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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber

Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 01684 272021  Email:  democraticservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

40.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

40.1           Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M A Gore, A Hollaway and M J Williams.  

41.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 26 June 2012 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 July 2012, as set out in Minute No. CL.34, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

Minutes:

41.1           The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

41.2           The following declarations were made:

Councillor

Application No./Item

Nature of Interest (where disclosed)

Declared Action in respect of Disclosure

G J Bocking

Item 7 – Petition – Land at Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury.

Councillor works for a competitor.

Would not speak or vote and would leave the Chamber for the consideration of the item.

K J Cromwell

Item 7 – Petition – Land at Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury.

Close family members of the Councillor live on the Tewkesbury Park Estate and were members of the Residents’ Association.

Would speak and vote.

M G Sztymiak

Item 7 – Petition – Land at Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury.

Councillor’s daughter works for Aldi but not at the Tewkesbury store.

Would speak and vote.

41.3           There were no further declarations made on this occasion.

42.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 105 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 July 2017.

Minutes:

42.1           The Minutes of the meeting held on 26 July 2017, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.  

43.

Announcements

1.   When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

 

      In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.  

 

2.   To receive any announcements from the Chair of the Meeting and/or the Chief Executive.

Minutes:

43.1           The evacuation procedure was advised to those present.

43.2           The Mayor welcomed Mrs Christine Laird to the meeting and advised that she would be presenting the petition at Item 7 on the Agenda.

43.3           The Mayor indicated that he had used his discretion to accept an item of urgent business. The item was entitled ‘Local Development Scheme – Delegation’ and the urgency related to the need to enable the Local Development Scheme to be updated to avoid any timetabling delay in respect of both the Joint Core Strategy and the Tewkesbury Borough Plan which needed to be in place before the next Council meeting and kept up-to-date at a frequency that did not match the scheduled meetings of the Council. The report would be considered at Agenda Item 11.

44.

Items from Members of the Public

a)   To receive any questions, deputations or petitions submitted under Council Rule of Procedure.12.

 

(The deadline for public participation submissions for this meeting is 13 September 2017).

 

b)   To receive any petitions submitted under the Council’s Petitions Scheme.

Minutes:

44.1           There were no items from members of the public on this occasion.  

45.

Member Questions properly submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules

To receive any questions submitted under Rule of Procedure 13. Any items received will be circulated on 19 September 2017.

 

(Any questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services by, not later than, 10.00am on the working day immediately preceding the date of the meeting).

Minutes:

45.1           There were no Member questions on this occasion.  

46.

Petition - Land at Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury pdf icon PDF 94 KB

To consider whether to support the action requested in the petition to reverse the decision of Executive Committee to sell land at the corner of Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury to Aldi Stores Ltd; or whether to note the petition and proceed with the sale of land.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

46.1           Members were advised that a petition had been received by the Council which asked it to reverse the decision of the Executive Committee to sell a parcel of land on the corner of Lincoln Green Lane to Aldi Stores Ltd.  The petition had received 767 signatures which was in excess of the 100 signatures required to trigger a Council debate and was the reason the current report was before Members. The report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 10-26, asked that the Council determine whether it supported the action requested in the petition to reverse the decision of Executive Committee to sell the land at the corner of Lincoln Green Lane, Tewkesbury to Aldi Stores Ltd; or whether to note the petition and proceed with the sale of the land. 

46.2           The Mayor invited Christine Laird, speaking on behalf of the petition organiser, to make her presentation to the Council. Mrs Laird advised that, locally, people were extremely angry with the way in which the land sale had been pursued and they strongly disputed the accuracy of the information provided to Members believing the main driver for the sale to be money rather than public interest. For the last 40 years, residents on the Tewkesbury Park Estate had been repeatedly told that the land which formed the entrance to their estate could not be sold and that it had been specifically designed to create a rural entrance to an otherwise urban estate which reflected the rural nature of the town. Various requests to purchase the space had been turned down for that reason. Residents therefore believed the decision to sell to Aldi to be perverse as it defied all the urban planning arguments that the Council had previously relied upon. Mrs Laird advised that this was not just a piece of land with some trees on it but rather it was the entrance to where the petitioners lived; they used it, valued it and had always thought of it as being theirs. To suggest that the loss of the land could be compensated for missed the point as it would permanently change the appearance of the area and affect the residents’ quality of life in the long term. Since the Aldi store had been built, air and noise pollution locally had got worse; so far the mature trees on the green space mitigated that because they were an effective sound and noise pollution barrier but removing so many trees would significantly increase noise and air pollution as well as changing the water table. It was suggested that the petitioners were directly and adversely affected by the sale and they believed they should have been consulted before it was announced. The Council claimed it was committed to meaningful community engagement but most people affected by the land sale had found out from an advert in their local newspaper which was not, in her view, meaningful consultation. The petitioners felt they had been treated as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

47.

