Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chairman informed members that due to attendance by the public for Agenda item 11 – Rocket House, Cromer, he would be bringing this item forward for discussion.

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11 March 2024.

The minutes of the 11 March 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive questions and statements from the public, if any.

None received.

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requries that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (see attached guidance and flowchart)

None received.

To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972

None received.

To receive oral questions from Members, if any

The Chairman advised members that they could ask questions throughout the meeting as matters arose.

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee made the following recommendation to Cabinet at the meeting held on 20^th March 2024:

Agenda Item 12: Progress Report on Net Zero:

(C) all reports to the Council’s decision-making bodies should include a section on net zero impact so that a change in the carbon footprint is highlighted and explained.

Decision

RESOLVED

To accept the following recommendation from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee:

That all reports to the Council’s decision-making bodies should include a section on net zero impact so that a change in the carbon footprint is highlighted and explained.

DThe following recommendation was made to Cabinet by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee at the meeting on 20^th March:

Agenda Item 12: Progress Report on Net Zero:

All reports to the Council’s decision-making bodies should include a section on net zero impact so that a change in the carbon footprint is highlighted and explained.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Change & Net Zero, Cllr A Varley, said that it was something that was already being done but work was ongoing to strengthen and improve this section within committee reports.

RESOLVED

To approve the recommendation from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee to ensure that all reports to the Council’s decision-making bodies should include a section on net zero impact so that a change in the carbon footprint is highlighted and explained.

Decision

RESOLVED

The Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr W Fredericks, introduced this item. She explained that the Council adopted the current Housing Strategy and Action Plan in 2021 and many of the original actions in the Action Plan had since been delivered.  However, there remained many challenges to housing in the district; high levels of homelessness, the need to improve the energy efficiency of housing in the district and the housing needs of older residents being three of the more pressing challenges.

Now that the Council had adopted a new Corporate Plan for 2023/27, which included specific actions to help ‘Meet our Housing Need’, a new Action Plan for 2024- 2027 had been created and it included a number of additional actions to reflect the corporate plan priorities.

Cllr Fredericks thanked officers for their hard work and said that any recommendations coming out of the Overview & Scrutiny Task & Finish Group on homelessness would be considered and incorporated.

Cllr J Toye commented on the section in the report regarding homelessness and said that all members should reflect on the severity of this issue for the district. He asked that when the document went out to consultation that residents living in areas bordering North Norfolk could be included.

Cllr L Vickers said that she was grateful to Cllr Fredericks for agreeing to take the Task & Finish Group’s recommendation. She said that she was very supportive of ‘local homes for local people’ and wondered how the two-year requirement had been reached, as Cornwall had a three-year requirement in place. The Chairman replied that this question related to the next item on the agenda and would be picked up then.

Cllr C Cushing requested an update on the situation with nutrient neutrality. Cllr A Brown, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said that an update on nutrient neutrality would be provided to members in mid-May. There was a series of meetings that needed to take place before a meaningful update could be provided.

It was proposed by Cllr W Fredericks, seconded by Cllr L Withington and

RESOLVED

Decision

RESOLVED to

-        Support the proposed allocations scheme summarised in this report and attached as Appendix A

-        Agree that NNDC undertake statutory consultation with key stakeholders 

-        Agree that, following consultation, a further report be bought back to Cabinet for consideration ahead of formal adoption of the Allocation Scheme

Reason for the decision

To ensure the Council has an effective Allocations Scheme in place – a statutory policy of the Council

The Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr Fredericks, introduced this item. She explained that all local authorities were reviewing their housing lists and prioritising those in greatest need. The allocation scheme set out the rules, criteria and procedures that determined how the Council allocated affordable homes to households in North Norfolk. Following consultation with partner Registered Providers and feedback from customers, a proposed new Allocations Scheme had been produced. The new scheme would require statutory consultation before any changes could be implemented.

