Issue - meetings

Report of Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services, Councillor Martin Horwood

RESOLVED THAT:

1.            the Cotswold Beechwoods SAC Recreation Mitigation Strategy is adopted

2.            Cabinet is committed to bringing forward a detailed action plan for Cheltenham borough that will look to utilise existing parks, gardens, public open spaces, accessible private green spaces and designated Local Green Spaces, including raising awareness of less well known spaces as well as considering new areas in each of these categories that may have the potential for enhanced public access and wherever possible deliver benefits for those communities most impacted by development and those with least access to nature in their neighbourhoods

The Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services introduced the item as set out in his report, explaining the background and why mitigation measures were being introduced to protect the Cotswold Beechwoods, an extensive area of ancient beech woodland between Birdlip and Cranham. The strategy will take two approaches – Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) to encourage people to find other green places to go, and Suitable Alternative Natural Green Spaces (SANGS) to encourage councils to acquire new areas that can be made accessible as alternatives to the beechwoods.

The cost is quite steep – SAMM £193, SANGS £493, administration £125, totalling £798 per new dwelling – and applies to all new developments, whatever the size, but is significantly cheaper than the charges levied elsewhere. 

The second part of the recommendation is for the development of a specific action plan to implement the policy in Cheltenham, looking at sites already owned or managed by CBC and raising awareness of less well-known green spaces in the borough.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets wholly supported the report, but was concerned that all the liability for funding to protect these areas will fall to the developer, in addition to the existing S106, CIL, highways, education and public art contributions, all of which are taken into consideration before affordable housing.  He has flagged this as part of the Strategic and Local Plan consultation, and said the point will come when the council has to make some tough choices – we cannot keep putting the burden of supporting what we want to do on developers.

The Cabinet Member for Customer and Regulatory Services understood these concerns, and was surprised that the charges would extend to small developers, potentially incentivising them to build fewer, larger dwellings rather than much-needed affordable housing. He said he would ask planning officers to look into a Cheltenham-specific action plan, possibly with a charge per bedroom rather than per dwelling – we do not want a positive environmental impact to result in a negative social impact.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.            the Cotswold Beechwoods SAC Recreation Mitigation Strategy is adopted

2.            Cabinet is committed to bringing forward a detailed action plan for Cheltenham borough that will look to utilise existing parks, gardens, public open spaces, accessible private green spaces and designated Local Green Spaces, including raising awareness of less well known spaces as well as considering new areas in each of these categories that may have the potential for enhanced public access and wherever possible deliver benefits for those communities most impacted by development and those with least access to nature in their neighbourhoods