North Yorkshire County Council
Richmond (Yorks) Area Contituency Committee
Minutes of the meeting held at County Hall, Northallerton on Monday, 5th September 2022 commencing at 10am
County Councillors Yvonne Peacock (Chair), Alyson Baker, Caroline Dickinson, Kevin Foster, Bryn Griffiths, Tom Jones, Carl Les, Heather Moorhouse, Karin Sedgwick, Angus Thompson, Steve Watson, David Webster, , Annabel Wilkinson and Peter Wilkinson.
Officers present: Jayne Charlton and Steve Loach
External Officers – Lisa Pope (North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board) and Peter Stockton (Yorkshire Dales national Park Authority)
Other Attendees: Stuart Minting (Press)
Apologies: County Councillors Bridget Fortune and John Weighell OBE Malcolm Warne (Co-opted Member)
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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13. |
Chair’s welcome, introductions and apologies
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, introduced the external officers and highlighted the apologies submitted.
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14. |
Minutes of the Meeting held on 6th June 2022 - to agree as an accurate record
It was noted that there were some discrepancies with the Appointments to Outside bodies carried out at the previous meeting. These would be rectified between meetings and appointments would be reported back to a subsequent meeting.
Resolved - That the Minutes of the meeting of the Richmond Area Constituency Committee held on 6 June 2022, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read, and confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. |
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15. |
Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
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16. |
Public Questions or Statements
There were no public questions or statements.
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17. |
Development of the Catterick Integrated Care Campus – Update
Lisa Pope CICC Programme Leader and Deputy Director (Primary Care), North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, provided an update on the development of the Catterick Integrated Care Campus, highlighting the following:-
· The expansion of the facilities commenced around 7 years ago, when a meeting at the campus recognised that access to multiple services in the area was not good, particularly for young families, many of which were without their partners for long periods of time, it was considered appropriate that a joint health venture, with the MoD, should be undertaken. · Some of the existing medical practices were in a poor condition with poor facilities. · The aim was, therefore, to create a Hub to provide a wide range of health and social care facilities in the area. · A timeline of the progress of the CICC, since the public/stakeholder consultation in 2015, was outlined, and it was noted that the full business case had been approve by the ICB, which provided access to capital funding. The National Plan for funding had also been approached to try and ensure that the necessary funding for the development was available. · The design of the building would be open and welcoming but would provide mental health services in a way that protects the privacy of the person involved, as, currently that was not the case. · The facility would be a multi-purpose social and community asset from where a large number of health and social care issues can be addressed. Primary Care would be the initial focus with further services added as the facility developed. · A consultation programme was currently being developed to consider how to provide appropriate pathways into local communities, to ensure that the CICC works appropriately and effectively for the local area. · The preparation of the site had commenced with the demolition of some buildings. The Grade II listed building had been retained. · The formal planning approval was expected shortly and the development would then be submitted to NHS England for progression. · It was expected that the development of the facility would commence in Spring 2023, with a proposed completion date of Spring 2024.
Members discussed the proposals for the CICC and the following issues were raised:
· A Member asked how transport issues could be addressed if there was to be 24 hour access to health services at the facility. In response it was noted that GPs would operate between 8am and 8pm, with an out of hours GP also operating. Every effort would be made to ensure that public transport took into account the CICC with changes to bus routes expected. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service would also take account of the new facilities. It was emphasised, however, that despite the efforts taking place to assist, it was not the responsibility of the NHS to provide transport. · Issues relating to how the share of the budget for the development was divided were discussed. In terms of capital funding, this was split between those involved in the project. The revenue budget was still subject to negotiation, but was also expected to be split accordingly. · The issue of dental surgery provision was discussed, and it was noted that the plan included 17 dental surgeries, but these were for exclusive use by the MoD. It was asked whether there was any flexibility to allow these to be used by non-military people in the area, as dental services were highly sought after. In response it was noted that these services had been commissioned by the MoD, which was why they were exclusive to them, however, discussions would be held with their representatives to determine whether these could be made available for community use when not being used for military personnel, but the different funding mechanisms could affect this. Efforts were also being made to have an NHS dentistry service on site. It was acknowledged that dentistry was a significant issue that was yet to be fully addressed. · It was clarified that the services at the CICC would be autism and dementia aware. · A Member noted that the MoD used several of the local hospitals as training facilities for their medical staff and suggested that this could be reciprocated in terms of dentistry. It was clarified that the CICC would not be providing orthodontic services. · A Member suggested that it would be helpful if an ambulance could be based at the Centre. In response it was stated that provision would be made for an ambulance to be located there, however, but currently there were no plans for one to be permanently in place. · It was asked whether a pharmacy was to be located in the CICC. In response it was stated that, as three were already located in the area another would not be permitted, however, it was currently being clarified as to whether one of the existing pharmacies would like to relocate into the new facility. · A member highlighted the increases in costs associated with building new facilities and asked whether this had been factored in for the development. In response it was noted that risk and contingency had been written into the Plans for the development, with account taken of the current volatility in the construction market. The development was likely to be phased to ensure that costs could be kept under control, and public finance tended to be allocated on a phased basis.
