To: Councillors Dixon
(Chair), Bailey, Baker, Blencowe, Bradnack, Durrant, Hipkin, Pinnington,
Stuart, Ward
Alternate member: Councillor Liddle
(Despatched and placed
on public deposit: 1 July)
ENVIRONMENT SCRUTINY
COMMITTEE
Date: Tuesday 9 July 2002
Time: 10.00am
Place: Committee Room 1, The Guildhall
Contact: Gary Clift Direct
Dial: (01223) 457011
AGENDA
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THE COUNCIL'S NEW DECISION-MAKING
ARRANGEMENTS There will be a short introduction by the Head of
Legal & Democratic Services (or his representative) to make sure everyone
at the meeting is clear about the role, functions and procedure of this scrutiny
committee and how it relates to decision-making by the Executive Councillor. |
1 APOLOGIES
Apologies
for absence.
2 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.
3 PUBLIC
QUESTION TIME – see
below for detail of the scheme and other public information.
Part 4C (Budget and Policy Framework
Procedure Rules) of the Council’s Constitution includes the requirement for the
issuing of a Medium Term Strategy (MTS) document. This document sets out the financial context in which the budget
for the following year will be made, issues which are or will be facing the
Council, policy priorities and an indication of the approach which Executive
Councillors are minded to take in respect of preparing budget proposals. The document will also outline proposals for
consulting the public regarding budget matters.
A copy of the draft MTS is being
submitted to all Scrutiny Committees for the purpose of consultation.
Scrutiny Committees are asked to
submit any views on the MTS to the Leader, who will consider these in agreeing
the final version of the MTS document following the Strategy Scrutiny Committee
meeting on 15 July 2002.
The final version will then be
submitted to Council on 25 July 2002 for adoption.
The MTS report is attached as a separate document, for ease of reference
and to enable Members to retain it for later use.
6 A JOINT
MUNICIPAL WASTE STRATEGY
Appendix
A - Executive
Summary
Appendix
B - City
Council’s Recycling Plan
Report
by Director of Environment & Planning [pages 12-36 ]
7 URBAN CAPACITY STUDY – Committee Report and Appendix A
NB. For consultation purposes, it is important that the Committee Report and
associated
Appendices on the Urban Capacity Study listed below are read in conjunction with
the Minutes of the Environment Scrutiny Committee Meeting as some minor
amendments were agreed then. It should also be noted that a footnote has been
added since the Meeting to Appendix 1 (below) to add clarity.
Appendices
1-3 Completions, part-implemented
planning permissions and extant unimplemented planning permissions
Appendix
4 - Urban
Capacity Sites
Appendix
5 - Urban
Capacity Sites by Ward
Appendix
6 - Urban
Capacity Sites by Capacity Source
Appendix
7 - Maps
showing sites by capacity source
Appendix
8 - Maps
8 CAMBRIDGESHIRE
LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2002
Report by Director
of Environment & Planning [pages 230-236]
9 CONSULTATION
REPORT ON THE CAMBRIDGE WALKING AND CYCLING STRATEGY
Appendix
2 - List
of Consultees
Appendix
3 - Summary
of comments received on Public Art Plan
Appendix
4 - Public
Arts Steering Group
11 PLANNING
OBLIGATION STRATEGY FOR CAMBRIDGE
Appendix
2 - Eastern
Corridor Area Transport Plan
Appendix
2a - Southern
Corridor Area Transport Plan
Appendix 3 - Supplementary Planning Guidance: Provision of Public Arts as Part of New Development Schemes
Appendix
3 - Map
13 GRANTS
TO VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS - SUSTAINABLE CITY GRANTS – ANNUAL REVIEW 2002
Report by Director
of Environment & Planning [pages 380-405]
14 STRATEGY
FOR TACKLING FLY-POSTING
Appendix
1 - Fly
Posting Strategy – May 2002
Appendix
2 - Graffiti
/ Fly Posting – Objectives
Appendix
3 - Directory
of Advertising Services in the Cambridge Area
Report by Director
of Environment & Planning [pages 406-420]
Report by Director
of Environment & Planning [pages 421-424]
The War
Memorial and Market Square Fountain environment improvement projects are in the
Programme for 2003/04. Applications to
the Heritage Lottery Fund specifically require a formal resolution authorising
officers to make the application and confirmation that any 'significant or new
running costs' associated with the project would be guaranteed for at least 10
years.
In
terms of the future maintenance of the War Memorial, the land is public highway
and it is the responsibility of the County Council. In any event it is not considered likely that there will be a
significant change in the running costs.
