Meeting documents

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the PAG held on 12 June 2014.

The minutes of the meeting of the PAG held on 12 June 2014 were received.

The PAG received a report and presentation on the consultation by County Council on new County wide Parking Guidance. Members were asked to advise the Portfolio Holder on the Council’s response to the consultation.

The report set out the following concerns with regards to the new guidance:

·         the decrease in parking standards from the current standards;

·         the use of ½ spaces and

·         the potential effect on future office development. 

In the discussion which followed, the PAG stressed the need for the standards for residential car parking to be more reflective of the district’s high car ownership per household, especially for households with over 4 bedrooms.  A suggestion was made that the standard for car parking spaces for residential properties should be based on the floor area of the property. 

In response to concerns regarding the need to take into account local circumstances, the representative from Bucks County Council emphasised that the guidance would allow for flexibility to provide the right amount of parking when it would not be appropriate to apply the specific standards.  Whilst welcoming this flexibility, the PAG nevertheless felt that the flexibility, particularly for residential development, was not explicit enough.

The PAG agreed with the concern expressed that the guidance needed to be clearer and more user-friendly for members of the public, for example the use of ½ spaces would cause confusion, as would the use of terminology such as habitable rooms. 

The PAG noted that councillors were able to submit any further comments for inclusion in the Council’s response.

Having considered the advice of the PAG and after noting that a response was required by 31 October 2014, the Portfolio Holder agreed that a response incorporating the concerns covered in the report and expressed at the meeting would be submitted by the Head of Sustainable Development in consultation with the Portfolio Holder. 

In accordance with the commitment given by the Portfolio Holder at the meeting on 13 March 2014 the PAG received a report setting out the interactions that have taken place in relation to the "duty to cooperate".

RESOLVED that the report be noted

Members noted that the following item contained exempt information which was not available to the press and public.

The PAG received a report which provided an update on the HS2 Project and the Council’s position in the light of its petition on the Scheme.

The PAG noted that a further report on this issue would be presented to the next meeting of the PAG.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Verbal update on Wilton Park

The PAG were informed that Jansons have discontinued their case against the Ministry of Defence and have asked the Council to disregard their objections to the draft SPD.

The Council had commissioned an independent expert to survey the woodland in the south of and to the south west of Wilton Park. The interim report on the survey would be published on the Council’s website.  A woodland TPO was served on 20 May 2014.

A timetable for completion of the outstanding work on the SPD was now being considered.