Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Nigel Mason, Sarah Lucas, Donna Wright, Vijaiya Poopalasingham, Laura Williams, Dominic Griffiths, Chris Lucas, David Chalmers, Ralph Muncer, Claire Strong, David Barnard, Steve Jarvis, Lisa Nash, Sam Collins and Cathy Brownjohn.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 00 seconds

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Nigel Mason, Sarah Lucas, Donna Wright, Vijaiya Poopalasingham, Laura Williams, Dominic Griffiths, Chris Lucas, David Chalmers, Ralph Muncer, Claire Strong, David Barnard, Steve Jarvis, Lisa Nash, Sam Collins and Cathy Brownjohn.

Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered.

There was no other business notified.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 51 seconds

There was no other business notified.

Climate Emergency

The Council has declared a climate emergency and is committed to achieving a target of zero carbon emissions by 2030 and helping local people and businesses to reduce their own carbon emissions.

A Cabinet Panel on the Environment has been established to engage with local people on matters relating to the climate emergency and advise the council on how to achieve these climate change objectives. A Climate Change Implementation group of councillors and council officers meets regularly to produce plans and monitor progress. Actions taken or currently underway include switching to green energy, incentives for low emission taxis, expanding tree planting and working to cut food waste.

In addition the council is a member of the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership, working with other councils across Hertfordshire to reduce the county’s carbon emissions and climate impact.

The Council’s dedicated webpage on Climate Change includes details of the council’s climate change strategy, the work of the Cabinet Panel on the Environment and a monthly briefing on progress.

Ecological Emergency

The Council has declared an ecological emergency and is committed to addressing the ecological emergency and nature recovery by identifying appropriate areas for habitat restoration and biodiversity net gain whilst ensuring that development limits impact on existing habitats in its process.

The Council has set out to do that by a) setting measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase, in both species and quantities, seeking to increase community engagement, b) to work with our partners to establish a Local Nature Partnership for Hertfordshire and to develop Nature Recovery Networks and Nature Recovery Strategy for Hertfordshire and c) to investigate new approaches to nature recovery such as habitat banking that deliver biodiversity objectives and provide new investment opportunities.

Declarations of Interest

Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote.

(1)  The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)  The Chair reminded Members that the Council had declared both a Climate Emergency and an Ecological Emergency. These are serious decisions, and mean that, as this was an emergency, all of us, Officers and Members had that in mind as we carried out our various roles and tasks for the benefit of our District.

(3)  The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

The Chair confirmed that a dispensation had been granted by the Monitoring Officer to all dual hatter Councillors (i.e. those who are both County and District Councillors) for Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan.

(4)  The Chair advised that the normal procedure rules in respect of debate and times to speak will apply.

(5)  The Chair advised that 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution applied to part of this meeting and that Members could not leave the Chamber during Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan. A comfort break would be held at an appropriate time, should proceedings continue at length.

(6)  The Chair advised of a change to the agenda order and Item 5, Referrals from Other Committees, would be taken following Agenda Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan, other than Referral 5A which would be taken alongside Item 6.

(7)  The Chair advised that Callum Reeve, Electoral Services Assistant, was leaving the Council and thanked him for his support to Members during his time at the authority.

(8)  The Chair advised that Jeanette Thompson, Monitoring Officer and Director – Governance, had been awarded the Lawyers in Local Government ‘Legal Professional of the Year’. He paid tribute to the work Jeanette had done at the Council and congratulated her on the achievement.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 56 seconds

(1)   The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)   The Chair reminded Members that the Council had declared both a Climate Emergency and an Ecological Emergency. These are serious decisions, and mean that, as this was an emergency, all of us, Officers and Members had that in mind as we carried out our various roles and tasks for the benefit of our District.

(3)   The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question. The Chair confirmed that a dispensation had been granted by the Monitoring Officer to all dual hatter Councillors (i.e. those who are both County and District Councillors) for Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan.

The following Members advised that they had other conflicts, which had been discussed with the Monitoring Officer and a further dispensation had been granted:

·       Councillor Paul Ward

·       Councillor Emma Rowe

·       Councillor Emma Fernandes

(4)   The Chair advised that the normal procedure rules in respect of debate and times to speak will apply.

(5)   The Chair advised that 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution applied to part of this meeting and that Members could not leave the Chamber during Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan. A comfort break would be held at an appropriate time, should proceedings continue at length.