In
terms of the Market Square fountain there would be some additional costs,
water, electricity, regular maintenance etc.
This would not be able to be fully assessed until a final design has
been agreed, but the costs are unlikely to be significant.
Decision required
Following
any comments from the Scrutiny Committee, the Executive Councillor for
Environment is asked to authorise the officers to apply for Heritage Lottery
Fund grant funding towards the cost of the Market Square Fountain and the Hills
Road War Memorial projects.
a) Bid for Government Funds for Recycling
To
note that the Head of Environmental Health and Waste Strategy submitted a bid
to the Government on 29th April 2002 for £314,500 capital and
£160,150 revenue to introduce a second phase of the Green Bin Scheme to a
further 12,000 households in the City.
The ongoing revenue costs are estimated at £141,626 in 2003/4 if the bid is approved. It is planned to introduce the scheme in
July 2002 provided the timescale for approval is not unduly delayed.
The
Chair and spokes of Environment Committee were consulted and agreed to the
submission of the bid.
b) Amendment to the Walkway Agreement for the Grafton Centre
To
note that the Head of Environmental Health and Waste Strategy has used urgency
powers (23rd April) within standing orders following consultation
with the Chair and Spokes for Environment Committee to make amendments to the
Walkway Agreement for the Grafton Centre.
The amendment has introduced a smoke free zone for most of the public
areas in the Grafton Centre. This has
been done in agreement with the site
owners and the County Council in its capacity as the Highways Authority.
This
initiative will improve air quality in the Grafton Centre and help protect
public health.
18 THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY AGREEMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT & TRANSPORT AREA JOINT COMMITTEE
Following the
adoption of the Council’s Constitution, the Executive Councillor is requested
to confirm
· the existing
Highways Agency Agreement with the County Council (which runs until March 2005)
and
· arrangements
for the Environment & Transport Area Joint Committee as set out in Part 3
of the Constitution (Discharge of Functions), insofar as these relate to the
discharge of executive functions which are the responsibility of the Executive
Councillor.
Information
about the Highways Agency Agreement is available from the Head of Street Services.
The Council’s
Constitution may be inspected on application to Main Reception, Ground Floor,
The Guildhall, and is on the Council’s website at
/public/councillors/constitution.pdf
For
decision
19 APPOINTMENTS
TO OUTSIDE BODIES
To consider
nominations to the outside bodies shown on the attached list and for the
Executive Councillor to agree them.
[page
425]
(i)
On 23 May Executive Councillors agreed to delegate executive functions of both
a service and specific nature to officers as set out in Part 3 of the Council’s
Constitution. These delegations are
very similar to those which existed under the committee system. Delegations to
officers are made in two ways:
·
Service Area Delegations (which are intended to give
wide powers to officers over routine operational matters for a given service or
function) and
·
Specific Delegations (which are more closely defined
powers).
The
officers have identified that the following should be added as a delegation to the Director of
Environment & Planning, which had been omitted from the previous version of
Standing Orders, despite being approved by members in June 1998:
“To
operate and negotiate as necessary (recording the fees agreed) in response to
the dictates of the market and other relevant circumstances in adjusting fee
levels on major developments that are likely to be subject to particular
competition from private Approved Inspectors as long as overall budget targets
are met.”
Scrutiny
Committees are asked to consider the delegations as agreed and raise any matters
for further consideration by the Executive Councillor(s).
The delegations agreed on 23 May by
the Executive Councillor for Environment are attached to this agenda [pages
426-7].
(ii)
Access Grant Fund – This fund had been administered by Planning
Sub-Committee. Under the new
Constitution, the responsibility falls to the Executive Councillor. The level of these grants tends to be higher
than £1,000 which is the maximum officers can award under delegated
powers. The Head of Building Control is
concerned that decisions to approve these grants will inevitably be delayed if
they have to be pre-scrutinised by Environment Scrutiny as it does meet regularly
(because of this, Urgency Action had been taken on 31 May and is reported on page
428). There is precedent for
setting a higher level of grant delegation to officers ie. under the Historic Buildings Fund the
officers have authority to agree grants up to a value of £5,000.
It
is proposed therefore to delegate to officers Access Grants up to £5,000
(anything over to be agreed by the Executive Councillor having consulted Chair
and spokes of Environment Scrutiny) to bring this grant fund into line with
Historic Buildings Fund grant delegation.
Any
grants approved will be reported to the next meeting of the Environment
Scrutiny Committee.
For decision
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THE
NEXT MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENT SCRUTINY COMMITTEE IS
SCHEDULED FOR 5 NOVEMBER 2002. |
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.