Agenda item

To receive the following questions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 33:

 

1.    Question from Councillor Mocky Khan to Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for community services

 

There are constant rumours that Didcot Wave is going to be closing, can the Cabinet member confirm what the situation is? Also, there are complaints regards the maintenance and appearance of the building and facilities. What is the work schedule, budget and timings?

 

2.    Question from Councillor Mocky Khan to Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for community services

 

Cornerstone in Didcot is a flagship building for culture in South Oxfordshire.  I am concerned to hear that the roof is leaking and this has been the case for nearly four years. Can the Cabinet member provide an update and what is happening to resolve this issue?

 

3.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

 

In the local plan documents there are options A, B and C. Can I please have a cost estimate for each of these options?

 

4.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

 

Oxfordshire County Council has already spent £1,000,000 developing the HIF/Growth Deal bid. This is Oxfordshire residents’ money. If the SODC local plan is withdrawn and the Growth Deal is lost, is South Oxfordshire District Council going to repay this £1,000,000 to OCC?

 

5.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

We thank Councillors Rouane and Cooper for visiting Henley to look at our Greys Road public toilets. I think they agreed that they were in a shocking state. SODC derives £700,000 per annum from the Henley car parks which must be recycled back into car parks and car parking. Can we ask that a budget line of £120,000 be put into the next budget to ensure that this toilet is thoroughly refurbished?

 

Please see below recent photographs showing the shocking state of the toilets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

 

Permitted Development Rights (PDR’s) government policy, is having a drastic effect on the loss of offices in Henley into flats, I would imagine the same applies across South Oxfordshire. The loss of offices within the town centre also has a knock-on effect to local traders. This government policy may be good for big cities, but it is doing nothing for smaller towns. Other than taking out an Article 4 policy, how does the Cabinet member think this council can address the problem?

 

 

 

 

7.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

Since the demise of traffic wardens and SODC’s decision to cut funding for PCSO’s, there is no one to enforce illegal parking in our towns and villages, this is causing immense problems in town centres and residential roads. SODC has agreed to look into the feasibility of introducing a civil parking enforcement scheme being devolved down from OCC to SODC. As no councillors are involved at present with the feasibility study, I ask that one councillor from at least the four major towns is included in the process?

 

8.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

On Friday 2 August, myself and Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak met with SODC’s Leader Councillor Sue Cooper and Cabinet member Councillor David Rouane in Henley-on-Thames to look at car parking. By mid-day the three central car parks were at capacity. The two out of town car parks at the Rugby Club and the Railway Station are now almost at capacity, and there are numerous reasons for this. In the spring of 2020, there will be 12 new shops opening just off the Kings Road car park, but there is no more car parking to cater for these shops. It has been proposed by SODC in the past that a second floor be built on the Kings Road Car Park. Will SODC work with Henley Town Council, to come up with a scheme for more car parking in the Kings Road car park that will then improve the footfall before we have more shops closing?

 

9.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

What strides have SODC officers made over the past three months to solve the problem of feeding the parking machines in Henley from the maximum three hours limit? 

 

 

 

1.    Question from Councillor Mocky Khan to Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for community services

 

There are constant rumours that Didcot Wave is going to be closing, can the Cabinet member confirm what the situation is? Also, there are complaints regards the maintenance and appearance of the building and facilities. What is the work schedule, budget and timings?

 

ANSWER

 

There are no plans to close Didcot Wave Leisure Centre. In March 2018, Council took the decision to extend the current management arrangements with GLL to 31 August 2024 in line with the leisure management contract.

 

There has been significant works to the building in the past 18 months with more than £150,000 investment into essential maintenance and improvement works. This includes improvements to the wetside changing village and a refurbishment of the toilets and wetside shower area and a new air handling unit to improve the air quality in the pool hall.  Essential repairs have also been carried out to the roof and gullies to better protect the building from the weather.

 

In addition, as part of the Council and GLL spend to save initiative, new LED lighting is currently being installed to the wetside changing and poolside area, gym, car park and to the outside of the building which is scheduled for completion at the end of this month. This will help to improve the whole environment making it much brighter, welcoming and safer for customers whilst also helping to reduce the amount of energy the building uses.

 

A breakdown of the works completed and currently scheduled are as

follows:

           

Programme	Cost	Works	Date Completed
Dryside toilets	£29,000 (Council & GLL)	Full refurbishment of the dry side toilets	September 2016
Wetside Change and toilets	£53,252 (Council)	Includes refurbishment of the toilets, plinths to the lockers, showers and tiling and wetside cubicle/bench upgrades	December 2017
Building fabric works	£76,481 (Council)	Includes surveys, Air Handling Unit and roof works	January – May 2019
Spend to Save	£14,311 (GLL)	GLL LED lighting upgrade to the gym, car park and outside of the building	October 2019
Spend to Save	£8,458    (Council)	Council LED wetside and poolside	October 2019

 

 

All councillors have access to privileged information as to council activities which they can access at all times not only during council meetings.

