Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence. 

None.

To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Any Member with a personal interest or a personal and prejudicial interest in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, in any matter to be considered at a meeting, must declare the existence and nature of that interest as soon as the interest becomes apparent in accordance with the provisions of the Code.

When a Member declares a personal and prejudicial interest he shall also state if he has a dispensation from the Standards Committee entitling him/her to speak, or speak and vote on the matter concerned.

Where any Member has declared a personal and prejudicial interest he shall withdraw from the room while the matter is under consideration unless

(a)                his/her disability to speak, or speak and vote on the matter has been removed by a dispensation granted by the Standards Committee, or

(b)                members of the public are allowed to make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter by statutory right or otherwise.  If that is the case, the Member can also attend the meeting for that purpose.  However, the Member must immediately leave the room once he/she has finished; or when the meeting decides he/she has finished whichever is the earlier and in any event the Member must leave the room for the duration of the debate on the item in which he/she has a personal and prejudicial interest. 

Councillor Jerry Patterson declared a personal interest in the Local Development Framework: Core Strategy Preferred Options in so far as he was a Member of on the Executive Regional Planning Committee of the South East England Regional Assembly and also a member of the Central Oxfordshire Steering Group.

To receive notification of any matters which the Chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the Chair.

None.

Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting. 

None.

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

None.

To receive and consider report 122/08 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy).  This report is attached to the Development Control Committee agenda for the meeting held earlier in the evening. 

Councillor Jerry Patterson had declared a personal interest in this item.

The Committee received and considered report 122/08 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy) which reminded Members that the Council had to produce a Local Development Framework which was a new style of development plan that would replace the Local Plan. The first document to be prepared was the Core Strategy and an important part of the process was engaging with the public. To this end a draft Preferred Options report had been prepared under the guidance of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group which Members had before them

It was noted that members of the Executive had been present at the Development Committee when it considered the report earlier in the evening and the Executive had regard to the comments made at that meeting.

One Member suggested that an explanation of what the Local Development Framework meant should be included in the Foreword to the document, to include an explanation of what the strategy was trying to achieve; an explanation of what the Council was required to do; details of the preferred option and the relevant legislation under which the strategy was required.

One member commented that a key element of the proposals was the requirement for adequate infrastructure and to this end there was a need to undertake technical feasibility assessments of the infrastructure and secure adequate funding towards those proposals.  He expressed concern about raising expectations and emphasised that it was important that it be made clear that some proposals in the strategy were aspirational. He commented that dialogue with the County Council and the Highway Agency who were responsible for highways was needed and he asked that the Officers state this in the strategy advising that those discussions would take place.  He sought further clarification on this, commenting that these prime discussions should be undertaken with the responsible Officer together with the relevant portfolio holder at the County Council.  He stated that the commitment being given should be clear and the agreement for this was needed by the County Council also.

One Member expressed concern regarding a possible reduction in the provision of social housing and she asked that this should not be compromised when discussing section 106 contributions.  In response the Officers reported that this was a matter for Members to consider in each case and that difficult choices would need to be made.  It was emphasised that a development could not proceed if the right infrastructure was not in place.  It was commented that further discussions were needed with the County Council regarding infrastructure requirements.

The Officers reported that the County Council had commissioned a central Oxfordshire transport strategy and that once this was available details would be reported to Members.  It was commented that many of the issues raised in the discussion at the Development Control Committee meeting might be addressed in this document.

One Member commented that the most important map was that which classified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

None.