There were no apologies for absence.

Members are reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

None were declared.

To receive any questions or petitions from members of the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14.  Deadline for notification for this meeting is no later than 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting.

Public questions had been submitted, as follows:

Mr Stephen Mulloy

Question 1 – in relation to site any planning application on site SHR216 within the  draft Preferred Sites Consultation Document

Question 2 – in relation to the Public Sector equality duty 

Mr Charles Green

Question 3 – in relation to independent review of the figurework or assessment framework for the Local Plan Review, particularly by the Place Overview Committee.

Mr Julian Francis

Question 4 – in relation to the availability of a corrected Table 10 within the Hierarchy of Settlements document and a review of the Hierarchy of Settlements document.  The Portfolio Holder, Councillor R Macey agreed to meet separately with Mr Francis to discuss the detail of the issues raised.

Mr Len Sambrook

Question 5 – in relation to CIL Local Fund distribution.

Question 6 – in relation to CIL Local projects carried through since 2015 and the Parishes affected.  The Portfolio Holder, Councillor R Macey, stated that a written, detailed response would be supplied within the next week.

Mr Neil Henderson

Question 7 – in relation to the distribution of CIL Local funds and applications both approved and rejected.

Mr Adam Fejfer

Question 8 – in relation to the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan and future plans for housing, schools, GPs, public transport and hospitals.

A copy of the questions and responses provided by Portfolio Holders at the meeting is attached to the signed, formal record of the meeting.

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 October 2018.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 October 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 October 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

To receive any questions of which members of the Council have given due notice, the deadline for notification for this meeting is 5.00pm on Friday 2 November 2018.

Councillor Julian Dean asked a number of questions in relation to a number of initiatives around Winter maintenance including snow volunteers and joint working with Parish and Town Councils.  A copy of his questions and the responses provided are attached to the signed minutes. 

In response to his supplementary question relating to the take up of the offer of help from Parish and Town Councils, the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport, Councillor S Davenport stated that he would liaise with Councillor Dean outside of the meeting.

The Leader permitted Councillor C Wild to raise a number of points; she queried timeframes for swifter communication with Parish and Town Councils that had been highlighted by the CIL Task and Finish Group. The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development, Councillor R Macey, acknowledged the feedback from scrutiny and stated that a Briefing Note re neighbourhood funds was being prepared and would be distributed very soon, workshops were also being arranged.

The Director of Place recognised the importance of the Place Plan process and gave assurances that the process was being revisited in a joint way early in 2019, conversations with Parish and Town Councils were recognised as a vital part of the process.

Referring to the mechanism and points system used to identify Community Hubs, the Leader stated that the consultation process should not be pre-empted, the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development added that a raft of information would be made available as part of the consultation process.  Councillor Wild commented that all information supplied needed to be accompanied with a clear rationale and explanation.

To consider any scrutiny matters from Council or from any of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees.

There were no scrutiny matters for consideration.

Lead Member – Councillor R Macey – Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development

Report of the Director of Place

Contact: Mark Barrow         Tel: 01743 258919

RESOLVED:

That the Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development:

1.    Develop a viable Outline Business Case to address Shropshire’s unmet housing and development needs

2.    Develop detailed proposals and options for appropriate arrangements to deliver the Outline Business Case; either delivery of housing by the Council itself or to form a company to undertake this work

3.    Present a report to the Council meeting on 13 December 2018 for decisions to implement the Outline Business Case.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development presented a report from the Director of Place on Meeting Housing Need in Shropshire that detailed possible measures that could be taken to address the unmet housing and development needs of communities in Shropshire.  He explained that an outline Business Case would be presented to Council in December and would be subject to thorough scrutiny involvement.

Members welcomed the report and recognised that the right homes were needed in the right place for local people.  Members commented on the lack of 2 to 3-bedroom homes, the need for appropriate key worker housing, housing for older people and the lack of cross subsidy homes/homes to rent.  It was understood that different solutions would be appropriate in different areas and the over-riding consideration would be to get the right housing in the right area.  The need for all Member and cross-party involvement was reinforced and understood.

