Agenda item

To receive an oral update from the Portfolio Holders for Environment and Coastal Services and Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure addressed the Panel. She gave an update on the following:

·       Planning consent for a Strategic Site development of 404 dwellings, a community hub and a convenience store, had been granted by the New Forest District Council (NFDC) Planning Committee at their meeting on 11 January 2023.

·       Running parallel to this development, the Infrastructure Delivery Plan provides a comprehensive list of requirements that will mitigate the impact of the Strategic Site development. This includes 22 units of affordable housing in the first phase.

·       A new member of staff had been recruited for the Building Control team.

·       On phosphates, there had been an embargo upon building in the Avon Valley as of 2018. The Portfolio Holder was pleased to say that the Private Sector had come forward with a solution, utilising their own land to offset nutrients and, in some examples, had created new wetlands or fallow land sites. Developers could therefore now buy credits from said third parties to allow a way forward with a means to unlock the embargo. This was hoped to enable more housing to be developed in the District.

·       £200,000 of funding was provided last year to work on phosphates, nitrates, biodiversity, and net gain in terms of housing development.

·       Different projects were ongoing, with changes proposed in the Regeneration and Levelling Up Bill for 2030, which would see a change in permits placing more of the responsibility for nutrient removal on water companies, who are one of the two main sources of nutrient pollution.

A member of the Panel commented on the impacts of schemes the size of the recently approved Strategic Site in Fordingbridge upon local infrastructure. The Panel were reassured by the Portfolio Holder that mitigations had been put in place for this scheme but that members should also engage with the development of the new Local Plan so that local knowledge and experience can be accounted for in the process. Member involvement will also improve understanding and knowledge on planning matters of this scale.

A member of the panel asked a question on the issue of phosphates and nitrates and the impact they have on developments in the District. The Panel were told that currently the developer contribution for nitrate mitigation was around £3000, with the figure for Phosphates being considerably more. Work was being undertaken with partners in the Solent area on this matter and a strategic role had been created to look at the issue of nitrates and phosphates.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Coastal Services addressed the Panel. He gave an update on the following:

·       The new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) would not be operational until 2025, This meant there would be a change in service delivery order whereby wheeled bins for garden waste would be introduced in 2024 with the changes for waste and recycling being introduced in 2025.

·       Since the last meeting of the Panel, the Portfolio Holder had attended the annual meeting of the Project Integra Steering Board. Information shared at the meeting was useful, with particular emphasis on the quality of materials that should be sent to recycling facilities in order to avoid contamination.

·       The Portfolio Holder had visited several waste depots to observe the work undertaken by the teams. He expressed admiration for the staff that worked in depots across the District.

·       The Christchurch Bay & Harbour Coastal Protection Strategy remained on target for completion in 2024 and public meetings on this matter had been held in Christchurch and Milford receiving good turnouts to review the round 4 engagement short list options.

·       The Portfolio Holder met with Cllr Dowd and a resident of the Hythe Ward in December 2022 to discuss the concerns over flooding,

·       The Portfolio Holder had visited Hurst Spit whilst North Point recycling works were being undertaken and was pleased to say that the works had now been completed.

·       Electric charging points had been installed at several points across the District with more to follow.

·       The annual meeting with officers and the Beach Hut Owners Association had taken place and conversations remained open on the issue of proposed increases to the annual licence fee which would be considered by Full Council.

A member asked about the length of time it takes to fully charge an electric vehicle at a charging point. The Portfolio Holder explained that different vehicles had different  charging times and that on average it could be about 4 hours for full charge.

The Panel were informed that beach hut vandalism remained low and that call outs to deal with vandalism in this area were at a lower rate than previous years. Furthermore, the shingles on the seafront promenade at Milford on Sea was last cleared between 12-14 December. There is less demand to clear the promenade in the Winter due to the lower numbers of visitors to the seafront, however recent bad weather meant that this December clean was required.