The opportunity is given to members of the public to put questions to Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs provided that a question does not relate to:
· Matters which are the subject of current or pending legal proceedings or
· Matters relating to employees or former employees of the Council or comments in respect of individual Council Officers.
Minutes:
15.1 Mr Andrew Chick asked the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning to provide the details of the existing housing planning permissions which were in the Council’s five year list, showing which were Brownfield and which were Greenfield, the number of dwellings to be built on each site and what efforts the Council was able to make to persuade developers to build those homes.
15.2 Councillor Organ (Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning) undertook to provide a breakdown of the information requested. He noted that five years was a long time and the information could change rapidly depending on housing need, the economy and the availability of mortgages.
15.3 Mr Steve Morgan asked the Chair of the Planning Committee and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning if, before any further applications for housing on Greenfield sites were determined, they would jointly investigate the contention that the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments of recent years and the 2013 SALA were both flawed and void because there was not the community involvement as required in both the 2007 and 2014 Government Guidance and in particular paragraph 008 and the 2014 guidance, which states that plan makers should work with local communities amongst others. He further requested that any resulting report from the review be presented to the Planning Policy Sub Committee.
15.4 Councillor Lewis (Vice Chair of the Planning Committee) agreed to discuss the request with the Chair of the Planning Committee, the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning and officers and, if appropriate, bring a report to the Planning Policy Sub Committee.
15.5 Councillor Organ stated that the matter came under the Joint Core Strategy (JCS), which was currently being inspected. He reported that the inspector had called for more detail and more consultations would take place, with feedback expected in September; therefore it would be appropriate to consider the matter at that time.
15.6 Mr Morgan asked if the Cabinet Member accepted that the question related historic reports and actions taken that had been used as evidence for determining planning applications.
15.7 Councillor Organ undertook to consider the data in question and to provide a written response.
15.8 Mr Christopher Atine from the Licensed Victuallers Association (LVA) asked the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods how a licensed premises at the Docks was able to obtain a licence to stay open past midnight when assurances had repeatedly been given that it was not the aim for the Quays/Docks area, what the intention for the area was, and whether the Council was aware of the precedent that had now been set.
15.9 Councillor James (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy) advised that the premises in question were not part of the Gloucester Quays site, and were owned by the Canal and River Trust and it would be a matter for them to exercise any controls as landlords. He stated that it was important for the evening economy in the Docks and the city centre to complement each other, not compete and that it would not be appropriate to have a concentration of late night licenses nor would it be compatible with the concentration of housing. Those determining applications should have regard for the impact of the environment and residents and the Council would encourage residents to provide feedback and make objections to applications where they saw fit to do so.
15.10 Councillor Dallimore (Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods) stated that she was concerned about the issues that had been raised and that the Council did not wish for licensed premises to affect the quality of life of any residents. She had already agreed to discuss the issues at Nightsafe, but noted that only one formal complaint, in relation to noise, had been received, and the Council encouraged residents to report any issues. She advised that licences were dealt with on their own merits and that she had not been aware that a late licence had been sought and approved. She undertook to involve the LVA and Nightsafe in discussions with officers and approach the licensee to consider what could be done to tackle any anti-social behaviour.
15.11 Mr Atine asked if the Council was aware of the strength of feeling amongst traders that events arranged at the Docks were having a negative impact on the city centre and that the city centre would eventually become a satellite.
15.12 Councillor James stated that the Council wanted both the Docks and city centre to be successful and that they served different purposes and so should complement each other. The aim was not to prevent success at the Docks, but to promote the city centre, and the Council itself continued to invest significantly more in the city centre through the City Centre Investment Fund.