Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Frink Room (Elisabeth) - Endeavour House. View directions

Items
No. Item

51.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

None received.

52.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

53.

MCa/19/25 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 07 OCTOBER 2019 pdf icon PDF 231 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 07 October 2019 were confirmed as a correct record.

54.

TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S PETITION SCHEME

Minutes:

None received.

55.

QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS

Minutes:

There were no questions received from Councillors.

56.

MATTERS REFERRED BY THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OR JOINT AUDIT AND STANDARDS COMMITTEES

Minutes:

There were no matters referred.

57.

FORTHCOMING DECISIONS LIST

Please note the most up to date version can be found via the website:

 

https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/the-council/forthcoming-decisions-list/

Minutes:

The Forthcoming Decisions List was noted. The Leader of the Council advised Members that meetings scheduled to take place during the pre-election period would be cancelled or rearranged with the exception of Planning Committee meetings and Licensing Committee meetings. An updated Forthcoming Decisions List would be published.

58.

MCa/19/27 SUFFOLK COAST RECREATIONAL DISTURBANCE AND MITIGATION STRATEGY pdf icon PDF 217 KB

Cabinet Member for Planning

Additional documents:

Decision:

It was RESOLVED:-

 

1.1     That the Suffolk Coast RAMS (2019) be approved for adoption.

 

1.2     That delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Cabinet Member for Environment to determine the method of RAMS implementation via an Implementation Board and agree suitable performance matrix.

 

Reason for Decision: The Councils are legally required to take an active approach to mitigate against the increasing pressure from residential development upon European / Habitats Sites.

 

The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (known as the ‘Habitats Regulations’) set out how Local Planning Authorities must deal with planning applications that are likely to have an adverse effect on European Sites. Natural England advice is that, to comply with The Regulations.

 

The Strategy is a means by which new residential growth can be delivered, whilst at the same time adequately protecting Suffolk’s coastal, estuarine and heathland European wildlife sites from harm that could otherwise occur because of increased recreation pressure caused through new residential development.

 

The Strategy identifies and costs measures necessary to mitigate recreational impacts, confirm how they will be funded and delivered , and is an approach that is in accordance with European Habitats Legislation and endorsed by Natural England. An Implementation Board will be responsible to determining how monies collected are spent.

 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

 

1.1       To not approve the Strategy and require an Ecology Report for every new residential development with site by site project based HRA requirements.

 

Any Declarations of Interest declared: None

 

Any Dispensation Granted: None

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Planning introduced the report and welcomed the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning and the Policy Strategy Planner to the meeting to answer questions from Members.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Gould regarding the governance and administration of the scheme it was confirmed that an implementation board had been established with representatives from Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils as well as East Suffolk District Council and Ipswich Borough Council to ensure that the strategy is adhered to and implemented.

 

Councillor Fleming enquired whether elected members would be part of the implementation board. The Policy Strategy Planner advised that the board would be officer run and elected members would be advised of any decisions. The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that clarification regarding the delegation of powers would need to be agreed by Cabinet Members.

 

The Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning provided Members with an explanation of the funding mechanisms set out in the report.

 

Following a discussion the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities suggested that updates on the strategy would be included in the quarterly Cabinet Member reports to Council and monthly Member briefings. It was agreed that Recommendation 3.2 of the report would be amended to read as follows:

 

“That delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Cabinet Member for Environment to determine the method of RAMS implementation via an Implementation Board and agree suitable performance matrix.”

 

Councillor Burn thanked the officers involved for their work on the strategy and advised a briefing note would be circulated detailed suggestions of where the money would be spent. Councillor Burn moved the recommendations with the amendment as detailed. This was seconded by Councillor Fleming.

 

By a unanimous vote

 

It was RESOLVED:-

 

1.1     That the Suffolk Coast RAMS (2019) be approved for adoption.

 

1.2     That delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Cabinet Member for Environment to determine the method of RAMS implementation via an Implementation Board and agree suitable performance matrix.

 

Reason for Decision: The Councils are legally required to take an active approach to mitigate against the increasing pressure from residential development upon European / Habitats Sites.

 

The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (known as the ‘Habitats Regulations’) set out how Local Planning Authorities must deal with planning applications that are likely to have an adverse effect on European Sites. Natural England advice is that, to comply with The Regulations.

 

The Strategy is a means by which new residential growth can be delivered, whilst at the same time adequately protecting Suffolk’s coastal, estuarine and heathland European wildlife sites from harm that could otherwise occur because of increased recreation pressure caused through new residential development.

 

The Strategy identifies and costs measures necessary to mitigate recreational impacts, confirm how they will be funded and delivered , and is an approach that is in accordance with European Habitats  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

59.

MCa/19/28 FUTURE LEISURE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

Deferred to December Cabinet Meeting.

Minutes:

Item has been deferred to the Cabinet meeting to be held in January 2020.

60.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC (WHICH TERM INCLUDES THE PRESS)

To consider whether, pursuant to Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public should be excluded from the meeting for the business specified below on the grounds that if the public were present during these items, it is likely that there would be the disclosure to them of exempt information as indicated against each item. The authors of the report proposed to be considered in Part II of the Agenda are satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Minutes:

To consider whether, pursuant to Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public should be excluded from the meeting for the business specified below on the grounds that if the public were present during these items, it is likely that there would be the disclosure to them of exempt information as indicated against each item. The authors of the report proposed to be considered in Part II of the Agenda were satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Note: Information is exempt only if:

It falls within one of the 7 categories of exempt information in the Act and; In all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

61.

MCa/19/29 TO CONFIRM THE CONFIDENTIAL MINUTE OF THE MEETING HELD ON 07 OCTOBER 2019

Minutes:

The confidential minute of the meeting held on 07 October 2019 was confirmed as a correct record.