Agenda item

The Committee considered a report introducing decisions arising from the Cabinet meeting held on 10^th July 2019.

Minute 16. Budget Management 2019/20

Councillor David Renard (Leader of the Council) and Keith Williams (Corporate Services) responded to questions put by Councillors Jim Grant, Brian Mattock, Des Moffatt and the Chair on the following matters:

·       A water leak, from a damaged pipe, underneath the swimming pool at Lydiard.

·       The projected variance in the Adult Social Care Budget and whether this was anticipated to be a short or long term issue.

·       The reasons for the projected shortfall in revenues from the Swindon Crematorium and potential options to address this shortfall.

Resolved – That Minute 16 of the Cabinet be noted.

Minute 17. Education Transport Policy 2019

Resolved – That Minute 17 of the Cabinet be noted.

Minute 18. Considerations of Objections – Bristol Street Car Park

Councillor Maureen Penny (Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment) responded to questions put by Councillors Jim Grant, Des Moffatt and the Chair on the following matters:

·       A potential future review of the pricing of the charges for the Bristol Street Car Park should the income and usage not be broadly in line with expectations and/or other town centre car parks.

·       Measures to mitigate the concerns of local councillors and residents concerning commuter vehicles parking in residential areas in Rodbourne.

Resolved – That Minute 18 of the Cabinet be noted.

Minute 19. Swindon Borough Local Plan Review – 2^nd Regulation 18 Consultation (Preferred and Emerging Options) – Minute for Confirmation

Councillor Gary Sumner (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning) responded to questions put by the Chair on the following matters:

·       The rationale for the removal of Policy D2 from the proposed Local Plan and powers within the Plan to promote sustainable growth and prevent climate change.

·       Which groups benefitted from the removal of the DS Policy, in its current form, from the consultation draft of the Local Plan.

·       How the Council would prevent sub-standard applications, and in particular those adversely affecting climate change, being submitted to the Local Planning Authority.

Resolved – That Minute 19 of the Cabinet be noted.

Minute 20. Town Centre Movement Strategy – commencement of consultation

Councillor Maureen Penny (Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment) responded to questions put by Councillor Des Moffatt and Tim Swinyard and the Chair on the following matters:

·       The removal of buses from the proposed Railway Village Conservation Area through the provision of a bus lane along Faringdon Road.

·       The integration of traffic across the whole Borough as well as the area to be covered by the Town Centre Movement Strategy.

·       The accommodation of wider traffic flows into the town centre and from new developments into the existing road infrastructure.

·       Commuter parking in older streets and some rural areas across the Borough that did not have residents parking schemes.

·       The monitoring of, and enforcement against, commuter parking where traffic regulation orders permitted this.

·       Individual transport assessments throughout the Borough for new developments such as North Star.

Resolved – That Minute 20 of the Cabinet be noted.

Minute 21. New Eastern Villages (NEV): Strategic Transport Scheme

Councillor Gary Sumner (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning) responded to questions put by Councillor Emma Faramarzi, Jim Grant, Des Moffatt and Barbara Parry and the Chair on the following matters:

·       The Council’s role in putting in place an estimated £60 million of infrastructure, for the proposed Eastern Village Development, prior to any substantive works being completed by private builders.

·       The potential risks associated with the Council undertaking such a large degree of infrastructure work prior to the commencement of works in the New Eastern Villages when it was not a major landowner and did not own strategic areas of land.

·       The anticipated timescales for the return of the Council’s infrastructure investment in the New Eastern Village and how this affected the risk associated with the proposed development.

·       Grant funding from Central Government and borrowing arrangements for the proposed highways infrastructure in the New Eastern Villages.

·       The benefits to adjoining areas of the highway infrastructure in the New Eastern Villages.

·       The prioritisation of highways and affordable housing as part of the infrastructure investment in the New Eastern Villages.

·       The Council’s role in ensuring developers provided a quality schemes and met the expectations and obligations associated with any planning permission granted.

·       The way in which risks associated with the high number of potential developers associated with the New Eastern Village development be being managed.

Resolved – That Minute 20 of the Cabinet be noted.