Lead Member Presentation

To receive a presentation from the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion – Councillor Rob Bird.  

Minutes:

47.1           The Mayor invited Councillor Bird, Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to make his presentation.  

47.2           The presentation covered the following key points:

·           Team Structure – Economic Development Officer; Tourism Officer; Economic Development and Tourism Assistant; Visitor Information Centre Manager; and Community and Economic Development Manager. The team sat within Development Services under the Head of Development Services. Businesses and individuals drove economic growth and the role of Tewkesbury Borough in that was as an influencer to bring people together to help aid prosperity.

·           Tewkesbury Borough Economy – the economy was vibrant and successful with local, national and global trading which the Council’s small team had to support. There were 43,000 jobs; unemployment was at 1% (approximately 500 people); the value of goods and services produced was £2.23 billion per year; there were 3,915 enterprises (including 3,445 micro-businesses); there was a strong business survival rate; annual tourism-related spend in the Borough was £125 million; and there were 1.8 million day visits to the Borough.

·           Tourism – this was a major part of the local economy with an annual spend of £125 million in tourism related business. Marketing and promotion of the area was largely through Cotswold Tourism which helped to promote Tewkesbury Borough to the wider world; the most obvious attraction was Tewkesbury Abbey which had 250,000 visitors annually. Help was provided to businesses through marketing campaigns etc. and to run events such as the Medieval Festival. In addition, activities were organised in local areas when necessary e.g. when the Cycle Tour of Great Britain came through the Borough. The team also helped with visitor experience promotion such as the signage project and the Tourist Information Centres.

·           Business Support – the team advised and helped businesses with expansion and relocation information – there was a real pressure and need for sites. Town centre support was vital as the local community of traders and businesses was growing so the development of local trading areas was important. In terms of funding, the team helped businesses understand what funds were available and how to obtain them. Regeneration was important and the team linked its economic expertise with local businesses to regenerate areas that needed it.

·           The Growth Hub – this was a new and exciting development which was taking place in the Borough. The new Growth Hub would be opening its doors at the Public Services Centre in June 2018 and the Council was extremely fortunate to be hosting a Hub of its size; it was the only District in the County to be doing so. The original Hub was located at Oxstalls in Gloucester and, whilst the Hub in Tewkesbury would be slightly smaller, it would act in the same way. The capital for the project had been funded by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as a one-stop-shop for business support and it would offer integrated delivery and a place for businesses to network, get help and find resources etc.

·           Business Delegations – the Council had been working with ‘Join in China’  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

48.

Recommendations from Executive Committee

The Council is asked to consider and determine recommendations of a policy nature arising from the Executive Committee as follows:  

48a

Growth Hub pdf icon PDF 83 KB

At its meeting on 30 August 2017 the Executive Committee considered proposals for the Growth Hub to be based at the Public Services Centre and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, the Head of Finance and Asset Management and the Borough Solicitor, to implement the Growth Hub, including entering into appropriate agreements.  

Minutes:

48.1           At its meeting on 30 August 2017, the Executive Committee had considered a report which provided further information on the Growth Hub and asked Members to provide delegated powers to the Deputy Chief Executive to approve and sign any agreements relevant to the expedient delivery of the Hub. The Executive Committee had recommended to Council that authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, the Head of Finance and Asset Management and the Borough Solicitor, to implement the Growth Hub, including entering into appropriate arrangements.

48.2           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 27-31.

48.3           The recommendation was proposed by the Chair of the Executive Committee and subsequently seconded. In proposing the recommendation, the Chair explained that he had used the Growth Hub in Gloucester a while ago and he thoroughly recommended it as it was an extremely useful asset which would link the university with businesses and the Council.

48.4           A Member indicated that he was happy to support the Growth Hub but was concerned about the car parking situation at the Public Services Centre. In response, the Head of Finance and Asset Management advised that this issue was at the forefront of Officers’ minds and the project team was currently working on capacity requirements to ensure there was sufficient space for Officers, Members and customers. The Management Team would be assessing that work and the outcomes would be taken to the Transform Working Group, and through the Committee cycle, as appropriate.