(6)   The Chair advised of a change to the agenda order and Item 5, Referrals from Other Committees, would be taken following Agenda Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan, other than Referral 5A which would be taken alongside Item 6.

(7)   The Chair advised that Callum Reeve, Electoral Services Assistant, was leaving the Council and thanked him for his support to Members during his time at the authority.

(8)   The Chair advised that Jeanette Thompson, Monitoring Officer and Director – Governance, had been awarded the Lawyers in Local Government ‘Legal Professional of the Year’. He paid tribute to the work Jeanette had done at the Council and congratulated her on the achievement.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

Immediately before the respective Item, a presentation was received from Mr Paul Mumford, Ms Kitty Eyre and Mr Colin Haigh in support of Item 6, Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan, as the developer team.

Audio recording – 10 minutes 25 seconds

The Chair invited Mr Paul Mumford, Ms Kitty Eyre and Mr Colin Haigh to speak on Agenda Item 6 – Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan. Mr Mumford thanked the Chair for the opportunity and provided Council with a verbal presentation, including that:

·       They represented the development company, Urban and Civic, and the County Council, as landowner.

·       During the consultation, Urban and Civic had spoken to around 1200 individuals in and around Baldock, with lots of the proposals in the masterplan having been informed by these discussions.

·       The consultation had been ongoing for 2 years and had involved two main consultation events in March and November 2023, which had been supplemented with further work with residents in surrounding villages, such as Bygrave, Ashwell and Radwell, and the immediate neighbours to the allocated sites.

·       Further consultation had taken place with residents on Icknield Way East and Football Close, as there were major proposed changes to how people will move around on these roads.

·       The ‘Growing Baldock’ message had gained traction throughout the consultation, to highlight that it was not just about the additional development but growing the whole town of Baldock.

·       The new development would be nearly double the current size of the town, with 3300 homes allowed and currently 4500 homes in Baldock.

·       This masterplan helped to meet policy SP9 of the adopted Local Plan, which set the framework of the plans which would be supplemented by outline planning applications. The work had been evidence based, visioned through the masterplan and provided frameworks for certain topics.

·       Not everything in the masterplan was final and it was designed to be flexible. These areas included the provision of secondary education, which had a preferred approach outlined, but also provided alternative options, which would be considered at the planning permission stage. The other area was transport intervention, with around 30 to 40 interventions required the masterplan needed to allow a strong mechanism for deciding these at planning stage.

·       They had continued to work collaboratively with Council Officers and Councillors to develop this plan.

·       The next stage would be to submit a planning application for presentation in autumn 2025.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Ian Albert

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

·       Councillor Jon Clayden

In response to questions, Mr Haigh advised that:

·       The aspiration of the County Council was to provide new, modern waste facilities and there were examples of these around the County. This was the plan for the reserved land, however, this would be discussed with the new County administration as to how it would be realised.

·       If the County Council ceased to exist, following Local Government Reorganisation, it was anticipated that the assets of the County Council would transfer to the new relevant authority. Therefore, whichever authority North Herts Council became a part of would inherit and become the main authority for this site.

·       It was normal as part of planning applications for the service provider to seek a contribution towards SEND provision, which could be either  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

5A) Cabinet – Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan – to be considered with Item 6.

5B) Employment Committee – Director Recruitment – to be considered as a standalone Item.

The Chair advised that the referral 5A from Cabinet would be taken with the respective item on the agenda and referral 5B from Cabinet would be taken at the end of the agenda.

5B) Employment Committee – Director Recruitment

RESOLVED: That Full Council appointed Isabelle Alajooz to the role of Monitoring Officer.

REASON FOR DECISION: The appointment of the Monitoring Officer is a function of Full Council under 4.4.1(i) of the Council’s Constitution.

Audio recording – 1 hour 40 minutes 00 seconds

The Chair advised that the referral 5A from Cabinet would be taken with the respective item on the agenda.

5B)      DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT

Councillor Keith Hoskins, as Chair of the Employment Committee, presented the referral from the Employment Committee.

Councillor Keith Hoskins proposed and Councillor Val Bryant seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That Full Council appointed Isabelle Alajooz to the role of Monitoring Officer.

REASON FOR DECISION: The appointment of the Monitoring Officer is a function of Full Council under 4.4.1(i) of the Council’s Constitution.

