New Forest Borough Council Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel Meeting

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 March 2020 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

No declarations of interest were made in connection with an agenda item.

No issues were raised in the public participation period.

The Panel received an update from Cllr Hoare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services.  She reported the following:

·                Milford Sea Wall: The severe storms of 2019/20 had damaged the Sea Wall at Milford on Sea, west of the White House.  A report had been received outlining the extent of the damage with options and costings which were being evaluated.

·                Litter / Flytipping: This had become a big issue since the ease of lockdown.  The team had increased litter bin emptying, particularly along the coast and signs had been put up to encourage people to take their litter home.  Flytipping had decreased with the reopening of the Waste and Recycling centres.  Litter picking had also been carried out along the A326, A31 and A35.

·                Enforcement:  The team had been working to address problems with bonfires, educating residents on the environmental and health risks. 

·                The Food Safety team had worked with businesses to offer a food takeaway service, however some premises had allowed customers to eat on the premises in gardens, or had served alcohol whilst customers waited for the food.  Prohibition orders had been served in some cases.

·                Officers had worked with HCC in relation ensure social distancing measures were maintained with the reopening of retail business in the high streets.

·                Lymington Sea Wall work had been completed.

·                Grass cutting had resumed on revised frequencies.

·                The Leader had written to local MPs on behalf of the Council to encourage them to express their support to the proposed Local Electricity Bill as it makes its way through Parliament. If passed, the Bill could allow the District Council to become a local electricity supplier if it were to be a benefit to the local community.   

Cllr Edward Heron, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Infrastructure reported that car parking charges in all Council owned car parks had been reinstated.  A question was asked about a possible suspension of car parking charges in town centres in order to support local businesses and encourage shopping locally.  The Portfolio Holder acknowledged these concerns but also noted that the District Council had lost £400,000 in revenue during the closure of the car parks and that a car parking clock could be purchased to be used in car parks which offered good value for money.  The Portfolio Holder reported he would consider the proposal if suggestions could be made for savings in other areas to account for the lost revenue.  It was noted that circa £100,000 could be lost through the parking metre per month from any closure of town centre car parks.  Consideration would also need to be given to those who had purchased a car parking clock.

The Panel received an overview with a timeline of the impact on services within the Environment and Regulatory Services Portfolio and the Portfolio for Planning and Infrastructure, as a result of COVID-19 and the financial implications.  The slides from the presentation are attached to the minutes as an Appendix for reference.

The Panel received a presentation on the Annual Performance and Provisional Budget outturn report.  It was noted that the report looked back over the last financial year, and as a result there was limited impact within the report of COVID-19.  The new Corporate Plan had been agreed in February 2020 and therefore the report was in the transition period between the old and the new Corporate Plan.  The achievements for 2019-20 were detailed per portfolio, information was provided against key performance measures as well as the financial outturn for the general fund and the Housing Revenue Account.

Due to the late publication of the report, members of the Panel reported they had not been able to consider the report in detail and felt they were unable to participate in discussion or agree to the recommendations.  It was therefore agreed that they would pass any comments to officers outside of the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That Members of the Panel consider the report outside of the meeting and pass any comments to officers for inclusion in the forthcoming Cabinet report.

The Panel received a presentation updating them on the progress of the work of the Waste Strategy Working Group.

The key findings of the Working Group, as well as national and regional factors was presented to the Panel, for example, a separate weekly food waste collection service was proposed to become mandatory for all waste collection authorities. 

The Group had attended a workshop in February and as part of this, members had considered their high, medium and low priorities for any future service. 

A survey with residents had been carried out by MEL research in January / February 2020 to better understand the views of residents on the current service, their waste and recycling behaviours, limiting and motivating factors, and what materials residents would like to be collected.  It was noted that a doorstep survey had been carried out, stratified by ward and an online survey had been available.  In total over 3,832 responses had been received.  The differences in the results between these two types surveys was explained.

There was a high confidence interval in the results of +1.6%, at 95% confidence.  The survey gathered both opinions as well information on gender, age, rural / urban, coastal and also Acorn classifications.  This was to ensure that a representative sample was being surveyed.  Where differences between the area profile and the sample occurred, the data had been weighted accordingly to reflect the metrics of the area.

It was noted that younger households, those with children and larger households generally created more waste.  On average most households put out 1-2 sacks a week for recycling and residual waste.  A question had been included in the survey about the use of recycling banks to establish whether they were widely used by residents as there had been evidence of small businesses using these banks rather than disposing of their waste appropriately.

In general, residents were satisfied with the current service.  However, it was recognised that changes would be needed as a result of a national and regional factors, as well residents wanting to see recycling improvements.

The Committee considered the food and safety service work undertaken during 2019-20 and the key achievements.  They also considered the proposed work plan for 2020-21 noting the impact of the current coronavirus pandemic on the provision of services.

