Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room - Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 1SE. View directions

Contact: Ian Ford Email:  iford@tendringdc.gov.uk or Telephone  01255 686584

Items
No. Item

13.

Apologies for Absence

The Cabinet is asked to note any apologies for absence received from Members.

 

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors A O J Porter (Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Tourism) and M E Stephenson (Leader of the Tendring Independents Group).

14.

Minutes of the Last Meeting pdf icon PDF 215 KB

Minutes:

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet, held on Friday 20 May 2022, be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

15.

Declarations of Interest

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Personal Interest, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made by Members on this occasion.

16.

Announcements by the Leader of the Council

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by the Leader of the Council.

Minutes:

Congratulations

 

The Leader congratulated HM The Queen on her platinum Jubilee and remarked on the tremendous success of all of the celebrations within communities across the nation.

 

The Leader also congratulated Colchester on being awarded City status.

           

East Anglian Green

 

The Leader reported that the Essex Leaders and Chief Executives Group (EL&ECG), which he chaired, had recently considered the National Grid’s proposed ‘East Anglia Green’ project, which involved:

 

·      a new 400kV powerline between Norwich and Bramford (near Ipswich);

·      a new 400kV powerline between Bramford and Tilbury; and

·      a new 400kV substation in the Tendring area to facilitate the connection to the proposed North Falls Offshore Windfarm and Five Estuaries Offshore Windfarm – both of which were to be located off the Tendring coast.

 

He informed Cabinet that the EL&ECG had decided to object to the proposals and the consultation proposals as being outdated and fundamentally flawed.

 

The Chief Executive also informed Members that, at a recent meeting of the East of England Local Government Association, a number of Local Authorities had also raised objections.

 

The Planning Portfolio Holder reported that similar sentiments had been expressed at a recent meeting of Essex Planning Portfolio Holders.

 

House Fire at Church Street, Harwich

 

The Leader thanked Essex Fire & Rescue Services and TDC Officers and officers from the Gas and Electric utility providers for their prompt and professional response to a recent house fire in Church Street, Harwich.

 

The Chief Executive updated Members on the on-going situation and thanked the Salvation Army and Gail Cheeseman and her staff at the Park Pavilion community centre in Barrack Lane, Harwich for all their help and assistance.

 

Councillor I J Henderson outlined the role and the response of Harwich Town Council and the local community to this incident.

 

Councillor Allen referred to a recent fire at a former residence for senior citizens in Elm Tree Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea. He also thanked Fire and Rescue Services for their response but raised concerns about the security of this site.

 

On a personal note, Councillor Chapman, submitted the thanks of her Son, an Officer in charge of the Fire Brigade’s response and his colleagues to the TDC staff, members of the public and local Councillors who had kept them provided with water throughout.

 

The Leader urged everyone in the community to fit and maintain a smoke alarm in their property and reminded the meeting that the Fire Brigade fitted smoke alarms free of charge.

17.

Announcements by Cabinet Members

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by Members of the Cabinet.

Minutes:

Tendring Education Strategic Board

 

The Partnerships Portfolio Holder reported that on Thursday 16 June at Clacton Town Hall a “Let’s Celebrate” event had been held to mark the achievements since the launch of the Tendring Education Strategic Board (TESB). Youngsters from several schools across the area had led presentations on the Princes theatre stage, featuring everything from mathematics to the arts and showing off their hard work in front of their peers and parents.

 

The TESB had been formed in January 2020 with the aim of tackling educational disadvantage in both primary and secondary schools across the District prompted by the need for strategies to support schools to improve pupils’ language and communication, school attendance and emotional and social needs.

 

The board was made up of a wide range of partners including Essex County Council , Tendring District Council, Tendring schools, the Department for Education and the Academy Transformation Trust.

 

The Chief Executive concurred that it had been a fantastic event.

18.

Matters Referred to the Cabinet by the Council

There are none on this occasion.

Minutes:

There were no matters referred to the Cabinet by the Council on this occasion.

