Agenda and minutes

The Panel considered a report of the Director of Property Services (Urban Living) which explained the requirement for the Council to produce an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for the Municipal Year 2004-05.  The draft AMR was provided as an appendix to the report and the Panel noted that the deadline for submission of the AMR to the Government Office for London was 30 December 2005.

Officers advised that, prior to the meeting, they had distributed to Members of the Panel a sheet of amendments that they were proposing to make to the AMR.  The amendments were discussed in detail at the meeting and Members confirmed their agreement to the proposed changes being incorporated into the draft AMR.

During the discussion on the report, the following issues were raised:

·                     Noting that the Executive Summary (Section 4.5) of the draft AMR stated that “an overall net gain of 12,006 m² gross external floorspace was achieved for employment use”, it was requested that officers provide Members of the Panel with details of employment use space in the Borough.

·                     The Executive Summary (Section 4.9) of the draft AMR stated that “No Harrow Unitary Development Plan (HUDP) policies have been identified which do not appear to be working well”.  A Member wished it to be noted that, in her opinion, policy H9 of the HUDP was not working well.

·                     Members requested that officers provide clarification of what was meant by “other modes” in the Accident Rate statistics provided in Section 4.3(B) of the AMR.  A Member also commented that the figures provided did not seem to add up and suggested that they be checked.

·                     Noting that Section 4.4(A) of the report stated that the Borough’s “average residential density is 237 habitable rooms per hectare”, it was requested that officers provide Members of the Panel with information on the densities in other comparable boroughs.

The Panel supported the officers’ view that it would be necessary to make further amendments to the AMR prior to submitting the final version of the report to Cabinet.

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to Cabinet)

That (1) the contents of the AMR 2004-05 be noted;

(2)  the AMR 2004-05 be submitted to the Government Office for London by 30 December 2005, subject to the completion of further detailed work on aspects of the AMR, and taking on board any decision on the approach to Conservation Area appraisals and management plans.

[REASON:  Preparation of the AMR is a requirement of the Local Development Scheme (LDS) which Cabinet approved on 23 June 2005.  Failure to submit the AMR on time would be a breach of the regulations governing the new planning system and would also lead to a reduction in the Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) which would have an impact on resources for Planning and Development Services].

The Panel received a confidential report of the Director of Property Services (Urban Living) in this matter.

The Panel considered the proposed approach to the production of conservation area documents as set out in the report and the priorities and timetables for action and, upon being put to a vote, it was

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to Cabinet)

That (1) Option C of the officers’ report be approved;

(2)  subject to the approval of (1), the Local Development Scheme (LDS) be amended accordingly and the approach be reviewed in light of any revised guidance issued.

[REASON:  To enable the Council to work towards its statutory requirements under PPG15, towards improving performance against the new BVPI 219 on conservation areas and to clarify the production of documents relating to conservation areas in the LDS].

[Note:  Councillors Marilyn Ashton, Mrs Bath and Mrs Kinnear wished to be recorded as having voted against paragraph (1) of the recommendation above].

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 the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present with the exception of the following item for the reasons set out below:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the Chair be given authority to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2005, those minutes having been circulated, as a correct record of the meeting, once printed in the Council Bound Volume.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rules 15, 13 and 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution) respectively.

Report of the Director of Property Services (Urban Living).

See Recommendation 1.

Report of the Director of Property Services (Urban Living).

See Recommendation 2.

RESOLVED:  That a Special Meeting of the Panel be held on Wednesday 4 January 2006 at 7.30 pm to enable deadlines to be met for submissions to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.