It was noted that the development was expected to start in 2023 and Members asked that an update be provided to the Committee when the construction had commenced.
Resolved – That Lisa Pope be thanked for her update, the contents of which be noted.
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18. |
North Northallerton Bridge - Update - Report of the Corporate Director, Business and Environmental Services.
Considered – An update report on North Northallerton Bridge, informing Members of the ongoing progress on its delivery.
Area Highways Manager, Jayne Charlton, presented the update report, and the following issues were highlighted:- · The Highway Authority were currently awaiting the results of the safety audit by the developer, which was required by the end of the week; · No opening date could be provided until the results of the safety audit were known; · Approval of the safety audit was also required from Network Rail.
Members raised the following issues:-
· It was disappointing that the developer had been slow to complete this. It appeared that the work was now completed, with some minor remedial works required. It was asked, therefore, that the bridge be opened to pedestrians, allowing them to use the footpath, until clearance had been obtained for the opening of the road. This would provide much needed shorter access for young people going to and from Northallerton High School, and would provide an opportunity to show that some progress was being made. It was stated that enquiries would be made to determine whether it was possible to open the footpaths, however, permission was likely to be at Assistant Director level. It was stated that the remedial works required were not affecting the opening of the bridge, however, the provision of the safety audit was crucial to that. · It was clarified that the evening use audit had been undertaken at the same time as the safety audit, which was the usual practice for a stage 3 audit. · Members asked that pressure be applied to the developer to ensure that the project was expedited as soon as possible. It was stated that the team dealing with this issue had been actively pursuing the developer to try and bring closure to the process but had received little response. Members noted that the significant delay to the opening of the bridge had generated a huge amount of detrimental public interest. The local community found it difficult to understand why the route was not open when it looked as though it had been completed. In response it was noted that some significant key elements of the infrastructure were not yet completed, including street lighting and signage. One the safety audit was satisfactorily completed the work on the road could be signed off. · Members recognised that it was not NY Highways that were causing the delays to the opening of the bridge in it was suggested that the developer should not be provided with the final settlement until the bridge was finally signed off. In relation to this it was noted that the development of the bridge had been funded via the LEP, and it was unlikely that it could be withheld, however, it was emphasised that the Authority should continue to put pressure on the developer to ensure that this was signed off as soon as possible. · It was noted that the adoption of the structure and the access roundabout would be put to Members when the project had been signed off.
Resolved – That the action highlighted be undertaken and the update report be noted.
