NORTH AREA COMMITTEE

Thursday 10th January 2008

COUNCILLORS PRESENT FOR THE WHOLE OF THE MEETING: The Chair (Councillor Alan Armitage), Councillors Clark Brundin, Jim Campbell, Jean Fooks, John Goddard, Tony Hollander and Gwynneth Royce

COUNTY COUNCILLORS PRESENT FOR THE WHOLE OF THE MEETING: County Councillors Alan Armitage, Jean Fooks and Dermot Roaf

OFFICERS PRESENT FOR THE WHOLE OF THE MEETING: Rebecca Carley (Area Co-ordinator) and Mathew Metcalfe (Legal and Democratic Services)

OFFICERS PRESENT FOR PART OF THE MEETING: Murray Hancock (Planning Services) and Stephen Smith (Legal and Democratic Services)

Karl Ralph () also attended for part of the meeting

131. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from Councillor Susan Roaf

132. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The following Declarations of Interests were made:

(a) Councillor Alan Armitage declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Item 4(a) (St. Philip and St. James Church of Primary School, – Planning applications 07/02593/CC3 and 07/02594/CC3) as he was a County Councillor who sat on the County Council Planning and Regulation Committee which would be determining the applications (minute 135 refers)

(b) County Councillor Dermot Roaf declared a personal interest in Item 4(a) (St. Philip and St. James Church of England Primary School – Planning applications 07/02593/CC3 and 07/02594/CC3) as he was a Member of the County Council which would be determining the planning applications. (Minute 135 refers)

(c) Councillors Jean Fooks and Tony Hollander declared personal interests in item 8 (Grant Allocations to Community and Voluntary Organisations (CVO’s) 2008/2009) as they were nominated representatives to the Management Committee of the Cutteslowe Community Centre Management Committee (Minute 139 refers)

(d) Councillors Jim Campbell and Tony Hollander declared personal interests in Item 8 (Grant Allocations to Community and Voluntary Organisations (CVO’s) 2008/2009 as they were Oxford City Council nominated representatives on the Association Council (Minute 139 refers).

133. NOTIFICATION OF URGENT BUSINESS

None notified

134. ELECTION OF CHAIR

Councillor Alan Armitage declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Item 4(a) (St. Philip and St. James Church of England Primary School, Oxford – Planning applications 07/02593/CC3 and 07/02594/CC3) as he was a County Councillor who sat on the County Council Planning and Regulation Committee which would be determining the application (minute 135 refers) and left the room before the item was considered.

In the absence of the Chair and The Vice-Chair the Committee agreed to elect Councillor John Goddard to chair the meeting until the Chair (Councillor Alan Armitage) was able to return to the meeting.

135. ST PHILIP AND ST JAMES CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL – 07/02593/CC3 AND 07/02594/CC3

The Planning Services Business Manager submitted a report (previously circulated now appended) which detailed an two applications as follows:

Application 07/02593/CC3 - Variation of condition No.14 of planning permission ref:0.15/00 to allow an increase in the permanent occupancy of the school from 180 pupils to 375 pupils following improvements to highway that serves the school

Officer recommendation: Raise no objection

Application 07/02594/CC3 - Variation of condition No.14 of planning permission ref: 0.15/00 to allow an increase in maximum occupancy of the school for up to 420 pupils for a temporary period expiring on 31st July 2011 following improvements to the highway that serves the school.

Officer recommendation: Raise no objection

Councillor Alan Armitage declared a personal and prejudicial interest as he was a County Councillor who sat on the Oxfordshire County Council Planning and Regulation Committee, which would be determining the application, and left the room before the item was considered.

County Councillor Dermot Roaf declared a personal interest as he was a Member of the Oxfordshire County Council, which would be determining the planning applications.

The Committee agreed:

(a) With regard to application 07/02593/CC3

(1) To raise not objection subject to the following conditions and informatives:

Conditions

(i) Development in accordance with submitted plans (ii) Maximum number of permanent pupils not to exceed 375 without prior approval (iii) Maintenance of landscaping (iv) School bus for 33 pupils (v) School bus not to be discontinued without prior approval (vi) Roll forward Travel Plan (vii) School Travel Plan not to be discontinued without consent (viii) Additional mitigation measures (ix) Additional mitigation by 1st September 2008

Informatives

(i) Not to support the investigation of the possibility of a pedestrian footbridge across the immediately north of the existing Bridge

(ii) Support the removal of 2 parking spaces on Aristotle Lane by the Aristotle Lane Bridge to ease congestion

(iii) There should be no encroachment onto the Aristotle Lane recreation Ground

(2) That the list of mitigation measures should be amended as follows:

(i) Add that creation of a path to the North of the site across the Trap Grounds to be used during daylight hours

(ii) Not to erect a sign reminding cyclists and pedestrians not to cross the Aristotle Lane Bridge against red lights.

