Minutes:
Cllrs Alan Anderson and Graham Sutton gave presentations about their services.
Cllr Anderson said that as Portfolio Holders they were presenting what they had been doing and what was coming.
Starting with Environment he explained that his Portfolio encompassed Refuse, Clean Safe and Green and Sustainability.
Cllr Anderson talked about the improvements that have been made at Cupid Green including the vehicle repair shops, the buildings and installing a shower for female members of staff. He also spoke about the educational waste projects they run including Love Food Hate Waste and clothes swapping events. Cllr Anderson said that in the future we must be aware of the growing population in our area in respect of waste solutions and it is a possibility that the Government may decide standardise waste collection across the country which would bring challenges.
Cllr Anderson explained that the CSG work in many different ways and he was seeking to document some of that so that their effectiveness could be maximised. Anti-Littering signs on the roads need to be improved and public event organizers should have to provide bins and he also wants to ‘get to grips’ with weeds.
Cllr Anderson went on to speak about protocol for dealing with graffiti and wanting to increase bio-diversity, seeing what can be done with introducing wild flowers cost effectively, he added that the council is looking to ban the release of lanterns and balloons from property and spaces owned By Dacorum Council due to the danger to animals and wildlife plus damage to property. Cllr Anderson said that he has talked to the Water Company about the chalk streams in our borough. He spoke about the Water Gardens and how important it is that they are now maintained to the high standard they have been restored to. The Splash Park, he said, is very popular but needs to be monitored to ensure that it is being used in a hygenic way with parents being responsible for their children, so that it may continue to be enjoyed by all. Improvements are also being made to play areas and playing fields.
Cllr Anderson reiterated that we have an ambitious tree planting project. Trees were going to be planted and they were hoping to plant a thousand by the end of the year and planning for that is well under way, ensuring that we get the supply of trees etc, Also looking at formalising tree replacement through planning applications.
Cllr Anderson said that things they would be looking at in the future would be CO2 reduction, air quality, the climate emergency and he said that he would also like to investigate the possibility of supporting any local food schemes.
Cllr Ransley suggested signs saying that children must wear swim nappies be put up at the Splash Park.
Cllr Anderson replied that they were already in place.
Cllr Beauchamp asked whether there would be new services offered in terms of maintenance repair – bring other vehicles in to the Cupid Green facility.
Cllr Anderson explained that it would be a step by step process as we would need to ensure that it was right internally then plan to benefit from it further on.
Cllr Beauchamp pointed out that there was still a big problem with dog fouling in Gadebridge Park and he felt that not everyone realised they could use the black bins for disposal as well as the red ones and that this problem was generic throughout the park. He also felt that there were not a lot of notices around the park to remind dog owners to clear up.
Cllr Anderson said that the use of both bins had been promoted but that they would take on board Cllr Beauchamp’s information and look into it further.
Cllr Beauchamp asked that when promoting the butterfly population, could other ways of doing this apart from planting nettles be looked at, as these were prone to getting out of control.
Cllr Anderson replied that it was a balance that needed to be struck.
Cllr Stevens said that he would like to see the grass left a little longer and less tidy when verges are cut to encourage wild flowers etc.
Cllr Anderson answered that the bulk of the verges etc., are maintained by us for the County Council and we have to abide by what they require.
Cllr Beauchamp said that when Affinity Water upgraded the River Gade they created a sump to capture some of the road waste and recently that the plants that were put in are not coping with it, and at the last meeting he had with Affinity they said they had provided us with a maintenance plan to clear the sump, so when were we going to do this?
Cllr Anderson asked him to raise that with Rob Cassidy directly.
Cllr Graham Sutton began his presentation by thanking the team, led by James Doe, who have been working on the Local Plan. He said that work is now advanced on this and we are looking at publication in the Summer.
Cllr Sutton also thanked the Member Task and Finish Group who have been meeting for some months and the cross party discussions have been very productive with a good exchange of views, he added that it has set the tone to look at Task and Finish Groups with other aspects of the Planning and Regeneration priorities.
Cllr Sutton spoke about an Infrastructure Delivery Plan being developed alongside the new Local Plan so that we may have an understanding of all services needed to support the growth we are planning. We are working in partnership with some of our neighbouring councils. The Public examination is expected in 2021 with a view to adopting the plan in 2022. St Albans Local Plan is on hold following concerns from the Inspectors and we expect to know more within a few weeks regarding the next steps, our officers are monitoring the situation.
