Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillor June Player and Councillor Tim Ball had sent their apologies to the Panel.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officer or a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Councillor Steve Hedges declared an ‘other’ interest to the Panel as his son works for Curo and his wife works for Mencap.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson declared an ‘other’ interest to the Panel as she is the secretary for the Meadow View Action Group (Radstock anti NRR campaign group) and her house is situated very close to the former railway lands.

She also declared an ‘other’ interest to the Panel as she is a governor at St. Nicholas’ CE Primary School, Radstock.

In light of the anticipated contributions from speakers she also intimated that Councillor Gerry Curran was the current Chair of the Development Control Committee. She said that she had been advised that Councillor Curran would not be compromised by their statements.

There was none. The Chair asked that officers keep an eye on matters that she had raised with them recently via email during the ‘purdah’ period.

Helen Dudden addressed the Panel. She spoke of how she had previously lived in a Georgian flat that was owned by Curo. She explained that since the flat had floor to ceiling mould in almost every room she had tried to move from the property for five years before successfully doing so.

She informed them that the flat was not insulated properly, that ice formed on the inside of the windows during winter, that rats were living under the floor boards and that the use of additional heating had cost her £1,000 pa.

She said that she had written to Don Foster MP to explain her situation, but that he had shown no concern. She added that she believed that there had been problems with the Homesearch system while she was trying to secure a move and that some correspondence had been lost. She said that she had reported these matters to the Local Government Ombudsman.

She explained that since she had moved from the property it had been turned from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan and is now available for tourist accommodation.

She concluded by questioning whether Curo were rightly serving the community.

The Chair thanked her for her statement and said that the Panel had been made aware of Curo’s restructure plans at previous meetings.

Councillor Steve Hedges asked where her previous property was situated.

Helen Dudden replied that it was in Johnstone Street, Bath.

Councillor Steve Hedges commented that 95% of the complaints that he receives relating to Curo are about damp. He added that there was little the Panel could do on this matter but asked for the minutes to be passed onto Councillor Tim Ball in his current role as the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning.

The Head of Housing commented that he was aware that Mrs Dudden had made a complaint to the Council relating to her flat conditions and the Homesearch process. He said that both complaints had been dealt with via the Council’s complaints procedure and that Mrs Dudden had not been happy with the outcome and had taken the matter further with the Local Government Ombudsman. He informed the Panel that in summary the Ombudsman had considered that the Council had taken appropriate action and was not at fault in this matter.

Steve Bendle addressed the Panel. He said that the Council’s Housing Policy should be reviewed in light of the currently reported waiting list figure of 5,000. He recalled a recent conversation that he had had with his sister regarding property prices in Sweden and that a new three bedroom property there costs only £140,000.

He questioned Curo’s need to charge 80% affordable rent and the amount of internal borrowing that they do. He added that he also had doubts over the suitability of their repairs service.

He asked the Panel to pursue the matter of allowing a tenant and a Councillor representative back onto the Board of Curo.

He said the Council’s ambitions for new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

Under minute 60 (Boat Dwellers & River Travellers Update) the Chair noticed that the fourth bullet point should contain the word ‘practice’ instead of ‘practise’.

Under minute 61 (Paulton – Development Update) Councillor Brian Simmons said that he had made the comment that made reference to the former Great Mills site not Councillor Ben Stevens.

With these amendments the Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions.

The Divisional Director for Project Management introduced this item to the Panel. He said that the overall redevelopment of the former railway lands in Radstock had been a priority for the Council as it provides much needed affordable housing units and creates job opportunities. He added that the B&NES highway works on track to be completed by the end of April.

The Chair commented that the apprentice opportunities were welcome as well as the links to the local college. She said that the local traders however still remained unconvinced of the benefits. She added that the loss of five mature trees through part of the works was disappointing.

The Chair asked for confirmation that the order of developing areas had changed and that Area 3 would now be developed before Area 1.

The Divisional Director for Project Management confirmed that that was the case and that Area 1 would be financed through the house sales on Area 3. He added that the reserved matters application for Area 3 would be submitted shortly. 

The Chair commented that if cobbled stones were to be used within the development this would cause a problem for disabled people and those with mobility issues. She asked if this could be looked into.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked if there was any update on the Household Waste / Recycling site in connection with BWR.

