Chichester District Council
Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Rooms, East Pallant House. View directions

Contact: Graham Thrussell on 01243 534653  Email:  gthrussell@chichester.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

219.

Chairman's Announcements

The chairman will make any specific announcements and advise of any late items which due to be special circumstances will be given urgent consideration under agenda item 9 (a) or (b).

 

Apologies for absence will be received at this point.  

Minutes:

Mrs Hamilton alluded to the fact that the agenda for this special meeting did not include the usual standing item of Questions to the Executive. This was because in the case of special meetings Chichester District Council’s (CDC) Constitution provided that certain agenda items were not to feature unless the Chairman of the Council otherwise directed. She had decided to permit the inclusion of Public Question Time, in view of the nature and importance of the three recommendations to the Council in agenda items 5, 6 and 7 and Late Items. She had not so directed, however, with respect to Questions to the Executive.

 

She outlined the emergency evacuation procedure.

 

Mrs Hamilton then invited the Chief Executive, Diane Shepherd, to make the following statement with respect to the recent fire in London and CDC’s response to this terrible tragedy.

 

Statement by the Chief Executive – Grenfell Tower North Kensington London

 

‘The fire that swept through Grenfell Tower in North Kensington was horrific and my thoughts are with all of those who lost their lives, those who were affected by this dreadful incident, and of course the heroic emergency services working at the site.

 

A detailed e-mail was sent to all members on Friday setting out the current position in Chichester District. I do not intend to read the contents of the e-mail today but I would like to reassure members of the public that we have robust fire safety measures in place and I, along with the senior management team, are reviewing these procedures to double check whether there is anything further that we can do to ensure the safety of residents. We are also complying with any advice coming from the government.

 

We no longer manage our own housing stock and there are no high-rise buildings within the District. However, all of the accommodation that we do own, including our temporary accommodation at Westward House, meets safety standards.

 

We are required by law to complete fire risk assessments for all buildings where we have landlord responsibilities and we are required to identify hazards and people at risk and evaluate, remove or reduce fire risks. This places a clear duty on the person responsible to ensure that fire hazards are removed and that precautions are provided such as detection and warning, fire-fighting equipment, escape routes, lighting, signs and maintenance and maintenance.  We have in place fire risk assessments for all our buildings.

 

We are also responsible for licensing houses in multiple occupation. We do not issue a licence until we are satisfied that the appropriate fire safety standards are met. However, it must be emphasised that it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that the building is free of fire hazards. In addition we operate a private letting scheme, Homefinder.  All accommodation situated within the District is inspected by a member of the Environmental Housing Team to ensure that it is free from category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and such assessments consider the issue  ...  view the full minutes text for item 219.

220.

Approval of the Minutes pdf icon PDF 266 KB

The Council will be asked to approve as a correct record the minutes of its annual meeting held on Tuesday 16 May 2017, a copy of which is circulated with this agenda.  

Minutes:

The Council received the minutes of the Annual Council meeting on Tuesday 16 May 2017, which had been circulated with the agenda (copy attached to the official minutes).

 

There were no proposed changes to the minutes.

 

Decision

 

The Council voted unanimously on a show of hands to make the following resolution.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the Annual Council meeting on Tuesday 16 May 2017 be approved without making any amendments.

 

Mrs Hamilton then duly signed and dated the final (eighteenth) page of the official version of the aforesaid minutes as a correct record.

221.

Declarations of Interests

Members and officers are requested to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests they might have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Minutes:

Declarations of personal interests were made in respect of agenda items 5 (Chichester Local Plan Review: Timetable and Issues and Options Consultation), 6 (Draft Statement of Community Involvement) and 7 (Draft Southern Gateway Masterplan for Public Consultation) by the undermentioned who were members of the stated councils which had been or would be consulted during the consultation periods:

 

Chichester City Council

 

(1)  Mrs Apel

 

(2)  Mr Budge

 

(3)  Mr Dignum

 

(4)  Mr Galloway

 

(5)  Mr Hixson

 

(6)  Mrs Kilby

 

(7)  Mr Macey

 

(8)  Mr Plowman

 

West Sussex County Council

 

(1)  Mrs Duncton

 

(2)  Mr Oakley

 

(3)  Mrs Purnell

 

222.