The Leader stressed that the detail in this report would be built upon, an outline Business Case would be presented to the December 2018 Council meeting with a final report following in February 2019 and delivery in 2019.

RESOLVED:

That the Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development:

1.    Develop a viable Outline Business Case to address Shropshire’s unmet housing and development needs

2.    Develop detailed proposals and options for appropriate arrangements to deliver the Outline Business Case; either delivery of housing by the Council itself or to form a company to undertake this work

3.    Present a report to the Council meeting on 13 December 2018 for decisions to implement the Outline Business Case.

Lead Member – Councillor R Macey – Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development

Report of the Director of Place

Contact: Mark Barrow         Tel: 01743 258919

RESOLVED:

i)             That, subject to minor amendments and editing, the draft consultation document on preferred sites [attached to the report] be approved for consultation;

ii)            That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development to confirm the final version of the documents and to publish them for public consultation.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development presented a report from the Director of Place seeking approval for a consultation document identifying the preferred housing and employment sites to deliver the Council’s preferred level and distribution of development across Shropshire during the period to 2036. 

He drew attention to the key headings in the report relating to the identification of preferred sites across 70 preferred sites in 56 separate settlements including Shrewsbury, the principal and key market towns and each proposed community hub, the policy direction on housing, the Green Belt review and Gypsy and Traveller sites.  He drew attention to the 9-week consultation period to run from 29 November 2018 to 31 January 2019 after which the Local Plan would be formally submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in September 2019.  The Leader added that Planning Policy Officers were undergoing a phenomenal amount of work in compiling the Local Plan and the wide consultation would include positive engagement with Parish and Town Councils throughout the county. The Planning Policy and Strategy Manager stressed that refinement of the document would be forthcoming, opinions were being tested and a planned approach was being taken.

In answer to a Member’s request, the Portfolio Holder stated that investigations would be undertaken into the possibility of Cleobury Mortimer becoming a pilot for a new housing scheme as detailed in the Government’s budget and acknowledged the plea for additional starter homes and 2-bedroom bungalows.  Referring to a question on Cross Subsidy Exception Sites, the Planning Policy and Strategy Manager confirmed that careful consideration of size of development and quality of development would be taken into account.

The Portfolio Holder explained that Place Shaping was a collective vision of housing infrastructure and an understanding of wider considerations.  The Director of Place added that place shaping was at the heart of the report and was a means of celebrating the diversity of the county.

The Portfolio Holder for Communities, Waste and Regulatory Services voiced concerns whether the potential loss of the mobile library in the Trefonen area would remove the area from its ‘Hub’ status; it was hoped that this would not be the case.  The Planning Policy and Strategy Manager assured Members that a clear and consistent approach would be taken and it was hoped that a ‘downgrade’ would not result.

Members noted that strategic development sites, including Tern Hill and Buildwas, were not included and would be brought forward for consideration in Spring 2019.  The Planning Policy and Strategy Manager stressed that houses on either side were additional and their inclusion would have left the Council open to challenge.

Responding to a Member’s concerns regarding staff resources to undertake the process and the 5 year land supply, the Portfolio Holder gave assurances that resourcing of the Officer team was a management issue but he recognised the workload involved.  Referring to the 5 year land supply, the Leader commented that this would not be an issue for some years to come and it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

Lead Member – Councillor R Macey – Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development

Report of the Director of Place

Contact: Mark Barrow         Tel: 01743 258919

RESOLVED:

i)             That the proposed additions and clarifications to the existing CIL Regulation 123 List, be approved;

ii)            That the indicative spend allocations for the projects to be included on the CIL Regulation 123 List, be approved;

iii)           That further Task and Finish Group meetings be arranged to discuss:

·                     Broader issues around CIL funding arrangements and the Place Plans

·                     How best to communicate and consult with Town and Parish Councils regarding CIL funding arrangements and the Place Plans.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Development presented a report from the Director of Place seeking approval for critical and strategic additions to the Council’s CIL Regulation 123 List and to agree indicative spend allocations for these additional projects.

