Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Fountain Conference Centre, Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford

Contact: Steven Corrigan  Democratic Services Manager

Items
No. Item

10.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 227 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Council minutes of the annual meeting held on 16 May 2019 - attached. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                     

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the annual meeting of Council held on 16 May 2019 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

 

11.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest

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

Minutes:

Councillor Kantor made a statement that she is employed at UKAEA Culham – a potential housing site in the Local Plan.

 

Councillors Casey-Rerhaye, Cooper and Turner made statements declaring that they are in receipt of a pension from the Oxfordshire Pension Fund - minute 21(3).

12.

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 advised that his chosen charities for his year in office will be the Red Kite Family Centre and the Earth Trust at Little Wittenham.

 

The chairman sought and received Council agreement to suspend council procedure rule 45 insofar as it limits councillors to speaking once on agenda item  8 – South Oxfordshire Emerging Local Plan.

 

Councillor Cooper, Leader of the council, proposed and Council agreed to suspend council procedure rule 36 to allow written answers to councillor questions.

 

 

13.

Public participation

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

Minutes:

The chairman advised that a number of members of the public had registered to address Council on agenda item 8 – South Oxfordshire Emerging Local Plan and agenda item 14(3) - the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway motion. He advised that he would invite the speakers to address Council at the relevant item. Council agreed to extend the public speaking time to allow each member of the public who had registered to speak for three minutes to make their address.

 

14.

Petitions

To receive any petitions from the public. 

Minutes:

None.

15.

Goring Neighbourhood Development Plan pdf icon PDF 144 KB

At its meeting on 10 July 2019, Cabinet will consider the head of planning’s report on the Goring Neighbourhood Development Plan.

 

A copy of the report is attached. Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors.

 

Minutes:

Council considered the recommendations of Cabinet, made at its meeting on 10 July 2019, on making the Goring Neighbourhood Development Plan part of the development plan for South Oxfordshire.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

1.    make the Goring Neighbourhood Development Plan so that it continues to be part of the council’s development plan; and

 

2.    authorise the head of planning, in agreement with the Qualifying Body, to correct any spelling, grammatical, typographical or factual errors in the Goring Neighbourhood Development Plan, together with any improvements from a presentational perspective. 

 

 

16.

South Oxfordshire Emerging Local Plan pdf icon PDF 80 KB

At its meeting on 10 July 2019, Cabinet will consider a report on the South Oxfordshire Emerging Local Plan. 

 

The report of the head of planning was circulated to all councillors and is available on the council’s website.

 

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors.

 

Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 3 July 2019, agreed to recommend to Council that time is set aside at its meeting on 18 July for a confidential session to consider the legal advice on the Emerging Local Plan 2034 and the legal advice be included in the agenda pack. This will be circulated separately to all councillors.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

During the course of debate on this item, and prior to the expiry of two and a half hours, Council agreed, in accordance with council procedure rule 82, to suspend council procedure rule 12, which restricts the duration of a meeting, to allow Council to complete the business.

 

Nineteen members of the public addressed Council on the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan:

 

1.    Michael Tyce addressed Council on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. He welcomed Cabinet’s recommendation and urged Council to scrap the previous council administration’s local plan and to adopt option 4, to withdraw the emerging Local Plan from examination and restart the plan making process. The emerging plan included provision for more houses than required to meet the requirements of the Growth Deal. A future plan should provide for less density and identify more suitable sites for housing. 

2.    Ann Pritchard addressed Council on behalf of Chalgrove Parish Council. She urged Council to support option 3 which would allow the removal of the Chalgrove Airfield housing allocation from the Local Plan. 

3.    Caroline Baird addressed Council on behalf of Save Culham Green Belt. She urged Council to support option 4 to re-write the Local Plan and remove the Culham housing allocation which was unsustainable. 

4.    Caroline Livingstone addressed Council on behalf of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. She stated that the Culham site was and will continue to grow and stressed the importance of retaining the Housing Infrastructure Funding to provide the necessary infrastructure. 

