Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillor Halsall gave his apologies.

Councillor David gave her apologies and was substituted by Councillor Hounsell.

Councillor Johnson gave his apologies and was substituted by Councillor Hughes.

Councillor Heijltjes gave her apologies and was substituted by Councillor Ross.

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 4.4 Appendix 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 Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

There were none.

There was none.

Carey Gilliand, Chair of Oldfield Park Community Alliance made a statement regarding the ‘Oldfield Park ETRO consultation and decision’.

Councillor Leach asked about permits for staff and customers. Mr Gilliand explained that there were standard business permits for some staff and some for visitors. Regarding how staff travel to work and park, Mr Gilliand explained that this was difficult, he has re-registered his car to the business. There are some temporary permits and some people use the Park and Ride – some have been put off travelling from a distance.

Councillor Player asked if there was the right balance of dual use places. Mr Gilliand stated that the balance needs adjustment and updates will always be required. There were 15 dual use spaces originally – a couple of tweaks would be useful.

11^th January 2024

19^th February 2024 (Call in meeting)

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meetings as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

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

Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Council Leader (statutory) and Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Travel gave the following update:

Forest for the Nation

Forest of Avon, B&NES and Natural History Consortium have led on the development of a Forest for the Nation bid to DEFRA, submitted on 17^th March.

If successful at the first stage, we will be awarded £150k to develop a full business case alongside three other applicants. This will be announced in April.

B&NES is the lead local authority in the bid. The area covers Western Gateway (Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and WoE) significant support from wide range of partners. The winner will be announced in the autumn, with the successful bid awarded £9m over 5 years.

UKSPF 

B&NES facilitated a workshop to promote the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to Parish Councils and community groups in Bath & Northeast Somerset. Parishes and town councils in Bath & North East Somerset will benefit from a total of £260,000 to help install energy-saving measures like solar panels and air-to-air source heat pumps. Successful bids will be announced shortly and we're looking forward to seeing support for a range of retrofit, renewables and GI projects.  

Local Nature Recovery Strategy

The Consultation Draft of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for the West of England (including North Somerset) was sent to B&NES Council for review, in its role as a Supporting Authority. The Sustainable Places Board, on behalf of B&NES Council has agreed to consultation on the LNRS proceeding, which is expected to begin shortly. The Consultation will provide the public with an opportunity to provide feedback on identified biodiversity priorities and mapped 'focus areas' for nature recovery across the region. Following consultation, an updated version of the LNRS will be produced for publication later this year.

Green Heritage Homes

The Green Heritage Homes project has gone live this week. The project is a partnership between Bath and West Community Energy, B&NES and Bath Preservation Trust, to enable retrofit of listed buildings in a way that is appropriate for their fabric and heritage, through practical advice and positive planning policies. We have a planning officer now focused on applications for retrofit of listed homes. They can provide "level 0" pre-planning advice, coupled with BWCE's bespoke retrofit assessments for households.

Clean Air Zone

Bath Clean Air Zone, the first charging CAZ in the country which reached its 3rd anniversary last week, is improving air quality. Government’s Joint Air Quality Unit announced last week that we have achieved "State 3" of 4, the first CAZ in the country to reach this status, with an average reduction of 27% in annual mean NO2 concentration across all 125 local diffusion tube test sites.

Climate Engagement

Climate Hub are holding their Springtime Assembly this weekend 22^nd-24^th March, with a collective of green organisations gathering to share information and ideas for a low carbon, nature positive future. The event is free to attend.

Climate Youth Summit 8^th March -  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

This report will be published at a later date.

The Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Manda Rigby gave a presentation which included the following:

·  Parking Charges 2024/25

·  Air Pollution and Air Quality

·  Emission-based charges in BANES

·  Proposals agreed in 2024/25 budget

·  Outline timeline.

·  Actions requested from the Panel

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions:

Councillor Hughes asked for confirmation that Midsomer Norton car park scheme would include a 2-hour free period and shop owners permit. The Cabinet Member explained that no decisions had been made, options are being shown during the consultation, a TRO cannot be prejudged. She confirmed that a 2-hour free period has never been confirmed – it is an option in the consultation.