Public Question Time

In accordance with Chichester District Council’s scheme of public question and with reference to standing order 6 in Part 4 A and section 5.6 in Part 5 of the Chichester District Council Constitution, consideration will be given at this point in the meeting to questions which have been submitted by members of the public in writing by 12:00 on the previous working day. The total time allocated for public question time is 15 minutes but this is subject to the chairman’s discretion to extend that period for each member of the public (five minutes) or the total time for public questions (15 minutes).

Minutes:

No public questions had been submitted for this meeting.

 

 

[Note Minute paras 223 to 228 below summarise the consideration of and conclusion to agenda items 8 to 10 inclusive but for full details please refer to the audio recording facility via this link:

 

http://chichester.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=963&Ver=4 ]  

223.

Chichester Local Plan Review: Timetable and Issues and Options Consultation

The report is at item 5 of the agenda for the Cabinet’s meeting on Monday 19 June 2017 and its three appendices are in the agenda supplement.

 

It is anticipated that the following recommendations will be made by the Cabinet earlier in the day to the Council at this special meeting:

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

That the Council approves:

 

(1)  The amendment of the Local Development Scheme 2017-2020 by adding the key dates for the Local Plan Review set out in paragraph 6.3 of the agenda report.

 

(2)  The Local Plan Review Issues and Options documents presented as appendices to the agenda report being the subject of a six-week period of public consultation from 22 June to 3 August 2017.

 

(3)  The Head of Planning Services being authorised, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning Services, to make minor amendments to the consultation documents prior to their publication.

 

Minutes:

The Council considered the recommendations made to it by the Cabinet at its meeting earlier in the day as set out on the face of the agenda (copy attached to the official minutes), the details in respect of which were contained in the report on pages 13 to 21 of the agenda for that meeting and also in the three appendices to the report on pages 1 to 118 of the agenda supplement. All CDC members had received a copy of the Cabinet agenda and agenda supplement.  

 

Mrs Taylor (the Cabinet Member for Planning Services) formally moved the recommendations of the Cabinet which had been made earlier in the day and this was seconded by Mr Dignum (Leader of the Council). 

 

Mrs Taylor said that this review of the Chichester Local Plan: Key Policies 2014-2029 (CLP), which had been adopted in July 2015, was imposed by the planning inspector in pronouncing the CLP to be sound. The requirement for a review within five years was due to the annual housing figure in the CLP of 435 homes per year falling short of meeting the objectively assessed need (OAN) at that time of 505 homes per year. Satisfying the OAN was a particular challenge for Chichester District since 70% of the area fell within the South Downs National Park and so outside the CLP area. A portion of the remaining 30% was either in the AONB or subject to environmental constraints eg flooding. In addition Chichester District was adjacent to other large urban areas with growth in employment and housing requirements, particularly in Arun District Council and Havant Borough Council areas. Moreover, it was evident from recent examinations of other local authorities’ local plans that councils had to plan for very substantial increases in housing numbers and CDC could not assume that it would be exempt at the review examination. Despite not being able at this stage to estimate the scale of development for which CDC would be required to allocate land, the plan-making process had to be commenced now. The timetable was set out in appendix 1 (page 9) and would require close adherence in order to ensure adoption was completed within five years ie by July 2020.  The absence of a new local plan could render the CLP area vulnerable to speculative development in inappropriate and even damaging locations instead of the most suitable sites which balanced meeting demand with minimising harm to the area’s wonderful natural heritage.

 

The first main stage of the review process was the Issues and Options consultation which was due to run from 22 June to 3 August 2017, using a questionnaire to engage the community (parish councils and their residents) and drawing out comments and information to help CDC draft a strategy and preferred policy options to be included in the CLP review document.  Community engagement was a very important process. The possible locations for housing development listed in the consultation were described only in broad terms at this stage.  As the plan-making  ...  view the full minutes text for item 223.

