members agreed to pre-scrutinise the following items:
· Market Hall Site Redevelopment – Phase 2 – April, 2019 · North Worcestershire Economic Growth Strategy July, 2019
a) that the Cabinet Leader’s Work Programme be noted; and
b) that the following items be included in the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme for pre-scrutiny as agreed:
· Market Hall Site Redevelopment – Phase 2 – April, 2019; · North Worcestershire Economic Growth Strategy July, 2019.
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Overview and Scrutiny Board Work Programme Minutes: Members considered the Overview and Scrutiny Board Work Programme. As a number of items had been added and deferred to the next meeting, t was agreed that the following reports would be considered and/or moved to future meetings:
· Bromsgrove Market update to be considered in April, 2019; · Customer Services update to be considered in June, 2019; · Staff Survey to be consider in June, 2019;
RESOLVED
a) that the Overview and Scrutiny Board Work Programme be noted; and
b)
that the Overview and Scrutiny Board Work Programme be
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