Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel
Monday 2 March 2009
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY PANEL
2 MARCH 2009
PRESENT: Councillors Mrs Howes (Chairman), Kellaway (Vice-Chairman), Beer, J Evans and Muir
Also present:
Officers: Ms Bailey, Mrs Hornby and Mr Wolfe
part i
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Holness and Mrs Wilson.
74/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None were received.
75/08 MINUTES
- RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings held on 26 January 2009 be approved, subject to the amendment on the item stating that a £15,000 Planning saving be achieved by only using advertising when legally necessary and re-negotiating the deal for placing advertisements - be amended to ‘Confirmation be sought from the Head of Planning as to how the £15,000 Planning saving for advertising can be achieved’.
76/08 SERVICE MONITORING REPORT
Members received the latest Service Monitoring Report for all service areas, including areas relevant to the Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel. The Panel noted that due to the recent bad weather, gritting costs, streetcare and urgent highway defect repair costs had increased. Planning income was down £100,000 and £50,000 – Building Control. Some savings were being made by managing vacancies.
Waste Tonnages to landfill had reduced due to the subscribed Green Waste Scheme that had been recently introduced.
Car parking income was down and it was noted that this was particularly in the Windsor area as well as Nicholson’s MSCP in Maidenhead. The Panel noted that the chart showed a 12-month period moving average and that the due to an increase in car parking charges in April 2008, this was reflected in the estimate line on the graph shown. It was also noted that B.I.U. was an acronym for Business Improvement Unit, which used to be known as the IT unit. The Panel commented that a 6-monthly review of Car Parking within the Royal Borough would be important and therefore requested that it be added to the Work Programme for future meetings.
77/08 WORK PROGRAMME
Members noted a Briefing Note commenting that the Chairman and Vice Chairman had requested a brief discussion by the Panel on the efficient management and planning of future agendas, highlighting issues of importance to Members. The following items were suggested for discussion at the future meetings of the Panel.
- Buses – a presentation to all Council Members
Car Parking & Windsor Parking Strategy – update
Flooding – a presentation from the Environment Agency
Thames Water – a presentation by Thames Water, in particular the issue of run-off flooding.
Architects Panel – report and update
Certificate of Lawfulness – report and update
Change to Permitted Development – report and update
New legislation re: Building Codes – presentation
Autoclave – report and update
The following item is scheduled for discussion at the next meeting of the Panel to be held on 6 May 2009:
- Service Monitoring Report
78/08 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 – EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
To consider passing the following resolution:-
"That under Section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place on item 7 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act”