224.

Draft Statement of Community Involvement for Public Consultation

The report is at item 6 of the agenda for the Cabinet’s meeting on Monday 19 June 2017 and its appendix is in the agenda supplement.

 

It is anticipated that the following recommendations will be made by the Cabinet earlier in the day to the Council at this special meeting:

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

That the Council approves:

 

(1)  The Statement of Community Involvement for a six-week public consultation.

 

(2)  The delegation of authority to the Head of Planning Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning Services to enable minor amendments to be made to the document prior to and following public consultation.

 

Minutes:

The Council considered the recommendations made to it by the Cabinet at its meeting earlier in the day as set out on the face of the agenda (copy attached to the official minutes), the details in respect of which were contained in the report on pages 22 to 24 of the agenda for that meeting and also in the appendix to the report on pages 119 to 132 of the agenda supplement. All CDC members had received a copy of the Cabinet agenda and agenda supplement.  

 

Mrs Taylor (the Cabinet Member for Planning Services) formally moved the recommendations of the Cabinet which had been made earlier in the day and this was seconded by Mr Dignum (Leader of the Council). 

 

Mrs Taylor explained that it was a legal requirement for a local authority to produce a statement of community involvement (SCI), which would set out CDC’s approach to engage the public and other interested parties, including specific organisations that had to be consulted, in all planning policy and development management matters. An SCI explained the different categories of planning documents, the stages applicable to them and how the development management system worked. There were five engagement commitments to guide CDC in undertaking consultations (para 3.1 page 124):  (a) be clear about what we are doing; (b) be inclusive: (c) be accessible; (d) be transparent; (e) be accountable. The current SCI was adopted in 2013. Although not caught by the prospective requirement under the recently enacted Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 to review an SCI every five years, given the review of the Chichester Local Plan: Key Policies 2014-2029 (CLP) now underway this was an appropriate time to review the SCI. The SCI was not the subject of amendments when considered by CDC’s Development Plan and Infrastructure Panel on 3 May 2017 (para 8.2 of the report). If approved by the Council the draft SCI would be made available for public consultation for a period of six weeks between 22 June 2017 and 3 August 2017.

 

During the ensuing discussion (full details of which are available via the audio recording on CDC’s web-site) members made comments and asked questions about various matters and received where appropriate answers from Mr Dignum, Mrs Taylor or officers, namely Mr Allgrove, Mr Frost and Mrs Shepherd. The subjects included:

 

(a)  The initiation of a neighbourhood development plan (para 3.14 on page 127 of the agenda supplement) - this had to be by a parish or town or city council in the case of the whole parish area or if less than the whole parish area eg a city or town centre area, then it could be initiated by a neighbourhood planning forum; whether there had been a change in the relevant regulations to require in the latter case the initiation and support by a parish etc council would be checked by officers.

 

(b)  The section 3.4 on page 125 ‘Who do we involve?’ and whether parish councils, particularly Chichester City Council, were entitled to nominate residents  ...  view the full minutes text for item 224.

225.

Draft Southern Gateway Masterplan for Public Consultation

The report is at item 7 of the agenda for the Cabinet’s meeting on Monday 19 June 2017 and its appendix is in the agenda supplement.

 

It is anticipated that the following recommendations will be made by the Cabinet earlier in the day to the Council at this special meeting:

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

That the Council approves:

 

(1)  The Draft Southern Gateway Masterplan set out in the appendix to the agenda report for public consultation.

 

(2)  The delegation of authority to the Head of Planning Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning Services to make minor amendments to the document prior to public consultation.

Minutes:

The Council considered the recommendations made to it by the Cabinet at its meeting earlier in the day as set out on the face of the agenda (copy attached to the official minutes), the details in respect of which were contained in the report on pages 25 to 29 of the agenda for that meeting and also in the appendix to the report on pages 133 to 212 of the agenda supplement. All CDC members had received a copy of the Cabinet agenda and agenda supplement.  

