Issue - meetings

Petition received under the council’s petitions scheme.

A petition in relation to the site known as the “Big Pit” off Ashby Road, Hinckley, was brought to Council in accordance with the petitions scheme. It was noted that the petition had been submitted to the Development Management team as an objection to planning application 17/00765/FUL but, as it didn’t relate to that application nor the merits thereof but to the principle of development, which had already been established via a previous appeal inspector’s decision, it could not be accepted as part of that consultation and was passed to Democratic Services for consideration under the petitions scheme.

The petition organiser presented the petition to Council and discussion ensued in relation to the following points:

·         The environmental asset which some members felt the site represented

·         The history of the pit as mineral springs

·         The flood risk in the area which would allegedly be worsened by the proposed development

·         The alleged factual errors in the officer’s report to Planning Committee which should be reviewed.

A member also asked for clarification on why the petition had not been considered to be valid for consideration as part of the consultation upon the planning application.

Councillor Bill, seconded by Councillor Bray, proposed that a working group be set up to look into the points raised to be able to inform the debate at the Planning Committee where the application, which members had been minded to refuse at the last meeting, would be brought back for decision. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED as the motion for debate.

A member suggested that it would be absurd to hold a working group to look into a matter which was not relevant to the current planning application. It was also suggested that members on the working group should not then sit on Planning Committee due to the risk of appearing to have predetermined the application.

Councillor Lay requested that the working group be set up as a scrutiny group. Councillors Bill and Bray, as movers of the substantive motion, were happy with this suggestion and it was subsequently

RESOLVED – A scrutiny group be set up to explore concerns raised to assist the Planning Committee in its deliberations, acknowledging that members of the group should not sit on the Planning Committee when this matter is considered.