Agenda item

If any Member seeks further clarity, or wishes to raise issues regarding any future Hub Committee agenda item, please contact Member Services before 5.00pm on Thursday 4 July 2019 to ensure that the lead officer(s) are aware of this request in advance of the meeting.

(a)  Coastal Concordat – Explanation;

(b)  Community Housing Presentation on Progress Made to Date;

*O&S 13          

During consideration of the most recently published Hub Committee Forward Plan, formal requests had been made for updates on the following future agenda items:-

(a)    Coastal Concordat – Explanation

The Head of Place Making Practice advised that the Coastal Concordat was an agreement between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); the Marine Management Organisation; the Environment Agency; Natural England; and the Council.

Once signed by all agencies, the agreement would provide a framework within which the separate processes for the consenting of coastal developments in the Borough could be better co-ordinated.

The Committee was also informed that the delay on the Hub Committee Forward Plan for consideration of this agenda item was attributed to DEFRA guidance still being awaited.

During the subsequent discussion, the following points were raised:-

(i)     In response to some very specific issues, it was agreed that lead officers would meet with a Committee Member outside of this meeting;

(ii)    The close linkages with the work of the Tamar Estuary Consultative Forum were acknowledged;

(iii)   Once the DEFRA guidance had been published (and prior to the Hub Committee formally considering the matter), the Committee requested that all Members be in receipt of a Briefing Note and a map that highlighted the affected area within the Borough.   

(b)   Community Housing – Presentation on Progress Made to Date

The Senior Case Manager – Community Housing conducted a presentation that provided Members with:

-        a short history of the Community Housing initiative;

-        details on what the Council was doing at present to support the initiative;

-        information on the current direction of travel; and

-        the Design Principles and Building Standards.

In debate, particular reference was made to:-

(i)     the £250,000 award from Central Government.  Such was the cost of delivering Community Housing schemes, that Members noted that the £250,000 award would only enable the Council to focus on the development of relatively small scale sites;

(ii)    the availability of willing landowners.  It was acknowledged that the availability of willing landowners to offer up potential sites was often a barrier to this initiative;

(iii)   local housing need.  Officers stated that the top priority that underpinned the Community Housing agenda was local housing need;

(iv)   design and build standards.  A number of Members felt that greater pressure should be exerted on to large housing developers to ensure that housing was built to the highest possible sustainability standards;

(v)    establishing a housing company.  Members acknowledged that they would need to make a decision in the upcoming months regarding whether or not the Council should establish a housing company to manage properties developed through this initiative.  Some Members also made the point that a significant advantage of the Council taking on the management role would be to ensure that a greater level of control was retained over the allocation of these properties;

(vi)   bringing development sites forward.  In addition to the Community Housing agenda, officers also reminded the Committee that there were other means of bringing development forward that included the adoption of a local Neighbourhood Plan and Community Land Trusts.