19.

Matters Referred to the Cabinet by a Committee - Reference from the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee - A.1 - Freeport East pdf icon PDF 220 KB

To enable the Cabinet to consider recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to this matter, together with the Leader of the Council’s response thereto.

Decision:

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be endorsed and that the response of the Leader of the Council thereto be approved.

Minutes:

Cabinet was aware that, at its meeting held on 19 May 2022 (Minute 5 referred), the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”) had undertaken an enquiry into the issue of Freeports generally, and specifically, into the progress of the proposals for Freeport East (its interlinking with Thames Freeport); specific measures on site (and particularly on the Harwich site); impact on previous planning permissions being implemented; and measures outside of the Freeport to harness the  maximum socio-economic benefit from them into the local community.

 

The Committee had been informed of the progress of the Freeport East Development as follows:

 

·      “Throughout 2020, the Council had worked with public and private sector partners on a bid to present the case for developing Freeport East as one of the Government’s nominated Freeports.

·      In the March 2021 Budget, Government had announced the intention to designate sites in Essex and Suffolk as ‘Freeport East’.

·      At their meeting on April 2021, Cabinet had received the initial Freeport East report, which set out the purpose of Freeports and the process and roadmap the public / private sector partnership would follow to receive formal designation by Government.

·      The Council’s Freeport East Portfolio Holder Working Party took place on the 2 September 2021 and agreed to support the Leader of the Council in providing a letter of support in respect of the Freeport East Outline Business Case.

·      That Working Party also recommended that the Council pursue steps that Hutchinson Ports Ltd could undertake as part of its commitment to Harwich International Port, the skills agenda so the local population could take on careers that would become available as a consequence of Freeport East, and the need to actively pursue the improvements to the A120 from the A12 through to Harwich.

·      In September 2021 Cabinet had endorsed the urgent decision taken by the Leader of the Council, on behalf of the Cabinet, to provide a letter of support for the principles in regard to retained business rates generated within the Freeport East Tax Site, to accompany the Freeport East Outline Business Case, which was submitted to Government on 10 September 2021.

·      On the 13 December 2021 the Outline Business Case was formally approved by Government, the three tax sites in Felixstowe, Harwich and at Gateway 14 near Stowmarket were agreed, published on GOV.UK and Statutory Instruments laid to enshrine them in legislation. 

·      Tendring District Council supported the approach to the Freeport East Full Business Case at Cabinet in March 2022 and included Freeport East in its Policy and Budget Framework at Full Council that month.

·      East Suffolk Council as the Lead Authority, alongside Freeport East, submitted the Full Business Case (FBC) to Government for Freeport East on behalf of partners on 14 April 2022.

·      Government will now respond to Freeport East’s FBC, with the final Full Business Case to be agreed between Government and Freeport East by August 2022.” 

 

Members of the Committee had developed key lines of enquiry in relation to this matter and through their questioning, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

20.

Matters Referred to the Cabinet by a Committee - Reference from the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee - A.2 - Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plans for Harwich Old Town; Manningtree & Mistley; Frinton & Walton; Brightlingsea; and Great Bentley pdf icon PDF 191 KB

To enable the Cabinet to give consideration to recommendations made to it by the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee in relation to the second tranche of five in a series of ‘Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans’ that had been prepared for the Council by Essex Place Services.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that the new Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans for: Harwich Old Town (Appendix 1); Manningtree and Mistley (Appendix 2); Frinton and Walton (Appendix 3); Brightlingsea (Appendix 4); and Great Bentley (Appendix 5) be approved for consultation with the public and other interested parties.

Minutes:

Cabinet was aware that the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 11 May 2022 (Minute 7 referred), had considered a comprehensive report (and appendices) of the Acting Director (Planning) which had reported to it the second tranche of five in a series of ‘Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans’ that had been prepared for the Council by Essex Place Services. That report had also sought the Committee’s recommendation to Cabinet that they be approved for public consultation purposes.

