Agenda Item no _________2________
CABINET
Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 21 March 2011 at the Council
Offices, Holt Road, Cromer at 10.00 am.
Members present:
Mrs P Bevan Jones
Ms V Gay (Chairman)
Mr G Jones
Mrs H T Nelson
Mr E Seward
Mr C Stockton
Also attending:
Mr W Northam
Mr B Smith
Mrs A Sweeney
Mrs J Trett
Mrs L Walker
Mrs L Brettle
Mr R Combe
Mrs H Eales
Mrs A Fitch-Tillett
Mr P W High
Mrs A Moore
Officers in attendance:
The Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive, the
Strategic Director – Information, the Strategic Director –
Community, the Head of Planning and Building Control, the
Financial Services Manager, the Corporate Asset Manager,
the Coastal Planner and the Economic and Tourism
Development Manager.
124
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Mr P Moore.
125
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 14 February 2011 were
approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
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PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None.
127
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None.
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21 March 2011
128
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Member(s)
Mrs H Nelson
Minute
No.
132
Mr C Stockton
133
Mrs L Walker
Item
Interest
Wells Maltings and
Sackhouse – New Lease to
the Wells Maltings Trust –
Option for Additional Land
North Norfolk Coastal
Pathfinder Revolving Loan
fund and Small Business
Grant Fund
Personal - as she
represents NNDC on
the Board of the Wells
Maltings Trust
Personal and
prejudicial as the
owner of a business in
Happisburgh
134
North Norfolk Coastal
Change Pathfinder;
Replacement Car Park,
Happisburgh
Personal as a resident
of Happisburgh and
Member of
Happisburgh Parish
Council
135
North Norfolk Coastal
Change Pathfinder;
Replacement Housing
Development
North Norfolk Coastal
Change Pathfinder;
Replacement Car Park,
Happisburgh
Personal as a resident
of Happisburgh
North Norfolk Coastal
Change Pathfinder;
Replacement Housing
Development
Personal as a resident
of Happisburgh
134
135
129
Personal as a resident
of Happisburgh
MEMBERS TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT GROUP
Mr R Combe urged as many Members as possible to attend the Orientation
Day planned in May for the newly elected Members of the Council.
RESOLVED that
the minutes of the meeting of the Members’ Training, Development and
Support Group held on 18 January 2011 be received.
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BUDGET MONITORING 2010/11 – PERIOD 10
The report presented the budget monitoring position for the revenue account
and capital programme to the end of January 2011.
In respect of the reduced car parking income, it was explained that the reason
for this was due to the bad winter weather. Detailed analysis could be
provided for individual car parks. A Member considered the reduced income
to be due to more people parking on the street because of car parking
charges. In response, it was explained that this Council was in a transient
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position with on-street parking, with the responsibility moving to councils. It
was important to monitor this situation, and perhaps look into whether there
was any resistance to car parking charges, in order to maximise income.
RESOLVED
a)
b)
c)
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to note the contents of the report and the revenue account forecast for
the current financial year;
to note the current position on the 2010/11 capital programme;
that delegated authority is given to the Deputy Chief Executive and
Strategic Director Community in consultation with the relevant Cabinet
Portfolio members for setting the land charges fees for 2011/12.
RENAMING OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE AND REVISED
ROLE, TITLE AND TERMS OF REFERENCE OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
FRAMEWORK WORKING PARTY
The report recommended the renaming of the Development Control
Committee and the Local Development Framework Working Party.
A Member considered that it was more appropriate that the Development
Control Committee be renamed the Development Committee rather than the
Development Management Committee as in the recommendation.
It was explained that the reason for not renaming it the Planning Committee
was that a large part of the planning function was making policy and this was
the responsibility of the Cabinet rather than that of the Committee.
The reason for the Local Development Framework Working Party not
becoming a committee was because of its relationship with the Cabinet.
RECOMMENDED to Full Council that
with effect from May 2011 the Development Control Committee be renamed
the Development Committee and that the former Local Development
Framework Working Party be renamed the Planning Policy and Built Heritage
Working Party, that it should be politically balanced but should include the
Chair of the Development Committee and the appropriate Planning and/or
Planning Policy Portfolio Holder(s), with terms of reference as set out in the
report.
132
WELLS MALTINGS AND SACKHOUSE – NEW LEASE TO THE WELLS
MALTINGS TRUST – OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL LAND
Cabinet authority had already been granted in respect of a lease of the
Maltings and Sackhouse complex; however, the report sought permission to
allow the Maltings Trust to taken an option on a further piece of land adjacent
to the main Maltings building. This would enable the Trust to attract funding
for the overall project purpose including the new build element.
Mrs J Trett, a local Member for Wells, spoke in support of the proposal.
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21 March 2011
RESOLVED to
approve the proposal to grant the Maltings Trust an “Option” over the
additional land (shown as the red/smaller outlined edged area on the “Option
Plan” at Appendix D to the report) to allow them to provide a wider range of
facilities at the re-developed Maltings Complex, which will benefit Wells and
the wider community.
133
THE NORTH NORFOLK COASTAL PATHFINDER REVOLVING LOAN
FUND AND SMALL BUSINESS GRANT FUND
Mr C Stockton left the Council Chamber during consideration of this item.
The report set out the background for the proposal of a revolving loan fund
and business grants scheme across the North Norfolk Pathfinder area and
sought Cabinet approval to begin the tendering process to engage an
appropriately qualified organisation for the administration of the scheme. The
Cabinet was also being asked to approve the small business grant proposal.
