Issue - meetings

Recommendations

For the Executive to:

1)    approve that the Property service submits the 47 new potential development sites as set out in Appendix A to the NYC Local Plan Call for Sites.

2)    note the draft protocol attached at Appendix B, which is intended to provide guidance to address the Council’s dual role in the Call for Sites and future Local Plan process. 

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Resources seeking approval for the submission of 47 Council owned sites to the NYC Local Plan Call for Sites exercise.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Gareth Dadd, introduced the report and made the following key points:

·       The Council had a duty to maximise its return on all assets, in this case there were potential capital returns.

·       If the Council was successful in getting land included on the Local Plan any capital returns would fund future investments and the future capital programme,  if land was suitable for development it could help with housing targets.

·       The Local Plan process would deal with the suitability of sites, and the decision on that would be taken by full Council.  Individual sites could be supported or objected to at that stage.

·       Not every site proposed at this stage would end up in the Local Plan.

The Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services, Barry Khan, referred to Appendix B and provided legal advice in relation to potential conflicts of interest.  The report stated that the Council would act as both landowner and planning authority, and the matter before members at this meeting was about the Council acting as landowner.  When the Local Plan was considered by full Council Executive Members would need to keep an open mind, however Executive Members had no personal interest in the land being put forward and would have no financial gain.

The Strategic Land Manager, Stewart Brown, advised that councillors and town and parish councils had been contacted to enable the Council to be as transparent as possible which had been appreciated. 

Councillor Subash Sharma referred to Scalby School playing field and requested that it be withdrawn from the submission due to the importance of the site to the community.  The playing field was used regularly by groups outside of the school term and Newby and Scalby Town Council had stated that they would be happy to take on responsibility for running the site once the school moved.  The Executive Member advised that individual sites would not be debated at this stage.

Resolved (unanimously)

That the Executive

1)    approve that the Property service submits the 47 new potential development sites as set out in Appendix A to the NYC Local Plan Call for Sites.

2)    note the draft protocol attached at Appendix B, which is intended to provide guidance to address the Council’s dual role in the Call for Sites and future Local Plan process. 

Reasons for recommendations

To support elected member ambitions around asset rationalisation and to maximise value and outcomes from the Council’s land and property holdings.