5.    Steven Sensecall addressed Council on behalf of CEG, which promoted land at Culham.  He urged Council to progress the Local Plan through option 1 and to retain the Housing Infrastructure Funding. 

6.    Vicky Fowler addressed Council on behalf of Martin-Baker. She reminded councillors that the proposed housing allocation site at Chalgrove Airfield was not available for redevelopment due to the current tenant having a long-term lease of the site.  She reiterated that the site was required for operational reasons and its designation as a housing site was not compatible with this use. Proceeding on the basis that the land would become available would jeopardise the viability of the plan.

7.    Neville Harris, a Didcot Town and Oxfordshire County Councillor, addressed Council. He stated that the Local Plan should prioritise combating climate change and encouraged Council to undertake a radical rethink including the option of an eco town.

8.    Eugenie Buchan addressed Council. She welcomed changes to the Local Plan and urged Council to withdraw it rather than seek to change it.

9.    James Plunket addressed Council on behalf of Elsfield Parish Meeting. He urged Council to review the plan. The emerging local plan would damage the Green Belt, reduce air quality, increase flooding and damage biodiversity. The plan was not sustainable.

10. Paul Boone addressed Council on behalf of Chalgrove Airfield Action Group, expressing concern at Chalgrove Airfield remaining in the Local Plan as a housing site as it would put the plan at risk. 

11. David  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

17.

Appointment of substitute members to the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel

At the annual meeting of Council Councillor David Rouane was appointed as the council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel. At its annual meeting the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel agreed to change the membership rules of the panel to enable all 18 Thames Valley local authorities to appoint a named substitute member to the panel.

 

The appointed substitute will receive notification of meetings and agenda, and could attend meetings of the Panel, in the absence of the appointed member.

 

Council is invited to appoint a substitute member.  

 

Minutes:

At its annual meeting Council appointed Councillor David Rouane as the council’s representative on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel. Since that meeting the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel had agreed to change the membership rules of the panel to enable all 18 Thames Valley local authorities to appoint a named substitute member to the panel who would receivenotification of meetings and agenda, and could attend meetings of the panel, in the absence of the appointed member.

 

RESOLVED: to appoint Councillor Ian Snowdon as the substitute member on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel.

 

18.

Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Council is invited to appoint a representative and a named substitute to the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

RECOMMENDATION: to appoint Councillor David Bretherton as the council’s representative on the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson as substitute.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to appointDavid Bretherton as the council’s representative and Anne-Marie Simpson as substitute on the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

19.

Establishment of a Climate Emergency Advisory Committee pdf icon PDF 141 KB

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the head of legal and democratic on the establishment of a Climate Emergency Advisory Committee.

 

Councillors welcomed the establishment of the committee to advise on how the council can contribute to carbon reduction targets and minimise the damage to the environment and reduce damage to the global and local environment through its policies and practices. Council agreed to establish a committee with a membership of 12 which would allow membership of an independent councillor on the committee.

 

RESOLVED: to

 

1.    establish a Climate Emergency Advisory Committee with the terms of reference and procedure rules set out in Appendix A to the report of the head of legal and democratic to Council on 18 July 2019;

 

2.    appoint the membership, substitutes and chair as set out in the table below:

 

 

Names

Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, 12 Members

Conservative (3)

Greens (2)

Henley Residents (1)

Labour (1)

Liberal Democrat (4)

Non-group councillor

Lynn Lloyd

Sam Casey-Rerhaye

Stefan Gawrysiak

Celia Wilson

Sue Cooper

 Simon

 Hewerdine

Caroline Newton

Sue Roberts (Chair)

 

 

Sarah Gray

 

Ian White

 

 

 

Kate Gregory

 

 

 

 

 

David Rouane

 

PREFERRED SUBSTITUTES

 

 

 

 

 

Conservative (3)

Greens (3)

Henley Residents (2)

Labour (2)

Liberal Democrat (4)

 

Lorraine Hillier

Jo Robb

Ken Arlett

Mocky Khan

Anne-Marie Simpson

 

Jane Murphy

Andrea Powell

 

Kellie Hinton

Axel Macdonald

Vacancy

 

Vacancy

Robin Bennett

 

 

 

Vacancy

 

 

 

 

 

Vacancy

 

 

 

3. authorise the head of legal and democratic to incorporate the terms of reference and procedure rules set out in Appendix A to the report of the head of legal and democratic to Council on 18 July 2019 into the council’s constitution and to make any consequential changes to the constitution to reflect the decision of Council.

