Agenda and minutes

To agree the minutes of the previous meeting.

There were no minutes to sign.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors G Adshead, Ashbourn, E Collins, Matthews, and Ransley.

To receive any declarations of interest.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe declared a personal interest in agenda item 7. She said she was a Hertfordshire County Councillor who has a responsibility for gypsy and travellers. She reserved her right to speak on this item.

None.

There was no public participation.

None.

None.

N Turvey gave a presentation to members about water leaks that have been rectified since the last presentation she gave to members in January 2016.

• In January and February, Heath Lane cemetery had a continuous flow and was leaking 2200 litres a day. The leak was found under a pipe and it is now using just 36 litres a day.
• The water flow is measured on data loggers bought two years ago.
• The water savings at Heath Lane and Tring Cemeteries have yielded a £2,304 annual saving, paying off the initial capital cost of the repair work in less than 9.5 months.
• Kingshill Cemetery is the next target site to save water at. They are using more water than Woodwells which is the main site with three permanent members of staff.
• There is also a huge leak at Chaulden Adventure Playground which is going to be looked at.
• Other projects for the future include replacing outdoor Adventure Playground lighting at Adeyfield, Bennetts End and Chaulden to LED bulbs before the end of September when the lights are on six evenings a week, to make the sites 100% LED lit, and reduce the electricity requirement for lighting by up to 75%.
  
  

Questions & Answers

Councillor Hicks asked if there was any ongoing maintenance for the water leaks.

N Turvey said that the 13 sites identified under the Environmental Management System all have data loggers installed and that data is recorded and interpreted every month. Previously, there was not a big enough budget to allow for repairs.

Councillor S Hearn asked advice on how to report leaks on highways. He said Tring Town Council has reported leaks to Herts Highways but they don’t seem to ever be repaired.

N Turvey said that Herts Highways is a County Council department.

Councillor Anderson said that Tring Town Council might be better off reporting leaks to the local water provider.

Councillor C Wyatt-Lowe said the investment in water leaks has yielded significant savings. She would welcome this to be rolled out across all sites. Similarly, the proposed LED lighting will help revenue costs and thanked the officer for all her hard work.

N Turvey said that she hoped the new LED lighting would show an immediate effect and would match with historical data to see an improvement.

Councillor Anderson said he was concerned that a lot of money was being spent on trying to save money on lighting, when relatively speaking lighting didn't cost that much, and there were far greater savings to be achieved from targeting water and heating usage.

N Turvey said that the external bulbs use much more energy than those inside so it is felt this will reduce costs significantly. The contract cost to change the LED bulbs is less. An LED bulb can last 17,500 hours which means less time and money spent changing the bulbs.

Outcome

That the Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee note the report.

L Wood introduced the report which had been requested by the committee. The report sets out the existing provision in Dacorum and the government’s policy. The Council’s approach to Gypsy and Traveller provision was established by the Core Strategy – work on which began in 2007/8, and has been informed by a Member task and finish group. At present, there isn’t an opportunity to change the approach to gypsies and travellers as Full Council agreed the Site Allocations policy in January 2016. The policy is now in front of the government Inspector who could request changes to make the document sound. There is then a quick turnaround as the gypsy and traveller policy as the Core Strategy and Sire Allocations document will be moved into one Local Plan. Technical work to inform this new Local Plan has already begun. The report on the viability of providing gypsy and traveller provision on sites LA1, LA3 and LA5 referred to in the report has now been received and is available on the website. It confirms that viability is not an issue on any of the three sites.

Questions & Answers

Councillor S Hearn said there were various matters than concerned Tring. The proposed site in Tring (on site LA5) is right on the entry to Tring which does not give a good first impression of the town. Tring Town Council were visited by Dacorum Borough Council to give advice about the site and were told that whatever happens, the site is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the site would be in keeping and incorporated into the town. It took a lot of work to get the town to agree to a huge settlement of homes, and they now feel misled about the proposed gypsy and traveller site. Councillor S Hearn said he was fully aware of government rules for the provision of gypsy and traveller sites but questioned the need for a site in Tring and feels this is just simply conforming to the requirements of the Core Strategy. The positioning of this site is inappropriate and it is exposed, would travellers even want to live there? The infrastructure in Tring is currently on a knife edge even before 200 new homes are built. The doctor’s surgery and clinic have closed and schools have no places available and this is a matter of great concern for the Town Council. Tring has been cooperative in discussion about the development but Dacorum Borough Council may find it difficult in the future as Tring feel let down. There are a number of gypsy and traveller sites across the border in Aylesbury Vale and surely this should be taken into account when allocating new pitches. Councillor S Hearn was concerned that despite the emphasis upon meeting need, there is no ‘need’ for gypsy and traveller pitches in Tring. They should be offered houses as an alternative. There are also concerns that occupiers will come and go on a regular basis, exacerbating issues.

L Wood  ...  view the full minutes text for item 144.

L Wood asked for clarification on the Water Policy item scheduled for 21^st September.

Councillor Anderson asked if the report could explain the provision of water in the planning process.

L Wood said there was a county wide study taking place which would fit nicely into that report.

The work programme was agreed by the members present.