(b) With regard to application 07/02594/CC3:

(1) Raise no objections subject to the following conditions and informatives:

Conditions

(i) Development in accordance with submitted plans (ii) Maximum number of temporary pupils to 31st July 2011 not to exceed 420 (iii) Maintenance of landscaping (iv) School bus for 33 pupils (v) School bus not to be discontinued without prior approval (vi) Roll Forward Travel Plan (vii) School Travel Plan not to be discontinued without consent (viii) Additional mitigation measures (ix) Additional mitigation by 1st September 2008

Informatives

(i) Not to support the investigation of the possibility of a pedestrian footbridge across the Oxford Canal immediately north of the existing Aristotle Lane Bridge

(ii) Support the removal of 2 parking spaces on Aristotle Lane by the Aristotle Lane Bridge to ease congestion

(iii) There should be no encroachment onto the Aristotle Lane recreation Ground

(2) That the list of mitigation measures should be amended as follows:

(i) Add that creation of a path to the North of the site across the Trap Grounds to be used during daylight hours

(ii) Not to erect a sign reminding cyclists and pedestrians not to cross the Aristotle Lane Bridge against red lights.

136. PLANNING APPEALS RECEIVED AND DECIDED DURING NOVEMBER 2007

The Planning Services Business Manager submitted a note and tables (previously circulated now appended) which detailed planning appeals received and decided during November 2007.

Murray Hancock presented details of the planning appeals received by the City Council for November 2007 and those decided during this period. He drew the Committees attention to 2 planning appeals for 45 Davenant Road, Oxford which had been lodged by the Applicants and that a planning application at 274-276 Woodstock Road, Oxford was currently at Appeal, although 2 further planning applications had since been submitted to the Council.

In response to question concerning telecommunications masts and equipment in the North Area Committee area, Murray Hancock said that between the period of April 2006 and December 2007, there had been 19 Appeals across the City and of these 47% (9 applications) had bee allowed by the Planning Inspectorate and 535 dismissed

Murray Hancock said that an Appeal for a mast/equipment at Elsfield Hall had been allowed on Appeal subject to conditions, while at 24-32 David Walter Close and 25 Elsfield Way the Appeal had been dismissed. An Appeal on a site adjacent to Cutteslowe Primary School had also been allowed on Appeal. He added that an Appeal on a site on the Walton Well Road car park, while not in the North Area Committee area, but on the border had been allowed on Appeal.

The Committee agreed to note the information and thank Murray Hancock for attending the Committee.

136. OPEN SESSION

(a) Police Issues - Update

Karl Ralph from Thames Valley Police attended the meeting and gave the following update:

(i) A Drugs Warrant issued on a premises in Jericho which bordered the North Area Committee area, and arrests were made;

(ii) Arrest taken place of an individual in connection with the recent increased incidents of graffiti in the North Area Committee area.

In response to questions Karl Ralph said that there had been recent incidents of bag snatches in the Summertown area, whoever these were being treated as individual/unconnected crimes as the did not seem to be a pattern to the snatches and the descriptions given by the victims were vague. He said that he would investigate the enforcement of the 20 mph speed limits in the area.

The Committee agreed to thank Karl Ralph for attending the meeting and noted that the next schedule attendance of the Police at the North Area Committee would be the March 2008 meeting of the Area Committee.

(b) General Open Session Issues

No issues were raised in the General Open Session part of the meeting, however the Committee noted that County Councillor Ian Hudspeth would attend the February 2008 meeting of the Area Committee to hear questions concerning highways issues that the Oxfordshire County Council were responsible for.

138. CHERWELL SCHOOL, RAISING STUDENT ASPIRATIONS – PROJECT UPDATE

Niall McWilliams from the Cherwell School submitted a note (previously circulated now appended) which updated the Committee on how the School had used the Area Committees grant to help raise aspiration and performance amongst students with low educational attainment.

Rebecca Carley introduced the item and Niall McWilliams from the Cherwell School to the meeting

Niall McWilliams attended the meeting and said that the project had been very successful and had not just had a major impact on the lives of the students which had taken part, but also their families as for the first time Mentors went out to the students and families, to their homes etc. rather than expecting them to come to the School and this was a first of this type of project in the County. He said that the £5k which the City Council had granted to the project through a number of Area Committees, had also been matched by a grant from Aim Higher of £5k.

Councillor Goddard was pleased that the project had been successful and asked what the Mentors did with the funding available to them. In response Niall McWilliams said not all, of the £10k budget had been spent on Mentors, as other parts of the Project had costs as well. He said that the Mentors worked with specific students and their families on a programme of education so that the students met their educational targets, and in many cases the Mentors worked additional hours to achieve this.

In response to further questions Niall McWilliams said that the Mentors in many cases had been recruited from Teaching Assistants who worked in the School, however 3 Six Forth students were now being Mentors for Year 7 Students. He added that there were capacity issues of the Project as it was the only one in the County where the Mentors etc. went out to the homes of the students and their families. He further added that the students who had participated in the Project had either stayed on at the School and continued their education there or gone to College or into Apprenticeships.

