CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL
To: Councillors Howarth (Chair), Bagnall, Bradnack, Durrant,
Harrison, Knowles, Nimmo-Smith, Reed, C Rosenstiel, Slatter, Smart and Stuart.
Alternate members: Councillors Douglas and J
Rosenstiel
CITY
BOARD
Date: 11
February 2002
Time: 6 pm
Place: Committee
Room 1
Contact: Gary
Clift Direct Dial: 01223 457011
Placed on public deposit
and despatched – 4 February 2002
1. MINUTES
To confirm the minutes of the
meeting held on 26 November 2001.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence.
3. DECLARATIONS
OF INTEREST
Members are asked to declare at this stage any interests
which they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. If any member is unsure whether or not they
should declare an interest on a particular matter, they are requested to seek
advice from the Head of Legal and Democratic Services before the meeting.
4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – details for speaking are
at the end of the Agenda
5. THE
COUNCIL’S ENFORCEMENT POLICY - AMENDMENT
( Head of
Environmental Health and Waste Strategy)
At its meeting
on the 9th July 2001 the City Board approved a corporate Enforcement
Policy in accordance with the principles of the Enforcement Concordat which is
designed to assist, in a courteous and
helpful way, individuals and businesses comply with the law.
City Board is requested to approve an amendment to the existing Enforcement Policy to make it explicit that when considering prosecutions the Council will have regard to the Attorney General’s Code for Crown Prosecutions. This means that the following criteria will be considered:
i) Whether the standard of evidence is sufficient for there
to be a realistic prospect of prosecution;
ii) Whether the prosecution is in the public interest;
iii) The likely penalty, ie if the probable penalty would
only be an absolute discharge then it would not normally be considered in the
public interest to prosecute;
iv) Currency, ie regard would be had to the time which has
elapsed since the date of any alleged offence.
v) Youth, with regard being taken of previous character,
parental attitude, and the likelihood of the alleged offence being repeated;
vi) Old age; infirmity, or other medical condition, in
particular, whether the accused is fit to stand trial.
This modification makes explicit the approach which is followed in practice and will also enable the Council to achieve a better score on Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 166, which relates to enforcement best practice in Environmental Health and Trading Standards.
For decision
6. SAFER CITY GRANT
(Report
by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 1-8)
7. THE COMPUTERISATION OF LAND CHARGES AND LINKING
TO THE NATIONAL LAND INFORMATION SYSTEM (Report
by Director of Environment & Planning)
8. CITY
SERVICES’ BUSINESS PLAN 2002/03 (Report
by Director of City Services)
The Direct Services Management Board will consider the Business Plan (attached for Members only) at its meeting on 5 February. Any relevant matters raised at this meeting will be reported orally at City Board.
City Board is recommended to agree the Business Plan 2002/03.
For decision
9. GOING DEBT FREE (Report by Director of Finance)
10. REVENUE BUDGETS 2001/02 (REVISED), 2002/03 BUDGET AND CAPITAL BIDS (Report by Director of Finance)
11. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE WHITE PAPER ‘STRONG LOCAL LEADERSHIP – QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES’ FOR THE COUNCIL’S PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
(Report by Head of Strategy &
Partnerships pages 9-19)
12. moving our E-Government Strategy forward
(Report by Director of Central
Services pages 20-26)
13. PROGRESS
ON IT INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES
(Report by Director of Central
Services pages 27-42)
To consider the attached report and the Project Appraisal for an internet/intranet/content management system. The Project Appraisal was considered by the E-Government Working Party on 24 January 2002. Members expressed reservations (which are set out in the attached draft Working Party minute on this item) and asked for further work to be done. This has been done and is set out in the attached document pages 43-48 “Background Information to accompany Project Appraisal for Content Management”* [*Exclusion of press and public: debate on this document would require the exclusion of the public from the meeting on the grounds that, if they were present, there would be disclosure to them of information defined as exempt from publication by paragraph 7 & 9 of Part 1, Sch 12A of the Local Government Act 1972] which has also been sent to the E-Government Working Party members. Any views expressed by those members to the officers will be reported orally to City Board.