 

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION

 

In response to a supplementary question regarding the perceived lack of awareness amongst residents of these improvements, the Cabinet member undertook to take this issue back to GLL. 

 

2.    Question from Councillor Mocky Khan to Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for community services

 

Cornerstone in Didcot is a flagship building for culture in South Oxfordshire.  I am concerned to hear that the roof is leaking and this has been the case for nearly four years. Can the Cabinet member provide an update and what is happening to resolve this issue?

 

ANSWER

 

Cornerstone’s roof has been leaking for approximately 18 months, and it has had our full attention during this time. We’ve had a number of experts out to investigate the issue, including the original contractors.  Unfortunately, these investigations were unable to establish the root cause but did suggest a number of theories for the water ingress. The most recent investigation recommended carrying out more invasive investigations to confirm the cause and we’re currently seeking the necessary funding to commission a specialist to do this as a matter of urgency. We hope to have the arrangements in place this month, and we will move quickly to get the necessary specialist investigations completed so that we can progress remedial options.

 

Whilst the roof situation is concerning, none of the expert investigations flagged any safety concerns, and it remains a priority for us.  

 

      SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION

 

In response to a supplementary question regarding the length of time taken to address the issues, the Cabinet member responded that the matter is complicated and required specialist work but the matter did not present a health and safety risk.

 

3.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

 

In the local plan documents there are options A, B and C. Can I please have a cost estimate for each of these options?

 

ANSWER

 

The cost estimate for each of the options are set out in the Cabinet report, paras 131 onwards;

 

     Option A; estimated £5 million for a new plan including examination

     process, plus the cost of completing the current plan examination process,

     which we estimate to be in the order of £1 million including inspector and

     legal costs, totalling £6 million

                 Option B; estimated £5 million for a new plan including examination process, plus the cost of completing and reviewing the emerging plan (under Reg 19), resubmission, examination and adoption, which we estimate would be in the order of £1.6 million including inspector and legal costs, assuming this is completed within sixteen months, totalling £6.6 million

                 Option C; estimated £5 million for a new plan including examination process, totalling £5 million

 

In summary and ranked by cost; Option C is the lowest cost; Option A is the next lowest cost; and Option B is the highest cost.

 

4.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor Robin Bennett, Cabinet member for Economic Development & Regeneration

 

Oxfordshire County Council has already spent £1,000,000 developing the HIF/Growth Deal bid. This is Oxfordshire residents’ money. If the SODC local plan is withdrawn and the Growth Deal is lost, is South Oxfordshire District Council going to repay this £1,000,000 to OCC?

 

ANSWER

 

In advance of any agreement from government on the HIF contract, it is understood that OCC have spent £1,000,000 of their own funds on HIF preparation works.  The council has had no definitive confirmation that the HIF/Growth Deal will not proceed should SODC Council decide to withdraw the emerging local plan. The council has received no request to contribute to these costs and the draft HIF contract is a matter between OCC and Homes England/MHCLG. OCC is a separate entity from SODC, which makes separate financial decisions and there is no reason or requirement for SODC to make a payment to them in relation to the costs mentioned.

 

 

5.    Question from Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

We thank Councillors Rouane and Cooper for visiting Henley to look at our Greys Road public toilets. I think they agreed that they were in a shocking state. SODC derives £700,000 per annum from the Henley car parks which must be recycled back into car parks and car parking. Can we ask that a budget line of £120,000 be put into the next budget to ensure that this toilet is thoroughly refurbished?

 

Please see below recent photographs showing the shocking state of the toilets.

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWER

 

Officers are drafting project documents to identify the improvements that can be made to the Greys Road car park toilets and the associated costs.  Once an outline specification is agreed then cabinet will be asked to transfer the budget from the provisional programme into the approved budget and we can start the procurement process.  We are aiming to do this in the next few months and aim to start work in Quarter four 2019/20.

 

6.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor Leigh Rawlins, Cabinet member for planning

 

Permitted Development Rights (PDR’s) government policy, is having a drastic effect on the loss of offices in Henley into flats, I would imagine the same applies across South Oxfordshire. The loss of offices within the town centre also has a knock-on effect to local traders. This government policy may be good for big cities, but it is doing nothing for smaller towns. Other than taking out an Article 4 policy, how does the Cabinet member think this council can address the problem?

 

ANSWER

 

Our Authority Monitoring report 2017/18 shows for the district a net gain in employment floorspace from permitted developments in year. During this period there was a significant loss of office floorspace to residential accommodation, whilst floorspace gains were achieved in industry and warehousing. A full analysis of the impact of this prior approval process is needed before considering whether action is required.  If action is justified, then the council is limited in what it can do to exempt property owner's rights to permitted development, however an Article 4 Direction (to withdraw those rights) is an approach.

 

The permitted development rights from office to residential were introduced by Government and local authorities were able to apply for exemptions at this time however the vast majority of these were unsuccessful.

