Agenda item

This report asks Members to consider whether they would like to proceed with a scrutiny review on the Adoption of New Estates.

Members received a report on a proposed Scrutiny Topic in relation to the Adoption of New Estates. This topic was proposed by Councillor Watt, who was in attendance at the meeting.

Councillor Simpson Laing had also submitted a  request for a scrutiny review on a similar topic ‘the implementation of planning conditions and the adoption of new estates’ in summer 2009. She was unable to attend the meeting, but had previously circulated why she felt that her topic should still go ahead. These comments have been attached as an annex to the published agenda.

Councillor Watt spoke in support of his proposed topic, stating that there was a need for a scrutiny review to look into how to improve the timescale of action being taken to adopt estates by the Council.

Officers from the Council’s City Development Team at the meeting stated that the timescale of the adoption of new estates, relied on developers, and other parties involved in the building process, completing their parts of the process before the Council could adopt and maintain them. Traffic Regulation Orders were sometimes put in place before the road was adopted.

In response to Members’ suggestions that Planning Enforcement be examined as a scrutiny review, this topic had already been reviewed and the Committee would be updated on the findings of this at a later date.

RESOLVED:             (i)            That the report be noted.

(ii)               That the proposed Scrutiny Topics not be progressed to review.

REASON:                  Due to legal constraints, the Committee is unable to set a suitable remit to address the concerns raised in the topic registration forms.