Cllr Sutton said that the second area is delivering DBC’s new growth and infrastructure strategy. The Council approved a long-term strategy for leading the management of major development growth in the borough to 2050. Officers are now working on detailed action plan to cover priorities in the next two years based on the strategies 6 themes this will be reported to cabinet later this year for consideration and approval. That will be followed up with a published online format detailing the themes.
solutions and it is a possibility that the Government may decide standardise waste collection across the country which would bring challenges.
Cllr Anderson explained that the CSG work in many different ways and he was seeking to document some of that so that their effectiveness could be maximised. Anti-Littering signs on the roads need to be improved and public event organizers should have to provide bins and he also wants to ‘get to grips’ with weeds.
Cllr Anderson went on to speak about protocol for dealing with graffiti and wanting to increase bio-diversity, seeing what can be done with introducing wild flowers cost effectively, he added that the council is looking to ban the release of lanterns and balloons from property and spaces owned By Dacorum Council due to the danger to animals and wildlife plus damage to property. Cllr Anderson said that he has talked to the Water Company about the chalk streams in our borough. He spoke about the Water Gardens and how important it is that they are now maintained to the high standard they have been restored to. The Splash Park, he said, is very popular but needs to be monitored to ensure that it is being used in a hygenic way with parents being responsible for their children, so that it may continue to be enjoyed by all. Improvements are also being made to play areas and playing fields.
Cllr Anderson reiterated that we have an ambitious tree planting project. Trees were going to be planted and they were hoping to plant a thousand by the end of the year and planning for that is well under way, ensuring that we get the supply of trees etc, Also looking at formalising tree replacement through planning applications.
Cllr Anderson said that things they would be looking at in the future would be CO2 reduction, air quality, the climate emergency and he said that he would also like to investigate the possibility of supporting any local food schemes.
Cllr Ransley suggested signs saying that children must wear swim nappies be put up at the Splash Park.
Cllr Anderson replied that they were already in place.
Cllr Beauchamp asked whether there would be new services offered in terms of maintenance repair – bring other vehicles in to the Cupid Green facility.
Cllr Anderson explained that it would be a step by step process as we would need to ensure that it was right internally then plan to benefit from it further on.
Cllr Beauchamp pointed out that there was still a big problem with dog fouling in Gadebridge Park and he felt that not everyone realised they could use the black bins for disposal as well as the red ones and that this problem was generic throughout the park. He also felt that there were not a lot of notices around the park to remind dog owners to clear up.
Cllr Anderson said that the use of both bins had been promoted but that they would take on board Cllr Beauchamp’s information and look into it further.
Cllr Beauchamp asked that when promoting the butterfly population, could other ways of doing this apart from planting nettles be looked at, as these were prone to getting out of control.
Cllr Anderson replied that it was a balance that needed to be struck.
Cllr Stevens said that he would like to see the grass left a little longer and less tidy when verges are cut to encourage wild flowers etc.
Cllr Anderson answered that the bulk of the verges etc., are maintained by us for the County Council and we have to abide by what they require.
Cllr Beauchamp said that when Affinity Water upgraded the River Gade they created a sump to capture some of the road waste and recently that the plants that were put in are not coping with it, and at the last meeting he had with Affinity they said they had provided us with a maintenance plan to clear the sump, so when were we going to do this?
Cllr Anderson asked him to raise that with Rob Cassidy directly.
Cllr Graham Sutton began his presentation by thanking the team, led by James Doe, who have been working on the Local Plan. He said that work is now advanced on this and we are looking at publication in the Summer.
Cllr Sutton also thanked the Member Task and Finish Group who have been meeting for some months and the cross party discussions have been very productive with a good exchange of views, he added that it has set the tone to look at Task and Finish Groups with other aspects of the Planning and Regeneration priorities.
Cllr Sutton spoke about an Infrastructure Delivery Plan being developed alongside the new Local Plan so that we may have an understanding of all services needed to support the growth we are planning. We are working in partnership with some of our neighbouring councils. The Public examination is expected in 2021 with a view to adopting the plan in 2022. St Albans Local Plan is on hold following concerns from the Inspectors and we expect to know more within a few weeks regarding the next steps, our officers are monitoring the situation.
Cllr Sutton said that the second area is delivering DBC’s new growth and infrastructure strategy. The Council approved a long-term strategy for leading the management of major development growth in the borough to 2050. Officers are now working on detailed action plan to cover priorities in the next two years based on the strategies 6 themes this will be reported to cabinet later this year for consideration and approval. That will be followed up with a published online format detailing the themes.