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19 |
Yorkshire Dales Local Plan 2023 – 2040 - Progress report
Peter Stockton, Head of Sustainable Development, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority gave a presentation in respect of the Yorkshire Dales Local Plan 2023 to 2040. He highlighted the following:-
Local Plan area
New Plan looking at future development between 2023 and 2040
Issues
Cross boundary issues
Progress
General support for:
Next stages;
Members discussed the presentation and the following issues were raised:-
· It was asked what percentage of homes in the Yorkshire Dales were holiday lets. In response it was stated that although they were not all holiday lets, the number of homes not permanently occupied was around 3700 (21%). Members emphasised the need to ensure that every effort had to be made to ensure that the local economy was supported to assist local people with remaining in those areas, including the provision of sustainable housing at affordable prices. It was explained that existing housing could not be altered to address this, however, going forward from now, appropriate action could be taken in support of local people. · It was noted that existing homes could be changed to holiday lets without planning permission. · It was asked whether new builds could be prevented from becoming second homes or holiday lets. In response it was stated that, currently there was nothing to prevent this from happening, but policies were being prepared whereby developments of five houses or less would be restricted to local occupancy only, with these being provided for people working within the National Park. Open market housing would be available on bigger development sites. It was asked how the policy would work and explained that planning conditions would be put in place via Section 106 legal agreements, which would allow planning enforcement for 10 years, with the legal agreement in place for perpetuity. · Members considered that the policy may prevent landowners from providing land for development when this policy is implemented. In relation to this it was stated that the appropriate Authority for acquiring land for housing development, under these circumstances would be the Housing Authority, and it may be appropriate for the new Unitary Authority to purchase parts of available land within the Park, to allow these developments to take place. · A Member asked what plans the Park were proposing to reduce carbon emissions and improve carbon capture. In response it was stated that new development was scrutinised much more than previously with carbon reduction and capture prominent in requirements, with developers invited to present their application and outline how they will address carbon issues. Building Regulations were also being developed to take account of carbon matters. In terms of land management the Park would work with landowners and farmers on a management plan to address carbon and climate change issues, with this being separate to the Local Plan. · Devolution may provide additional funding to provide an opportunity for the purchase and redevelopment of brownfield sites within the Park, as outlined above, otherwise additional resources would need to be identified for these purposes. · Issues relating to the tourism sector and, in particular, accommodation for those working in that sector, was discussed. It was noted that there was little opportunity provided for sub-dividing existing properties to create houses of multi-occupation, that could be utilised by staff from the tourism sector. In response it was stated that efforts were being made to address this, with issues such as parking, being considerations that had to be taken account of. · Concern was raised in relation to a review taking place that was considering reducing the number of elected Members serving on the National Park Authorities. It was considered that there was already some disparity in terms of representation, with some Members covering an area with only a small population and others covering huge areas, with a large population. A reduction in Membership would only compound this and NYCC had written to the Secretary of State in respect of this. Members agreed with the issues raised and emphasised the need for an equal and continued level of representation from North Yorkshire Council.
Resolved - That Peter Stockton be thanked for his presentation, which was noted, and his response to the issues raised
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20 |
Work Programme 2022/23 - Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services)
Considered - A report presenting the committee’s draft work programme for the municipal year 2022-23.
Steve Loach, Principal Democratic Services & Scrutiny Officer introduced the report and asked that Members review the committee’s work programme, taking into account the outcome of discussions on previous agenda items and any other developments taking place across the area.
It was requested that response times by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service be added to the Work Programme.
It was agreed that the Chair would work with the supporting officer to update the draft work programme ahead of the Committee’s next meeting.
Resolved – That the work programme be noted and the issue highlighted above be added.
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21 Next Meeting
Resolved – that the next meeting of the Committee be held on Wednesday 23rd November 2022 at 10am at a venue to be confirmed.
22 Other Urgent Business
The Chairman allowed the following issue to be discussed as a matter of urgency due to the temporary legislation covering this matter coming to an end prior to the next meeting of the Committee.
(i) Street Furniture and Temporary Outside Accommodation for Bars/Restaurants/Cafes/etc.
It was noted that the temporary legislation that had permitted the hospitality sector to relax the regulations on outside seating areas was due to come to an end at the end of September 2022, and it was asked what would happen following this, as many of these areas were now well used and established.
In response the Area Highways Manager advised that the temporary legislation had now been extended to the end of Spring 2023, which would allow an opportunity for establishments to apply for permanent orders, if they required these. The Licensing and Highways Authorities would then be responsible for enforcing this position. The current arrangements could continue, therefore, until Spring next year, before appropriate permission had to be sought.
Resolved – that this position be noted
The meeting concluded at 11.40 am