Cllr L Vickers said that in the proposed scheme, someone needed to have a two-year connection to the local area to qualify for band two housing. She asked if consideration could be given to extending this to a three-year connection.  The Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager explained that the main scheme had a three year criteria, however Band 2, was a ‘filter’ that would come into effect if no-one was eligible under the three year connection, then a two year connection to the parish would be considered. This was to be certain that it would still go to someone with a local connection. She confirmed that for Band 1 and to get onto the housing register, a three year local connection was required.

Cllr C Ringer said that he was one of the members representing more rural wards, where some of the issues regarding local connection could be more challenging. He said that he welcomed the simplifying of the process and that was now more robust in ensuring a local connection. He referred to section 4.13 and the reference to the ‘strongest local connection’ and sought clarification on how competing applications would be prioritised and whether it was housing need first and then local connection. Cllr W Fredericks confirmed that this was the case. She added that each application would be considered by the Housing Team and other agencies and carefully assessed on its merits as each case was different.

Cllr L Withington asked about shared ownership and the housing need element to this. The Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager explained that all the applicants on the housing register were asked if they had an interest in shared ownership and all the partner registered providers were asked to advertise their shared-ownership properties through ‘Your Choice, Your Home’. This was particularly important for exception site homes as there was an added criteria of local connections for shared ownership. Regarding general need shared ownership, she said that many of them did not go to applicants on the housing register.  Principally because the register as a route to rented social housing.

Cllr A Brown asked how the consultation responses would be collated and reported back to members. The Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager explained that some elements of the Housing Allocations Policy would not be subject to consultation as the amendments had been made in line with legislative requirements. The focus would be on the elements of discretion that the Council had – such as years of residency etc. She clarified that it was not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

Decision

RESOLVED

To instruct officers to deliver this project as outlined in this report, providing the necessary improvements and provision of additional facilities to Cabbell Park to enable Cromer Youth Football Club to lease the ground and have a home for all of their football operations.

Reason for the decision:

This is the first time in 30 years that a tangible option exists to provide a home for CYFC, a solution which will also maximise the use of Cabbell Park. A permanent home in Cromer for the club would enable them to grow and secure football in the town for a number of years to come. Football clubs for many are the heart of the community and this is an opportunity to bring this back to the town.

Cllr L Withington, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, introduced this item. She explained that this was an update following a request from members regarding an assurance that the project would be completed within the allocated budget. The report confirmed that this was the case.

The Chairman said that this was the most logical course of action. The site was under-utilised and the Youth Team were looking for a space to play. He welcomed that it could be delivered within the allocated budget.

Cllr W Fredericks sought clarification as to whether part of the funding was in trust to the Council from a charity, with a covenant. The Chairman replied that the land had been gifted to the community a long time ago and there was a covenant that it was to be used for sports purposes.

It was proposed by Cllr L Withington, seconded by Cllr A Varley and

RESOLVED

To instruct officers to deliver this project as outlined in this report, providing the necessary improvements and provision of additional facilities to Cabbell Park to enable Cromer Youth Football Club to lease the ground and have a home for all of their football operations.

Reason for the decision:

This is the first time in 30 years that a tangible option exists to provide a home for CYFC, a solution which will also maximise the use of Cabbell Park. A permanent home in Cromer for the club would enable them to grow and secure football in the town for a number of years to come. Football clubs for many are the heart of the community and this is an opportunity to bring this back to the town.

Decision

RESOLVED

1.1           To delegate to the Asset Strategy Manager (Estates), in consultation with the s.151 officer, the existing allocated capital budget to action remedial works as soon feasibly possible to the property, as outlined in the Intrusive Inspection and Damp Investigation Report, subject to the vacation of the tenant (RNLI).

1.2           Delegate to the Asset Strategy Manager (Estates), in consultation with the s.151 officer, to utilise any remaining capital budget to undertake energy improvement works to the property in order to increase the energy performance rating to the required standard for leasing.

1.3           Delegate authority to the Asset Strategy Manager to commence negotiation of terms for a new lease, with the existing RNLI tenant, with a further report back to Cabinet in accordance with governance procedures.  

Reason for the decision:

To address the ongoing issues with damp in the building and increase the energy performance of the building for leasing.

