Agenda item

Presentation on FDC’s key achievements and performance 2022/23

Members had received the presentation from the leader and Chief Executive prior to the meeting.

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

1.     Councillor Hay asked if unauthorised planning developments get submitted to the Planning Committee? Councillor Boden responded the planning system works in a specific way if it is found that the development requires planning permission Fenland District Council will invite the owner/occupier to make a planning application, if the application is received then the normal application process is followed, and the decision route is determined by the Scheme of Delegation in the Constitution. He added that Fenland District Council do not invite a planning application where it does not think planning permission is likely to be forthcoming, in such circumstances the owner/occupier may remedy the breach of planning control and if not, the Council will issue an Enforcement Notice, if the notice is not complied with then the Council can moved to prosecution and the decision to prosecute is a committee matter.

2.     Councillor Hay asked who will be completing the Local Plan work now Peterborough City Council is no longer involved and when will the work be finished? Councillor Boden responded Fenland District Council are looking to recruit their own staff to continue the development of local plan, The Employment Committee agreed to the creation of two new posts at their July meeting and are about to commence a large Autumn recruitment drive across a number of vacant posts within the Planning Team. He added that the greater problem is the Government are going to make changes to the planning process, but this will not stop the Council from going ahead with its original plan.

3.     Councillor Hay asked what is meant by a less restrictive Scheme of Delegation would assist in helping meet performance goals for Planning? Councillor Boden explained reducing the number of triggers and a less restrictive Scheme of Delegation this would reduce the number of applications that need to be brought to the Planning Committee thus taking up less officer time which would free them up to prepare reports, agendas, presentations etc.

4.     Councillor Hay stated the Barclay’s building in March is due to be demolished once the regeneration workers have moved out and asked if this building could be repurposed without demolition? Councillor Seaton responded that the Barclay’s building was on the market for some time as the building was deemed unfit for purpose. He stated that Fenland District Council put in an application to use the FHSF grant to purchase the building on the understanding it was to be demolished and then a mix-use site be built in its place with the lower level for commercial use and the accommodation above for residential use. Councillor Seaton expressed the view that without this approach the beneficial cost ratio required by the Government would not have been met and the Barclay’s building would remain empty.

5.     Councillor Hay questioned what the set up will be for the Fenland Extra Care Consortium at the Nene Waterfront? Councillor Boden responded the outline of the proposal is divided up into five sections for planning purposes, a private sector led consortium will deliver an extra care housing scheme using a combination of private finance and a housing grant for affordable housing. He added that Fenland Extra Care Consortium are submitting a reserved matters application for the scheme and once built the scheme will be run by a registered provider for affordable homes who have specialism in extra care.

6.     Councillor Hay stated the report shows the welcome back fund from the Government being used to fund events across town centres and asked in what form did the events take place? Councillor Murphy stated the four-season events are events that happen in all four towns across Fenland. Councillor Wallwork added this was a Town Council lead project not Fenland District Council.

7.     Councillor Gerstner stated the repairs at Freedom Leisure are not being carried out in a timely fashion and asked why they are taking so long? He provided some examples of the work required. Councillor Boden stated this is the responsibility of Freedom Leisure. Councillor Miscandlon added that the highlighted faults have now been fixed and a contractor has now been brought in to accommodate any work needed across all the Leisure Centres. He stated that all four Leisure Centres are being appraised for future proofing.

8.     Councillor Nawaz commented on the lack of education and asked what was being done to level this up? Councillor Boden stated the areas mentioned are not the responsibility of the District Council this is the responsibility of the County Council, and the funding is sent to County Council who forward the money to the Academies. Paul Medd added the Council does not have a lead responsibility with education, but Fenland District Council does a lot of work on a political level at an officer level working with partners to lobby the County Council. Councillor Nawaz asked if something could be devised to monitor the service level of education so as the Council could be more involved. Councillor Boden agreed this needs addressing but this is now all run by Central Government and the local council’s job is to influence the changes. Paul Medd added when working with the authorities the Councils job is to ensure all educational needs are met from early years right through to adult education through a supportive role Councillor Nawaz expressed his disappointment that the Council does not have more responsibility Councillor Boden reassured the panel that every opportunity is taken to ensure the Council works closely alongside the Government, Combined Authority, and other Councils to meet the education needs for the area.