The work of the food and safety team was explained.  The team had been on track to complete 99% of the high-risk food inspections for the year, however due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and business closures 93% had been completed.  The national food hygiene rating scheme for inspections was explained and it was noted that almost 98% of food businesses in the New Forest achieved ratings of 3 or above.

In addition to the food related work, the team carries out the enforcement of health and safety law in workplaces, animal welfare licensing, skin piercing registrations and caravan site licensing.  Information on the work in these areas had been included in the annual report.

Members questioned how food inspections were being carried out during the coronavirus crisis.  It was noted that officers had worked with local businesses, giving support and advice to enable them to trade.  Social distancing measures were key during any inspection and officers were checking that all operating businesses could demonstrate they were COVID-19 secure. Risk assessments were carried out to ensure all inspections could be carried out safely.

It was asked whether dog walkers required a licence.  It was noted that they were not covered by the Animal Welfare Regulations and did not need a licence, provided they did not offer any boarding or day care.  Members expressed concerns about dog walkers, their ability to control several dogs and the risk to other dogs and members of the public.  Hampshire County Council and the National Park Authority were aware of the problem and guidance was available. 

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the food and safety service over the past year as set out in the Service Review Report (Appendix 1) was reviewed; and

(b)        That the proposed Work Plan for the forthcoming year be agreed.

A visitor survey had been commissioned by a partnership of local planning authorities, working with Forestry England and Natural England with funding from central Government in January 2018.  The research had been the most comprehensive survey of recreational use of the New Forest since 2004/05.  The study had been carried out to produce a robust evidence base to understand the pressures and impacts on the internationally protected habitats of the New Forest arising from increased development and visitor numbers.  It was proposed that a joint strategic mitigation framework would later be developed.

Three types of survey had been undertaken; via phone calls, on site - face to face interviewsand vehicle counts.  The key findings for each survey had been included as an Appendix to the report.  The research would help to improve understanding of the nature of the recreational impacts on the protected New Forest sites and would provide an evidence base for developing a strategic approach to avoiding and mitigating those adverse impacts.

It was acknowledged that it was important to continue to work collaboratively with other local authorities in the development of a strategic, proportionate and co-ordinated approach to mitigation of recreational impacts on the New Forest area.

RESOLVED:

That the report be welcomed.

The Panel considered the proposal to introduce requirements for developments to provide for biodiversity net gain as part of planning permission.  The proposals within the report will be considered by the Cabinet in July, to be followed by full Council.

Members views were sought on the introduction of a requirement for 10% biodiversity net gain on planning permissions granted after 7 July, and that it would apply to all new build developments with the exception of householder applications.

Members noted the 10% requirement and questioned how easy it would be to calculate.  It was noted that DEFRA/Natural England had a calculation tool online, which would be used.  Developers would need to consider the requirement as part of the planning application process.  It was also noted that Government proposed to introduce a requirement for biodiversity net gain for applications in the future was part of the Environment Bill.

RESOLVED:

That the following measures be supported for approval:

1. The introduction of a requirement for 10% Biodiversity Net Gain to all planning permissions granted after 7^th July 2020.

2. Setting the biodiversity net gain requirement as a minimum of 10% increase in biodiversity.

3. Applying the requirement to all new build developments, except householder applications.

The Panel considered the proposed amendments to the Statement of Community Involvement, prior to consideration by the Portfolio Holder, Cabinet and Council seeking authority to undertake public consultation on the changes to the Statement.

The Statement of Community (SCI) was noted to be a statutory document, relating only to planning and the purpose of it was to set out the Council’s consultation and engagement methods to involve interested residents, groups, organisations, businesses and other representatives and individuals in the planning process.  The SCI had originally been adopted in 2015 and revised in 2018. 

The reasons behind the review were set out in the report and included, the new Government guidance, in light of the Covid 19 pandemic, work coming out of the on going review of development management processes relating to neighbour consultation and pre application engagement, the future adoption of the Local Plan and following feedback on the Hythe and Dibden Neighbourhood Plan process.  

RESOLVED:

That the proposed amendments to the Statement of Community Involvement be supported.

It was noted that since the last meeting in March, Hampshire Country Council had been successful in their bid to the Department to Transport (DfT) for funding for a feasibility study into the restoration of a passenger railway link along the Waterside.

The feasibility study would involve the County Council, DfT and key stakeholders, including the District Council.  The funding would be used to better understand the issues around the reopening of the railway line for passengers, within a context of multimodal transport such as enhanced bus services, better walking routes and cycle lanes and improvements to the A326.

Support was expressed by some members for the feasibility study.  It was clarified that multimodal transport was supported by the District Council’s current Corporate Plan, the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. 

RESOLVED:

That the Work Programme be approved with the following amendments / additions:

• Review of Street Cleansing Activities and Standards to be postponed;
• Pre App Protocol – to be considered at the meeting on 10 September 2020; and
• Behaviour Change Litter Initiative – to be considered at the meeting on 14 January 2021