REPORT OF THE INTERIM DIRECTOR – PLACE

This report asks Full Council to approve and adopt the Strategic Masterplan for land around Baldock as a material planning consideration. This masterplan covers a number of sites allocated for development in the Council’s adopted Local Plan (Sites BA1, BA2, BA3 and BA10), along with other ancillary land, for housing, employment and supporting infrastructure. Taken together, these represent the single, largest development project in the Local Plan.

RESOLVED: That that Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan, attached as Appendix A, was approved and adopted as a material planning consideration for relevant planning decisions related to the site.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

(1)  To set an agreed design framework for the delivery of a strategic site within the Council’s adopted Local Plan.

(2)  To provide a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of multiple planned sites around Baldock.

(3)  To accord with policy requirements of the Local Plan.

Audio recording – 24 minutes 33 seconds

Councillor Daniel Allen, as Leader of the Council, presented referral 5A from Cabinet on the report entitled ‘Growing Baldock Strategic Masterplan’ and advised that:

·       This referral was considered by Cabinet in March 2025, but had been delayed to allow for the County Council elections in May 2025.

·       These sites had been included in the adopted Local Plan, and included a new employment area, infrastructure, railway crossings, GP provision, a local centre and education provision.

·       The sites included BA1, BA2, BA3 and BA10 of the adopted Local Plan.

·       This was the largest development in the district for decades and would see another phase of implementation of the adopted Local Plan, which would prevent unwanted development elsewhere in the district.

·       Council Officers had worked with consultants and the developer team to produce this masterplan framework, with Urban and Civic working hard to involve the local community.

·       Certain aspects of the plan had changed through the consultation process, and were outlined in detail in the report, but included the proposed location of the GP surgery, the southern access to the site and the approach to secondary education provision.

·       The masterplan set the framework against which all planning applications for these sites could be considered.

The Principal Planning & Urban Design Officer provided a visual presentation of site plans and advised that:

·       The masterplan covered a set of sites around Baldock, which were included in the adopted Local Plan.

·       These were major areas of development and thorough engagement had taken place with Officers, the public and the design panel. This had led to changes regarding access to the site, a rationalisation of educational options, a proposed underpass to provide active travel across the rail line and a local centre to compliment, rather than compete with, the existing High Street.

·       BA1 would have primary education access, with two primary schools, Baldock Common would be an open greenspace to the north, Walls Field and other land to the south would be retained for open space provision.

·       The health hub, waste provision and employment provision would be within BA10.

·       The masterplan included a green infrastructure plan which outlined how humans and other species, and ecology, would benefit throughout the site. This included a Baldock greenway, which would be a 6 mile circular route around the town, Bygrave Common, a new park to the north and a new edge to the town, Walls Field would be taken out of agricultural use and there was a commitment to 10% Biodiversity Net Gain on site, which was currently expected to be exceeded.

·       The aim was for 50% of all journeys to be on foot, by cycle or through use of public transport.

·       There would be a new entrance to the north provided at Baldock station.

·       Parts of Bygrave Road would be improved and other provision throughout the site, including car hubs and bus stops, would be provided.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

·       Councillor Michael Muir

·       Councillor Ruth Brown  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

REPORT OF THE MONITORING OFFICER

This is the Annual Report in relation to ethical standards for the last year. It covers the work of the Committee as well as the issues that have arisen locally and nationally on ethical standards matters.

RESOLVED: That Council received and noted the Annual Report.

REASON FOR DECISION: In line with recommended good governance practice to report the work of Standards Committee to the full Membership, to promote and maintain high standards of conduct and to demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical values.

Audio recording – 1 hour 41 minutes 10 seconds

Councillor Alistair Willoughby, as Chair of the Standards Committee 2024/25, presented the report entitled ‘Annual Report of the Standards Committee 2024-25’ and highlighted that:

·       A highlight this year had been the adoption of a Corporate Code of Conduct for statutory officers at the Council.

·       Councillor standards had been national news this year and it was good to see that these standards were upheld at the Council.

·       The system relied on good standards from Councillors to ensure there was public trust and that a system was in place to hold Councillors to account where good standards were not followed.

·       He was thankful to all Members, Independent Persons, Reserve Independent Persons, Co-Optees and Officers for their work over the last civic year, especially to the Monitoring Officer.

·       He looked forward to working with the newly appointed Monitoring Officer in the coming years.

Councillor Alistair Willoughby proposed and Councillor Ian Albert seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That Council received and noted the Annual Report.

REASON FOR DECISION: In line with recommended good governance practice to report the work of Standards Committee to the full Membership, to promote and maintain high standards of conduct and to demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical values.