Whilst supporting the report in principle, some Members expressed concern
over the lack of evidence to support the proposals in it and considered that a
supplementary report should be made to the meeting of Full Council in April
which should include legal and financial advice. Other Members considered
that the report should be progressed without delay because the funding was
time-limited and needed to be in place by the end of June.
The Economic and Tourism Development Manager clarified that on page 66
of the report – After a Judgement is Entered - the Pathfinder Loan Team
could take any of the actions listed to recover an outstanding debt, not either
as stated. He also explained the principles of a revolving loan. The Deputy
Chief Executive added that a supplementary report could give further
explanation on how it operated and advised that the funding was not ringfenced and therefore not time constrained.
Following further debate, it was
RECOMMENDED to Full Council
134
a)
to support the principle of the Revolving Loan Fund subject to further
legal and financial advice and to recommend that a supplementary
report embracing that advice be submitted to Full Council on 6 April
2011.
b)
that the supplementary report referred to in (a) above include a
recommendation to create the Pathfinder Business Grant Fund which
will be co-ordinated by the North Norfolk Business Forum.
NORTH NORFOLK COASTAL CHANGE PATHFINDER; REPLACEMENT
CAR PARK, HAPPISBURGH
A key Pathfinder project was the reinstatement of lost and threatened
infrastructure at Happisburgh. A planning application had been submitted for
a new beach access ramp, public open space and car park with public
conveniences and a sales kiosk. Agreement had been reached, following a
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previous Cabinet approval, to purchase the land subject to planning
permission being granted. The report sought authority to proceed with
negotiations to transfer the ownership and responsibility for the management
of the car park, public conveniences and open space to Happisburgh Parish
Council.
Officers clarified that the proposed car park was to replace the existing one
which was at risk. It was not felt that this would set a precedent for other
council-owned car parks in the District in the way in which they were
operated.
RESOLVED
a)
b)
c)
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to support the principle of transferring the ownership and management
responsibility of the planned Happisburgh car park, public
conveniences and public open space to Happisburgh Parish Council.
that authority to agree the terms of the transfer of the planned facilities
be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive.
that a contingency be established from the Pathfinder budget for the
possible financial support to cover cleaning, maintenance and other
ancillary costs in the first two years of the facilities’ operation.
NORTH NORFOLK COASTAL CHANGE PATHFINDER; REPLACEMENT
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
North Norfolk’s approach to managing coastal change included ‘roll-back’ or
replacement of properties that were most imminently at risk. One element of
the Pathfinder project for Happisburgh attempted to demonstrate how this
could be successfully achieved by purchasing cliff top dwellings, demolishing
them and facilitating a replacement development on a suitable site (or sites)
further inland. The report sought authority to proceed with the necessary
steps towards securing a scheme for the replacement of nine dwellings
purchased at Beach Road, Happisburgh, utilising Pathfinder funding.
The site on which the replacement housing development would be built had
not yet been determined, so flexibility was being sought through delegated
authority to agree a site.
This was the next phase of purchasing homes. To be able to recoup a
proportion of the money paid for the houses would form the basis of an
ongoing methodology. It was important for the Council to show its ongoing
stance for justice on the coast.
The local Member for Happisburgh, Mrs L Walker, was pleased that the
homes were being replaced. She informed the meeting that a local resident
had suggested and drawn up plans for a development in the village which
included affordable housing and she urged Members to consider it. It was
agreed that consideration would be given to this site. She added that she
would like to see Happisburgh kept as a sustainable, viable village. She was
informed that sites were being investigated for a market development and that
the properties to be replaced were not affordable housing. Happisburgh was
eligible for a rural affordable housing exceptions scheme as well as this
replacement ‘market housing’ housing. Offers to buy the nine properties had
been made on the basis of the Council’s Core Strategy Policy, which added to
their value. It was noted that 26 properties had been lost since 1995.
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RESOLVED
a)
b)
c)
136
that Cabinet supports the principle of proceeding with a development
to replace the Happisburgh cliff top properties that NNDC is acquiring
under the Coastal Change Pathfinder programme, in accordance with
the procedure set out in paragraph 3.1 of this report.
that delegated authority be given to the Deputy Chief Executive, in
conjunction with the Cabinet Member with the Coastal Strategy
portfolio and the Cabinet Member with the Corporate Assets portfolio,
acting on the advice of an independent valuer, to agree the terms of
any agreement to acquire an appropriate interest in a suitable site
necessary for the implementation of the project outlined in this report.
that authority be given for the Coastal Management Team to proceed
with a pre-application consultation with relevant interested parties on
an appropriate site in Happisburgh for the development of
replacement dwellings.
FORMER AMUSEMENT ARCADE ON THE QUAY, WELLS-NEXT-THESEA
The report updated Members on the current situation regarding the firedamaged former amusement arcade on The Quay, Wells-next-the-Sea, and
sought approval to further defer the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order.
Mrs J Trett, a local Member for Wells, requested that a notice be put up at the
front of the building to show that progress was being made.
It was noted that a press release had already been made in order to keep
people informed.
RESOLVED that
the decision to make a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) be deferred to
allow for the ongoing negotiations regarding the disposal of the site to be
finalised and for the submission of a planning application on the adjacent site;
that the situation be reviewed again at the end of June 2011 if no sale has
been completed by that time and; that a notice be put up on the front of the
building to show that progress is being made.
The meeting closed at 11.20pm.
_________________________
Chairman, 6 June 2011
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