Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor K D Evans and Councillor Mrs K Mandry.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of Executive held on 20 February 2018.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 20 February 2018 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Air Quality Funding

The Executive Leader announced that Fareham Borough Council has received £500,000 in Government funding to help improve the Borough’s air quality. The grant will go towards the Council’s work to ensure levels of nitrogen dioxide fall within legal limits.

This follows a Government report which highlighted areas across the country, including Fareham, which could have unacceptable levels of nitrogen dioxide in the future. Specifically, the report highlighted the stretch of road from the A27 near the Delme roundabout, down to the Quay Street roundabout, part of Gosport Road and along the A27 to the Station roundabout. A major factor is around 30,000 vehicles travelling in and out of the Gosport peninsula every day.

The extra funding will support the work of the Council’s new air quality working group. This group includes councillors, experts, and representatives from local partners. The funding award has been made by the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU), part of Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Fareham Innovation Centre

The Executive Leader was joined by Councillors Cartwright, Ford, Forrest, Mandry and Heneghan earlier in the afternoon at the Fareham Innovation Centre at Daedalus for a key handover ceremony to mark the completion of the extension to the centre.

The £7million extension will provide 3,400 square metres of new floor space, 33 new offices, five new workshops and spacious new conference facilities. This will add to the top of the range facilities and support already provided at the Innovation Centre for new businesses and it is anticipated that around 300 highly skilled new job opportunities will be created.

National Planning Policy Framework

The Executive Leader referred to the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier that morning regarding the major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework.  This is on the back of the recent housing consultation carried out by the Government on ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places’. 

This announcement will have implications on the progression of Fareham’s Draft Local Plan but there hasn’t yet been time to work through these.  The background documents amount to hundreds of pages and there are still more to be published. 

The Executive Leader stated that in total, six different planning related documents have been published by the Government today. This includes the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, which is now published for consultation. Also published is the Government’s response to the consultation undertook in 2017 on the proposed Standard Methodology for formulating individual Council’s housing requirements. There are nearly 200 pages of detailed information between all the different documents.

At this stage it appears the Government do not intend to change their proposed methodology for identifying housing need (as outlined last year in the consultation on ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places’) this is despite this Council’s and other representations raising concerns.  However, we still await the Government’s proposed amendments to the Planning Practice Guidance which is expected to provide more detail and clarity on this point.

The Government is now consulting on its proposals; the consultation will close on 10^th May and a report will come forward at the April Executive.  The Government expects to publish the final NPPF in the summer.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct.

Councillor Miss S M Bell declared a Non-Pecuniary Personal Interest for Item 10(1) – Citizens of Honour as she is a Council appointed Trustee of the Portchester Community Centre, where one of the nominees is also a trustee. 

Councillor S D T Woodward declared a Non-Pecuniary Personal Interest for item 10(1) – Citizens of Honour as he is President of the 1350 Squadron Air Training Corps, where one of the nominees is a member.

There were no petitions submitted at this meeting.

To receive any deputations, of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To receive any reference from the committees or panels held.

There were no references from other Committees submitted at this meeting.

A report by the Head of Leisure and Corporate Services.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves:

(a)  the five-year play area improvement programme as detailed in Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  a budget allocation of up to £500,000 from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions to fund the improvement programme.

A report by the Head of Leisure and Corporate Services.

RESOLVED that the Executive awards the contract to the Company ranked first place, as set out in the confidential Appendix A, who submitted the most economically advantageous tender for the provision of pantomime entertainment and related services.

A report by the Direction of Planning and Regulation.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the implementation of the Definitive Solent Recreation Mitigation Strategy and the associated charging regime from 01 April 2018.

A report by the Head of Leisure and Corporate Services.

Councillor Miss S M Bell declared a Non-Pecuniary Personal Interest for this item as she is a Council appointed Trustee of the Portchester Community Centre, where one of the nominees is also a trustee.

Councillor S D T Woodward declared a Non-Pecuniary Personal Interest for this item as he is President of the 1350 Squadron Air Training Corps, where one of the nominees is a member.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves:

(a)  that candidates 4, 5 and 6 are selected from the attached nominations at confidential Appendix A, to be formally recognised as Citizens of Honour 2018;

(b)  that candidate 9 is selected from the attached nominations at confidential Appendix B as Young Citizens of the Year (12-17 year olds);

(c)  that candidate 12 is selected from the attached nominations at confidential Appendix C, as Young Citizens of the Year (4 – 11 year olds); and

(d)  that the persons listed as numbers 4, 5, 6, 9 and 12 in the confidential Appendices A, B and C of the report be selected for the annual Citizen of Honour and Young Citizen of Honour Awards 2018.

To consider whether it is in the public interest to exclude the public and representatives of the Press 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 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED that in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 the Public and Press be excluded from the remainder of the meeting, as the Executive considers that it is not in the public interest to consider the matters in public on the grounds that they will involve the disclosure of exempt information, as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

A report by the Director of Finance and Resources.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees that the debts listed in Appendix A to the report be written off as irrecoverable.