48.5           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive, in                             consultation with the Lead Member for Economic                                                Development/Promotion, the Head of Finance and Asset                                         Management and the Borough Solicitor, to implement the                                        Growth Hub, including entering into appropriate agreements.

49.

Gotherington Neighbourhood Development Plan pdf icon PDF 77 KB

To consider whether the Gotherington Neighbourhood Development Plan should be made part of the Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough following its recent referendum; andto delegate to the Head of Development Services, in agreement with the Parish Council acting as the Qualifying Body, the correction of any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the substantive content of the plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

49.1           The report of the Planning Policy Officer, circulated at Pages No. 32-130, advised Members of the result of the referendum on the Gotherington Neighbourhood Development Plan and asked the Council to resolve that the Plan be made part of the Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough as well as to delegate to the Head of Development Services, in agreement with the Parish Council acting as the Qualifying Body, the correction of any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical or formatting errors that did not affect the substantive content of the plan.

49.2           The Head of Development Services explained that the Gotherington Neighbourhood Area had been designated by resolution of the Executive Committee on 4 September 2014. Following the submission of the Gotherington Neighbourhood Development Plan to Tewkesbury Borough Council it had been publicised and consulted upon between 12 September and 21 October 2016. The Council, with the agreement of the qualifying body, had appointed an Independent Examiner and that examination had concluded in April 2017. The examiner’s report had recommended that, once modified, the Plan should proceed to a referendum and the area for the referendum should not extend beyond the Neighbourhood Area to which the Plan related. On 26 April 2017, the Executive Committee had agreed to take appropriate actions to progress the plan to a referendum on 20 July 2017. At the referendum, the Plan had exceeded the required majority of 50% plus one vote cast with 93.10% of people voting doing so in favour of Tewkesbury Borough Council using the Neighbourhood Plan for Gotherington to help it determine planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area. Once ‘made’ the Plan would form part of the statutory development plan for the Borough and would be used to assist in determining planning applications in the designated area. Paragraph 198 of the National Planning Policy Framework stated that “where a planning application conflicts with a Neighbourhood Plan that has been brought into force, planning permission should not normally be granted”.

49.3           During the brief discussion which ensued, a Member questioned how much planning weight the Plans actually carried. In response, the Head of Development Services reiterated that they were part of the statutory development plan and should be taken into account when considering planning applications.

49.4           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          1.  That the Gotherington Neighbourhood Plan be made part of                                    the Development Plan for Tewkesbury Borough.

                                                2.  That authority be delegated to the Head of Development                                         Services, in agreement with the Parish Council acting as the                                   Qualifying Body, to correct any minor errors such as                                           spelling, grammar and typographical or formatting errors                                 that do not affect the content of the Plan.

50.

Local Development Scheme - Delegation pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Minutes:

50.1           The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated separately at Pages No. 1-7, had been agreed as an urgent item in order to enable the local development scheme to be updated to avoid any timetabling delay in respect of both the Joint Core Strategy and Tewkesbury Borough Plan which needed to be in place before the next Council meeting and kept up-to-date at a frequency that did not match the scheduled meetings of the Council. Members were asked to delegate authority to the Executive Committee to update the local development scheme in respect of the timetabling of both the Joint Core Strategy and the Tewkesbury Borough Plan as may be required from time to time to reflect the progression of the Joint Core Strategy and the Tewkesbury Borough Plan.

50.2           The Head of Development Services explained that local planning authorities were required by law to prepare, publish and maintain a local development scheme which set out the timetable for preparing statutory development plan documents that formed the local plan. The Council’s first local development scheme had been prepared in March 2005 and then revised in November 2009 and April 2013. It had been anticipated in the 2013 local development scheme, on information available at that time and looking for the shortest timescales possible, that the JCS would be submitted in August 2014 and adopted in December 2014. Whilst the JCS had been submitted for examination in November 2014 it had been in examination since that time with the hearings on the proposed main modifications having taken place in July 2017. On the basis that there would be no further hearings, and the Inspector would be moving to her final report, an updated local development scheme to incorporate the steps to date, and the anticipated date of adoption of the JCS, was required in order for statutory requirements in respect of the local development scheme to be met.

50.3           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That authority be delegated to the Executive Committee to                                 update the local development scheme in respect of the                                            timetabling of both the Joint Core Strategy and the Tewkesbury                               Borough Plan as may be required from time to time to reflect                                the progression of the Joint Core Strategy and the Tewkesbury                                Borough Plan.