9.     Councillor Mrs Davis stated she was pleased to see the new Culture, Arts and Heritage committee has been formed and noted in the report that £120,000 has been granted from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and asked are there any other grants that can applied for to top this amount up? Councillor Boden stated he is pleased to see the committee come together with the view to support arts and culture across the Fenland area. He feels that £120,000 is a great start for this committee and looks forward to seeing how this committee unfolds in the future with real opportunity to grow. Councillor Gerstner asked if tourism could be added to this committee as he feels this has dropped off over the years? Councillor Boden replied tourism is still being promoted in the Fenland area but there are four different towns and the new committee will at present be concentrating on the Culture, Arts and Heritage but he feels confident tourism will naturally fall into place in this committee in time. Councillor Nawaz congratulated Councillor Boden on the new committee. Councillor Roy added he feels tourism does need to be investigated through social media as some information is out of date. Councillor Boden thanked Councillor Roy for bringing this to his attention and assured him that action will be taken.

10.Councillor Booth expressed the view that the report gives a positive spin on what has happened within the Fenland area and asked if there any areas that have not gone well and how could they be improved?  Councillor Boden stated nothing the Council has set out to do has ever gone to plan but opportunities have come up and as a Council this is looked at and alternative arrangements have had to be made, which can make budgeting a challenge. Paul Medd added there are always areas that can be improved, there have been challenges with recruitment and the levelling up funding but with each challenge there also comes opportunities.

11.Councillor Mrs Davis referred to the Council securing funding for local businesses and asked what is the plan to let the public know this funding is available? Councillor Boden responded that the grant is being provided over a three-year period and is an application process for local small business, and communities which has been broken down into three sections concentrating on small business first. He added that social media has been the main area for promotion.

12.Councillor Gerstner asked is the Cycling, Walking and Mobility Improvement Strategy still alive or should it be relaunched, and what is happening to the small amount of money allocated to it? Councillor Seaton responded that the strategy has not stopped, a third of the money has been spent on improving curbs and roadsides to accommodate all walking, cycling and mobility with this work being concentrated within the main four market towns before the wider area is planned. Councillor Gerstner asked if there is any more funding to come? Councillor Seaton stated the majority of money came from the Hereward Heritage Fund and they are now looking at next year’s budget. Councillor Gerstner pointed out N63 is a problem area and need addressing urgently. Councillor Seaton advised this area is now being addressed. Councillor Boden stated the strategy has been created to look at all areas of Walking, Cycling and Mobility access so when grants are given out the Council is prepared.

13.Councillor Gerstner asked if there is a possibility of the relaunch of the Dog Walkers Scheme as a District Wide scheme? Councillor Booth replied this is a Parish Council Scheme and is open to any community group, some have taken it up and some have not. Councillor Boden added the Council’s Public Space Protection Order for dog ownership is being reviewed and this will be mentioned in the next meeting.

14.Councillor Roy referred to 228 cases of unresolved planning applications over 18 months and asked is this something that can be resolved within Planning? Councillor Boden replied before affective action can be taken with unresolved cases there are certain restraints within the law that have to be abided before the Planning Department can action and resolve, this is something Councillor Mrs Laws is aware of.

15.Councillor Nawaz noted that Kings Dyke and the Guyhirn roundabout has been mentioned but asked about the Whittlesey Southern Relief Road. Councillor Boden responded this project has just started to be looked at and the business case should be finished by next year which will be added to the next report once the business case has been finalised.

16.Councillor Gowler stated South Fens Business Centre is only at 65% occupancy and asked what can be undertaken to get full occupancy and are there any plans to make industrial land available in the future? Councillor Boden responded the occupancy rate is sitting around 68.9% and next year there is a big new letting planned for the Police Firearms Officers Association which will help boost the average occupancy over the following year. He stated that the Council was looking into providing small business units in Chatteris, but the cost has risen and it was not a sensible investment of public money, however this is something that the Council will monitor as this would be a good investment for the future. 

17.Councillor Gowler questioned the data on homelessness. Councillor Boden stated there has been an increase in family’s needing homes and in response to this there is a large increase in properties becoming available early next year. Dan Horn added in respect of new houses coming through the system there are 195 new affordable houses across 9 sites going to be available this year and 997 new houses are due to be completed next year with Fenland District Council working with several planning sites to oversee this forward plan. Councillor Boden added this will be a helpful solution and the Council are looking to improve the temporary accommodation on a short term as there is a legal obligation to help these people get off the streets. Councillor Gowler asked how many empty houses there are across the district and how many does the Council own? Councillor Boden stated the Council does not own empty properties in the private sector but there is a system in place which allows us to keep tabs on any empty properties and if the property lays empty for some time, the Council can assist the owners to fill the houses within the private sector. He added that for public sector housing the Council has very little control.

Members thanked the Leader and Chief Executive for attending and noted the information presented.