(There
are also two other background documents available, which have been sent to the
E-Government Working Party members. These have not been copied with this
agenda, as parts are rather technical in nature and parts are commercially
confidential. They are available from Gary Clift if Board members wish to see
them).
14. PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS AND TARGETS AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLAN MONITORING REPORT
(Report by Director of Central Services
pages 49-63)
15. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TARGETS AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLAN MONITORING REPORT
(Report by Head of Strategy &
Partnerships pages 64-76)
16. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TARGETS AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLAN
MONITORING REPORT
(Report by Head of Personnel pages 77-88)
17. BEST
VALUE PERFORMANCE PLAN: PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND TARGETS 2002
(Report by Head of Strategy &
Partnerships pages 89-123)
18. DRAFT CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY
SAFETY STRATEGY 2002/05
(Report by Head of Strategy &
Partnerships pages 124-164)
19. CITY
LOTTERY FUND APPLICATIONS
(Report by Head of Strategy &
Partnerships pages 165-169)
20. FLOODING – 21
& 22 OCTOBER 2001 (Report by Chief Executive)
21. REFERENCE
FROM ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE (29 JANUARY 2002)
Councillor Durrant
asked for confirmation of the Council's current policy in relation to the
Council's Housing Development options. Cllr Howarth said that the minute of
Council on 6 December 2001 was perfectly clear. The situation had also now moved on, in that the County Council
had now agreed the draft Structure Plan at its meetings on 22 December 2001 and
22 January 2002, following several discussions with both the City Council and
District Councils. The City Council will need to consider its response to the
consultation that will be carried on the draft Structure Plan out in March and
April, and that was the forum to which the Council should now turn its
attention. Councillor Durrant asked that the issue be referred up to City Board. Replicated below is the information provided
to Environment Committee:
‘Implications
of the Council's resolution on 6 December 2001 on the Motion on Housing
Development Options (Brian Human, Head of Policy and
Projects Ext 7104)
Councillor Durrant has asked that an item
be added to the agenda for Environment Committee on 29 January 2002 in the form
of a report a report or comments on the Implications of the Council's
resolution on 6 December on the Motion on Housing Development Options. The
relevant draft minute of the Council is as follows:
Resolved (by 21 votes to 17) that the Council, recognising that
sufficient land must be identified in the Structure Plan to meet the housing
need identified in regional planning guidance, including an adequate reserve
for the post 2016 period:
1) In
accordance with the decision of the Environment Committee, confirms that the
Eastern Urban Expansion is its preferred strategy.
2) Advises
the County Council that the use of green belt land for housing prior to 2016,
other than in the Eastern Urban Expansion, should be confined to sites directly
related to employment growth, especially the sites close to Addenbrooke's and
specifically including Clay Farm and the Showground site.
3) Advises the County
Council to include in its strategic reserve for post-2016 development only
those remaining green belt sites identified as recommended for development in
Table 1 of the officers' briefing paper.
The Director of Environment and Planning's
comments on the Council's resolution are as follows:
1 The resolution established the Council's commitment to: the eastern expansion strategy; limits on other early releases from the Green Belt for housing development; and the further release of land from the Green Belt after 2016 for housing and university-related purposes. The resolution did not deal with the issue of a new settlement, either explicitly or by implication.
2 Since 6
December Council members and officers have continued to contribute towards the
Structure Plan process as the County Council moved towards the adoption of a
Deposit Draft Structure Plan for consultation in the spring. In particular the Council has been involved
in three important areas of work affecting the Structure Plan and the
development of the Cambridge Sub Region.
3 First, Marshalls, the East of England
Development Agency and the local authorities have commissioned a study of the
Airport using Arup as the lead consultant.
The purposes of the study are to: understand the operation of Cambridge
Airport; assess its significance for the economy, including, spending and
employment; consider its future prospects; and assess possible relocation
sites. The study is looking both at
Marshalls itself and the wider question of a regional airport.
