Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Panel;

(b)               all other Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 9 – Area Action Plan – Presentation and Consideration of Strategic Options

Councillor Susan Hall declared a personal interest in that she had a business in the area under consideration.  She would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon but would leave the meeting if the discussions led to her personal interest becoming prejudicial.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 51 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rules 51, 49 and 50 (Part 4D of the Constitution) respectively.

Oral presentation by PPS on behalf of Land Securities.

The Divisional Director of Planning advised that the presentation was for Members’ information and would provide some insight as to what had been identified to date from the consultation on the Kodak site.

The Panel received a presentation from Andy Martin, Director of PPS.  The presentation can be viewed on the Council’s website.  In concluding his presentation, Mr Martin advised that the first round of public exhibitions were now complete and that the Design Workshops were the next stage of the consultation.  These would be held in the weeks commencing 21 and 28 February 2011.

Individual Members made comments and asked questions on the presentation and received responses as follows:

·                     it was questioned as to who the Design Workshops were aimed at. In response, the Panel were advised that the 86 respondents to the feedback forms would be invited and that it was hoped that other stakeholders would also be engaged;

·                     a road show should have been held in Harrow Town Centre as people went there from Wealdstone.  The consultant advised that the intention had been to involve people who lived in and around Harrow and the throughput at Harrow and Wealdstone station road show was probably the busiest.  Additional road shows could have been held but it was felt that a reasonable response had been achieved.  The Divisional Director of Planning advised that there would be extensive consultation on the Area Action Plan and that there could be scope to include a presence in the town centre for Kodak as part of that exercise;

·                     Kodak was a large site and a common complaint from parents was that there was nowhere for their children to move to when they wanted to leave home;

·                     a Member questioned why the feedback form had not asked people where they had travelled from.  The consultant advised that there had been a mail shot to 13,000 households and articles placed in local newspapers and whilst address details were not specifically requested, he did have the addresses of those who had chosen to leave them;

·                     a Member asked, given the variety of views received during the consultation, what 3 issues the consultant would specifically note.  In response, the consultant advised firstly, the aspiration that the development would improve Wealdstone, secondly, the aspiration to see a mix of jobs and places to live and finally the quality of what came forward and how the development could contribute to open space;

·                     in response to a question in relation to the timings of the Design Workshops, the Panel were advised that sessions were usually held both during the daytime and evening;

·                     a Member commented that perhaps a weighting could be attached to views expressed in that those living closer to the site should have an increased weighting.  The consultant advised that this might not be appropriate and would be difficult to do.  It was important to receive as many responses as possible and he hoped that Councillors would encourage people to get involved.

The Divisional Director of Planning advised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Report of the Corporate Director of Place Shaping.

The Panel received a report from the Corporate Director of Place Shaping which advised Members of the costs associated with the preparation of the Development Plan Documents by the Council.  It outlined the staffing resources applied to the preparation of Harrow’s Local Development Framework (LDF), including the Harrow and Wealdstone Area Action Plan (AAP), and the budget set aside for completion of the LDF in accordance with the recently approved timetable (Local Development Scheme). 

The Chair indicated that whilst the Local Development Framework was not part of the Panel’s remit, this item was before Members due to concerns that had been expressed at a previous meeting.  The Divisional Director of Planning added that the summary report had been drafted due to concerns raised by Members in relation to the costs of consultants.  He advised that, through the Medium Term Financial Strategy, sums had been identified to progress projects and that there were no financial concerns in relation to the delivery of the LDF.

A Member expressed concern at the projected shortfall of £219,000 in 2011/12 and £44,000 in 2012/13 set out in the report and questioned, in relation to risk management, what elements of the Place Shaping budget would be used to fund the shortfall.  In response, the Divisional Director of Planning advised that the shortfall related to next year’s budget and that a report due to be submitted to Cabinet detailed the savings, which would come from areas such as voluntary severance and restructuring.  The Member re?emphasised his concerns as the report before the Panel did not set out how the shortfall would be met.  These concerns were supported by another Member who also questioned why the item had appeared on the Panel’s agenda if Members were not permitted to ask questions.

In response to the concerns expressed, the Chair advised that Members would be provided with the information requested and it would be included in the draft financial strategy.  He added that that it was only appropriate to discuss matters within the remit of the Panel.

RESOLVED:  That the costs identified in the report of Corporate Director of Place Shaping for the delivery of the Harrow LDF be noted.