A Member drew attention to the wide upset on this issue within the Parish and Town Council community specifically relating to the lack of consultation and communication.  Another Member added that the policy had been developed 9 years ago and related at that time to development and reward in the community in which the development occurred; he believed that the Policy was being misread or misinterpreted from its original intent. He suggested that a Task and Finish Group would be well placed to revisit the issues. 

The Portfolio Holder commented that a Task and Finish Group would be in a position to invite witnesses and look at CIL breakdown thoroughly.  The Leader stated that he would consider whether to establish a Task and Finish Group of Cabinet or whether to make a request to scrutiny to consider the establishment of a Task and Finish Group.  Responding to a Member’s suggestions that Parish and Town Councils be included on the membership of any Task and Finish Group, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services reminded Members that Task and Finish Group meetings were not held in public in order to allow Members to think the unthinkable; the final report from the Task and Finish Group was then reported to its parent Scrutiny Committee and, at that point, would be in the public domain.

The Leader agreed that Town and Parish Councils should have the freedom to spend the monies that would be assessed through their own audit processes.  He recognised that there was room for improvement in the current process and noted concerns raised regarding the nature and location of some of the projects that had received CIL funding.  The Portfolio Holder stressed that projects not currently included on the CIL 123 List could still come forward, particularly following the finalisation of the updated Place Plans.

RESOLVED:

i)             That the proposed additions and clarifications to the existing CIL Regulation 123 List, be approved;

ii)            That the indicative spend allocations for the projects to be included on the CIL Regulation 123 List, be approved;

iii)           That further Task and Finish Group meetings be arranged to discuss:

·                     Broader issues around CIL funding arrangements and the Place Plans

·                     How best to communicate and consult with Town and Parish Councils regarding CIL funding arrangements and the Place Plans.

Lead Member – Councillor N Laurens – Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth

Report of the Director of Place

Contact: Mark Barrow         Tel: 01743 258919

RESOLVED:

i)             That the final version of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan following consultation, be endorsed [as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report].

ii)            That it be agreed that the final version of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan will form part of the evidence base to inform the emerging review of the Local Plan and will be considered in the Local Plan Consultation on Preferred Sites.

iii)           That it be agreed that the principle of using the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan as a material consideration in decision making on relevant planning applications can now be established.  The degree of weight that can be attached to the Big Town Plan will depend on the individual circumstances.

iv)          That the Council continue its participation in the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan partnership to take forward implementation of the plan including the development of a delivery plan for each of the key themes. This will involve the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and relevant officers.

The Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Councillor N Laurens, presented a report from the Director of Place that followed up on the decisions made at the Cabinet meeting on 25 July 2018 relating to the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan.  The report provided results of the consultation activity and other measures that had taken place to increase the level of feedback and comment as possible.   He stated that many organisations were fully supportive of the Plan and 3,000 members of the public had contributed their opinions.  A Member commented on the need to keep Parish and Town Councils, particularly those neighbouring Shrewsbury, informed of the progress and initiatives arising from the Big Town Plan.

Members were fully supportive of the themes and ambitions within the document that would see positive and considered change in the development and subsequent vitality of Shrewsbury over the next two decades. 

RESOLVED:

i)             That the final version of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan following consultation, be endorsed [as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report].

ii)            That it be agreed that the final version of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan will form part of the evidence base to inform the emerging review of the Local Plan and will be considered in the Local Plan Consultation on Preferred Sites.

iii)           That it be agreed that the principle of using the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan as a material consideration in decision making on relevant planning applications can now be established.  The degree of weight that can be attached to the Big Town Plan will depend on the individual circumstances.

iv)          That the Council continue its participation in the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan partnership to take forward implementation of the plan including the development of a delivery plan for each of the key themes. This will involve the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and relevant officers.