Agenda and decisions

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2024.

Question from Councillor Robin Stuchbury to Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration

Buckinghamshire Council’s Parish charter set out some broad ambitions around planning. It states that to enable Parish and Town Councils to contribute to the planning process the Council will:-

·       adopt a statement of community involvement regarding consultations with Parish and Town Councils on planning issues.

·       equip Parish and Town Councils with the knowledge and skills to enable them to share the views of the community they represent

·       enable Parish and Town Councils to set up policies for their own local area by preparing neighbourhood plans

·       ensure Parish and Town Councils have the right to question a call in of an application to a committee or request a Buckinghamshire councillor to do that on their behalf and give them a dedicated speaking slot where they have made representations

·       consult Parish and Town councils, when producing the Buckinghamshire Local plan that will replace the current adopted local plan including the mineral waste plan.

These were broad ambitions set out at the onset and formation of Buckinghamshire Council. How does the Council believe they are meeting these aspirations for partnership working and can specific examples be given on what has been achieved in relation to the bullet points above?

For Cabinet to note the Select Committee Work Programme.

Development of the Buckinghamshire Housing Strategy took place in Spring and Summer of 2023. A public and stakeholder consultation on the housing strategy took place between 8 November 2023 and 18 January 2024. This public consultation included an all member briefing and discussion at the 14 December 2023 Growth Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee meeting as well as other targeted engagement.

The responses to the consultation indicated that there is broad agreement of the vision, the three priorities, and the critical success factors. One theme, from the comments to the consultation, raised queries around delivery and action plans. These plans were under development and would align to the final strategy once adopted. Changes to the housing strategy (detailed in Appendix 2 of the report) had been incorporated in the final version for agreement at Cabinet and later at full Council for adoption.

The Buckinghamshire Housing Strategy had been devised for the five-year period 2024 to 2029. The vision for the housing strategy was:

A strong housing offer that provides affordable, accessible, sustainable and suitable choices are all life stages.

The three strategic priorities for the housing strategy were:

• Priority One - Understanding the housing needs of our diverse population.

• Priority Two - Better Homes: good quality, sustainable and matched to need.

• Priority Three - New Homes: affordable, accessible and appropriate.

The final housing strategy was scheduled to be presented to Full Council on 17 April 2024 for proposed adoption.

RESOLVED that Cabinet note the response to the recent public consultation and recommend the proposed amendments (in Appendix 2) to the draft Buckinghamshire Housing Strategy 2024-2029 to Full Council.

In response to the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy commitment of ‘improving places and helping communities to support healthy ageing’ a Healthy Ageing Strategy had been developed. The strategy set out the Council’s commitment to become an ‘age friendly community’ by undertaking improvement actions across the 8 interconnected areas identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support older people to live healthy, active and independent lives.

The strategy was supported by a multi-agency Age Friendly Bucks Partnership, chaired by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, and a network of partners and residents who oversaw, informed and helped create the strategy and underpinning action plan. It had been informed by resident engagement, and engagement would continue with communities throughout the duration of the strategy.

RESOLVED that Cabinet note the contents of the new Buckinghamshire Healthy Ageing Strategy and endorse the actions within it.

This report provided an update on a number of matters relating to the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), including a national name change to all AONB’s, the Chiltern AONB Boundary review, Chiltern Conservation Board’s decision regarding its Protected Area Management Plan, an increased duty on Local Authorities in light of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the government’s recommitment to designating a new National Park in the UK and the Chiltern Conservation Boards intention to engage with the Local Authority regarding their next steps and Management Plan review.

RESOLVED that the contents of the update report be noted including comments from Members regarding Chiltern Conservation Boards decision to undertake a ‘lighttouch’ review of their management plan and delay their full review until early 2025.

This paper sought approval of a new Future High Street ‘Retail Repurposing Scheme’. It was being brought forward to ensure the Council maximised the full benefit of the allocated FHS monies. This project would enable a current high street tenant to downsize from their multi-level store in Wycombe town centre, by newly fitting out the ground floor. The Council owned the freehold of the building. The tenant would pay to surrender their long leasehold and would enter into a new occupational lease. This would release the first and part second floors for alternative use. The large floorplates were suited to storage use, with one third of the first floor and half of the part second floor capable of being converted to offices. The proposal was to relocate Buckinghamshire Archives from Aylesbury into part of the first floor and, possibly, the relocation of the Discover Bucks Museum’s collections storage from Halton. The potential offices being either for operational use or developed speculatively for letting.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1 agree to implement the High Wycombe Future High Street Fund Retail Repurposing Scheme, as set out in the Confidential Annex, involving entering into a ‘surrender & renewal’ Agreement with the tenant, subject to proven structural integrity of the building and conditional upon planning consent for the proposed uses/alterations, enabling the downsizing of the tenant into the ground floor, releasing space to be converted to accommodate the relocation of the Buckinghamshire Archives, and potentially, Discover Bucks Museum’s collections storage currently located at Halton, and create office space for existing Council services.

2. agree to supplementary budget changes set out in the Confidential Annex of the report, increasing the Capital Budget for the Future High Street Scheme from the current budget of £6m to £11.26m, funded from Future High Street Fund Grant, Council match funding, the Capital Receipt from the Tenant Surrender Premium, and new Capital Receipts.

3. agree to release £8.27m of this amended Capital budget (which excludes the new Capital Receipts), to proceed with the Tenant lease surrender and the creation of the shell unit, to ensure we meet DLUHC’s deadlines for spending the grant funding.

4. delegate to the Service Director of Property & Assets and the Service Director of Culture, Sport & Leisure, in agreement with the Leader and their respective Cabinet Members and the Section 151 Officer, authority to conclude detailed terms for the Agreement with the tenant; to negotiate detailed terms with Discover Bucks Museum linked to their museum storage (if it is agreed that this will be part of the scheme); to appoint a full project planning and design team and solicitors; submit a planning application and enter into appropriate contracts for the proposed conversion works and relocations. This will be up to the value of released budget as set out in the Confidential Annex of the report.

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

9 April 2024 at 10am