Decisions

Councillors noted the late item report.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

APPROVE planning permission with the following conditions:-

1.         The development hereby approved must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this permission.

REASON:  Required to be imposed by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

2.         Unless explicitly required by condition within this consent, the development hereby permitted shall be carried out in complete accordance with the proposals as detailed on drawings:

Location Plan 1:2500

Site Plan 1:200

Pump Track Plan 1:250

Drainage Plan 1:250

Pump Track Formation Details 1:25

Site Sections 1:500 / 1:250

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify which plans are relevant to the consent hereby approved.

3.         No development shall take place until a construction method statement has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved statement shall be adhered to throughout the construction period. It shall provide for:

i) The parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors

ii) The loading and unloading of plant and materials

iii) The storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development

iv) The erection and maintenance of security hoarding

v) Wheel washing facilities

vi) Measures to control the emission of dust and dirt during construction

vii) A scheme for recycling/disposing of waste resulting from demolition and

construction works

viii) Details of working hours

ix) Routing of delivery vehicles to/from site

x) Measures to protect users of the public footpath

REASON: To mitigate the impact of the construction traffic on the highway network

4.         No development shall commence until full details of:

(a) the works/contractors’ compound (including any buildings, moveable structures, works, plant, machinery, access and provision for the storage of vehicles, equipment and/or materials); and

(b) a scheme for the removal of the works/contractors' compound and the restoration of the land on which it is situated are submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority after consultation with Sport England. The works/contractors’ compound shall not be provided and used on the site other than in accordance with the approved details and shall be removed and the land on which it is situated restored in accordance with the approved details before occupation of the development hereby approved.

REASON: To protect the playing fields from damage, loss or availability of use.

5.         The development hereby approved shall not be first used until full details of a ball stop mitigation fence (or other means of enclosure as deemed appropriate), together with a maintenance and management schedule, informed by a ball strike assessment, have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved fence / enclosure shall be installed in full before the development is first used. The fence / enclosure shall be managed and maintained thereafter in perpetuity in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: To provide protection for the occupants of adjacent uses and their property from potential ball strike from the adjacent playing field/sports pitches.

6.         The development hereby approved shall not be first used until full details of a separation fence (or other type of segregation barrier as deemed appropriate) between the cycle facility and the remaining playing field to the west, together with a maintenance and management schedule, have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved fence / barrier shall be installed in full before the development is first used. The fence / barrier shall be managed and maintained thereafter in perpetuity in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: To provide protection for the occupants of adjacent uses and their property from egress onto the adjacent playing field/sports pitches from the cycle facility and to accord with policy.

7.         Prior to commencement of any site works including delivery of building materials and excavations for foundations or services, a site perimeter fence shall be erected in accordance with the BS5837 2012 [Trees in Relation to Demolition, Design & Construction] so all the trees within influencing distance of the sites (namely the group of trees to the east along Drivers Walk and the group of trees to the south fronting Kestor Lane) shall be protected.

The tree protection details shall be inspected and agreed by the Council’s Countryside Officer before any site works are begun, along with a tree protection monitoring schedule.

The root protection/exclusion zone shall remain in place until all building work has been completed and all excess materials have been removed from site including soil/spoil and rubble. During the building works no excavations or changes in ground levels shall take place and no building materials/spoil/soil/rubble shall be stored or redistributed within the protection/exclusion zone, in addition no impermeable surfacing shall be constructed within the protection zone.

For the avoidance of doubt no tree felling or pruning works are authorised as part of the granting of this planning permission.

REASON: In order to ensure that nearby trees of amenity value are afforded appropriate protection from the potential adverse effects of development.

8.         The development shall not be first used until:

(a) a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP), prepared in accordance with the approved Biodiversity Net Gain Plan (prepared by Elsie Josland Landscape Design and dated September 2024), has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the local planning authority. This shall include details of:-

(i)  a non-technical summary;

(ii)  the roles and responsibilities of the people or organisation(s) delivering the HMMP;

(iii)  the planned habitat creation and enhancement works to create or improve habitat to achieve the biodiversity net gain in accordance with the approved Biodiversity Net Gain Plan;

(iv)  the management measures to maintain habitat in accordance with the approved Biodiversity Gain Plan for a period of 30 years from the completion of development; and

(v)  the monitoring methodology and frequency in respect of the created or enhanced habitat to be submitted to the local planning authority.

(b) the habitat creation and enhancement works set out in the approved HMMP have been completed; and a completion report, evidencing the completed habitat enhancements, has been submitted to, and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

The created and/or enhanced habitat specified in the approved HMMP shall be managed and maintained in accordance with the approved HMMP.

Monitoring reports shall be submitted to the local planning authority in writing in accordance with the methodology and frequency specified in the approved HMMP.

REASON: To ensure the development delivers a biodiversity net gain on site in accordance with Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The Director of Resources and Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report seeking Member approval on proposals to increase this Committee’s fees and charges with effect from the 1 April 2025.

Service Committees had been asked to review their fees and charges in order to achieve an overall increase in budgeted income of 2.5%, as assumed in the Council’s Budget Forecast.  It was noted that if Committee agreed with the proposed fees and charges for implementation from 1 April 2025 then this Committee would meet the 2.5% target for the financial year 2025/26.

Councillors also noted the late item report regarding moving the fees and charges associated with the Council’s Self Build and Custom housing building register to this Committee.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the 2025/26 fees and charges proposed for this Committee, as set out within Annexes 1 and 2 of the main Committee report together with the self-build and custom house building fees and charges reported on the late items sheet (table below), for implementation from 1 April 2025.

The Chief Executive submitted a report informing Committee of a new duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment and seeking approval of a policy and procedures to ensure compliance with that duty.

The report set out the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace and the existing duties placed on employers under the Equality Act 2010 (EqA10). A private members bill had been introduced in 2022, resulting in a new duty titled The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which came into force on 26 October 2024.

A new Sexual Harassment Policy was recommended for consideration by Committee which was attached to the report. Further procedural measures were also set out in the report and were recommended for approval to ensure compliance with the duty, namely:

·       Staff training

·       Registering and reporting complaints

·       Investigation of complaints

·       Risk assessments

It was clarified at the meeting that this was a staff policy and that the Councillor Code of Conduct applied to Councillors.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.     Approve the Sexual Harassment policy.

2.     Note and approve the procedures which the Council is to put in place to ensure compliance with the duty.