Agenda item

This item is subject to a decision  of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee and will only be required if Cabinet needs to consider recommendations following a call-in request.

Cabinet considered a report on 7 June 2022 seeking approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for a proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land.  The minutes of that meeting are accessible here.  Cabinet had resolved:

“That approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for the proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land be AGREED.”

Cabinet‘s decision had been called in by Councillor Christensen and been supported by 23 Councillors.  The call-in and pre-planning consultation document had been considered at a meeting of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee on 5 July, which had referred the decision back for further consideration by Cabinet relating to the pre-planning consultation document before any decision was taken.

Cabinet considered a further report and during discussions the Leader asked all Cabinet Members individually to confirm that they had read and considered the pre-planning consultation document on the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land that was included with the agenda papers.  All Cabinet Members confirmed that they had done this.

Following re-consideration of the Cabinet report, the pre-planning consultation document and feedback and the information in the confidential part of the agenda, it was –

RESOLVED –

(1)               That theService Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources,be authorised to instruct the submission of an Outline Planning Application consisting of up to 100 residential units including 30% affordable Housing, a new road link between Booker Park School and Lower Road, an increase in size of the existing access road to Lower Road and the provision of a sports and leisure area for community and school use.

(2)               That it be NOTED that this site is Council owned land and provides an opportunity to provide services to the benefit of Buckinghamshire residents, such as affordable and keyworker housing in excess of statutory requirements and homes for clients of adults and children’s services that cannot be imposed on privately owned development sites.

(3)               That, should an outline planning application be successful, the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources and relevant service Directors and Heads of Service, be authorised to develop a draft and bring forward a proposed detailed development scheme for further consideration by Cabinet.

Note: The Leader requested that the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee be informed of Cabinet’s decision and outcome of the meeting.

Cabinet considered a report on 7 June 2022 seeking approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for a proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land.  Cabinet had resolved that approval to submit an Outline Planning Application for the proposed residential development at the site of the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land be agreed.

Cabinet‘s decision had been called in by Councillor Christensen and been supported by 23 Councillors.  The call-in and pre-planning consultation document had been considered at a meeting of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee on 5 July, which had referred the decision back for further consideration by Cabinet relating to the pre-planning consultation document before any decision was taken.

Cabinet considered a further report and during discussions the Leader asked all Cabinet Members individually to confirm that they had read and considered the pre-planning consultation document on the former Buckinghamshire County Council Community Sports and Social Club land that was included with the agenda papers.  All Cabinet Members confirmed that they had done this. 

Cabinet’s attention was also drawn to the letter from the Chairman of Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee, a letter from the Chairman of Stoke Mandeville Parish Council and a letter from the Chair of Stoke Mandeville Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, which were all included with agenda papers.

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources reconfirmed the verbal report which he provided to the last Cabinet meeting which stated that whilst there was local opposition to the loss of open green space and to building houses on the site, there had been no public right of access and much of the site had been fenced off since the club closed. These plans would bring the site back into community use with over 40% of open green space, which could include a full size football pitch to the south of the site designated as community sports provision. The Cabinet Member stressed the need to balance the responses of all local stakeholders, including the support which had been received from local members as was set out in the report, and support from Stoke Mandeville Parish Council and Stoke Mandeville Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, referring to the letters which had been included in the agenda papers. 

The Cabinet, whilst understanding the strength of local feeling against the Outline Planning Application, recognised the benefits of the proposed plans in delivering on the Council’s affordable housing commitments, bringing the site back into community use with new sporting facilities and improving local traffic flows. The Leader referred to one of the manifesto commitments which was to look at surplus property from the legacy councils to see which sites could be used for affordable and key worker housing. Although the report looked at an affordable housing provision of 30%, there was an opportunity that the percentage of affordable housing could be as high as 60%. The importance of providing good quality well designed affordable housing for local people and key workers was stressed.

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources stated that in terms of future consultation, if Cabinet decided an application should be submitted, there would be a further statutory round of publicity by the Council as Local Planning Authority, which would afford the Community a chance to submit their comments on the application to the Local Planning Authority. All local Members and statutory consultees would be consulted by the Local Planning Authority during the planning application process.

Following re-consideration of the Cabinet report, the pre-planning consultation document and feedback and the information in the confidential part of the agenda, it was –

RESOLVED –

(1)               That theService Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources,be authorised to instruct the submission of an Outline Planning Application consisting of up to 100 residential units including 30% affordable Housing, a new road link between Booker Park School and Lower Road, an increase in size of the existing access road to Lower Road and the provision of a sports and leisure area for community and school use.

(2)               That it be NOTED that this site is Council owned land and provides an opportunity to provide services to the benefit of Buckinghamshire residents, such as affordable and keyworker housing in excess of statutory requirements and homes for clients of adults and children’s services that cannot be imposed on privately owned development sites.

(3)               That, should an outline planning application be successful, the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources and relevant service Directors and Heads of Service, be authorised to develop a draft and bring forward a proposed detailed development scheme for further consideration by Cabinet.

Note: The Leader requested that the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee be informed of Cabinet’s decision and outcome of the meeting.