Motion status:Rejected
It is essential that developers comply with the requirements set out in planning approvals and that should be enforced by a well-resourced team. This is essential if the public are to have faith in the planning process. To ensure that the work can be completed effectively and in a timely manner we propose that an extra officer should join the team. In particular, viability claims should be examined and where these prove to be over cautious with regard to profitability then further social contributions should be required of the developer.
To further improve the confidence of our residents in the planning process we recommend that all planning committee members undertake regular training. Also, in order to support community-led planning applications we would like to be able to offer free pre-application advice.
Finally, in this section we recommend that the Council pay a grant of £50K to invest into Citizens Advice and £50K into the local food banks to help support our residents during these difficult times.
Biodiversity is in serious decline globally. The risks this poses to us all is becoming critical and we should be actively looking for opportunities to improve the biodiversity in our district.
We are proposing that an additional tree officer is required to facilitate pro-active management of trees on council owned land. An additional tree officer is needed to protect more valued and ancient trees with Tree Preservation Orders, and to ensure that approved planting schemes are carried out and maintained as developments are implemented.
In addition, we are proposing that we need an additional Biodiversity officer to work with local communities and businesses to actively look for and implement opportunities to improve Biodiversity in the district. The officer will also look to prevent Biodiversity loss.
We are also proposing installation of Electric Vehicle charging points in our major public parking spaces, including Pin Mill.
We are also proposing an officer be dedicated to support the retrofit programme of our stock; to support a programme of retrofitting private homes and to ensure new builds are built to the highest environmental standards.
To facilitate and assist with the modal shift away from fossil fuelled vehicles we are proposing that all EV parking places in our public car parks remain free after the parking charges come into force.
In addition to this we propose that any profit that is made from the charges, once ongoing maintenance costs are taken, should be ring fenced for Sustainable transport. The council should also undertake a full sustainable travel plan to identify actions that can be undertaken to use these funds.
Resolution status:Carried
3.1 That the General Fund Budget proposals for 2021/22 and four-year outlook set out in the report be approved.
3.2 That the General Fund Budget for 2021/22 is based on an increase to Council Tax of £5 per annum (10p per week) for a Band D property, which is equivalent to 2.96%.
3.3 That the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy at Appendix E be approved.
3.4 Subject to approval by Council, notify the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) of the adoption of the Strategy.