Agenda and minutes

Venue: Meeting Room 1, 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, Milton, OX14 4SB

Contact: Steve Culliford  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

77.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Councillor Robert Simister had sent his apologies for absence. 

78.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 118 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 12 February 2018. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 12 February 2018 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman signs them as such.

 

79.

Declaration of disclosable pecuniary interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Minutes:

None

80.

Urgent business and chairman's announcements

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman. 

Minutes:

The chairman reported that Gerry Brough, the former interim head of housing and development, was leaving the council.  The chairman recorded his thanks for Mr Brough’s work for the council. 

81.

Public participation

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

Minutes:

None

82.

Public spaces protection order for Thame pdf icon PDF 127 KB

To consider the report of the head of legal and democratic services. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the head of housing and environment’s report that sought approval of a public spaces protection order for Thame. 

 

As a legal requirement, the new order would replace the existing Designated Public Places Order.  The new order would allow the police to tackle a wider range of offences, not just alcohol-related offences but also to stop groups of people causing alarm, distress, harassment or a nuisance in a public place, and improve the quality of life for local residents.  In drafting the order, the council’s community safety team had worked in partnership with the police, Thame Town Council, and other stakeholders such as the council’s environmental protection team.  The consultation exercise had resulted in strong support for the public spaces protection order in Thame. 

 

The options open to Cabinet were to:

1.    approve the Public Spaces Protection Order for Thame;

2.    request changes to the order;

3.    reject the order, resulting in the Designated Public Places Order automatically converting into a Public Spaces Protection Order but covering alcohol offences only;

4.    reject the order and when the Designated Public Places Order automatically converted into a Public Spaces Protection Order ask for the Public Spaces Protection Order to be discharged immediately. 

 

Cabinet supported option 1, to approve the public spaces protection order for Thame, believing this would:

·         support the police in continuing to tackle alcohol-related anti-social behaviour in public places around the town;

·         provide the police with an additional tool to tackle groups of people causing alarm, distress, harassment or a nuisance in a public place;

·         demonstrate that anti-social drinking and anti-social behaviour was unacceptable and would not be tolerated in Thame’s public places;

·         help residents, businesses and visitors feel safe in the town; and

·         protect the economic viability of the town. 

 

Officers would review the effectiveness of the order and would review whether orders would assist in other towns. 

 

RESOLVED: to

 

(a)      approve the Public Spaces Protection Order for Thame to take effect from 1 May 2018, as set out in Appendix A to the head of housing and environment’s report to Cabinet on 5 April 2018; and

 

(b)     instruct the head of housing and environment to publish the order on the council’s website and ensure the necessary signage is installed in the town to publicise the order. 

83.

Wallingford Conservation Area appraisal and boundary review pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To consider the head of planning’s report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the head of planning’s report on the Wallingford Conservation Area.  The report summarised the representations received during consultation and set out proposed changes to the Conservation Area Appraisal document and to the Conservation Area boundary. 

 

The consultation exercise had resulted in support for the documents, with some suggesting changes.  The officers had proposed changes to update the appraisal document, adding information to provide further evidence of the historical and communal value of the Conservation Area, and adjusting the boundary to include or exclude buildings or land.  

 

The options open to Cabinet were to:

1.    agree that the proposed extended Conservation Area was of special architectural or historic interest and the character or appearance of which was desirable to preserve or enhance; or

2.    agree that the proposed extended Conservation Area was not of special architectural or historic interest and the character or appearance of which was not desirable to preserve or enhance; or 

3.    agree that there was an area of special architectural or historic interest and the character or appearance of which was desirable to preserve or enhance but that the boundary should be different to that proposed. 

 

Cabinet agreed with option 1, that the proposed extended Conservation Area was of special architectural or historic interest and the character or appearance of which was desirable to preserve or enhance. 

 

RESOLVED: to

 

(a)      adopt the Wallingford Conservation Area boundary as shown in appendix 1 to the head of planning’s report to Cabinet on 5 April 2018;

 

(b)      adopt the Wallingford Conservation Area Appraisal, as amended following public consultation as set out in appendix 3 to the head of planning’s report to Cabinet on 5 April 2018, as part of the development plan evidence base and as a material planning consideration; and

 

(c)       delegate authority to the head of planning, in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning, to make minor changes, typographical corrections or non-material amendments to the Wallingford Conservation Area Appraisal and associated documents prior to formal publication, and to undertake the necessary statutory actions to implement Cabinet’s resolutions. 

84.

Dorchester-on-Thames Neighbourhood Development Plan pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To consider the head of planning’s report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the head of planning’s report on the Dorchester-on-Thames Neighbourhood Development Plan.  The report sought Cabinet’s recommendation to Council to make the plan part of the council’s development plan. 

 

The council’s options were limited by statute.  It had a duty to make the neighbourhood plan part of the development plan unless the making of the plan would breach, or would otherwise be incompatible with, any EU obligation or any of the Convention rights (within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998).  Officers reported that the neighbourhood plan was compatible with the current EU obligations. 

 

The referendum on 15 March 2018 had resulted in 95 per cent support for the neighbourhood plan.  Therefore, the Cabinet member for planning recommended that Cabinet supported a recommendation to Council to make the neighbourhood plan part of this council’s development plan.  Cabinet supported the recommendation. 

 

RECOMMENDED to Council to:

 

(a)      make the Dorchester-on-Thames Neighbourhood Development Plan so that it continues to be part of the council’s development plan; and

(b)      delegate authority to the head of planning, in agreement with the Qualifying Body (Dorchester-on-Thames Parish Council), to correct any spelling, grammatical, typographical or factual errors, together with any improvements from a presentational perspective. 

 

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