Councillors Hughes stated that he felt that residents of Midsomer Norton had been misled in that the report mentions only 30 minutes free, he asked how this would improve footfall. He also stated that clean air could not be an excuse as there is not a pollution issue in the area. The Cabinet Member stated that there is no safe level of pollution and everyone should be kept safe, especially vulnerable people.

Councillor Hughes stated that emissions-based parking charges penalise poorer people who cannot afford electric cars. The Cabinet Member stated that at some stage, when older cars are no longer driveable – we would like people to consider less polluting cars.

Councillor Ross asked if the consultation would involve the school in Midsomer Norton as the car park is used for drop off and pick up. The Cabinet Member explained that the consultation would try to capture as wide a population as possible and yes, the school would be contacted.

Councillor Auton stated that, when he started his 2-hour campaign he did not want there to be any charges but aspired to 2 hours free parking if there must be charging. He urged everyone to take part in the consultation. He stated that he had not claimed that his engagement was scientific and he is working on behalf of those he has spoken to.

Councillor Ross asked about 30 minutes on street parking in the city. She asked if charges could start at 1 hour. The officer stated that there is support for the higher turnover for on street parking in the city. Charging is driven by the amenity in the area.

Councillor Hughes asked about motorcycles and why they would have to pay £15 to park in Bath. The Cabinet Member stated that motorcycles take up the same space as a car and are as polluting as a car. The report shows the clear timeline on this.

Councillor Ross asked how Park and Ride charges are enforced for people who just park. The Cabinet Member stated that there would be a review of Park and Ride services and exciting future options. There is not constant enforcement. A new system could mean that people pay before they get on the bus and enter their registration number.

Councillor Ross asked if everything is based on air quality data  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment and Sustainable Development and Richard Daone, Deputy Head of Planning (Policy) introduced the report and gave a presentation which covered the following:

·  BANES Local Plan Options

·  Local Plan Purpose and Scope

·  Local Plan Spatial Priorities

·  Structure of Options Document

·  Housing and Employment need

·  Map – showing location of site options for consultation

·  Development Management Policy Options

·  Local Plan Preparation Programme

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions:

Councillor Hounsell asked if the Cabinet Member was satisfied that a suitable amount of brownfield sites have been used and asked if Charmey Down Airfield site been considered. The officer stated that a lot of work has been done regarding brownfield sites – the vast majority of housing is on brownfield sites. The initial view is that we will need some greenfield options. Regarding Charmey Down, the officer explained that this was in the green belt and also in the Cotswalds Area landscape and so would be controversial. The owners are Wessex Water.

Councillor Hounsell asked if sufficient sites are being consulted on. The officer stated that a wide range of sites are being consulted on – this is just the list of the large site options. He explained that a proportion of our growth arises through students, so student accommodation reduces the need for general accommodation.

Councillor Hughes stated that some of his residents are struggling to engage with the consultation (the extended time is appreciated). He has concerns that the feedback will not be a true picture. The officer stated that it is difficult to get representative engagement – there have been a mixture of drop in events in relevant places and videos on the website etc. Efforts have been made to make the information accessible, over 2,000 comments have been received and there are still over 3 weeks left.

Councillor Beaumont added that many of his elderly residents have struggled to access online consultation and asked if forms can be provided in the future. The officer stated that the Council is moving towards online based consultations. He accepted the comment about forms but added that the system of collecting and analysing feedback has to be efficient. Councillor Wait stated that Councillor MacFie is producing paper forms for his ward.

Councillor Leach stated that ‘reducing emissions’ is clearly the priority in the report where it should be ‘climate resilience’ in his view. He stated that future climate consideration should be built into the planned developments. The Cabinet Member stated that Wessex Water have raised the issue of extra water falling in the future and where it will go. He explained that he is looking to reduce emissions in the supply chain but there is a delicate balance to tread – the plan will be reviewed in 5 years so updates can be made. Councillor Leach stated that he agreed we should be driving to net zero but we need to make sure developments will be habitable in the future  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting senior officers.

Panel members noted the future workplan and noted that they ‘Food Security’ task group would report back in May.