MEMORANDUM Date: October 2005
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To: All Members of the From Strategic Planning &
Strategic Planning and Partnerships Partnerships
Panel Environment Department
From Kay Povey-Richards
Ext 25206
Minicom
My Ref Mins 17-10-05/JRI
Your Ref
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STRATEGIC PLANNING AND PARTNERSHIPS PANEL
17 October 2005
MINUTES
ATTENDANCE
MEMBERS OF THE PANEL
RS Clements, TD Dodd, D Drake, S Drury, AF Hunter, SE Jones, J Metcalf, P Ruffles, BA Storey, RA Thomas (Chairman), CJ White
Also in attendance: D Ashley, Executive Member for Strategic Planning & Partnerships
1. MINUTES
The Chair apologised for the confusion regarding the time of the day’s meeting. Members asked for changes to be avoided in future and full consultation over future dates.
The minutes of the Panel held on 15 September 2005 were amended to reflect the attendance of Cllrs J Metcalf and T Dodd.
2. APOLOGIES AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
No apologies received. Declarations of interest noted from Cllr White (as Deputy Chairman of EERA).
3. MINERALS LOCAL PLAN
Julie Reeve, Policy Planner in the Minerals & Waste Team presented a report “Supplementary Planning Guidance for Mineral Extraction in Hertfordshire”. An addendum was circulated relating to the Green Belt section. The report set out revised SPG for Minerals Planning, which had taken on board all the comments/suggestions recommended by the Inspector following the Minerals Local Plan Inquiry. The next stage was to seek Cabinet approval for publication as part of the proposed modifications to the Minerals Local Plan.
Members made the following comments on the revised SPG:
· There should be cross-referencing between the documents to make it easier to follow
· That the reference to commuted sums for the structural integrity of the highway should be a requirement and secured through planning conditions and/or S106.
· The provision of crushing plants would require a separate planning application.
With the above changes, the Panel endorsed the revised SPG and agreed to advise the Executive Member that the SPG would now be agreed by Cabinet as part of the Modifications to the Minerals Local Plan.
4. WASTE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK – SITE SELECTION STUDY
Jan Hayes-Griffin, Assistant Director, Strategic Planning & Partnerships, advised the Panel of a delay in the Site Selection Study because of the volume of technical work involved in assessing and reducing the number of potential waste sites. An original long list of 600 sites had to be reduced to 20-40 sites. This short list of sites would be ready within the next 2-3 weeks.
The Panel noted the minor delay and requested more time to read the consultants’ report prior to the next meeting of the Panel in November and expressed preference for hard copies to be circulated.
5. EAST OF ENGLAND PLAN
Jon Tiley, Head of Forward Planning, updated the Panel on the preparations for the East of England Examination in Public. The date for the second tranche of submissions for post-Christmas issues is 9th December. Copies of the pre-Christmas submissions had been circulated to all members of the Panel for information.
Jon Tiley advised that the existing website would continue to be used for keeping the public informed and would be updated on a weekly basis. The second stage of the EiP concerned with Hertfordshire issues was now to be held in Letchworth. Members requested prompt feedback after each session in order to be alerted to emerging issues.
Members requested a timetable be produced which would show EiP dates and issues to be considered so they could see where we were in the overall process.
Jon Tiley advised that Hertfordshire would have a seat at the EiP table on all the issues of concern to HCC. On several issues, a number of the strategic authorities were in agreement and would be presenting common positions. Whilst Essex County Council were leading on the preparation of a sustainability statement for North of Harlow, HCC were heavily involved in joint working on this and other Harlow related issues.
Jon Tiley advised that work was progressing slowly with the Districts to develop a common Hertfordshire platform for the EiP. A joint member meeting is planned for November 2005. The Panel noted the report.
6. STANSTED AIRPORT – CONSULTATION ON INTERIM MASTERPLAN
Steve Bailes, Special Projects Officer, presented a report outlining BAA’s proposal for the full use of the existing runway at Stansted.
The present planning permission allows for 25 million passengers per year. Maximum use of the existing runway will enable growth up to 35mppa by 2015. BAA is of the view that this expansion can be accommodated within the airport boundary without further major infrastructure beyond that which is already planned and approved.
Steve Bailes advised that the Four Authorities Group (HCC, Essex CC, East Herts DC and Uttlesford DC) had commissioned additional work to test BAA’s assumptions.
Steve Bailes advised that BAA would also be bringing forward consultation on the preferred location of a second runway in November 2005 and their Final Masterplan and application for a second runway in Spring/Summer 2007.
Members considered the proposed draft response to the current BAA consultation exercise. Members expressed serious concern about BAA’s incremental approach to the future development of the airport without a thorough assessment of impacts and infrastructure requirements at the outset. Members felt the proposed response should be more forceful in this regard and should reflect the concerns being expressed about the M11 corridor at the EiP. Members felt, in particular, that there was a need to include specific reference to rail capacity in the Lea Valley and HCC’s expectation that there would be further mechanisms to achieve a significant modal shift to public transport as part of the future airport development.
Steve Bailes gave a brief update on Luton Airport’s current consultation process. A report would be presented at the next meeting of the Panel in November.
Members also expressed concern about the increase in night traffic and noise as a result of cargo and long haul flights at Stansted. Steve Bailes confirmed that comments have already been made in respect of night flights as part of the Government’s recent consultation on Night Flights.
7. BUILDING FUTURES
Rachael Donovan, Principal Planner, gave a presentation on the work undertaken to date with district councils and consultants, Cyril Sweet, on the preparation of a Sustainable Development Guide for Hertfordshire.
The purpose of the Building Futures Guide is to be a practical tool kit for planners and developers to build in sustainability principles into new development/brownfield/conversions. It will eventually contain modules on water, energy, use of recyclable materials, designing out crime etc. This first module on Water Management has been developed as a pilot to test the overall approach. The responses received so far have been positive.
The guide will include practical case studies as far as possible using examples from Hertfordshire.
Members welcomed the principle of a Sustainable Development Guide for Hertfordshire, but felt it needed to include targets and become mandatory through agreed Supplementary Planning Guidance to give it real teeth. It may be necessary for HCC to take the lead on this.
Members raised a number of specific issues on the Water Management module relating to the need to encourage water companies to address water leakages, the installation of water meters, thresholds for development and the need to use the Building Regulations route to ensure enforcement.
8. FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE PANEL
Future meetings to be held on:
23rd November - 10.00am – Committee Room B
December – No meeting
Two meetings were required in January – one for an ordinary meeting of the Panel and the second to be a joint Strategic Planning & Partnership Panel + Health Panel to discuss issues relating to major hospital development in Hertfordshire. The following dates were suggested and would be confirmed shortly:
11th January 2006 - 10.00am
16th January 2006 - 2.00pm
17th January 2006 - 2.00pm
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Mins15Sep05