4. Second, members and officers made
representation on the continuing revision of the Deposit Draft Structure
Plan. The Draft, which was adopted by
the County Council on 18 December (and subsequently confirmed with amendments
on 22 January), includes:
· commitment
to a strategy of sustainable development;
· 16,900
homes in or on edge of City;
· a
new settlement of 6,000 new dwellings at Oakington – Longstanton;
· maintaining
a Green Belt, including 'green separation' and ‘green corridors';
· early
commencement of development north of Newmarket Road and Cherry Hinton and at Cambridge Airport (subject to the relocation of airport/aerospace
activities);
· land
east of the airport safeguarded for post 2016 and developed subject to substantial progress with building on the Airport and a joint study, including the
Green Belt implications;
· proposals
that a Master Plan for east is prepared; and
·
release of sites in the south of the city and, if required and
subject to a transport assessment,
sites in the north west of the city
5. Third, discussions have taken place with the
County Council about the brief for the joint study which is to be carried out
during the first half of 2002 to look in detail at the potential for the
development of land east of Barnwell Road.
This will take account of: the Green Belt and its purposes; land use
needs; the mix of employment types; densities and innovative urban design;
transport and infrastructure; drainage and flood constraints; landscape and
natural habitat; the character of the villages; the contribution to structure
of City; and phasing. It will have reference to the DEGW study carried out for
the City Council in 2001. The study should be completed to provide an input to
the Examination in Public (EIP) of the Structure Plan in the autumn of
2002. South Cambridgeshire District
Council was invited to take part in the study, but has declined.
6. All of this work continues to make a very
positive contribution to pushing the Structure Plan forward, towards the public
consultation phase (in March-April 2002) and the Examination in Public. There
are significant issues to be resolved in relation to all the elements of the
County's draft spatial strategy, but
this Council's position, at this stage, is that it accepts that strategy as a
reasonable compromise. The inclusion of the eastern expansion as a major
element in the vision for the future of the Cambridge sub-region is welcome.
Less welcome is the inclusion of the new settlement (the Council remains
sceptical about the principle of detached new settlements on sustainability
grounds) and the deferred release of land east of the airport until the post
2016 period. The Council will decide on its strategy for the Examination in
Public during the lead-in period to that event, having regard to the results of
the joint study on East Cambridge and to progress on the proposals for a new
settlement. In the event that this study and the likely direction of the debate
at the EIP show that a new settlement is inevitable the Council may wish to
state which of the proposed sites it prefers.
No preference has been agreed yet.
7. The resolution of the 6 December establishes
clearly the position of the City Council on key strategic questions about
future development in and around Cambridge.
Additional work has been done to reinforce this. There will be further
formal opportunities for the Council to contribute to the Structure Plan
process by making a response to the Deposit Draft at the public consultation stage and by
presenting a case at the EIP.
o0o
22. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
Before considering the next item on
this agenda, the Board is recommended
to exclude members of the public from the meeting on the grounds that, if they
were present, there would be disclosure to them of information defined as
exempt from publication by paragraphs 7 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the
Local Government Act 1972.
23. DISPOSAL OF WULFSTAN
COURT
(Report by Head of Property &
Building Services pages 169-173)
The Property &
Administration Sub-Committee considered and approved the attached report at its
meeting on 22 January. City Board is
recommended to concur.
TUESDAY 16 APRIL 2002 at 6.00pm.
Information
for the public
You are
welcome to attend this meeting as an observer, although it may be necessary to
ask you to leave the room during the discussion of matters which are described as
confidential on the agenda.
o0o
You can ask
questions on an issue included on the agenda below, or on an issue which is
within this committee’s powers. If you wish to ask a question related to an
agenda item contact the committee officer (listed above under ‘contact’) before
the meeting starts. If you wish to ask
a question on a matter not included on this agenda, please contact the
committee officer by 10.00am the working day before the meeting. Further details concerning the right to speak at committee can be obtained from
the committee section.
o0o
In the event
of the fire alarm sounding (which is a
continuous ringing sound), you should pick up your possessions and leave the building
by the route you came in. Once clear of the building, you should assemble on
the pavement opposite the main entrance to the Guildhall and await further
instructions. If your escape route or the assembly area is unsafe, you will be
directed to safe areas by a member of Cambridge City Council staff.