The Chairman explained that following the previous report to Cabinet on 4^th September 2023, detailing the options available, a visit to the property and technical briefing was made available for members. To gain further clarity over the damp issues, at the 8^th January 2024 Cabinet meeting it was agreed to commission further additional investigation into the fabric of the building to identify the cause of damp, establish remedial options and budget costings.  This investigation has since been completed and officers now sought approval to use the existing capital budget and move forward with repairing the building. He added that the energy efficiency of the building needed to be improved to save costs and meet net zero goals. It was hoped to complete the works within 32 weeks and within the allocated capital budget. He said that it was hoped that a joint press release could be released with the RNLI, following discussions about the heads of terms of the lease for the museum.

The Estates & Asset Strategy Manager advised members that if approved, a 32 week programme would be commence in the autumn to remediate the damp and undertake the energy improvement works. The cost would be £828k plus some additional costs for the energy works. A capital budget of £1m had already been approved by Full Council and it was intended to keep within that budget.

The Chairman invited members to speak:

Cllr C Cushing said that he was surprised by the lack of detail included in the report. He said in district terms, this was a large project costing almost £1m and he sought clarification as to whether the funding included the cost of repairs to the lift. Cllr Cushing added that at the September meeting of Cabinet, all of the reports and accompanying appendices were exempt and not in the public domain. This caused some concern as the public were keen to see the RNLI museum retained and would want reassurance regarding discussions over the heads of terms for the lease. He then asked for some assurance regarding the future resistance of the building to storm surges, if the proposed work was undertaken. He asked what would happen if the RNLI did not choose to take on the lease for the museum.

The Chairman replied that there was another tenant in the upper part of the building operating a very successful restaurant. He reiterated that the capital budget for this project had already been approved and several options were being presented. Regarding guarantees, he said that it hard to be certain that a major storm surge would not cause damage. That said, in terms of the long-term damp issues, a guarantee that this would not reoccur would be expected. He added that there was also an intention to update the public toilet provision on the site.

Cllr Cushing said that there were several building across the district that required a substantial amount of money spending on them and he felt that there was nothing in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

Decision

RESOLVED

·       To grant a 4 month extension to the legal agreement to enable the purchaser sufficient time to satisfy the remaining offer condition. 

·       To monitor the progress of the party to ensure they satisfy the remaining offer condition, to be delegated to the Asset Strategy Manager, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Assets.

·       To explore the previous offers submitted for this site, in parallel to the extension.

Reason for the decision:

To ensure the sound management of the Council’s land holding and assets.

The Chairman introduced this item in the absence of the Portfolio Holder, Cllr L Shires. 

He said that there had been a lot of prior discussion on this item. He explained that the proposed purchaser had obtained planning consent for a 37 room apart-hotel and it was now requested there be an extension to the legal agreement to provide time to satisfy the relevant purchase condition in the agreement.

The Estates & Asset Strategy Manager added that the area of land concerned was adjacent to the Council’s leisure centre, the Reef. In 2020, Cabinet agreed to sell land to a hotel developer and they now wanted some additional time to comply with the required legal conditions. 

The Chairman advised members that progress of the scheme would be monitored.

It was proposed by Cllr T Adams, seconded by Cllr J Toye and

RESOLVED

·       To grant a 4 month extension to the legal agreement to enable the purchaser sufficient time to satisfy the remaining offer condition. 

·       To monitor the progress of the party to ensure they satisfy the remaining offer condition, to be delegated to the Asset Strategy Manager, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Assets.

·       To explore the previous offers submitted for this site, in parallel to the extension.

Reason for the decision:

To ensure the sound management of the Council’s land holding and assets.

To pass the following resolution:

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”

Information in this appendix (Agenda Item 12) involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3, Part 1 of schedule 12A (as amended) to the Local Government Act 1972.

This paragraph relates to:

Para 3.  Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

The public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:

The information is commercially sensitive, relating to commercial options being considered by the authority. Releasing this information would be likely to have a prejudicial impact upon third parties as well as the Council in obtaining best value.