 

The Government states that there should be a compelling case for the removal ofpermitted development rights. The use of Article 4 directions to remove permitted development rights should be limited to situations where this is necessary to protect local amenity or the wellbeing of the area. The potential harm that the direction is intended to address should be clearly identified and the Council must show strong justification for the withdrawal of permitted development rights. Therefore, the harm that a direction is intended to address or avoid should be clearly identified, and justification as to its purpose and extent must be given.

 

It should be noted however that the Secretary of State has the power to make a direction which modifies or cancels an Article 4 direction made by a local planning authority at any time before or after its confirmation, so the need for an evidence-based approach is critical. It should be noted that the Council has previously applied for such an exemption at Henley however this was unsuccessful. 

The government is exploring permitted development (PD) rights for new housing to improve standards, the housing minister suggested, as part of the review of the policy announced in the Spring Statement. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has stated that the government has “learned from some of the concerns” of the introduction of office-to-residential permitted development rights. The review will focus on the impact on housing quality however the Council could utilise this as an opportunity for change.

Supplementary question

 

In response to a supplementary question about how to remove the permitted development rights, the Cabinet member responded that the council did not have the power to amend the legislation and that the impact of the current legislation was not clear.

 

 

7.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

Since the demise of traffic wardens and SODC’s decision to cut funding for PCSO’s, there is no one to enforce illegal parking in our towns and villages, this is causing immense problems in town centres and residential roads. SODC has agreed to look into the feasibility of introducing a civil parking enforcement scheme being devolved down from OCC to SODC. As no councillors are involved at present with the feasibility study, I ask that one councillor from at least the four major towns is included in the process?

 

ANSWER

 

As you have pointed out the management of Illegal parking on yellow lines on or near junctions, is the responsibility of the police.   However, the police direct their resources based on risks which means that people often find that they don’t respond to complaints about parking as they would wish. This is why South Oxfordshire District Council decided last year to work with Oxfordshire County Council and other districts to look into transferring this responsibility from the police to the district councils.   This is not a simple thing to do, nor is it without cost, and so the county council is leading on a feasibility study for the whole county to determine how it should be done. 

 

Officers are due to bring a report to Cabinet in December with the results of a parking feasibility study and for a decision on whether the council wishes to progress with enforcing illegal parking on-street.  The feasibility study focuses on potential operational costs to see if there is a workable business case including joint working with the Vale and Oxfordshire county council.  Councillors have received an invitation to a briefing session in the evening of Monday 11 November which will explain what the enforcement parking legislation is about, known as CPE – civil parking enforcement.   We cannot embark on this project unless all three councils agree  South, Vale and Cherwell because the DfT have made it clear that they will not accept a single submission. 

 

If the project goes ahead, in addition the briefing on the 11 November we will engage with stakeholders as the project progresses.  To date 28 councillors have confirmed that they will attend the briefing on the 11 November.

 

Supplementary question

 

In response to a supplementary question in respect of the future involvement of councillors, the Cabinet member responded that it was premature to consider the involvement of councillors until the receipt of the report setting out proposals.

 

8.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

On Friday 2 August, myself and Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak met with SODC’s Leader Councillor Sue Cooper and Cabinet member Councillor David Rouane in Henley-on-Thames to look at car parking. By mid-day the three central car parks were at capacity. The two out of town car parks at the Rugby Club and the Railway Station are now almost at capacity, and there are numerous reasons for this. In the spring of 2020, there will be 12 new shops opening just off the Kings Road car park, but there is no more car parking to cater for these shops. It has been proposed by SODC in the past that a second floor be built on the Kings Road Car Park. Will SODC work with Henley Town Council, to come up with a scheme for more car parking in the Kings Road car park that will then improve the footfall before we have more shops closing?

 

ANSWER

 

The council does not currently have a budget to pursue this proposal which needs further careful consideration.  Before we take the decision to embark on a project that encourages more cars to enter Henley town centre an Air Quality Management Area it is important to ensure that alternative options have been exhausted.  For example, drivers could be encouraged to use car parks on the edge of town and this may be achieved by working with the county council to improve signage. 

 

Supplementary question

 

The Cabinet member undertook to provide a written response setting out details of how the money taken in the Henley car parks has been allocated.

 

9.    Question from Councillor Ken Arlett to Councillor David Rouane, Cabinet member for housing and environment

 

What strides have SODC officers made over the past three months to solve the problem of feeding the parking machines in Henley from the maximum three hours limit? 

 

ANSWER

 

The council’s parking contractors Saba have successfully updated the software used when paying by ‘phone so that you are now not able to pay for more than three hours in Henley town centre car parks without leaving for two hours.  Further, Saba are trialling an update to the back office software which links up the car parking ‘pay and display’ machines.  This update stops the possibility of being able to buy a ticket from one machine and then get another ticket from any other machine and allowing parking for more than three hours.  However, this slows down the time it takes to issue a ticket so more tests are being carried out to make sure there is an acceptable solution before rolling it out.