The Divisional Director for Project Management replied that they were actively working with Crest on the matter and that Household Waste was likely to transfer to the Pixash Lane site in Keynsham. He added that options for Recycling were being assessed.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked what progress was being made on the Westmark site as that had been considered a possibility for Key Worker Housing at one time. He added that he had heard a rumour of it being used now for student accommodation.

The Divisional Director for Project Management replied that he was aware of the interest in having student accommodation on the site but that a decision would be made as part of the planning process.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked if the surface problem relating to Victoria Bridge was being addressed.

The Divisional Director for Project Management replied that a problem had been identified with the bridge anti-slip surfacing (peeling away from deck beneath) and that it was being attended to by the contractor as it was in the early stages of the defects liability period. He added that testing and trialling of alternatives were underway to define a permanent solution and that the contractor was regularly visiting site to keep it in a safe and usable state.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked when the London Road redevelopment would be completed.

The Divisional Director for Project Management replied that a further £200,000 of additional works had been requested and that the project was now due for completion by the end of April.

Councillor Gerry Curran commented that although the Grand Parade & Undercroft application had been refused by the Development Control Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

The Panel have invited representatives from The Guiness Partnership to give them a presentation on their plans for future development.

Stephen Lodge, Director of Asset Strategy & Analysis, The Guinness Partnership gave a presentation to the Panel. A copy of the presentation will be available online as an appendix to the minutes and placed on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

He said that he wished to state that affordable housing was the main element from the start of their developments.

The Context

Fast Changing Sector

Financial Constraints

Service Offer

Product range

Value for Money

He explained that the subsidy from Government had reduced and that that coupled with a market that is producing a less secure revenue stream can make them a less attractive proposition for lenders.

He said that the Partnership also has a role in offering tenants focussed support in trying to go back to work and retraining.

He stated that a greater number of their homes were becoming private or available under market rent.

He said that the Partnership was looking at their asset base as a means for finding funds for new homes / renovations.

The Guinness Partnership

National – 125 years

60,000 homes

Mixed Tenure

Design & Quality

Care & Support

He informed the Panel that the Partnership worked across 173 Local Authorities with 60,000 homes. He said that they developed around 1,000 homes a year, with around 200 of those within the local area.

He stated that the Partnership were clean about their aims on design and quality.

He explained that the Partnership looked after around 500 homes currently within B&NES and that a Development Team was based in Bristol.

Asset Management

He said that they were looking to breathe new life into a number of their properties that were built in the 1970’s and 1980’s with some becoming holiday lets or available at market rent. He added that properties in London were most appropriate for such activity.

Future Development

He said that the Partnership has a desire to continue to grow and is looking to acquire land, mainly in rural areas to develop. He added that by acquiring land they could have more control over the standard of the properties.

He explained that the Partnership now operates some Extra Care Schemes and would look to develop more of these. He said that people could move into these properties from the age of 55 and that the levels of support required can be tailored.

He concluded by saying that the core business of the Partnership remains Housing.

The Chair asked if they could comment on their current repairs policy.

Stephen Lodge replied that a national restructure of their repairs service was underway and that they were seeking to rollout a 24 hours service. He added that currently properties were assessed and then those judged to be in most need were actioned first.

Councillor Gerry Curran asked if they had any local sites in mind for development.

Stephen Lodge replied that they did not at the present time.

Councillor Gerry Curran commented that when sites are identified there is normally a good  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

The Panel will receive a presentation from Curo relating to the Mulberry Park development at Foxhill.

The Curo representative was not able to attend the meeting. The Chair asked for the item to be moved to a future item on the Panel’s workplan, and the presentation to be circulated to members.

The Panel have invited representatives from Taylor Wimpey to give them a current overview presentation of the Somerdale project.

Adrian Slade, Project Director, Taylor Wimpey gave a presentation to the Panel. A copy of the presentation will be available online as an appendix to the minutes and placed on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

Key Milestones

·  January 2012 - Taylor Wimpey selected by Kraft as preferred developer

·  January 2012 – April 2013 - Taylor Wimpey commenced work on planning application in conjunction with landowner and local authority, comprehensive community engagement and technical studies eg archaeology.

·  April 2013 – Hybrid Planning application with Environmental Impact Assessment submitted to BANES

·  September 2013 – Planning committee unanimous resolution to grant planning permission

·  February 2014 – S106 signed and planning permission issued

·  April 2014 – Work started on site delivering new homes and infrastructure

·  September 2014 – Sales outlet opens

·  November 2014 – First new residents move in

Current Progress – Phase 1

·  Phase 1 consists of 154 new homes – mix 2,3,4 and 5 bedroomed homes.

