Agenda and minutes

Public Speaking: To register your intention to speak at a Council, Cabinet or Committee meeting, please contact Democratic Services on committee@uttlesford.gov.uk or 01799 510410, 510548, 510369 or 510460. Panel, Forum and Working Group meetings do not generally permit public speaking. Please refer to a specific meeting's pdf agenda pack for further information and registration deadlines.

Live Broadcast: For Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings the video player will be available on this page under the Media banner a few minutes before the meeting is due to begin. Please note that Panel, Board, Forum and Working Group meetings are not generally broadcast on the website. We believe that live streaming video of our formal decision making meetings, and publishing the recordings to be watched back later, is good for democracy – and you can find these videos on our website. This video technology sits alongside the longstanding practice of providing seats in the public gallery for members of the public and journalists to turn up and watch our in-person meetings live. Please understand that whilst we will continue to make every reasonable effort to ensure that our key public meetings at which important decisions are live streamed and recorded, any failure in that technology does not in any way invalidate the legitimacy of that meeting or of the decisions taken at it. Even in the event of such occasional technical failures, the public gallery will still have been open, as required by law, and the minutes of the meetings will still be made available in due course.

Zoom and YouTube have their own privacy and data security policies, which can be accessed at www.zoom.us and www.youtube.com.

Venue: Committee Room - Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 4ER. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services  Email: committee@uttlesford.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest

To receive any apologies for absence and declarations of interest.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Farthing, Gerard, Loughlin, Mills, Ranger and Redfern, and Carole Mandy of the Tenants Forum.

2.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 76 KB

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 November 2018 were approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record of the meeting.

3.

Consultant's Brief for Future Housing Strategy and Allocations Policy pdf icon PDF 64 KB

To consider the Consultant’s Brief for Housing Strategy and Allocations Policy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Local Plan Project Manager gave a summary of the report, which considered a draft Consultant’s Brief for work on the future Uttlesford Housing Strategy and Allocations Policy. He said the report focused on how to plan for the three new garden communities, and it was important to do this correctly in order to plan for affordable housing. This was an opportunity to do something different, and it was fundamental to look at all strands of policy and understand how the Housing Policy could be used to achieve the Council’s fundamental objectives.

 

Councillor Dean said he supported this piece of work, but the Council would need advice on how it was delivered. He suggested that the strategy include mention that it was key to ensure a supply of affordable housing throughout the district, rather than just the three new garden communities.

 

The Local Plan Project Manager said it was important not to have a two tier system of housing between the garden communities and other locations, and that he would look into including mention of this in the strategy.

 

In response to a Member question, the Local Plan Project Manager said the developers who the Council was working with on the garden communities had been required to sign a Quality and Collaboration Agreement with the Council to ensure development took place to the standards required by the Council.

 

In response to a Member question, the Local Plan Project Manager said each garden community would have different needs in terms of its residents and their supporting employment.

 

In response to a Member question, the Housing Strategy and Operations Manager said a Downsizing Policy would be a part of the Housing Strategy. The Local Plan Project Manager said a section specifically about downsizing could be added to the brief.

 

Councillor Dean said it was important to have mechanisms in place to maintain the affordable housing supply.

 

APPROVED to endorse the brief appended to the report so that work can commence on preparing the evidence for the refresh of the Uttlesford Housing Strategy and amendments to the Allocations Policy.

4.

Private Sector Housing Update

To receive a verbal update on private sector housing.

Minutes:

The Environmental Health Manager – Protection gave an update on private sector housing:

·         The Council had now got an improved range of powers to deal with rogue landlords. It could now issue civil penalties of up to £30000 for each offence. This could be used as an alternative tool for prosecution which could be long-winded.

·         A new definition of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) had been introduced. The Council had now licenced 13 and there was still work to do to find others. Fines could be issued for not coming forward to register as a HMO.

·         A national review of Disabled Facilities Grants was underway, looking at the way financial allocations were made to each council. Uttlesford District Council were employing an Occupational Therapist on a temporary basis for one day a week to work as part of a pilot exercise to look at ways grants could be used to ensure that those who used the grants were able to look after themselves, such as rapid changes for entry into properties. The Housing Board would receive a review of this pilot after a year.

·         Work on empty houses was progressing as normal. A Compulsory Purchase Order had been issued, but the landlord was now progressing with the work as requested.

5.

Development Site - Saffron Walden pdf icon PDF 57 KB

To consider the report on a development site at Saffron Walden.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Housing Strategy and Operations Manager gave a summary of the report, which detailed proposals to purchase a development site in Saffron Walden from the General Fund for use for an affordable housing scheme. She said the scheme would pay for itself over 30-35 years. The department had negotiated a price at the lower end of the range of what the site was worth.

 

APPROVED to recommends that the development site in Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden is transferred from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account for the consideration of £1.02million, subject to planning permission being secured for a scheme suitable for affordable housing.

 

6.

Development Update

To receive a verbal development update.

Minutes:

The Housing Strategy and Operations Manager gave a verbal development update.

 

Hatherley Court – Phase 1 was now complete and tenants had moved in. It was hoped that Phase 2 would be complete by the end of the year.

 

Frambury Lane and Newton Grove – these sites were progressing. The latter’s car park was now complete. Properties were now up to the first floor, and it was hoped they would be finished in July.

 

Walden Place – Officers were looking at detaching the listed building from the sheltered accommodation scheme. The plans were being re-examined and it might be that less existing flats had to be demolished and more could be added on.

 

The Moors – This site had been hit by planning delays but some issues had now been ironed out. It was hoped to have an application heard by the Planning Committee in April.

 

Great Chesterford site – the Council was looking at buying and developing a site to develop council housing. Cabinet had already approved this as it had been necessary to act to buy the site at short notice, but the decision was subject to satisfactory change to the planning application.

7.

Draft Tenancy Fraud Policy pdf icon PDF 137 KB

To consider the draft Tenancy Fraud Policy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Housing Strategy and Operations Manager introduced the draft Tenancy Fraud policy.

 

Members noted the draft policy.

 

 

The meeting closed at 11.25.