Agenda and draft minutes

There were no apologies of absence.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 17 July 2023.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 17 July 2023 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Chairman made the following announcement at the meeting:

‘In respect of Item 9 on today’s agenda, which is concerning the presentation on the Airport Operator Revenue Strategy and Marketing Plan, due to unforeseen circumstances this item has been withdrawn from this agenda and deferred to the next meeting of the Panel’.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members in accordance with the Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct and disclosures of advice or directions received from Group Leaders or Political Groups, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To receive a presentation from the Head of Asset Management and the Strategic Sites Development Officer on the Daedalus Delivery and Work Programme.

The Panel received a presentation from the Strategic Sites Officer on the Daedalus Delivery and Work Programme. (A copy of this presentation is appended to these minutes)

Members acknowledged that the potential of having electric charging points installed at the airport for electric planes, was a great step forward in the Council’s continuing Climate Change work. They did enquire as to the current and future demand for the electric planes as well as seeking information on whether other airfields already provide these facilities. The Strategic Sites Officer addressed the Panel and confirmed that a small number of airfields do already provide this facility but acknowledged that electric planes are still in the early days of development. Whilst there is only one type of electric plane available at present this is expected to grow in the future as this technology is developed.

The Head of Asset Management provided a brief verbal update on Project Falcon which is concerning the proposed Search and Rescue Facility. Planning Permission has been granted, and the final conditionality associated with the transaction is being dealt with It is anticipated that work on site will begin at the end of March.

RESOLVED that the Members note the content of the presentation.

To receive a presentation from the Strategic Sites Development Officer on the Solent Airport Carbon Reduction Plan.

The Panel received a presentation from the Strategic Sites Officer and the Policy, Research and Engagement Officer on the Solent Airport Carbon Reduction Plan. (A copy of this presentation is appended to these minutes).

Councillor Ford enquired as to how many vehicles are in the Council Fleet and how many of these vehicles are based at Solent Airport. The Policy, Research and Engagement Officer confirmed that there are approximately 122 vehicles in the Council’s fleet and 5 of these are based at the airport.

The Chairman enquired as to whether there were any plans to replace the Control Tower entirely. The Director of Planning and Regeneration addressed the Panel and explained that at present there are no plans to replace the facility as this would be extremely costly. The Council is focusing on works to improve the facilities offered at the Control Tower, including a new Visual Control Room..

RESOLVED that the Panel note the content of the presentation.

RESOLVED that the public and representatives of the press be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that the matters to be dealt with involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in Paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

To receive a presentation by the Airport Operator on the Revenue Strategy and Marketing Plan.

This item was withdrawn from the agenda and deferred to another meeting.

To consider any items of business dealt with by the Executive that falls under the remit of the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel. This will include any decisions taken by Individual Members during the same time period.

The Panel considered the Executive items of business which falls under the remit of the Policy and Resources Portfolio, specifically in relation to Daedalus, including Executive Member decisions and Officer delegated decisions that have taken place since the last meeting of the Panel.

The Panel considered the decisions at item 10(1) and 10(2) of the agenda.

Mr Jonathan  Butts asked questions of officers on this item.

Mr Jonathan Butts asked questions of officers on this item.

To provide an opportunity for Members to consider the scrutiny priorities for the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel.

The Director of Planning and Regeneration addressed the Panel on this item and advised of a number of items that would be coming forward to the Panel in the new Municipal Year.

The Panel were then given the opportunity to put forward suggestions of items that they might like to scrutinise at future meetings. The Chairman commented that he would like to see regular updates on the progress of future plans for Daedalus. Councillor Ford suggested a map of the Daedalus site be provided to members setting out where projects are taking place and clearly identifying what is airside and non-airside, as members felt this would be useful in assisting them to better understand the overall site.