·  Affordable Housing – 43 new 2,3 and 4 bedroomed homes.

·  New homes sold – 30

·  New homes occupied – 17

·  New homes under construction for 2015 – 46

Economic & Community Benefits

The economic and community benefits of the redevelopment at Somerdale are significant. The construction of 700 new homes, 120,000sqft of employment space, new primary school, sports and conference facility and associated infrastructure offers an opportunity to stimulate the economic growth both locally and regionally. It also assists in meeting housing needs.

Construction Impacts

·  direct employment – 1,277 person years of construction employment  over the 10 years period of build or 128 per annum

·  Indirect employment – 123 spin off jobs in the supply chain/local  community per annum

·  Economic output - £88m through goods and services over the build period

Expenditure Impacts

·  £12m pa spent local shops and services during build

·  £33m by residents of the scheme per annum

Operational impacts

·  1,068 direct new job opportunities

·  £97m economic output per annum

·  73 new jobs created in the local market through indirect employment

Local authority revenue Impacts

·  £6.5m New Homes Bonus Payments

·  £1.1m additional council tax per annum

·  £0.7m new business rate revenue per annum

·  £7m S106 and other planning contributions

Next Steps

·  New Fry Club opens in June

·  Next phase of development to be submitted for reserved matters

·  Change of use of existing care home site to provide additional 30 new homes – 11th March planning committee

·  Procurement of new primary school

Councillor Gerry Curran commented that it shows what can be done with a site of such scale and said it was pleasing to think that possibly 60 residents could be on site by the end of the year.

The Chair commented that she was impressed with how the scheme had developed. She asked what the plans were for the large iron gates that used to be the entrance for the site.

Adrian Slade said that they were being retained on site.

The Chair suggested that if the Development Control Committee take part in annual tour that they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel.

The Chair introduced this item to the Panel. She asked for the Foxhill (MoD Site) presentation to be heard at a future meeting and for an update on Boat Dwellers & River Travellers to be added as a future item so that the Panel’s previous work is monitored.

The Chair then made the following statement. A copy of which will be available online as an appendix to the minutes and placed on the Panel’s Minute Book, a summary is set out below.

I would first like to thank the officers who have patiently borne the brunt of our efforts to make policy and scrutinize the Council’s procedures and projects.

Especially to be mentioned in dispatches are Mark Durnford, Emma Bagley and Donna Vercoe. Their work was especially valuable when we had a Task and Finish Group.

I would also like to thank senior officers, especially Graham Sabourn and Derek Quilter, and their teams, who taught me a lot.

It will perhaps (I hope) be the task of the next administration to build on the work we have endeavoured to do on the Major Projects experience to construct local economic strategies tied into housing and infrastructure development, so that we do not end up with soulless housing estates of commuters.

Firstly, this Panel was required to scrutinise policy moving through the system: elements of the Core Strategy, the Houses in Multiple Occupation, and the Licencing of HMOs. We had to interact with other Panels on matters such as homelessness and river safety, but I think we made a significant contribution. Certainly our compliance could not be taken for granted. No rubber stamps here! Thank you all for wading through pages and pages and exposing the really important points for development.

Secondly, while I was in charge, we surveyed the areas where Major Projects were supposed to flourish and enhance development or even, dare I say it, regenerate a community. So we considered the developments in Keynsham, Paulton, Midsomer Norton, Westfield and Radstock.

Thirdly, we did some important policy work ourselves. Next to the Homecare Study I chaired as Task and Finish for the Wellbeing Panel, I am most proud of the Boat Dwellers and River Travellers study which I hope will produce tangible results for good for those who live on our rivers and canals. It has already attracted European research interest via the University of Cardiff, and I have just received an email from the lead researcher (Dr Lawson)  saying as a result of studying our efforts, he had completely changed his view of scrutiny, and saw what a positive value it had.

Fourthly, we have engaged in what I hope will be a constructive dialogue with ‘responsible providers’ and heard the plans of Curo, Knightstone, and Guinness. I hope others will follow later this year.

Finally I think we have been open and receptive to tenants and members of the public who raised their concerns in a way most helpful to us. So I have encouraged people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.