Infrastructure, Housing & Economic Development Committee - 19 January 2021

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a virtual/remote meeting to be held on Tuesday 19 January 2021 at 7.30pm.

Members of the Infrastructure, Housing and Economic Development Committee:-

Councillors:-

Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Lead Member                     Joy Mann

Transport and Economic Development)                     Reena Ranger

Steve Drury (Lead Member Infrastructure                 David Sansom

and Planning Policy)                                                Stephanie Singer

Andrew Scarth (Lead Member for Housing)               Dominic Sokalski

Alex Hayward

Tony Humphreys

Joan King

Joanne Wagstaffe, Chief Executive

11 January 2021

Lead Member Responsibilities:

Transport and Economic Development – Community Toilet Schemes, Cycling Policy and Cycleway Provision, Economic Development, Highways, Parking, Public Transport, Rivertech, Town and Village Centre Improvements

Infrastructure and Planning Policy – Brownfield Register, Building Control, Conservation Areas and Local Listing, Community Infrastructure Levy, Development  Management Policy, Heritage, Infrastructure Schemes, Land Charges, Land Drainage, Listed Buildings, Neighbourhood Planning, Right to Build Register, Tree Protection

Housing – Housing Policy, Homelessness and Housing Advice, Housing and Disabled Facilities Grants, Management of Traveller Sites, Private Housing and Houses in Multiple Occupation, Residential Environmental Health, Temporary Accommodation.

(The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 enable Council/Committee meetings to be held in a virtual format and enables remote attendance.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm and will be virtual/remote meeting in that it will be conducted at no specific location and all participants are at various locations, communicating via audio and online.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public to its discussion on Part I agenda items at Committee meetings.  Contributions will be limited to one person speaking for and one against each item for not more than three minutes. Please note that in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will automatically be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Committee.  Details of the procedure are provided below:

Members of the public wishing to speak will be entitled to register and identify which Part I report they wish to speak on from the published agenda for the remote meeting.  Those who wish to register to speak must do so by notifying the Committee Team by e-mail 48 hours before the meeting. The first 2 people to register (1 for and 1 against) will be sent a link so that they can join the meeting to exercise that right.  This will also allow the Committee Team to prepare the speaker sheet in advance of the remote meeting to forward to the Chair of the meeting.

In accordance with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 any matters considered under Part 1 business only of the meeting may be filmed, recorded, photographed, broadcast or reported via social media by any person.

Recording and reporting the Council's meetings is subject to the law and it is the responsibility of those doing the recording and reporting to ensure compliance.  This will include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Act and the laws of libel and defamation.

Please note that the meeting is being held virtually. The business of the meeting will be live streamed at:–

(Link archived)

The virtual/remote committee meeting protocol is provided below:

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.  MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Infrastructure, Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting held 17 November 2020.

3. NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

4. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

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HOUSING

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5.  PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR OFFER

The Private Rented Sector Offer Policy sets out when the Council will make a private rented offer to a homeless applicant.

When such an offer is made the policy also describes what factors the Council will take into account when assessing its suitability and what steps an applicant can take if they do not agree with the Council’s decision.

Following a change in legislation it has been necessary to update the Private Rented Sector Offer Policy.

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INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING POLICY

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6.  SUPPORTING HOUSING DELIVERY AND PUBLIC SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE (DECEMBER 2020) – PROPOSED CONSULTATION RESPONSE

On 3 December 2020 the Government issued the Supporting housing delivery and public service infrastructure consultation. This is a technical consultation, seeking views on proposals for:

·    A new permitted development right of a change of use to residential to create new homes,

·   Measures to provide public service infrastructure more quickly through expanded permitted development rights and a new streamlined planning application process for hospitals, schools and prisons,

·  The approach to simplifying and consolidating existing permitted development rights following changes to the Use Classes Order.

Updated Responses:

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TRANSPORT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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7.   PARKING MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME 2021/23

The District Council as the statutory Local Parking Authority (and as agent to the local Highway Authority, Hertfordshire County Council) manages the provision of on- and off-street parking in the Three Rivers District through the Parking Management Programme.

This report reviews the success of the programme in 2019/21 (section 1.7 onwards) and proposes additions to the programme for the financial years 2021/23 (at section 4.5 and Appendix A).

8.   VERGE HARDENING PROGRAMME 2021/23

This report provides the current, prioritised list of proposed schemes to improve parking opportunities by hardening grassed verges and other areas. It details the schemes that have been introduced and those which are proposed to be introduced in the next year. The committee is also asked to note the criteria used to prioritise the request list and the policies used in delivering the programme.

9.  WORK PROGRAMME

To agree the Committee’s work programme.

10.  OTHER BUSINESS – if approved under item 3 above.

11.  EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining item in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under Paragraphs 1 to 7 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

(Note: If other confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional items.)

1.  OTHER BUSINESS – if approved under item 3 above.

General Enquiries: Please contact the Committee Team at committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk