Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting

Contact: Steven Corrigan  Democratic Services Manager

Note: This is a virtual meeting, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTj2pCic8vzucpzIaSWE3UQ 

Items
No. Item

112.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 196 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Council minutes of the meeting held on 8 October 2020 - attached. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 8 October 2020 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

 

113.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest

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

Minutes:

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest, but Councillor Kantor made a statement that she is employed at UKAEA Culham and Councillor David Turner made a statement that he is a member of the Culham Local Liaison Committee – a potential housing site in the Local Plan.

 

114.

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 noted that today marked International Human Rights Day. It was an opportunity to remember those who do not live in free and democratic societies and those who continue to suffer from atrocities committed around the world.

 

The Chairman advised councillors of general procedures to be followed in virtual meetings.

 

With the agreement of Council, the Chairman changed the order of business to consider agenda item 8, Council Tax Base 2021/22, prior to agenda item 7, South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 adoption.  Any delay in making a decision at the meeting could impact on the precept setting arrangements for parish councils. 

115.

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. 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.

 

 

116.

Petitions

To receive any petitions from the public. 

Minutes:

None.

117.

Council Tax Base 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 115 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 3 December 2020, will consider a report on the council tax base for 2021/22.

 

The report of the interim head of finance, which Cabinet will consider on 3 December, is attached.

 

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors.

 

Minutes:

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 3 December 2020, on the council tax base for 2021/22.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(a)       approve the interim head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 3 December 2020 for the calculation of the council’s tax base and the calculation of the tax base for each parish area for 2021/22;

 

(b)       agree that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by South Oxfordshire District Council as its council tax base for the year 2021/22 be 59,171.2; and

 

(c)       agree that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by South Oxfordshire District Council as the council tax base for the year 2021/22 for each parish be the amount shown against the name of that parish in Appendix 1 of the interim head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 3 December 2020. 

 

 

118.

South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 adoption pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 8 December 2020, will consider the report of the head of planning on the adoption of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

 

The report of the head of planning, which Cabinet will consider on 8 December, is attached. The six appendices to the report are available with the Cabinet agenda here.   

 

The Scrutiny Committee will consider the report at its meeting on 7 December 2020. Any recommendations will be reported to Cabinet.

 

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors.

 

 

Minutes:

(1)      Ann Pritchard, Chairman of Chalgrove Parish Council, addressed Council. against the adoption of the local plan, in particular the inclusion of the strategic housing allocation at Chalgrove Airfield which was neither viable nor sustainable.

 

(2)       Eugenie Buchan addressed Council and urged councillors not to abstain from the vote. 

 

(3)      Andrew Waite-Brown, Chairman of Forest Hill with Shotover Parish Council, addressed Council and urged those councillors who had stood on a platform at the May 2019 elections against the local plan to reject it and produce a greener local plan.  He urged councillors not to abstain from the vote.

 

(4)      Ginette Camps-Walsh, Chairman Beckley and Stowood Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee and representing Stanton St. John Parish Council, addressed Council. She urged Council to reject the plan in accordance with electoral promises and develop a greener local plan. 

 

(5)      David Adams, a Risinghurst and Sandhills Parish Councillor, addressed Council urging the rejection of the local plan which over stated the number of houses required, would destroy the Oxford Green Belt and result in no biodiversity gain. 

 

(6)      Angela Dickinson addressed Council on behalf of Beautiful Barton and Friends of Bayswater Brook, opposing the local plan which would destroy the green belt, impact on the biodiversity of the area and result in increased pressure on the already congested road network. 

 

(7)      John Walsh addressed Council, a local resident, urged Council to vote against adoption of the local plan and to protect the green belt.  Alternative sites were available outside the green belt which offered more suitable locations for strategic housing allocations. 

 

(8)      Anne-Marie Sweeney addressed Council against the adoption of the local plan which would be disastrous for the environment, biodiversity and local communities, and urged Council to reject the plan, protect Bayswater Brook and the green belt. 

 

(9)      Richard Harding, Chair of CPRE Southern Oxfordshire District, addressed Council against the adoption of the “flawed” local plan. The plan is based on housing numbers that exceed the needs of the current and future population of the district. The plan will have a detrimental impact on the Green Belt whilst alternative strategic housing sites exist, result in urban sprawl and makes unrealistic assumptions on the provision of infrastructure. The few environmental concessions will not offset the damage caused and impact on the delivery of environmental targets.

 

(10)   Paul Boone, Chair of Chalgrove Airfield Action Group, addressed Council against the inclusion of Chalgrove Airfield as a strategic housing development which was unsound and unsustainable. The proposed bus service will not be viable, the development will become a car-based settlement with inadequate roads and the current housing will have an inadequate buffer from the runway/testing facility. 

 

(11)   Caroline Baird, representing Save Culham Green Belt, addressed Council against the local plan and the inclusion of a strategic housing allocation at Culham.  This is in the green belt, which should be protected, and will result in the loss of agricultural land and put pressure on existing congested roads. 

 

(12)   Ian Ashley addressed Council against the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118.

119.

Close of meeting - agenda items deferred

Minutes:

Council agreed to defer consideration of the remaining items of business to an extraordinary meeting of Council to be held on 22 December 2020.

 

Contact us - Democratic services

Phone icon

01235 422520
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)

Address icon

South Oxfordshire District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon
OX14 3JE