Niall McWilliams said that he had sent all of the secondary schools in Oxford the details of the Project and had only received a response form the Assistant Head of Cheney School, however the Universities of Birmingham and Canterbury had expressed an interest in the Project and he had presented the Project at a recent national conference. He said that Cherwell School considered the Project as essential to the development of students and were currently looking at ways to progress it.

County Councillor Dermot Roaf said that there was a similar Government scheme for Primary Schools, however the Schools found that when the funding from the Government stopped they could not afford to run the scheme without changing their budgets etc. He added that he was pleased that the Cherwell School felt that it had a social services roll to play, which many other schools did not feel was the case.

The Committee agreed:

(a) To note the briefing note submitted prior to the meeting which gave details of the Project and its successes;

(b) To thank Niall McWilliams for attending the meeting and wished him well in the continuation of the Project and future successes.

139. GRANT ALLOCATIONS TO COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATION (CVO’S) 2008/2009

The Neighbourhood Renewal Business Manager submitted a report (previously circulated now appended) which provided details of grant applications received for the 2008/09 financial year, whose activities primarily benefit the North area.

Councillors Jean Fooks and Tony Hollander declared personal interests, as they were Oxford City Council nominated representatives to the Management Committee of the Cutteslowe Community Centre Management Committee.

Councillors Jim Campbell and Tony Hollander declared personal interests, as they were Oxford City Council nominated representatives on the North Oxford Association Council

Rebecca Carley introduced the report and said that the formula for the allocation of funds to each Area Committee had been the same one as used for the allocation of the Social Inclusion budget, and that the grants budget for the North Area Committee did not cover the amount of grants being recommended for approval.

Rebecca Carley with regard to the grant application from the North Oxford Association for an Honorarium towards the Volunteer Co-ordinator costs for the Neighbourly Help Service which was being recommended for a Nil grant, said that there was a long standing principle that the City Council should not fund activities that were a statutory responsibility of the another body and that it was felt that this provision should be funded by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and or the Oxfordshire County Council. She also added that if the organisation could fund the amount requested from its own funds without affecting the other activities of that organisation, then it was recommended that the grant not be recommended.

With regard to the Summertown Stars grant application, Councillor Goddard said that there were other users of he Five Mile Drive Recreation Ground and he would not be willing to agree to fund a feasibility study at the present time into possible works on the lower field at Cutteslowe Park, as he felt there was not enough information on the reasons for a feasibility study, and that a pre-feasibility report would be very useful.

The Committee agreed:

(a) To note that the available Grants budget for the North Area Committee was £2.061;

(b) To approve the following Grant allocations:

(1) Cutteslowe Community Association – Summer Play Scheme - £5000

(2) Cutteslowe Seniors – Support running costs - £850

(3) North Oxford Association – Honorarium – Nil

(c) To provide top-up funding to the Grant budget available to the North Area Committee of £3790 from the North Area Committee Discretionary Revenue Budget to cover the short fall;

(d) To request the Area Co-ordinator and the Parks Services Manager to submit a report to a future meeting of the North Area Committee containing a pre-feasibility study on the likely-hood of the lower field in Cutteslowe Park having works carried out on it to provide better drainage etc. and allow further use of this area.

140. MINUTES

The Committee agreed to approve the minute as follows:

(a) Minutes of the meeting held on 6th December 2007 (previously circulated)

(b) Minutes of the special meeting held on 19th December 2007 (previously circulated)

141. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

(a) 6th December 2007 meeting

(1) Minutes 116(b)(2) – Open Session – General Open Session – Wolvercote Information Desk

Councillor Fooks said that local residents were very pleased that works would be carried out on Wolvercote Common to help alleviate the problem of flooding, but would be more pleased when the works actually commenced

Rebecca Carley said that she had contacted Thames Water regarding the Old Pumping Station to ascertain what their intentions were for the building.

The Committee agreed to note the positions.

(2) Minute 118 – Tree Management and Maintenance

Councillor Fooks said that while it was unfortunate that some trees had to be removed from grass verges, this had bee done for safety reasons. She said that there was no budget to replace these trees, however officers were investigating the possibility of local businesses etc. in order to off-set their carbon emissions, purchasing trees etc. which the Council would then plant either as new planting or replacement planting.

The Committee agreed to note the position.

142. FUTURE ITEMS FOR THE AREA COMMITTEE

The Committee agreed:

(a) To note that County Councillor Ian Hudspeth would be attending the February 2008 meeting of the Area Committee to hear questions on highways issue which the Oxfordshire County Council was responsible for

(b) A pre-feasibility report into works on the lower field of Cutteslowe Park.

The meeting started at 5.00 pm and finished a 6.55 pm

Approximately 4 members of the public were present at the start of the meeting, with 6 present at the end.