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

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

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

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 Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1972 (as amended).

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the meeting be called with less than 5 clear working days’ notice by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency stated below:-

Special Circumstances/Grounds for Urgency

Under Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 22, a meeting of the Call?in Sub?Committee must be held within 7 clear working days of the receipt of a request for call-in.  This meeting therefore had to be arranged at short notice and it was not possible for the agenda to be published 5 clear working days prior to the meeting

(2)  in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following papers be admitted to the meeting by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency stated below:-

(3)  it be noted that agenda item 5 “Protocol for the Operation of the Call-in Sub-Committee”  had been admitted erroneously onto the agenda and was therefore removed;

(4)  all items be considered with the press and public present.

(See also Minute 13).

That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 August 2006 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 August 2006 be deferred until printed in the Council Bound Minute Volume.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the Protocol, which had not been formally approved by the Call?In Sub?Committee, and was admitted erroneously onto the agenda, therefore be withdrawn; and

(2) the Protocol be informally discussed and agreed between the Chairman and Vice?Chairman and submitted  to a future meeting of the Call?In Sub?Committee for approval.

a)                 Notice Invoking the Call-in.

b)                 Record of the Decision of the Property, Housing Planning (Development) and Planning (Strategic) Portfolio Holder.

c)                  Documentation sent to the Property, Housing Planning (Development) and Planning (Strategic) Portfolio Holder.

The Sub-Committee considered a decision of the Portfolio Holder for Property, Housing, Planning (Development) and Planning (Strategic) dated 29 September 2006, which had determined that the former Vaughan School should be de-listed.

At its meeting on 12 September 2006, the Strategic Planning Advisory Panel had received a report of the Director of Strategic Planning, advising of the need to de-list the Vaughan Centre as the building was no longer fit for purpose.  A recommendation from the Strategic Planning Advisory Panel was referred to the Portfolio Holder for Property, Housing, Planning (Development) and Planning (Strategic) for decision. The Portfolio Holder had agreed to the recommendation to de-list the Vaughan Centre.  A call?in notice was subsequently received, calling in the decision relating to the de-listing of the Vaughan Centre.  This decision had therefore been referred to the Call?In Sub?Committee for consideration under the call-in procedure.

The decision had been called-in on two grounds: inadequate consultation with stakeholders prior to the decision and that the decision was contrary to the policy framework of the Council

The Portfolio Holder for Property, Housing, Planning (Development) and Planning (Strategic) and the Leader were both unable to attend the meeting.  In accordance with the Appendix  to the Executive Procedure Rules 4C, (Delegated Powers of Portfolio Holders (Temporary Arrangements)) the Leader of the Council had temporarily transferred responsibilities and power to the Portfolio Holder for Urban Living – Public Realm, who attended the meeting.  A letter had been circulated to all Members notifying them of this temporary transfer.  Four of the six signatories and the Ward Councillor also attended the meeting.

Members considered the notice invoking the call-in procedure, the record of the Portfolio Holder’s decision and the documentation sent to the Portfolio Holder to inform her decision. In addition, an extract from the Unitary Development Policy (UDP), Section D12; Locally Listed Buildings and a motion regarding Locally Listed Buildings, which was passed at Council on 20 January 2005, was tabled by the signatories. 

The Members of the Sub-Committee considered the call-in notice and an officer was invited to explain the reasoning behind the recommendations to his report and to respond to the grounds for call-in, and a Member representing the signatories to the call-in notice was invited to explain the reasons for the call-in. 

The Director of Strategic Planning reported that the Vaughan Centre, a locally listed building, was no longer fit for its operational purpose by People First and a way forward to utilise the site was sought.  The proposed option was to de-list the site but to maintain it for one of three Neighbourhood Resource Centres.  This was possible through submitting an application to the Development Control Committee with a case to de-list and demolish (if necessary) the site.  The officer explained that not only were the cost implications significant, but that the planning application could take six to nine months to progress.  There was no certainty the application would succeed and the Neighbourhood Resource Centre project would therefore be delayed.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.