Cwmbran Community Council Cyngor Cymuned Cwmbrân Committee: Policy & Finance Committee Item 9 (iii) Date: 18 April 2016 Report Author: Clerk to the Council Event attended: Local Councils in Partnership Committee (LCP) Date of Event 22 March 2016 Event Attended by: Councillors TA Matthews, SE Evans (as substitute for Councillor WM Howell) and David Collins, Clerk to the Council. Introduction 1. This report provides members with brief details of the above meeting. 2. Regrettably the meeting was inquorate so only brief, informal discussion of matters on the agenda took place. A summary appears below. (Cwmbran Community Council was fully represented at the meeting.) See also attached Service Area updates. Torfaen Corporate Plan 3 (County Councillor Anthony Hunt.) Overview of new key priorities within Torfaen County Borough Council’s new Corporate Plan which would come into effect on the 1st April 2016. The Plan will contain three politically selected priorities that have been developed by the Council’s administration. The priorities are “A clean and green Torfaen”; “Raising Educational Attainment” and “Support for Torfaen’s most vulnerable residents.” In setting these priorities, Torfaen County Borough Council had clearly stated what it planned to deliver, what it planned to support, and what it would expect residents to do to help drive progress within these areas. Councillor Hunt elaborated on each priority and, in particular, agreed to provide further details of proposals to establish a system of local teams to deliver a Clean & Green Torfaen. Councillor Hunt encouraged Town & Community Councils to come forward with ideas and input to help deliver the above priorities. He also offered to meet individual Councils to discuss the delivery of the Plan in more detail. Amongst the points raised by Members was a request that any talks about devolution of services/collaboration projects should commence as early as possible so that budgets could be set for future years. Welfare Reform Dave Congreave, (Strategic Director Health & Well Being, Torfaen County Borough Council) outlined ways in which Town & community Councils could contribute to policies which addressed the impact of Welfare Reform and anti poverty issues. These ranged from attending Members’ Seminars about Welfare Reform/Anti Poverty and meetings of the Welfare Reform Project Group through to funding information & advice services or a Community Development Worker. Estyn (Dave Congreave, Strategic Director Health & Well Being, Torfaen County Borough Council) outlined key priorities for the Education Service, which included improving performance in literacy & numeracy. Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 Lyndon Puddy, Head of Public Services Support Unit, Torfaen County Borough Council outlined the role of Town & Community Councils in relation to the work of the Public Service Board (PSB), which would replace the Local Strategic Board (LSB) with effect from 1 April 2016. Town & Community Councils would Attend, participate and contribute to the work of the PSB; Make representations to the content of well being plans and provide advice and assistance to the board. Councillor DJ Williams currently represents Town & Community Councils on the LSB. He will be invited to participate on the PSB delivery groups to make representations, raise issues and deliver projects as part of the wider remit. The PSB will also undertake a Well Being Assessment, which will involve Engagement & consultation across all partners. The precise details of how this will be carried out have yet to be confirmed but will be included as part of PSB work programme. 3. A key theme across each of the above issues was the importance of collaboration across traditional organisational boundaries. Cwmbran Community Council has a good recent record in this respect. In order that this momentum is maintained, details of collaborative projects will be reported to the Policy & Finance Committee on a regular basis from now on. 4. Date of next meeting - Tuesday 21 June 2016 at 4.30 pm (ordinary meeting and AGM) Service Area Updates Education Please see below an update for the Education Service:- 1) The statutory objection period in relation to the following proposals is currently underway (and will close on 30th March) a) the closure of Victoria Primary School with the dispersal of pupils to neighbouring schools (predominantly Garnteg Primary School) with effect from 1st September 2017; b) the closure of Abersychan Brynteg Nursery School with effect from 1st September 2017; c) the extension of Garnteg Primary School with the new provision available with effect from 1st September 2017; d) the extension of Cwmffrwdoer Primary School, and at the same time an increase the age range from 4 to 11 years to 3 to 11 to provide nursery provision. The nursery provision and extended provision to be available with effect from 1st September 2017; e) an adjustment/reallocation to catchment areas as follows: i) current Victoria Primary School to Garnteg Primary School ii) current Abersychan Brynteg Nursery School to Garnteg Primary School As part of this process and in order to determine the proposals, Cabinet will then need to consider an Objection Report. This is a summary of the statutory objections received and the Council’s responses to those statutory objections. 2) New Schools are now under construction for Blenheim Road Primary and Llantarnam Primary in Cwmbran and Ysgol Panteg in Griffithstown. They are expected to open during the 2016/17 academic year and probably available for occupation in January 2017. 3) Post 16 provision. Consultation on a new post 16/sixth form centre is currently anticipated to commence around May/June 2016. 4) A survey on demand for Welsh Medium Education is expected to take place with parents/carers of Torfaen pre school age children during the summer term after the Easter break. Mark Horton, Forward Planning Principal Officer, Long Term Capital Strategy Unit, Education Service, Torfaen County Borough Council Neighbourhood and Planning & Public Protection DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES – MAIN CHANGES (Richard Lewis) 1. Pre-application publicity by major developer (not to be mistaken for pre- application advice from LPA!) Applies to full and outline major* applications only (not reserved matters, non material amendments, variations of conditions, etc.) submitted on or after 1 August 2016; Developer must consult a minimum 28 days before submitting their application. Publicity includes site notice in a prescribed form on site and consultation with adjoining neighbours in the same way as the local planning authority does on applications; consultation with local elected members, community councils and specialist (statutory) consultees such as Natural Resources Wales, Cadw, Welsh Water, etc.); The developer will need to make the draft planning application available for public view and comment (any such consultation is entirely by the developer, with comments back to the developer (not the LPA); Consultees will have a minimum of 28 days to make a response; From 1st August 2016 applications must be accompanied by a pre application consultation document (PAC) in order to be valid and this must include a copy of the site notice; a declaration to confirm they have placed the notice and undertaken the relevant consultations; a list of people notified; a summary of issues raised; whether such issues have been addressed and how; copies of all specialist consultee responses and an explanation of the account taken of them. So long as the document complies with these requirements it is valid. If challenges arise from individuals that claim they were not consulted when the applicant says they were, this does not render the application invalid. The provision does not apply retrospectively and consultees cannot veto the application. Instead it is an opportunity to provide material planning comments (negative or positive) or amendment suggestions for consideration by the developer. *major applications = development involving any one or more of the following— (a) the winning and working of minerals or the use of land for mineral-working deposits; (b) waste development; (c) the provision of dwelling houses where— (i) the number of dwelling houses to be provided is 10 or more; or (ii) the development is to be carried out on a site having an area of 0.5 hectares or more and it is not known whether the development falls within sub-paragraph (c)(i) above; (d) the provision of a building or buildings where the floor space to be created by the development is 1,000 square metres or more; or (e) development carried out on a site having an area of 1 hectare or more; 2. Pre-application Service Applies to all pre application enquiries submitted on or after 16 March 2016; Requirement for all LPA’s across Wales to provide a statutory pre application service; Those wanting pre application advice would need to complete a pre application enquiry form and provide a location plan; The fees for this service are the same across Wales, but vary depending upon the size and scale of the proposal: o Householder - £25 o Minor development - £250 o Major development - £600 o Large major development - £1000 Without payment of the relevant fee the LPA is under no obligation to accept the enquiry; LPA’s are required to provide a written response within 21 days, unless an extension of time is agreed. Welsh Government intends to collect information on the number of enquiries received and the time taken to respond for each LPA. We intend