Agenda item

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

The purpose of this report is to advise Members of the actions that are being considered to address the issue of construction management.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That Members endorse the actions recommended in the report

(2)       That Members seek to continue to impose conditions where appropriate on planning permission to see to control Construction Management traffic routes. 

(3)       That Members inset a new section of the forthcoming revision to the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which advised developers of major development sites to consider the issue of construction management and to engage with the wide community at the earliest possible stage in their development plans and preparations.

REASON FOR DECISION: To advise Members of the approach to be taken and to see their endorsement.

Audio recording -  Session 1 – 20:28 (25 minutes)

The report of the Development and Conservation Manager set out the actions that were being considered to address the issue of construction management, in particular the route which developers require their vehicles to enter and leave sites during construction.

With significant new development proposed within the North Hertfordshire District Local Plan (2011-2031) and with developments that were already being constructed such as Lucas Lane, Hitchin and Elm Tree Farm, and Pirton, it was a public concern.

Hertfordshire County Council had advised that conditions on planning permission which sought to require developers to manage construction activities on site should be imposed and could include the following issues:  

·                To secure sight lines, access works, on-site highway works

·                Provision of wheel cleaning equipment at access points to the site

·                To apply time limits on HGV access to a site to ensure they are not unsociable

·                To impose prohibitions on the use of certain access to the site for certain type of traffic.

In addition it was important to ensure that the wider community was engaged with at the earliest possible stage.

Subsequently there was a discussion and the following Members took part:

Councillor Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg

Councillor Simon Harwood

Councillor Steve Jarvis

Councillor Gerald Morris

Martin Stears-Handscomb

The following points were raised by the Committee:

·                It would be useful to await the outcome of the Pirton Appeal.

·                Holding pens would need to be an appropriate distance away from the construction site to mitigate the issue of construction vehicles parking outside the zone waiting to enter a site causing traffic issues or disrupting local residents.

·                Some members felt that relying on the goodwill of developers not to cause a disturbance wasn’t good enough nor was the issue of them not being accountable for their subcontractors and wanted a more robust approach.

The Officer confirmed, however, that here was no legal requirement for developers to consult with residents, nor a legal basis on which the Council could refuse planning permission or guide the location and scale of new developments if the developer failed to address some of the issues outlined in the conditions.

In addition that developers were often considerate, although there could be issues with contractors not under the direct control of the developer.

In most cases it would be unreasonable to serve a stop notice and prevent or halt the development, even if a Construction Management Plan was breached as it would be seen as disproportional to the housing needs of the area.

The needs of developers and needs of residents would be addressed in the new approach but it was inevitable that some disturbance to residents as a result of development was inevitable.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That Members endorse the actions recommended in the report

(2)       That Members seek to continue to impose conditions where appropriate on planning permission to see to control Construction Management traffic routes. 

(3)       That Members inset a new section of the forthcoming revision to the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which advised developers of major development sites to consider the issue of construction management and to engage with the wide community at the earliest possible stage in their development plans and preparations.

REASON FOR DECISION: To advise Members of the approach to be taken and to see their endorsement.