Agenda and minutes

(a)        This meeting is to be webcast;

(b)        Members are reminded of the need to activate their microphones before speaking; and

(c)        the Chairman will read the following announcement:

I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the Internet and will be capable of subsequent repeated viewing, with copies of the recording being made available for those that request it.

By being present at this meeting, it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in your image becoming part of the broadcast.

You should be aware that this may infringe your human and data protection rights. If you have any concerns then please speak to the Webcasting Officer.

Please could I also remind Members to activate their microphones before speaking.

The Chairman reminded everyone present that the meeting would be broadcast live to the Internet, and that the Council had adopted a protocol for the webcasting of its meetings.

The Cabinet Committee noted that Councillor D Stallan substituted for Councillor W Breare-Hall and Councillor A Lion for Councillor G Waller.

(The Director of Governance) To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

(a)        Pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct, Councillor C Whitbread declared a personal interest in agenda item 6, Asset Management Co-Ordination Group Report item 4, St John’s Road by virtue of being a resident of Epping. The Councillor had determined that his interest was non-pecuniary and would remain in the meeting for the consideration of the issue.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting of the Cabinet Committee held on 23 April 2015.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 April 2015 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Director of Neighbourhoods)To consider the attached report AMED-001-2015/16.

The Economic Development Officer presented a report to the Cabinet Committee and updated them on a number of projects and issues being explored by the Economic Development Team.

(1)        Staffing – The Economic Development team was now fully staffed.

(2)        Essex Superfast Broadband – EFDC Officers have worked with Essex County Council Officers to successfully complete the procurement process for the Rural Challenge Project phase of the Superfast Essex Broadband project. The contract had been awarded to Gigaclear, a company who specialise in the building and operation of fibre broadband networks in rural communities They build fibre to the premises (FTTP) networks. Marketing and engagement will commence immediately to the local communities. The building of the network and the delivery of the services were expected to commence by the end of the year.

Enquiries from the public asking how the programme was going should be directed to the Superfast Essex website where they would be able to access the interactive postcode checker map and identify whether their property was within the rural challenge project area. If they were not then they would be able to identify the status of broadband delivery to their postcode, as covered by other phases of the programme

(3)        Eastern Plateau – The Eastern Plateau Local Action Group have been awarded approximately £1.8m and the aim of the funding was to create jobs and promote business growth in rural areas. It will focus on projects covering farm productivity, rural tourism, the provision of rural services, culture and heritage forest/woodland productivity and small business growth.

The final formalities are being signed off with the Rural Payments Agency and the Eastern Plateau are looking to start processing active applications later this year. Marketing had begun on a number of projects spread across each of the different priorities, as previously mentioned. There had been some interest located in the Epping Forest District.

(4)        One Business Briefing – Our business newsletter has recently been issued, it has been given an overhaul with a brand new look and feel to it, aiming to deliver a high quality professional and informative magazine to businesses within the district.

(5)        District Centres Economic Development Fund – Members may recall that this was previously the Town Centres Development Fund which had now been expanded to include some of the smaller village centres in the district. We are meeting with the Town teams in a couple of weeks time and are hoping to be able to deliver a programme that they are keen to get involved in. We will report further at the next meeting.

(6)        Business Survey – EFDC have received a large quantity of data from Essex County Council which needs to be analysed and the team hope to report on this further in the near future.

(7)        Tourism Development – The Tourism Conference was a very successful event and as a result a number of local visitor related businesses have expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the work of the visitor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report AMED-002-2015/16.

The Director of Neighbourhoods presented a report to the Cabinet Committee and updated them on further progress which had been achieved since the publication of the Agenda. 

(1)          Epping Forest Shopping Park – The District Council held an extraordinary Council meeting on the 23 June 2015. Previously there had been a Cabinet recommendation that the Council sought to become the sole developer of this site. Previously a joint special purpose vehicle with the adjacent land owner Polofind Limited had been developed, to take forward this scheme jointly. However, there were indications that Polofind would like to sell their interests and it was deemed appropriate that the Council should be the sole owners of this development and that recommendation was made to the extraordinary Council meeting. The funding was made available and on Friday 3 July 2015 the Council became the sole owners of the site.

Marketing of the site was going very well and the Council are in talks with four key anchor tenants.

There was a significant highways improvement scheme which would be implemented, not only to facilitate access to the retail park but to address some of the chronic congestion problems in that locality.

(2)        Oakwood Hill Depot –The waste contractor BIFFA vacated the Langston Road depot in early May and moved to their own depot in Waltham Cross.  Additional space had been leased on Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate to facilitate the museum.

Part of the procurement of the retail park gives us the ability to retain a part of the Langston Road depot to temporarily retain the MOT centre and the fleet services on that site until the new depot at Oakwood Hill had been constructed.

(3)        Pyrles Lane Nursery – Further work had been undertaken to address some of the concerns raised following the refusal of this application. Revised plans will be submitted and this application will go to the DDMC due to it being Council owned land. Ward Members will be advised in advance of that application being submitted.

(4)        St John’s Road –The Diocese have now released the covenant for Lyndsey House which Essex County Council are looking to purchase from us as part of the St John’s Road development. An issue had cropped up whereby when public bodies sell assets, State Aid approval had to be sought to ensure that you were getting the best value. We have taken legal advise to ensure that we are complying correctly. Essex County Council will have to write to the Secretary of state to seek his agreement before the final approval. Completion was expected to be within the next 4-6 weeks.

(5)        North Weald Airfield – There had been 3 days of hosting visits to the site from companies expressing interests in becoming a development partner. Savills were appointed to assist the Council with the marketing exercise and advertised through the relevant trade and aviation press. We have received back expressions of interest from 3 companies. Due to the commercial sensitivity Savills will be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, together with paragraphs 6 and 25 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require that the permission of the Chairman be obtained, after prior notice to the Chief Executive, before urgent business not specified in the agenda (including a supplementary agenda of which the statutory period of notice has been given) may be transacted.

In accordance with Operational Standing Order 6 (non-executive bodies), any item raised by a non-member shall require the support of a member of the Committee concerned and the Chairman of that Committee. Two weeks’ notice of non-urgent items is required.

The Cabinet Committee noted that there was no other urgent business for consideration.

Exclusion

To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Confidential Items Commencement

Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require:

(1)       All business of the Council requiring to be transacted in the presence of the press and public to be completed by 10.00 p.m. at the latest.

(2)       At the time appointed under (1) above, the Chairman shall permit the completion of debate on any item still under consideration, and at his or her discretion, any other remaining business whereupon the Council shall proceed to exclude the public and press.

(3)       Any public business remaining to be dealt with shall be deferred until after the completion of the private part of the meeting, including items submitted for report rather than decision.

Background Papers

Paragraph 8 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)       disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)       have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 10) and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

Inspection of background papers may be arranged by contacting the officer responsible for the item.

The Cabinet Committee noted that there were no items of business on the agenda that necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.