 

After discussion the Committee’s decision was to:-

 

“RESOLVE unanimously that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee –

 

(a)   notes and welcomes the new Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans for Harwich Old Town (Appendix 1); Manningtree and Mistley (Appendix 2); Frinton and Walton (Appendix 3); Brightlingsea (Appendix 4); and Great Bentley (Appendix 5);

 

(b)   recommends to Cabinet that the above documents (forming Appendices 1-5) be approved for consultation with the public and other interested parties; and

 

(c)   notes that Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans for the District’s other remaining Conservation Areas will be brought before the Committee in due course over the next 9 months.”

 

The Cabinet had before it the response of the Planning Portfolio Holder thereto as follows:-

 

“I thank the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee for its consideration of the next five Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plans and I welcome the recommendation to Cabinet that these be published for consultation. Reviewing all of the District’s Conservation Areas is one of the key actions in the Council’s Heritage Strategy and the progress so far has been very good. Ensuring we have an up-to-date appraisal for each and every Conservation Area will enable residents, developers, planners and our Planning Committee to understand the key characteristics that make each area special and which need to be preserved and enhanced when making planning applications and determining them. They will also enable us to reconsider the boundaries of each area and determine whether or not any Article 4 Directions are needed to provide an extra level of protection and control.

 

I furthermore welcome and agree with the Committee’s comments around the importance of engaging local residents and heritage societies who hold an irreplaceable wealth of local knowledge that will improve and strengthen the content of the appraisals; and I also welcome the opportunity for local people to put forward suggestions for buildings and structures to go onto a local list of non-designated heritage assets.” 

 

Having considered the recommendation of the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee, together with the response of the Planning Portfolio Holder thereto:-

 

It was moved by Councillor Bray, seconded by Councillor P B Honeywood and:-

 

RESOLVED that the new Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plans for: Harwich Old Town (Appendix 1); Manningtree and Mistley (Appendix 2); Frinton and Walton (Appendix 3); Brightlingsea (Appendix 4); and Great Bentley (Appendix 5) be approved for consultation with the public and other interested parties.

21.

Leader of the Council's Items

There are none on this occasion.

Minutes:

There were no such items to consider on this occasion.

22.

Cabinet Members' Items - Report of the Business & Economic Growth Portfolio Holder - A.3 - Levelling Up Fund Bid Submissions pdf icon PDF 317 KB

(1)    To request Cabinet’s endorsement to the Council submitting two Levelling Up Fund bids, one for Clacton and one for Harwich & Dovercourt each requesting up to £20m from the Government.

 

(2)    To approve an allocation of £2.295m from funding already set aside by the Council for Town Centre Levelling Up in order to provide match funding to the bid.

 

(3)    To authorise the Leader of the Council to approve the final bids for submission by the 6 July 2022 deadline.

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

 

a)     endorses the principle of submitting two Tendring District Council led town centre bids as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report;

 

b)     approves allocating the entirety of the funding set aside by the Council for Town Centre Levelling Up (£2.295m) to support the bids, should it be needed once the financial cases are complete;

 

c)      authorises the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to give the final approval for both Tendring District Council led Levelling Up Fund final bids for submission to the Government by the deadline of 6 July 2022, including a decision on the final level of investment required to support the bids; and

 

d)     notes and supports the submission of the Essex County Council led transport bid.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a detailed report of the Business & Economic Growth Portfolio Holder (A.3) which:-

 

(1)    request Cabinet’s endorsement to the Council submitting two Levelling Up Fund bids, one for Clacton and one for Harwich and Dovercourt, each requesting up to £20m from Government;

(2)    sought Cabinet’s approval to allocate £2.295m from funding already set aside by the Council for Town Centre Levelling Up in order to provide match funding to the bids; and

(3)    sought Cabinet’s approval that the Leader of the Council be authorised to approve the final bids for submission by the 6 July 2022 deadline.

