Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting a request for Scrutiny.

The report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presented a request for Scrutiny that had been received from Mr David Rudge.  The request related to the use of Section 106 funding for the development of new parks in Leeds and the ability to maintain any new parks in addition to those already requiring maintenance.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Sean Flesher, Chief Officer, Parks and Countryside

·  David Feeney, Head of Forward Planning and Implementation, City Development

·  Mr David Rudge

Mr Rudge addressed the Board with the reasons for his request for Scrutiny.  These included the following:

·  General concern about the use of Section 106 funding, but particularly in relation to the development of new parks and green spaces.

·  The long term sustainability of any new green space developments once the Section 106 funding has ceased.

·  It was not felt that the process of negotiation in line with Section 106 agreements was open and transparent.

·  It was felt that funding received from Section 106 should be used across all Council services.

·  That communities need to be more involved in determining the use of Section 106 funding.

Dave Feeney, Head of Forward Planning and Implementation, addressed the meeting.  He highlighted the following issues:

·  Reference was made to existing planning policy documents, including the Unitary Development Plan, which currently provides the framework for all new developments and is used for making decisions regarding planning applications.  Greenspace was regarded as an integral land use for the city, which needed to be planned for alongside other uses and development proposals.

·  The Core Strategy, is currently in production and will eventually supersede a number of UDP policies, also addresses greenspace development.

·  Section 106 agreements and maintenance – these were complex but were always made with developers usually for a minimum of 10 years.

·  There are mechanisms for determining how such funding is spent, which involves Ward Members and community groups – it is an open and transparent process.

·  The Core Strategy is planning for a housing requirement of 70,000 dwellings in Leeds by 2028 and greenspace provision needs to be integral to future growth.

·  By 2014 the City Council will need to have a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place, which would replace some Section 106 agreements.

In response to Members comments and questions, the following issues were discussed:

·  The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) would supersede some elements of Section 106 by 2014.  A report was due to be considered by Development Plans Panel and the February meeting of the Executive Board.  Following that there would be opportunity for wider public consultation.

·  That the consideration of long term maintenance issues should feature more within the provisions of CIL.

·  That whilst existing planning policies and procedures are designed to be open and transparent, there is a need communicate these better to the public. A periodic schedule of Section 106 funded improvements was published and Elected Members were regularly notified of this.  The information was also publicly available as were details of unspent Section 106 monies.

The Chair thanked Mr Rudge for his attendance and concluded that whilst the Board will not be pursuing his request for Scrutiny, it has raised a need to ensure that the Council’s planning policies are communicated effectively to the public.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.