Issue - meetings

(Director of Planning and Economic Development) To consider the attached report.

The Committee noted that in July 1998, Council had granted permission for the redevelopment of the former radio station at North Weald Bassett including a Section 106 Agreement  providing the payment of £100,000 to this Council for (a) £30,000 to be used for the future management and maintenance of the Essex Redoubt (a Scheduled Monument) in accordance with a management strategy that the Council was previously to have approved; and (b) £70,000 for the laying out and future maintenance of a pocket park and car park.

The money for the Redoubt had been retained by this Council. The Peer Group and English Heritage had tried to identify the best way to use the money in the longer-term interests of the Redoubt and had asked that the remaining Section 106 monies be used to prepare a Conservation Management Plan for the Redoubt.

Officers had presented a report to the Committee on 5 February 2008 proposing that £20,000 of the Section 106 monies should be used for preparation of the Management Plan, provided it was matched by a similar sum from the Peer Group. At that time, the Committee concluded that, rather than spending part of the retained sum on the preparation of such a plan, it would be better spent on enhancements to the site, and that officers should consider how the Management Plan might be prepared without recourse to the retained monies.

The Peer Group had now requested the return of the retained monies so that it could be spent on the management and maintenance of the Redoubt. The Committee considered the request in light of officer advice and concluded that as, in this case the Council could not spend the contribution itself, and the owner retained the maintenance and security responsibilities, it was appropriate for the Council to return the contribution, given the period of time which had elapsed since the original permission was granted.

Resolved:

(1)        That the negotiations with the Peer Group regarding the future of The Redoubt on the basis of the following options be noted:

(a)        utilising £20,000 of Section 106 funds to develop a management plan for the site;

(b)        returning £30,000 of section 106 agreement funds to Peer Group;

(2)        That it be noted that the Peer Group favour option 1(b) above;

(3)        That the outstanding Section 106 sum of £30,000 be returned to the Peer Group; and

(4)        That the company be reminded of its responsibilities for the security of, safety and maintenance of the Redoubt under the Section 106 Agreement.

(Director of Planning and Economic Development) To consider the attached report.

The Committee considered a report seeking direction on the use of Section 106 contributions made in July 1998 for the North Weald Redoubt following the grant of planning permission at an adjoining development site at the former North Weald Radio Station.

The section 106 agreement required the payment of £30,000 to the District Council, to be used for the management and future maintenance of the North Weald Redoubt in accordance with a management strategy for its protection, landscaping, access and enhancement.

The strategy had been intended to secure the necessary funding for its future management and maintenance. The Management Strategy had never been completed and under the section 106 agreement the developers continued to own the Redoubt, subject to the maintenance and security provisions.

The Committee noted that the Council had been holding the £30,000 contribution for the management and future maintenance of the Redoubt for almost ten years, although none of this sum had been spent to date. The owners had suggested that, rather than seek the return of the money at this stage, the money should be used to appoint consultants to prepare a Conservation Management Plan for the Redoubt. An estimate to carry out this work had been received from a team of specialist consultants in the order of £40,000. The Committee were asked to consider a recommendation for £20,000 of the sum to be spent on the preparation of a detailed Conservation Management Plan, provided that the owners also contributed the necessary matched funding to enable consultants to be appointed to prepare the Plan.

The Committee were of the view that rather than spending the retained sum for the preparation of such a plan, the money would be better spent on enhancements to the site and that officers should be asked to consider further how the Conservation Management Plan might be prepared without recourse to allocating the funding to plan preparation by consultants. It was suggested that there were ways of preparing such a plan ‘pro bono’ or by way of a student programme or other innovative scheme. Officers were asked to come back to a future meeting with further proposals.

Resolved:

That the Committee receive a further report to a subsequent meeting on alternative proposals for the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan for North Weald Redoubt.