 

Cabinet was aware that the Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) aimed to support local economic growth and investment in communities across the UK. The £4.8 billion fund had been designed to be released across a number of funding rounds, and would support town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and cultural and heritage assets.

 

Members were reminded that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement on 23 March 2022 had confirmed the scope and submission deadline for the second round of bids to the LUF.

 

It was reported that, working in partnership with Essex County Council (ECC), Essex Housing, Essex Highways, and an external consultant (Volterra), Tendring District Council (TDC) intended to submit two bids to the LUF namely one for Clacton Town Centre, and one for Dovercourt Town Centre. That Town Centre focus reflected the Government’s levelling up aspiration to increase pride in place, and specifically aimed to increase people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community by 2030. The projects comprising the bids reflected local priorities as drawn from the Clacton Future High Streets Fund plans, and the Dovercourt Masterplan Revisited. The government deadline for final submission of the bids was 6 July 2022.

 

Volterra was supporting the technical aspects of the business case development for the bids through the financial and economic cases. Until that work was complete, the final financial case for the bid and the detail of investment required by the Council would not complete. However, given cost inflation, the full £2.295m was expected to be required.

 

Cabinet was informed that there were two projects to be included in the bid for Clacton-on-Sea namely:

 

(1)    Redevelopment of the Carnarvon House, Carnarvon Road,  TDC owned site

 

The intention of this project was to provide up to 28 new homes, car parking, electric charging points, and start-up business units, with the potential for public sector use. The financial costs in the bid were under quality review and subject to change, but were currently £21 - £22m in total project costs, with a requested grant from Government of £14m - £15m. The project was planned to be delivered by TDC with consultant delivery partners and contractors, with the option to explore ECC-led delivery through Essex Housing. There was the potential for 40 per cent of those homes to be allocated for social or affordable housing, given the demand for one  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

23.

Cabinet Members' Items - Report of the Housing Portfolio Holder - A.4 - Tendring Careline - Financial Options Appraisal pdf icon PDF 490 KB

To offer options with regards the financial position of Tendring Careline and the future viability of the service.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet - 

 

a)     agrees to the continuation of a Tendring Careline Service for residents;

 

b)     adopts Options 4 as the basis for the longer term approach to deliver a viable and sustainable Careline Service in the long term;

 

c)      requests Officers to take steps to maximise marketing opportunities to increase the customer base in an orderly way through 2022/23 and 2023/24 in working towards the figures highlighted in Option 4 within Appendix A to the Portfolio Holder’s report;

 

d)     approves the utilisation of the existing Careline Reserve of £221k to underwrite the financial risks associated with a), b) and c) above; and

 

e)     requires that detailed updates be presented to Cabinet as part of future financial performance and budget setting reports later in the year in order to provide an ongoing review.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report of the Housing Portfolio Holder (A.4) which offered options with regards to the financial position of Tendring Careline and the future viability of the service.

 

Cabinet was reminded that, in order for Tendring Careline to retain its accreditation to the TEC Services Association (TSA – the national body of all Carelines across the UK) the service must match a number of key performance indicators (KPIs). Those KPIs could only be met if the service had enough trained staff to answer the incoming calls from service users and the responders to go out if necessary.

 

Members recalled that, on 19 April 2022, the contract for Tendring Careline to deliver out-of-hours call monitoring services to Provide CIC had been terminated. Although this meant that Tendring Careline could employ fewer staff, the lost income would also impact the financial viability of the service.

 

Cabinet was aware that a recent internal audit of Careline had also highlighted that the service needed improvement in a number of areas. The audit had concluded that:

it would be timely to review the strategic direction of the service’, and that ‘Whatever options are chosen, one of the first targets will be renewed accreditation with the industry standards, TSA.’

 

It was reported that, on 25 April 2022, the Audit Committee had sought assurances from the relevant Head of Service that an improvement plan was in place. That improvement plan formed the basis of the recommendations contained within the Portfolio Holder’s report which aimed to stabilise and build confidence in the service; ensure that the TSA accreditation was maintained; and concentrated on a measured, sustainable growth for the service in order to remain viable.

