Agenda and minutes

To note any apologies for absence from Members.

Apologies were received from Councillor A Heler and C O’Leary.  Councillors K Hague and J Saunders attended as substitutes.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests in any item on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 4 June 2024.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 June 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

In accordance with the Council’s Committee Procedure Rules and Appendix on Public Speaking, a total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to put questions to the committee on any matter relating to this agenda. Each member of the public will be allowed up to two minutes each to speak, and the Chair will have discretion to vary this where they consider it appropriate.

Members of the public wishing to speak are required to provide notice of this at least three clear working days’ in advance of the meeting.

Petitions - To receive any petitions which have met the criteria - Petitions Scheme Criteria, and falls within the remit of the Committee. Petition organisers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak.

There were no public speakers.

To consider the report on addressing the need for Permanent Gypsy and Traveller sites.

The Committee considered the report on addressing the need for permanent gypsy and traveller sites in Cheshire East.

The need for adequate pitches to meet the housing need of both the Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople had been established through the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment, which was most recently updated in 2018. The updated Assessment informed policies in the SADPD, adopted in 2022, which identified the following level of need up to 2030 (policies HOU 5 and 6):

(a) 5 to 10 transit pitches for Gypsies and Travellers

(b) 32 permanent pitches for Gypsies and Travellers

(c) 5 plots for Travelling Showpeople.

One of the sites allocated in the SADPD to provide permanent residential Gypsy and Traveller pitches was located at Coppenhall Moss, Crewe and was within the ownership of Cheshire East.  A number of options had been considered to bring the site forward to provide seven residential pitches and these were outlined in Appendix 2 to the report.

The report recommended that option 2 – Conditional Sale, be taken forward as this would not place financial pressure on the Council and had the potential to bring forward a capital receipt, therefore resulting in a positive impact on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy.

RESOLVED:  That the Committee

1        note the options to bring forward the development of the Coppenhall Moss site in Crewe.

2       approve the progression of option two which is to proceed with a conditional sale of the land for the provision of a permanent residential Gypsy and Traveller site.

To consider the Work Programme and determine any required amendments.

The Committee considered the work programme for 2024/25.

It was reported that there was a need for an additional meeting of the Committee to consider an urgent matter relating to the Town Fund Projects in Crewe, which would be seeking approval for the reallocation of funds. The meeting was proposed to be held on Wed 25 September 2024. 

It was noted that the First Financial Report had not been brought to the meeting as it was being held before the meeting of the Finance Sub Committee on
12 September.  It was therefore proposed that the First Financial Report be brought to the additional meeting on 25 September.

RESOLVED:

That the Work Programme be noted.

To consider the report on the delivery of affordable homes.

The Committee considered the update report on Affordable Housing.

The Committee had previously at its meeting in November 2022 agreed a set of priorities for the allocation of financial contributions from developers in lieu of provision of affordable housing on development sites.  In order to help with the provision of affordable housing in Cheshire East, it was proposed that a Housing Fund be established under priority 4. This would pool a number of contributions to create a fund in the region of £1.5m, subject to the terms of the S106 agreements allowing this and available contributions.  The fund would be used to enable Registered Housing Providers to purchase properties on the open market and let them at social rent levels.

The Committee in July 2021 had agreed to include the former Vernon Infant School site in Poynton into the Housing Development Framework to bring forward affordable homes. The Section 77 process to seek approval to dispose of the land had commenced, but not yet been concluded. Since this decision, a review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision has been undertaken and the former school had now been identified as a suitable site for a SEN school. The report therefore sought approval to remove the site from the Housing Development Framework and, subject to an approved business case, approve the allocation of the site for SEN provision.

RESOLVED (unanimously):  That the Committee

1               note the contents of the report.

2               approve the establishment of a Housing Fund to enable open market properties to be purchased and converted to socially rented accommodation by Registered Housing Providers and delegate authority to the Director of Enterprise and Growth to approve the final scheme and the process for the allocation of funds.

3        approve the removal of the former Vernon Infant School site in Poynton from the Housing Development Framework and delegate authority to the Director of Growth and Enterprise to reassign the site for the provision of a SEN school, subject to an approved business case.

The reports relating to the remaining items on the agenda have been withheld from public circulation and deposit pursuant to Section 100(B)(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the matters may be determined with the press and public excluded.

The Committee may decide that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

To consider the exempt appendix.

The Committee considered the exempt appendix on the Housing Development Framework.

RESOLVED:

That Committee note the update report on the Housing Development Framework sites.