Agenda item

(Copy herewith)

Councillor Beardsworth addressed Cabinet and commented that she was amazed that the Council had gone out to consultation with residents but had failed to listen to them. She affirmed that the Racecourse belonged to everyone and that the ‘Friends of the Racecourse’ should be allowed to continue in their current management of the Park. In response to a question from Councillor Hadland, Councillor Beardsworth stated that she recognised that the proposal was not a change of ownership, but that was the feeling of the residents who would be left feeling disenchanted.

The Leader commented that Cabinet were in agreement that the ‘Friends of the Racecourse’ were doing an excellent job, but could not understand how this would change if the park was included.

The Deputy Leader commented that he perceived the inclusion of the Racecourse as a positive as this would grant access to Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds and would not want to deny them access to extra financial resources.

Councillor Birch, addressed Cabinet as the Ward Councillor, and thanked the Officers involved for their hard work. She explained that many residents had been invited to attend the consultation meetings to explain the benefits of the Plan. She noted that with the potential increase in (Houses in Multiple Occupation) HIMOs in Semilong could be better managed with a Neighbourhood Plan. She further reported that there had been extensive consultation with residents and that the benefits of being a part of the Neighbourhood Forum would allow discussions to be had about how, when and where to spend the CIL money and urged Cabinet to support the recommendations.

Councillor Marriott, addressed Cabinet as the Ward Councillor and noted that the Neighbourhood Plan had taken the best part of 2 years to come to fruition and that work had been undertaken very cautiously. He echoed the comments of Councillor Birch in that there was a need for Semilong to have more control over HIMOs and to exclude the Racecourse from the Plan would be wrong and could have a potential negative impact through lack of access to CIL funding.

Councillor Hadland, as the relevant Cabinet Member, submitted a report and elaborated thereon and noted that the Neighbourhood Plan had been a very long process and noted that there was a fundamental misunderstanding that the designation of a Neighbourhood Forum was a takeover of the Racecourse, He commented that the ‘Friends of the Racecourse’ was an extremely successful organisation and that the Neighbourhood Planners would be inclusive of them. It was reported that once residents witnessed the benefits gained from being members of the forum, inclusion could grow and would provide a useful collection of people interested in improving the area. It was noted that the Council had previous experience of doing this and this could be evidence in Spring Boroughs and it was noted that this would be financially and socially beneficial. He thanked the Officers who had been involved in the lengthy and detailed process.

The Leader stated that the Town faced many challenges including housing and that the designation of a Neighbourhood area would assist in controlling the number of HIMOs and would help groups to improve their areas and assured those concerned that there was no take over.

The Deputy Leader commented that he commended the work that had been done and thanked the Community Groups involved. He further commented that there were many benefits through CIL funding and that this could help with the provision of Community facilitates and development.

RESOLVED:

2.1         That Cabinet noted the analysis of representations received in response to the publicising of the Semilong and Trinity Neighbourhood Area and Neighbourhood Forum applications  (Appendix 1 of the report)

2.2            That Cabinet designated the Semilong and Trinity Neighbourhood Area as published in Appendix 2 for the purposes of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan under Section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended)

2.3           That, following the designation of the Semilong and Trinity Neighbourhood Area, Cabinet designates Semilong and Trinity Neighbourhood Forum (Appendix 3 of the report) under Section 61F of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for a period of five years for the purposes of producing a Neighbourhood Plan, subject to the following conditions:

·           Maintaining a written constitution

·           Holding an Annual General Meeting within 12 weeks of the designation

·           Maintaining a minimum of 21 members drawn from each of the subsections set out within the Localism Act section 61F(5)