Reason for Decision:  To ensure that the Panel were informed of the costs associated with the preparation of the LDF documents.

Report of the Divisional Director of Planning and presentation by East and GVA Grimley.

The Divisional Director of Planning introduced a report, which summarised a technical report by the consultant team led by East.  The report proposed four strategic development options for the Harrow and Wealdstone Intensification Area and set the scene for a presentation by the consultants.  He drew attention to the challenges faced and added that the figures detailed in the four options should be viewed with caution.  He requested the Panel’s comments on the report, the boundary of the intensification area (an enlarged version of which was tabled) and the proposed strategic development options.

The Panel received a presentation from Angela Spencer (East), Chris Hall (GVA Grimley) and Trenton Williams (Alan Baxter Associates) entitled Heart of Harrow.  The presentation can be viewed on the Council’s website.

The consultant from East indicated that she would welcome the opportunity to revise the report in line with any comments/suggestions raised by the Panel.  She outlined the four options and the consultant from Alan Baxter Associates reported on the public realm and transport implications of each option.  The consultants acknowledged that transport was a key factor in terms of the option chosen.

The consultant from East reported that a number of engagement forums had been held as well as a Members’ workshop.  The key messages from engagement forums and questionnaires were that option 1 (One Centre) had the least support, option 2 (Harrow+) had a lack of support as it seemed to dismiss the value of Wealdstone, option 3 (Two Centres) seemed to be more what people wanted and option 4 (High Roads and Centres) received the most support.  She outlined the implications resulting from all 4 options and the key requirements for their further development.

The consultant from GVA Grimley outlined the key considerations for the delivery of targets and stated that Harrow was well placed to develop its aspirations in the future.  He drew the Panel’s attention to the strategic option conclusions detailed on page 88 of the report and advised that the ‘One Centre’ and ‘Harrow+’ options presented the greatest risk.  ‘Two Centres’ and ‘High Roads and Centres’ were based on a desire to strengthen and develop the existing character and build up existing identities.  They both allowed the various development sites to be intensified to levels that seemed appropriate to their particular conditions.  There were, however, issues with both of these options.  The preferred option was ‘High Roads and Centres’.

In terms of the boundary of the intensification area, the consultant from East advised that all potential development sites should be included.  She reported that one area to the west of the Civic Centre and one to the south had been inadvertently omitted and should have been included on the tabled document.

The Panel considered the information given in the report and during the presentation and made comments and asked questions as follows:

·                    there was no evidence in the report that the market could absorb the number of properties proposed.  The proposals could affect the property prices in Harrow;

·                    Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

Report of the Corporate Director of Place Shaping.

The Panel received a report from the Corporate Director of Place Shaping which provided an update on progress with strategic sites and sought views on any additional sites that should be included within the schedule.

A Member commented that the former Travis Perkins site was located on Pinner Road and not Pinner View as indicated in the schedule.  Another Member requested an update on Bradstowe House.  In response the Divisional Director of Planning advised that there had been numerous meetings with Comer Homes and that he was committed to finding a solution to this unattractive site.  He undertook to provide Members with an information report on this matter.

RESOLVED:  That the content of the schedule of strategic sites be noted.

Reason for Decision:  To enable Members of the Panel to be updated on the status of strategic sites within the borough.

Standing Item.

The Divisional Director of Planning outlined a suggested list of topics for the next meeting of the Panel as follows:

·                     progress on the discussions with Dandara in relation to a specific proposal;

·                     Lyon House;

·                     Work with Open City – a presentation from young people;

·                     update on strategic sites;

·                     information report on Bradstowe House;

·                     Kodak.

The Chair indicated that if Members had any additional suggestions for items that they forward them to the Divisional Director of Planning.

RESOLVED:  That the list of items for the next meeting of the Panel be noted.

Reason for Decision:  To keep Members informed of future items for discussion.

The next meeting of the Panel will be held on Wednesday 23 March 2011.

The Chair advised that the Council had been short listed for the Local Government Chronicle Award of Most Improved Council and that the event was to be held on 23 March, the same night as the next scheduled meeting of the Panel.  He therefore requested that the next meeting of the Panel be re?arranged.

RESOLVED: To note that the next meeting of the Major Developments Panel scheduled to be held on Wednesday 23 March 2011 be re-arranged.

In accordance with the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4B of the Constitution) it was

RESOLVED:  At 9.55 pm to continue until 10.05 pm