Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader

Councillor Peter Jeffries read out a statement on behalf of the West Cheltenham Greenbelt Group which is attached in full to these minutes.

The Leader responded to the comments and made the following points :

·         The reference to asthma was more due to the location of the town at the base of the Cotswold hills rather than the impact of development

·         Nitrous oxide was found in hotspots in the town such as the inner ring road of the town centre due to the volume of stationary traffic. This would be addressed via the Cheltenham Transport Plan and the wider review of traffic and transport in the town.

·         He understood the concerns regarding the Severn Trent sewage works and highlighted that the intention was to manage the issue through the technological management of the procedure or move the existing plant to somewhere different. This would be reviewed within the framework of the JCS through a sustainability appraisal and habitat assessment and would be subject to debate in the examination in public. Should there be a planning application an Environmental Impact Assessment would form part of it, developed by the consortium for that area.

·         The JCS Examination in Public was likely to be around 10 July. There would be a full debate of the new areas and would give the public the opportunity to express their concerns to the Inspector in terms of soundness of the plan.

The Leader proposed that officers would reference this petition as part of the presentation to the Inspector. This was seconded by Councillor McKinlay.

A Member commented that whilst there were known air quality hotspots around the town centre it was reasonable that professional technical advice be sought regarding the impact of the loss of green land absorbing air pollution from the M5.

RESOLVED (unanimously)

To instruct officers to reference the petition (that has been submitted by West Cheltenham Greenbelt Group to the Joint Core Strategy Proposed Main Modifications consultation) and strength of feeling behind it in their opening statement to the inspector at the commencement of the next set of Joint Core Strategy hearings.