 

Mr Dignum (the leader of the Council) formally moved the recommendations of the Cabinet and this was seconded by Mrs Lintill (the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Community Services). 

 

In addition to the relevant CDC officers who were in attendance for this item, Matthew Lappin of David Lock Associates, the town planning and urban design consultants engaged for the Chichester Southern Gateway Draft Masterplan (CSG DM) project (which included preparation of the Strategic Environmental Assessment), and Phil Brady of Peter Brett Associates, the development and infrastructure consultants engaged to produce the transport appraisal for the CSG DM, were present. Mr Lappin would give a PowerPoint presentation following Mr Dignum’s introduction, after which he and Mr Brady would reply to members’ questions.

 

Mr Dignum presented the report about the proposal to hold a public consultation on the CSG DM. He explained the relationship between the draft Chichester Vision process (he read out its theme) and the CSG DM (para 5.3 of the report). The CSG MP was not prescriptive but indicative. The Vision, which supported the enhanced role and function of the city centre as a leading visitor destination with a vibrant and growing economy that was also accessible and attractive, identified three major projects: CSG, the Northern Gateway and the West Street Piazza. The intention was to enhance the Southern Gateway area of the city, which was a key point of arrival, by developing parcels of land to produce a comprehensive mixed use of housing, retail and commercial development, the last of which might include a hotel. The Canal Basin was identified as an important component in the masterplan scheme and that area would be greatly enhanced. Key priorities included (a) reducing the dominance of road traffic and congestion and (b) improving safety in the Southgate Gyratory and design quality (no building to be higher than four storeys). CDC was working closely with its partners West Sussex County Council and the Homes and Community Agency and negotiations were taking place with Stagecoach and Royal Mail to explore the relocation of their operations. This scheme had clear potential for delivery and there was a strong local appetite for the proposed residential and mixed use development. Funding was addressed in section 7 of the report and funding options would include the Local Enterprise Partnership and other government sources.  

 

The slides in Mr Lappin’s aforementioned PowerPoint presentation (a colour copy of which is attached to the official minutes only) covered inter alia the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 225.

226.

Amended Appointment to Committees 2017-2018 pdf icon PDF 45 KB

The Council is requested to consider the agenda report and to make the following resolution:

 

That Mrs P C Plant be appointed in the place of Mr J C P Connor to serve on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for 2017-2018.

 

Minutes:

The Council considered the agenda report on page 19 (copy attached to the official minutes).

 

Mrs Hamilton briefly introduced the report, which proposed one change to the committee memberships for 2017-2018 which had been approved at the Annual Council meeting on 16 May 2017.

 

She advised that in addition Mrs L C Purnell would replace Mrs J L Kilby as the vice-chairman of the Planning Committee for 2017-2018. This change was in consequence of Mrs Kilby having recently been appointed to the Cabinet and Mrs Purnell having left the Cabinet following her election in May 2017 as a member of West Sussex County Council.   

 

There was no discussion of this item.

 

Mrs Hamilton proposed that the recommendation in para 2.1 of the report and the additional appointment relating to the Planning Committee be approved.       

 

Decision

 

The Council voted unanimously on a show of hands in favour of making the resolution  below.

 

RESOLVED

 

That (1) Mrs P C Plant be appointed in the place of Mr J C P Connor to serve on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for 2017-2018 and (2) Mrs L C Purnell be appointed in place of Mrs J L Kilby as the vice-chairman of the Planning Committee for 2017-2018.  

 

227.

Late Items

Any late items announced by the Chairman of the Council at the start of this meeting will be considered as follows:

 

(a)        Items added to the agenda papers and made available for public inspection.

 

(b)        Items which the chairman has agreed should be taken as matters of urgency by reason of special circumstances to be reported at the meeting.

Minutes:

As announced by the Chairman of the Council at agenda item 1 (see minute 219 above) there were no late items for consideration at this meeting.

228.

Exclusion of the Press and the Public

[Note There are no restricted items for consideration at this meeting]

Minutes:

In the absence of any Part II items  on the agenda for this meeting a resolution to exclude the press and the public was not required.

 

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