 

The current budget for 2022/23, which had been set before it was known that the Provide CIC contract income would be lost, showed a net cost to the authority of £501,800.

 

There were four options set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report for Cabinet to consider.

 

Option 1 (This was to offer a baseline figure only and for comparison against the other options)

 

If the Council no longer offered Careline but did maintain an out-of-hours and CCTV service for Tendring residents, Careline service users would be given details of other service providers that they could transfer to and all external contracts would be given 3 months’ notice. There was a reputational risk to this option as the Council had delivered Careline since 1987 and an Equality Impact Assessment had shown that such a decision would have the greatest impact on the elderly and vulnerable residents of Tendring, hence this option was not considered viable. This option showed a net cost to the authority of £608,000 as the loss of income from Careline was greater than the budgeted cost of staff.

 

Option 2

 

The Council maintained the staffing required to meet demand. This option showed the greatest net cost to the Authority, i.e. £764,724 as the combined cost of running the service was greater than the projected income.

 

Option  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

24.

Cabinet Members' Items - Report of the Housing Portfolio Holder - A.5 - Jaywick Sands - Future of New Build Homes & Applications to Homes England regarding Designated Protected Areas pdf icon PDF 356 KB

(1)    To update Cabinet on the current situation regarding the Council’s recently built discounted homes for sale in Jaywick Sands and to recommend an alternative option for the future of the dwellings; and

 

(2)    To seek delegations for applications to be made to Homes England for the waiver of Designated Protected Areas.

 

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet - 

 

(a)    notes the contents of the Portfolio Holder’s report;

 

(b)    agrees to the retention of the five unsold properties within the Council’s housing stock for letting in accordance with the local lettings and sales plan;

 

(c)    authorises the Corporate Director (Operations & Delivery), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to sign any amended grant agreement proposed by Homes England in respect of the Starter Homes funding received in 2015; and

 

(d)    authorises the Assistant Director (Housing & Environment), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to make applications, where appropriate, to Homes England for the waiver of Designated Protected Areas made under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and The Housing (Right to Enfranchise) (Designated Protected Areas) (England) Order 2009.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report of the Housing Portfolio Holder (A.5) which updated it on the current situation regarding the Council’s recently built discounted homes for sale in Jaywick Sands and which recommended an alternative option for the future of the dwellings. The report also sought the appropriate delegations for applications to Homes England for the waiver of Designated Protected Areas.

 

In November 2017, Cabinet had endorsed the development of 10 new homes in Jaywick Sands, with five to be retained in the Council’s housing stock and the other five to be offered for discounted sale to Key Workers in line with the Government’s Starter Homes policy. Cabinet had also endorsed the adoption of a Local Lettings and Sales Policy for the site in March 2021.

 

It was reported that, whilst the five homes for rent had now been let in accordance with the Council’s lettings policy, the five homes for discounted sale remained vacant and had been marketed for sale since March 2021.  So far, none had been sold for the reasons set out within the Portfolio Holder’s report. Cabinet considered an alternative option to retain the homes as part of the Council’s housing stock and held in the Housing Revenue Account and let in accordance with the Council’s lettings policy.

 

Members were informed that Homes England had agreed that, under certain conditions, it would waive particular conditions of its grant relating to Designated Protected Area (DPA) status.  This would enable Registered Providers to develop grant funded shared ownership stock on those sites (not within the Council’s ownership) and allow buyers to staircase to 100% without an obligation on the provider to buy back the property if the leaseholder wished to sell.

 

In order to consider waiving the DPA lease requirements Homes England required an application to be made by the relevant Local Authority.  If the Authority considered that a particular site to be developed did not meet the criteria set out in the original classification of why an area should be protected, or indeed had other reasons why they thought that grant funded shared ownership stock did not need to be protected in perpetuity, they could approach Homes England to request that the conditions of grant pertaining to Designated Protected Area status be removed. This relaxation specifically related to Homes England’s conditions of grant for shared ownership homes developed in DPAs. It was not related to rural exception sites or other Section 106 agreements.