 

 

20.

Report of the leader of the council

To receive any updates from the leader of the council.

Minutes:

Councillor Sue Cooper, Leader of the council, addressed Council. The text of her report is available on the council’s website.

 

21.

Motions on notice

To consider motions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 38. 

 

(1)      Motion to be proposed by Councillor Sue Cooper, seconded by 

 

Council notes the economic and environmental importance of rail transport in this area and authorises the leader of the council to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to request the acceleration of the delivery of rail projects of importance to South Oxfordshire. These include:

·         Improvements necessary to Oxford City Station

·         Reopening of Grove Station

·         Upgrading of the route between Didcot and Oxford

·         Reopening of the Cowley Branch line

·         And any other initiatives which come forward in the current Oxfordshire Rail Connectivity Study

 

(2)      Motion to be proposed by Councillor Robin Bennett, seconded by Councillor Alexandrine Kantor  

 

Council notes that, increasingly, the only type of housing in our area that is genuinely affordable to young families, key workers, and the under-40s in general is social rent housing.

 

Council asks officers to prepare a report for Cabinet on ways to use council powers and resources to deliver more high-quality, environmentally sustainable, and genuinely affordable housing, at social rent or similar cost. This should include ways to keep such properties genuinely affordable in the long term and ways to release and access low-cost suitable land for projects such as – but not limited to - self-build and community land trusts, as well as projects owned, let or operated by the council itself.  

 

(3)  Motion to be proposed by Councillor Robin Bennett, seconder to be notified  

 

Council notes that the UK Government, in tandem with the National Infrastructure Commission, has proposed the construction of a motorway-style expressway between Oxford and Cambridge. This new road will have significant adverse impacts on Oxfordshire: it will create a major source of air and noise pollution, destroy farmland and habitats, increase CO2 emissions - incompatible with the recent Climate Emergency declared by this council in April 2019 and bring more traffic onto the county’s existing roads.

 

Actual and proposed consultation on the Expressway, and indeed on the Ox-Cam Arc proposal and associated major housing growth across the region, has been wholly inadequate and a proper Strategic Environmental Assessment should have taken place before this project left the drawing board. Instead, it has become the basis for regional planning with little democratic legitimacy.

 

Whilst this council supports partnership working and strategic planning and practical links with authorities across the region, it does not support the addition of a major road such as the Expressway in a time of climate emergency – as declared by this council on 11 April 2019.

 

Highways England’s own analysis of the Expressway shows a benefit:cost ratio (BCR) in the range of 1.1 – 1.3, far lower than most other road schemes analysed by the Department for Transport in 2015, (2:1).

 

The Oxford 2050 plan process has thus far welcomed the perceived benefits of the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.  It is also mentioned as a factor in a wide range of council documents and plans, including LP2034.  This council asks that  ...  view the full agenda text for item 21.

Minutes:

 

The Chairman agreed to alter the order of the agenda to allow for the consideration of the motions prior to the councillor questions.

 

1.    Motion proposed by Councillor Sue Cooper, seconded by Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers

 

“Council notes the economic and environmental importance of rail transport in this area and authorises the leader of the council to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to request the acceleration of the delivery of rail projects of importance to South Oxfordshire. These include:

· Improvements necessary to Oxford City Station

· Reopening of Grove Station

· Upgrading of the route between Didcot and Oxford

· Reopening of the Cowley Branch line

· And any other initiatives which come forward in the current Oxfordshire Rail Connectivity Study”.

 

The majority of councillors supported the motion to bring about improvements to the rail network in the district, provide a viable alternative mode of transport and protect the environment.

