17 May 2016 – Agenda
SUMMONS TO ATTEND A MEETING OF
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN CONTINUITY COMMITTEE
TO: All Members of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee
Cllrs B Austin (Chairman), D Bretherton (Deputy Chairman), P Cowell, D Dodds, M Dyer, H Fickling, P Lambert, A Midwinter and M Stiles
Ex Officio (Voting) Members – L Emery (Town Mayor) and N Dixon (Deputy Mayor)
To all other Members for information
VENUE: Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall
DATE: Tuesday 17 May 2016
TIME: 7.30 pm (maximum two hours)
Graham Hunt
Clerk of the Council
Date: 11 May 2016
AGENDA
1 Apologies for Absence
2 Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
To notify of any items that appear in the agenda in which there may be an interest that has not been recorded in the Member’s Register of Interest; and confirmation of any relevant dispensations.
3 Public Participation and Public Questions
To consider applications from members of the public to address the Committee (5 minutes maximum), in respect of any item of business included in the agenda. Applications to speak must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 5pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
To consider questions from members of the public (who live, work or run a business in the Parish). Written questions must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 4pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
4 Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Committee Meetings held on 23 February 2016 and 10 May 2016.
5 Working Groups
To receive a verbal update from the chairmen of:
a) The Infrastructure Delivery Plan Working Group
b) The Green Living Plan Working Group
c) The Town Centre Working Group
and in particular covering the recent meetings held with the Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee and the Town Clerk (notes attached).
6 Vibrancy & Vitality Study
To receive the Vibrancy & Vitality Study as prepared by Miller Research and comment on any amendments that should be considered.
7 Market Town Co-ordinator
To note that one of the key recommendations of the Vibrancy & Vitality Study is to recruit a Market Town Co-ordinator, and to delegate the responsibility for that recruitment to the Chairman of the Town Centre Working Group and the Town Clerk, with officer support as appropriate, for execution as soon as practically possible.
8 Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer
To note that Council resolved on 26 April 2016 that the role of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer should be altered from part time to full time. To note also that, as for the part time role, recruitment would be executed by the Chairman and the Town Clerk, with officer support as appropriate, as soon as practically possible.
9 Affordable Housing
To note that work has been undertaken to understand further the actual allocation of affordable housing within Thame, to receive a report on the information established to date and to agree any relevant next steps.
10 RTPI Conference – Place Making
To note that Cllr Fickling presented a paper entitled “Thame Neighbourhood Plan – Effective Community Engagement” at the RTPI East of England Conference on 21 April 2016.
11 Lord Williams’s Lower School Site
To note that further discussions have been held with Lord Williams’s School and South Oxfordshire District Council on actions required to enable the proposed single site consolidation to go ahead before the review trigger in April 2021. In particular, work is underway on identifying how the funding gap between the funds required for the consolidation and the funds that will be established from disposal of the Lower School Site can be closed. One key aspect is whether the Community Centre requirement (for which the Lower School Site is one of three potential locations) is still required. Affordability viability (within existing planning regulations) is also being considered. It is noted that density changes would require full Neighbourhood Plan reconsideration and referendum.
12 Infrastructure Delivery Plan – S106 Sports Funding Allocation
The Infrastructure Delivery Plan Working Group, supported by the Town Clerk, has been working on possible provisional allocation of current and future s106 funds relating to sports provision. To consider the attached proposals as a starting point (subject to further SODC procedure), and subject to change as (a) additional / lesser funds are established, and (b) relevant payment triggers are defined / refined.
13 Town Centre Working Group Action List
To consider a first draft of the Town Centre Working Group Action List, which is the basic defined (and ongoing) deliverable from the Working Group. Concentration to date has been on defining actions / notes. Responsibilities and target dates will be added in due course.
14 Key Items for Progress
To note that the Chair of the Committee has identified three key items that need to be progressed:
a) Future of the Cattle Market Site
b) Transport within Thame
c) Parking within Thame
15 Future of the Cattle Market Site
It is understood that South Oxfordshire District Council (as landowners) are increasing the priority of the Cattle Market site disposal, presumably in line with the requirements of the Local Plan and the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. It is also noted that the Health Summit are keen for the Cattle Market site to be considered for their health hub needs. Many other suggestions for the site continue to be put forward. It is one of three potential sites defined for a future community centre. An existing community group, the Cattle Market Action Group, are key stakeholders. To consider appropriate next steps to help progress discussions / decisions related to the site for the good of Thame as a whole.
16 Transport within Thame
All three Neighbourhood Plan Committee working groups have various involvement in influencing future transport provision within Thame, for the good of Thame as a whole. There was an agreed proposal tabled at the Policy & Resources Committee on 17 July 2015 for a Transport Study to be executed. It was later agreed (at the Policy & Resources Committee on 13 October 2015) that this would be picked up by this Committee in due course. There has been a suggestion that to supplement the individual Travel Plans / Transport Statements for each Neighbourhood Plan allocated site, that a single Thame-wide transport / travel plan should be prepared. To consider appropriate next steps to help progress discussions / decisions related to transport for the good of Thame as a whole.
17 Parking within Thame
All three Neighbourhood Plan Committee working groups have various involvement in influencing future parking provision within Thame, for the good of Thame as a whole. The Vibrancy & Vitality Study has some key recommendations relating to parking provision, perception and information. It is one of the key issues raised by residents that additional population will result in increased pressure on parking within the town centre. To consider appropriate next steps to help progress discussions / decisions related to parking for the good of Thame as a whole. The TCWG has proposed an initial possible action plan to assist discussion.
18 Burial Space at Site C
As part of the Site C planning application, both CEG and Taylor Wimpey, committed through their respective Section 106 legal Agreements to jointly commission a Groundwater Risk Assessment to determine the suitability of the retained agricultural land for burial space. This assessment commenced in mid-2015 and has now been concluded. The outcome is that the retained agricultural land is suitable for burial space.
It is known that there are many arguments both for and against such provision being actually delivered.
To consider the creation of a working group, or other means, to consider all the facts / arguments and establish next steps.
19 South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2032
To note that a report for South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet, preparing the way for the next stage in public consultation on the Local Plan, is suggesting additional housing allocation within Thame. To consider any appropriate initial steps, or whether to wait for the formal consultation.
20 Neighbourhood Plan Amendment Process
To note that a meeting for further discussions on the process of amending a Neighbourhood Plan had been scheduled with John Howell MP on Friday 13 May 2016 and to receive any relevant report on that meeting.
21 Neighbourhood Plan Update Newsletter
At the time of the publication of the Neighbourhood Plan Update report in January 2016, it was agreed that a further update would be provided in the form of a newsletter in May 2016. To discuss the mechanics of the production of that newsletter.