Council and democracy

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, Civic Offices, New Road, Grays, Essex, RM17 6SL. View directions

Contact: Wendy Le, Democratic Services Officer  Email: direct.democracy@thurrock.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Chair

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Officer asked for nominations for the Chair.

 

Councillor Jefferies nominated Councillor Redsell and Councillor Anderson seconded the nomination.

 

Councillor Smith nominated Councillor Kerin and Councillor Kerin seconded the nomination.

 

Members voted in favour of Councillor Redsell as Chair.

2.

Appointment of Vice-Chair

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Officer asked for nominations for the Vice-Chair.

 

Councillor Smith nominated Councillor Kerin and Councillor Jefferies seconded the nomination.

 

Members agreed on the nomination.

3.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Rice.

4.

Items of Urgent Business

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

5.

Declaration of Interests

Minutes:

Councillors Kerin, Smith, Anderson and Jefferies declared they were Members of the Planning, Transport, Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

6.

Terms of Reference pdf icon PDF 43 KB

Minutes:

The Corporate Director of Place gave a brief on the Task Force’s Terms of Reference and advised Members on named substitutes and the start time of the Task Force.

 

Members agreed on a named substitute from each political party. The start time of the Task Force meetings would remain as 19:00.

 

Councillor Smith sought clarity on in point 6 to which the Strategic Lead for Strategic Services answered that comment was to be provided in regards to location based on the evidence given.

7.

Overview of Local Plan pdf icon PDF 100 KB

Minutes:

The Overview of the Local Plan was outlined by the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection. The item detailed results from the previous Issues and Options Consultation and provided information on the current Issues and Options 2 Consultation that was currently running.

 

Pointing out the dates of the first 3 consultations that had recently been held in Ockendon and Aveley, the Chair queried if more consultation dates would be held in these areas. She went on to say that some residents may have missed those dates due to the festive period and asked if these dates had been advertised. The Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection confirmed the dates and venue had been advertised.

 

Councillor Jefferies commented that he had not seen advertisements for the consultation dates within his ward of Ockendon. The Chair stated that people may not be aware of the venues booked for other consultation dates and that she did not know of a venue with the name ‘Acorns’ which was within her ward of Little Thurrock Blackshots. The Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection explained the venues had been chosen based on availability but the service would look into the given venues.

 

Expressing concern on congestion, Councillor Smith questioned the council’s plans regarding existing transport links. Giving reassurance, the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection said an assessment would be carried out to look into spatial options as to what may emerge from the assessment. A new transport infrastructure was a possibility.

 

The Vice-Chair stated the importance of the Local Plan and felt it would achieve success through a strong partnership, regardless of political party background. He hoped Members and Officers would continue to work in unison to see the Local Plan through.

 

In agreement, the Chair reflected back on past builds within Thurrock and mentioned the incorrect building of Chafford Hundred. She stated infrastructure was of key importance and was to be at the top of the priority list.

 

Councillor Smith felt that a lot of the Local Plan was applicable to the Planning, Transport, Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He queried how the Local Development Plan Task Force would avoid overlapping with the Planning, Transport, Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Chair agreed and replied that there were other committees that overlapped into the Task Force. The Corporate Director said the Local Plan was felt across all services of Thurrock and would work together with all affected services.

8.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 41 KB

Minutes:

Referring to the Local Development Scheme, the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection explained the project plan was in its various stages and would be going to Cabinet.

 

The Vice-Chair asked for presentations to accompany reports and asked for feedback from other services within the council on big schemes. The Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection said workshop sessions could be set up to gather feedback and provide information.

 

Councillor Smith asked if the service had an idea on congestion problems. The Strategic Lead for Strategic Services answered a baseline study was due to start in February 2019 on road infrastructures and the Local Plan would address these issues to reduce congestion and air quality. The service was working with land owners on development to remedy problems from the past.