 

Cabinet was advised that a number of alternative options had been considered including altering the sale price, altering the sales policy and creating a rent to buy option. In summary, the options considered were:-

 

Options Appraisal

 

Option

Pros

Cons

Option 1

Retain the current asking price and keep the policy unchanged i.e. retain the status quo.

Offers the best possibility to maximise income and to meet the criteria set out in the policy 

The lack of interest expressed so far at a time where the housing market remains buoyant means that extra costs are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

25.

Cabinet Members' Items - Joint Report of the Corporate Finance and Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder - A.6 - Potential Acquisition of Property and Land in Victoria Street, Harwich pdf icon PDF 331 KB

To consider, in principle, whether to acquire certain land and property in Victoria Street, Harwich.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet agrees, in principle, of the acquiring of the land and property in Victoria Street, Harwich.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a joint report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder (A.6), which sought its decision, in principle, to acquire certain land and property in Victoria Street, Harwich.

 

It was reported that the Council had been contacted at various times over several years with complaints over the condition of the subject land and property at Victoria Street, Harwich, both in terms of being a dangerous structure; antisocial behaviour and it being visually unappealing and a detriment to the area.

 

Following recent adverse weather and the Council having to secure the site in the interest of public safety, the site owners had been contacted. They had expressed their intent to place the property for sale in an auction unless the Council wanted to make a prior offer.

 

Due to the timeframe of the seller’s auction date, the usual process initiation report to the Portfolio Holder had not been possible, so following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Governance it had been agreed that Officers carried out negotiations and then submit the outcome to the Cabinet.

 

In order to secure the site for the benefit of the local residents and the wider District and to give potential effect to Members’ priorities for Council Housing growth (subject to further decision on funding and contractual commitments and acquiring planning permission and other consents through the usual application processes):-

 

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor P B Honeywood and:-

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet agrees, in principle, of the acquiring of the land and property in Victoria Street, Harwich.

26.

Cabinet Members' Items - Joint Report of the Housing Portfolio Holder and the Planning Portfolio Holder - A.7 - Jaywick Sands Place Plan and Design Guide Supplementary Planning Documents pdf icon PDF 255 KB

To report on progress towards developing a framework for regeneration in Jaywick Sands and to enable Cabinet to consider the recommendations submitted by the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee in respect of proposals for statutory public consultation on a Jaywick Sands Place Plan and a draft Jaywick Sands Design Guide.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

 

1.      approves the recommended objectives for the regeneration of Jaywick Sands as set out in the Portfolio Holders’ joint report;

 

2.      approves the Jaywick Sands Place Plan Consultation Strategy;

 

3.      approves the draft Jaywick Sands Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document for publication and consultation with the public and other interested parties; and

 

4.      requests that the responses received in response to the consultation exercises for both the Jaywick Sands Place Plan and Design Guide be reported to, and considered by, the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a joint report of the Housing Portfolio Holder and the Planning Portfolio Holder (A.7), which reported on progress made towards developing a framework for regeneration in Jaywick Sands and reported the recommendations submitted by the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee in respect of proposals for statutory public consultation on a Jaywick Sands Place Plan and a draft Jaywick Sands Design Guide .

 

Members were aware that significant progress had been made in work towards developing a strategy and policy framework for regeneration and planning in Jaywick Sands with a view to commencing a programme of public engagement that would help to shape the approach going forward.

 

The regeneration of Jaywick Sands was a corporate priority for the Council. The current actions comprised of two key work streams related to the planning process:

 

-    theJaywick Sands Place Plan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) (referred to henceforth as the “Place Plan”); and

-    the Jaywick Sands Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) (referred to henceforth as the “Design SPD”).