Cllr Sutton said that his third item was Hemel Garden Communities – last March Hemel Town was granted garden town status by the MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) This was granted to the whole town. He said that whatever we do with new developments must have a very positive impact on the town and the borough in general. Government arrangements are now in place and these were confirmed in Cabinet late last year. This year we will be working in partnership between St Albans District Council and Herts County Council and Herts LEP to bring forward a spatial vision of what the development should contain. A sustainable transport plan for the whole of the town, and fully assessing the infrastructure needed for the development, so things like link roads, improved access onto motorways etc.,
Cllr Sutton said that 2019 was a year for delivering major growth the LA5 expansion of West Tring for 250 new homes was approved and developing rapidly. LA3 West Hemel Hempstead was approved in November for 1100 homes and at the present time officers are working with the applicants so that planning permission can be issued. The proposals for 350 new homes on LA! Which is the Marchmont Farm Development submitted and are now under consideration. Plans for the regeneration of the Civic Centre site are expected to be submitted in March the work on the adjoining site is under way. There is ongoing regeneration of the Town Centre and Two Waters. At Two Waters we are expecting planning applications for both the National Grid site and the Station site which may also include an improvement of the station itself. We are also expecting to receive an application from Berkhamsted School for a new 6th form centre.
Some sites remain undeveloped such as the retail proposals for Jarman Park and the plans for Lidl at Berkhamsted they were approved for planning quite a while ago. Cllr Sutton observed that the market for retail is quite depressed at present, people are changing the way they shop so perhaps it would be an idea to try and persuade developers to split the size of their shops to make them smaller to make them more attractive and more affordable to smaller retailers.
Our membership of Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd started on the 16th December 2019 and Dacorum is now the eighth local authority member. We are a shareholder and will have direct representation on the board.
Cllr Ransley asked if we were talking to Bucks County Council.
Cllr Sutton replied that we talk with all our neighbouring authorities.
Cllr Beauchamp said that the Marlowes Centre was going through a huge regeneration.
Cllr Sutton replied that the Marlowes Centre is a privately owned facility and they only come to us as the planning authority. We have little say in how they utilise the space.
J Doe agreed that was the case and added that the application for the cinema was approved some time ago.
Cllr Sutton said that there was a need for entertainment within walking distance as the town grows and not everyone may have a car. He added that he could see that developing into the Old High Street as well.
Cllr Beauchamp said that the whole development will be fantastic when done but people will see the ground work to move everything around which should be completed by next month then the construction work will start as long as this is articulated in the public arena and people know what is happening and will be able to visualise what is to come. Cllr Beauchamp added that there were four new businesses being fitted out in the Old Town at present in addition to the new shops that have opened in the last twelve months.
Cllr Stevens spoke about budget on planning and asked if we had enough money in the budget and sufficient head count to cover the huge workload ahead.
J Doe answered that we have enough to cover the level of work at the moment and that as and when larger proposals come in there will be a new policy and procedure coming in to have planning performance agreements with major developers whereby we set a timetable for receiving the application and then targeting a committee date which gives certainty to all parties in the process and the benefit for us is we can take a fee which will help s pay for the support that we need within the department to run the staff facility and ensure we are processing the applications as a big application can take all of one officer’s time for several months. J Doe added that a bigger issue is the recruitment and retention of staff, we are one of the top authorities in Herts for retaining our staff but it is a high-pressure area in the professional market as there are a lot of jobs available for good planners. We are waiting for any announcement regarding planning fees from the Government, hopefully through the budget, if we were able to set fees locally this would make a big difference to us.
Cllr Rogers asked about CIL monies and what the plan was regarding spending it.
J Doe replied that the disposable income available there was around £5.5 million, there will be a better picture of the needs once the infrastructure delivery plan is completed, the infrastructure bill will be far and away in access of this amount. J Doe explained that there is a mechanism for allocating spending through final decision of Cabinet. He added that one pressing issue we have at the moment is getting the right study work done for Hemel Garden Communities and it may be better to invest some CIL here to unlock further funding, but that will be up to Cabinet to decide.
Cllr Rogers said that parking was causing lack of access in many areas including Apsley and Bennetts End and wanted to know what would be done about it.
J Doe said that it is an opportunity to look at how CIL is best deployed so it is done in a systematic way.
The Meeting ended at 21:45