 

RESOLVED:

To note the economic and environmental importance of rail transport in this area and authorise the leader of the council to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to request the acceleration of the delivery of rail projects of importance to South Oxfordshire. These include:

· Improvements necessary to Oxford City Station

· Reopening of Grove Station

· Upgrading of the route between Didcot and Oxford

· Reopening of the Cowley Branch line

· And any other initiatives which come forward in the current Oxfordshire Rail Connectivity Study.

 

2.    Motion proposed by Councillor Robin Bennett, seconded by Councillor Kellie Hinton

“Council notes that, increasingly, the only type of housing in our area that is genuinely affordable to young families, key workers, and the under-40s in general is social rent housing. Council asks officers to prepare a report for Cabinet on ways to use council powers and resources to deliver more high-quality, environmentally sustainable, and genuinely affordable housing, at social rent or similar cost. This should include ways to keep such properties genuinely affordable in the long term and ways to release and access low-cost suitable land for projects such as – but not limited to - selfbuild, housing co-ops and community land trusts, as well as projects owned, let or operated by the council itself”.

The majority of councillors supported the motion to address the current shortage in affordable and social housing. The current developer model had not delivered the necessary provision of this type of housing. The view was expressed that the council should also seek to bring empty homes back into use.

RESOLVED:

To note that, increasingly, the only type of housing in our area that is genuinely affordable to young families, key workers, and the under-40s in general is social rent housing. Council asks officers to prepare a report for Cabinet on ways to use council powers and resources to deliver more high-quality, environmentally sustainable, and genuinely affordable housing, at social rent or similar cost. This should include ways to keep such properties genuinely affordable in the long term and ways to release and access low-cost suitable land for projects such as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

22.

Questions on notice pdf icon PDF 185 KB

   To receive questions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure

   rule 33. 

 

1.            Question from Councillor Mocky Khan to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment:

 

One of the key frustrations of residents is inappropriate and illegal parking.  This is certainly the case for Didcot and other parts of South Oxfordshire.  Didcot Town council passed a motion on Civil Parking Enforcement on 30 July 2018 and this council did too, on 19 July 2018.  Can the Cabinet Member, please give an update on where we are on this?  What actions have taken place, if any?  Also, how can we accelerate this?  Residents want and need an update.

 

2.            Question from Councillor Jane Murphy to Councillor Sue Cooper, Leader of the council

 

  Over the last year good governance has been a key priority for the council. Can the leader confirm that this is still as important to the administration and she is doing all she can to continue to lead this forward?

3.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

Henley has a limit of three hours parking with no return. Shop and office workers should be using the long stay car parks in Henley. When will South Oxfordshire District Council’s car parks have machines that stop people feeding them or insist that the car park attendants ticket cars which extend their visits beyond three hours?  

4.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

When is decriminalised parking enforcement going to happen and is Oxfordshire County Council in agreement?  

5.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

In 1992 and 2016 plans were drawn up for another floor on the Kings Road Car Park, for some reason nothing happened, why? We now have another 12 shops being built next to the Kings Road car park but no extra spaces, why? South Oxfordshire District Council draw over £700,000 from their three main car parks in Henley and has some £6 million of CIL money for infrastructure. Now has to be the time to build the extra 95 spaces that were proposed in the 2016 drawings. When can this be started?

 

 

 

6.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor Sue Cooper, Leader of the council

Is it now not time to allow the local ward councillors to take part in the debate and vote on applications in their ward at Planning Committee meetings? This works in other district councils. Can you confirm that this will be considered as part of the forthcoming review of the constitution? 

7.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor Robin Bennett, Cabinet member for economic development and regeneration

The Market Place Mews development is having a drastic effect on trade in the town due to only one entrance being used. There is no good reason why the other entrance cannot be reopened. Can this entrance be reopened? 

8.            Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

If Cabinet recommends  ...  view the full agenda text for item 22.

Minutes:

Prior to consideration of this item Council agreed to close the meeting. In doing so Council agreed that officers would circulate the written answers to the questions and give the questioners a set period to submit a supplementary question in writing that would be answered in writing. These would go on the website alongside the Council papers (but not be part of the minutes).

 

 

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