 

The purpose of the Place Plan was to provide a long-term strategy for the regeneration of Jaywick Sands with the recommended objectives being to:

 

   Transform housing quality and the built environment;

  Ensure long term flood resilience;

  Create greater connectivity to neighbouring areas;

   Attract commerce & new economic opportunities; and

   Improve people's life chances, access to public services & health & wellbeing

 

As part of producing this strategy, it was felt essential to engage in consultation with the local community and stakeholders at an early stage.  The proposed consultation strategy would be a mixture of in-person engagement including drop-in sessions as well as digital engagement including an online presentation and survey with short explainer videos.

 

Members were made aware that the content of the consultation strategy had been informed by the Jaywick Sands Place Plan Interim report, which provided an analysis of the current problems and base line conditions as well as potential solutions although, at this stage, it did not prescribe a preferred approach.

 

The Design SPD provided key guidance to the community, property owners and developers, helping to speed up the planning process and facilitate the re-development of poor quality housing with better quality flood resilient homes. This Design SPD would be a tool for:-

 

    Property owners and developers, and their design and planning consultants, in producing proposals for their sites;

    Stakeholders and community members when commenting on planning applications or early stage proposals;

    Planning officers in determining planning applications and pre-application submissions.

 

Cabinet was informed that the draft document was divided into a number of chapters covering characterisation; flood resistance and resilience; massing scale and building form; streetscape and parking; internal and external space standards; and climate change and biodiversity. The appendices provided worked examples of designs so that the applicant could understand the practical implementation of the requirements. The draft document had been produced in consultation with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders.

 

Members were aware that, on 31st May 2022,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

27.

Management Team Items

There are none on this occasion.

Minutes:

There were no such items to consider on this occasion.

28.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The Cabinet is asked to consider passing the following resolution:

 

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Agenda Item 17 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, as amended, of the Act.”

Minutes:

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmiand:-

 

RESOLVED that, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Agenda Item 17 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, as amended, of the Act.

29.

Cabinet Members' Items - Joint Report of the Corporate Finance and Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder - B.1 - Terms for the Acquisition of Property and Land in Victoria Street, Harwich

To agree terms for the acquisition of certain land and property in Victoria Street, Harwich.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

 

a)     approves the terms set out in Appendix B to the Portfolio Holders’ joint report (B.1) for the acquisition of the land as shown edged red on the Plan attached as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Joint Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder;

 

b)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) to agree any such other terms he considers necessary, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services, should that be required;

 

c)      approves that the purchase and associated acquisition costs of £161,000 be met from the existing New Build and Acquisitions Budget within the HRA Capital Programme to be funded 60% from Direct Revenue Financing and 40% from 1-4-1 Capital receipts;

 

d)     approves, in principle, of the acquisition of the land shown edged yellow on the plan appended as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Joint Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder and notes and authorises all further investigations, negotiations and processes that may be necessary; and

 

e)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) to agree any terms he considers necessary, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services, to acquire the land shown edged yellow on the plan appended as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder provided that any cost can be accommodated within the New Build and Acquisitions Budget within the HRA Capital Programme.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

 

a)     approves the terms set out in Appendix B to the Portfolio Holders’ joint report (B.1) for the acquisition of the land as shown edged red on the Plan attached as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Joint Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder;

 

b)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) to agree any such other terms he considers necessary, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services, should that be required;

 

c)      approves that the purchase and associated acquisition costs of £161,000 be met from the existing New Build and Acquisitions Budget within the HRA Capital Programme to be funded 60% from Direct Revenue Financing and 40% from 1-4-1 Capital receipts;

 

d)     approves, in principle, of the acquisition of the land shown edged yellow on the plan appended as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Joint Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder and notes and authorises all further investigations, negotiations and processes that may be necessary; and

 

e)     authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) to agree any terms he considers necessary, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services, to acquire the land shown edged yellow on the plan appended as Appendix A to item A.6 of the Report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and the Housing Portfolio Holder provided that any cost can be accommodated within the New Build and Acquisitions Budget within the HRA Capital Programme.