Agenda item

To consider the decisions made by the Executive at their meeting held on 25 June 2015 in relation to the above item, which has been called in by Councillors S Barnes, Boyce and Derbyshire in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.  A cover report is attached setting out the reasons for the call-in and the remit and powers of the Corporate & Scrutiny Management Policy & Scrutiny Committee (Calling-In) in relation to the call-in, together with the original report and the decisions of the Executive.

Members received a report which asked them to consider the decision made by the Executive on 25 June 2015, in relation to the re-examination of proposals for housing development at a site at Newbury Avenue, Acomb in order to allow full consultation with Ward Members and local residents.

Details of the Executive’s decision were attached at Annex A to the report and the original report of the Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods to the Executive, attached at Annex B.

The original decision had been called in by Councillors S Barnes, Boyce and Derbyshire on the following grounds:

i)             That in halting the scheme the Executive has chosen to ignore the fact that a full consultation has already been undertaken where residents’ views were listened to.  Amendments were made to the proposal following objections received from four local residents and the local Residents Association, prior to the consideration of the planning application;  

ii)            The scheme has already been agreed for development following that same planning application.  Executive councillors should not now be seeking to retrospectively bring political influence beyond the exercising of a quasi-judicial function of the council;

iii)          The scheme delivers much needed affordable housing in a climate of ever increasing need and at a time when York continues to experience an affordable housing crisis that shows no signs of abating;

iv)          That this decision directly contradicts both the council leader’s expressed comments in the same meeting where he stated that the ‘affordable housing challenge is massive, is one we will have to address and will address”, and the Executive Member for the Environment’s professed commitment to affordable housing through his comments at the same meeting;

v)           No consideration has been given to the impact of any permanent removal of the Newbury Avenue scheme on the commissioning process now the tender has been issued. The Executive Member responsible needs to be clear about the cost to York taxpayers of removing this scheme from the tender and whether the process will have to be restarted if this is what the Executive agrees to do.

Councillor Boyce addressed the meeting on behalf of the group of Calling In members. She highlighted their principal concern that consultation had already been undertaken with local residents, prior to submission of the planning application, which had resulted in amendments having previously been made to the Newbury Avenue scheme. She also spoke of the impact permanent removal of the scheme would have on the provision of affordable housing, including increased procurement costs. 

The Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, spoke in response to the points made for the call-in of the decision. He pointed out that the decision taken had been to halt the scheme, rather than remove it from the programme, in light of residents’ concerns and in order to allow a review of the proposals for the site. 

In answer to Members questions the Executive Member confirmed that the scheme had not yet gone out to tender and that any design fees or work undertaken could be used in any future scheme, therefore any abortive costs would be minimal. He also confirmed that he hoped a reasonable compromise could be agreed with the residents concerned. 

On being put to the vote it was:

Resolved:           That Option A be approved and that the decision of the Executive be confirmed.

Reason:              To enable the called-in matter to be dealt with efficiently and in accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Constitution.