Agenda item

Questions, if any, from Members who have given notice.

Question from Councillor Mike Ratcliffe to Councillor Garry Purdy, Leader of the Council and Councillor Jason Atkin, Chair of Planning Committee:

“A number recent planning committee meetings have been in session for well over 4 hours. This inordinate length has a clear detrimental impact upon members, officers and the public who attend. Given that the regulatory and statutory function of the DDDC as a Planning Authority demands the highest standards of protocol and procedure, is it not now time for an urgent review into the governance process involved?”

In Councillor Garry Purdy’s absence, Councillor Susan Hobson provided a verbal response:

Thanks for your question, Cllr Ratcliffe. Like you, I am becoming increasingly concerned at the length of Planning Committee meetings in recent months. I know that the Monitoring Officer has indicated a few months ago that he was keeping a close eye on the committee and the way it operates, so I expect that he will bring forward proposals for consideration in due course. Members can send their thoughts directly to him if there are specific issues they would wish to be considered.

However, the responsibility is not just with officers, but also with Members. It is not unreasonable to expect that Members prepare fully in advance of meetings so that the best use of time can be achieved for all attendees. In the recent training provided to members of the Planning Committee, there was a reminder that Members should approach case officers to put questions in advance of the meeting and not leave them until the night of the meeting. This is not only a better use of officer time to avoid lengthy questions in meetings but should also allow more focus on the contributions to debate that Members make to enable the Committee to reach a decision – which should influence the way in which the committee chooses to vote.

Questions from Councillor Martin Burfoot to Councillor Garry Purdy, Leader of the Council:

“From documents currently available it appears that over £3.5million collected from developers in lieu of affordable housing provision has been received, but not spent or yet allocated to any affordable housing project, as of March 2021.

Can Cllr Purdy confirm the above figure and provide a more up-to-date figure to show the current situation as regards S106 money held by the Council?

Does Cllr Purdy also agree with me that, given the Council’s Climate Change mitigation target, we should explore using some of this cash by championing energy efficient homes, with up to date insulation and renewable energy measures applied to all new build housing developments?”

In Councillor Garry Purdy’s absence, Councillor Susan Hobson provided a verbal response:

Part 1:

I can refer Cllr Burfoot to Appendix C of the Capital Programme report which provides the up to date forecast for all of the capital reserves. The projected opening balance for the Section 106 reserve at 1^st April 2023 is £4,019,683.

Part 2:

The District Council has played a key role in both enabling access to funds to support the cost of retrofitting existing homes with energy efficiency measures in the social housing and private sector, as well as supporting the adoption of higher standards in new build social housing. S106 income can only be spent on affordable housing and so the council’s investment is vital to support the majority of affordable housing schemes either delivered directly by the council or through housing associations. In terms of the Council’s own housing stock, we are investing s106 funding to ensure the existing homes we buy reach a minimum of EPC B and we have achieved this on two homes already, one in Matlock and one in Darley Dale. In Ashbourne we are buying 3 homes from a private developer which will be finished to a higher energy efficiency standard, through solar pv and battery technology, than the private homes on the same site. In Monyash we are taking on 5 homes and investing in the renovation and retrofit of the properties to improve their energy efficiency.

Members will recall that previously the Council approved a substantial grant to Nottingham Community Housing Association that will see 33 new homes on Mayfield Road in Ashbourne. This will be the most energy efficient housing development in the district, with no gas boilers and instead be heated by air source heat pumps. The wooden frame homes will be highly energy efficient and include solar panels.

Working with our local Almshouse Trusts we are also delivering substantial energy efficiency improvements with challenging ‘hard to treat’ homes including those in Matlock, Wirksworth and Calver. Works include solar panels, air source heat pumps, internal wall insulation, insulated floors, battery technology and ‘power walls’ along with a range of other energy saving features. The Council’s progress in retrofit activity was highlighted when the Council was shortlisted in the national ‘Retrofit Academy Awards’ earlier this year.

In summary the Council is leading the way by directly providing our own new energy efficient homes and supporting our existing partners to go beyond the existing building regulations.