Agenda for Cabinet Planning and Parking Panel on Thursday 9th August 2018, 7.30 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Chestnut Board Room, Campus East, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL8 6AE. View directions

Contact: Gurdip Paddan 

Items
No. Item

77.

SUBSTITUTIONS

To note any substitution of Committee Members in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 19 – 22.

Minutes:

The following substitution of Panel Members had been made in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 19-22:-

 

Councillor H. Bower for C. Gillett.

Councillor L. Chesterman for P. Shah.

 

78.

APOLOGIES

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors C. Gillett and P. Shah.

79.

MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2018 (previously circulated).

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 12 July 2018 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

80.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY MEMBERS

To note declarations of Members’ disclosable pecuniary interests, non-disclosable pecuniary interests and non-pecuniary interests in respect of items on this Agenda.

 

 

Minutes:

Councillor S. Boulton, L. Chesterman and P. Zukowskyj declared a non-pecuniary interest in items on the agenda as appropriate by virtue of being Members of Hertfordshire County Council.

 

Mr D. Fuller advised that he resided on one of the roads being considered under item 9.

81.

SELF BUILD AND CUSTOM HOUSEBUILDING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA CONSULTATION pdf icon PDF 166 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) on the Self Build and Custom Housebuilding eligibility criteria consultation which took place from 17 May 2018 to 29 June 2018.  The report summarises the responses received to the consultation and makes recommendations as to the adoption of local eligibility conditions.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered the report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) on the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding eligibility criteria consultation.

 

The Council (as a relevant authority) has a duty to maintain and publicise a Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register for (a) individuals and (b) associations of individuals, who seek to acquire serviced plots of land in the authority’s area for their own Self-build and Custom Housebuilding.  Linked to this, the Council has a duty to grant permission for sufficient land suitable for Self-build and Custom Housebuilding to meet the demand on the register.

 

The report noted that under Regulation 5 (2) of the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016, the Council may introduce a local eligibility test, including local connection and financial solvency criteria; and a fee for applicants to be entered onto and remain on the register.

 

The Panel, on 5 October 2017 were advised of the proposals to consult on local eligibility conditions and the introduction of a fee for applicants to enter onto and remain on the Register.  The Panel had agreed at the said meeting that the eligibility conditions should be made available for six week period for consultation and that Officers would report the result of the consultation back to this Panel with a schedule of any recommended changes, as considered appropriate.  The Panel noted the draft proposal for a fee to be introduced and that a final proposal would be developed by Officers and brought before it alongside the results of the consultation.

 

The consultation responses were summarised in Appendix A and attached to the report. Officers clarified the duty to grant planning permission which only applied to entries on Part 1 of the Register and explained that the Council has to have due regard to Part 2 of the Register but has no duty to grant planning permission.

 

Members considered the fees proposed and it was noted that fees varied between Councils. A number of questions were raised regarding recovering administration costs and whether the proposed fee was cost effective.  The fees being introduced in October 2018 would be reviewed after one year and recalculated to ensure that the Council’s estimated time taken to register a new individual and officer time would be covered.

 

            RESOLVED

 

1.    That the Panel considers the results of the public consultation on the proposed introduction of a local eligibility test as set out at paragraphs 4.7 to 4.8 of this report and Appendix A.

2.    That the Panel agrees to recommend to Cabinet the introduction of local eligibility criteria for entry on to the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Register, proposed to take effect from 31 October 2018, as set out at paragraphs 4.16 to 4.17 of this report.

3.    That the Panel agrees to recommend to Cabinet for approval by Full Council the introduction of a fee of £25 for new applicants to enter on to the register, as set out in paragraphs 4.24 to 4.28 of this report, proposed to take effect from 31 October  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

82.

RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON HERTFORDSHIRE LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2 (LFRMS2) pdf icon PDF 161 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance), which briefly summarises the key principles of the Local Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS2) and sets out the key issues in the Council’s response. The response to the specific consultation questions is detailed in Appendix A to this report.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) on the response to the consultation on Hertfordshire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2 (LFRMS2). As Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) for Hertfordshire, the County Council must produce a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy which sets out how local flood risk from surface water, ground water and ordinary watercourses (brooks and ditches) will be managed in the County by all the authorities involved. This was Hertfordshire’s second Local Risk Management Strategy (LRMS) and builds on the information and experience gained over the last five years. The LFRMS2 was published for consultation on 18 June 2018 for 10 weeks, until the 24 August 2018. The link to the document and the executive summary is set out below:

 

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the council/consultations/environment/local-flood-risk-management-strategy-2018.aspx

The management of local flood risk does not lie with any single organisation so the LLFA has to work with other bodies to best manage local flood risk in Hertfordshire. Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council was defined by legislation as a Risk Management Authority and must act consistently with the strategy when managing flood risk from ordinary watercourses and have due regard for it when carrying out planning and emergency planning functions, which have an impact on flood risk.  

The report briefly summarises the key principles of the LFRMS2 and set out the key issues in the Council’s response. The response to the specific consultation questions was detailed in Appendix A of the report.

Broadly, the Council supported the intentions of the strategy and welcomed the collaboration with the LLFA to manage local flood risk.  However, there were a number of key issues where the strategy could be improved. These included ensuring a consistent and effective approach to the maintenance and operation of SuDs, refining an approach to ensuring surface water management was considered for minor planning applications in high risk areas, further exploring funding opportunities from S106 money and better regulating development on or above ordinary water courses.

With regards to S106 funding, Officers explained that planning obligations aim to ensure that the impacts associated with new development are addressed through requiring the funding or delivery of new or improved infrastructure, this could include infrastructure required to address flooding where this is related to the development. 

Members gave consideration to the funding proposals and commented that the schemes being put forward be delivered on a priority basis. Further consideration was given to surface water flooding hot spots where flooding occurred regularly and the need for monitoring and improving drainage.

RESOLVED

 

That the Cabinet Planning and Parking Panel notes the content of this report and agrees the response to the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy consultation as set out in Appendix A to this report.

83.

HATFIELD PARKING PROJECT pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) on the Hatfield Parking Project, which has been added to the Capital Work Programme, to seek planning approval for the construction of a multi-storey car park (MSCP) in the Common, Hatfield.  This will release other sites within the town centre which have been highlighted as development opportunities by the multi-agency Visioning Group as part of the Hatfield 2030+ project.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) on the Hatfield Parking Project.  The Officer explained the background and advised that the Council had added a project to the Capital Work Programme, to seek planning approval for the construction of a multi-storey car park (MSCP) in The Common, Hatfield.  This would release other sites within the town centre which have been highlighted as development opportunities by the multi-agency Visioning Group as part of the Hatfield 2030+ project.

 

The sites, which have been highlighted for development are mainly surface car parks and the creation of the MSCP would enable these to be developed.  To minimise displacement during construction, a temporary upper deck would be installed at Lemsford Road car park, which would provide up to 100 of the 148 parking spaces that would be lost from The Common car park.

 

The report noted that the consultation had begun with residents in the three areas surrounding the town centre with the view of introducing restrictions in time for the construction to start on the MSCP.  This report set out the results of the initial consultation and provided recommendations on how to proceed. 

 

Consultation still needed to take place with the businesses in the town centre, as the car parks situated in the town centre would need to amend the current restrictions, before the construction of the MSCP begins in The Common. This car park being the main short stay car park for visitors to the town centre. 

 

Members commented on the low number of responses received in respect of the consultation compared to consultation carried out in other parts of the Borough. The reason for this is not known but there are more transitional residents in these areas of Hatfield and English may not be their first language.

 

The following points were raised and discussed:

 

·         Aldykes area – returned the most completed forms with 30% and an Officer has been out to monitor the parking situation.

·         French Horn Lane area – Members were advised that only 20% response was received.  It was noted that some of area was part of the industrial area and some classed as private land.

·         Lemsford Road area – Members were advised that only 26% response was received.  It was noted that some of area was part of the industrial area and some classed as private land.

·         All area will be investigated to see if additional parking provision, if possible. Any possible locations may need to go through a number of approval process dependent on whether the land is Council or Public Highway.

·         In all three areas, the majority of responses from those residents which completed and returned their forms favoured the resident parking permit scheme.

·         Officer explained that there were a number historical issues which were being investigated around some of the areas noted within the report.

 

            RESOLVED

 

1             That the Panel recommend to Cabinet to proceed with progressing resident parking schemes and verge protection orders to the formal stage in the Lemsford Road area.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.