NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL WEEK ENDING 25 JUNE 2021 MEMBERS’ INFORMATION Topic Page News and information 1 - 7 CCTV Reports - Pre-Agenda, Agenda and Decision sheets 8 - 37 Planning consultations - Planning applications received & decisions 38 - 54 Press releases 55 - 66 Produced by the Communications Team. Any comments, suggestions or contributions should be sent to the Communications Team at [email protected] Page 1 of 66 NEWS AND INFORMATION AGENDA & REPORTS PUBLISHED WEEK COMMENCING 21 JUNE 2021 Licensing and Appeals Committee – Monday 5 July 2021 Cabinet Panel on the Environment – Tuesday 6 July 2021 Council – Thursday 8 July 2021 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS WEEK COMMENCING 28 JUNE 2021 Cabinet – Tuesday 29 June 2021 Council Chamber, District Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City CHAIR’S ENGAGEMENTS WEEK COMMENCING 26 JUNE 2021 Date Event Location None VICE-CHAIR’S ENGAGEMENTS WEEK COMMENCING 26 JUNE 2021 Date Event Location Saturday 26 June 2021 Armed Forces Day Broadway Gardens, Letchworth OTHER EVENTS WEEK COMMENCING 26 JUNE 2021 Date Event Location None Page 2 of 66 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ENTERPRISE MEMBERS' INFORMATION NOTE Peer Networks programme for SMEs set to run in Hertfordshire for second year After the success of the pilot in 2020, Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce is delighted to support the Peer Networks programme for a second year running. The national Peer Networks programme is delivered locally by Hertfordshire Growth Hub, powered by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), and is designed to help SMEs to grow and position themselves for future success. Peer Networks brings together diverse cohorts of SME leaders who, with the guidance of experienced facilitators, collaborate to find solutions to existing barriers to growth. The programme challenges participants to take onboard new perspectives and find ways to improve their business performance and resilience, ultimately helping tackle the UK’s productivity issue. Under the programme, Hertfordshire Growth Hub will provide eligible businesses with 18 hours of support through a series of high impact group sessions, and at least 3.5 hours of one-to-one support to discuss their business needs, from finance and HR to sales and marketing. Active involvement in the programme will enable participants to build their leadership capabilities, knowledge and confidence, and strengthen their ties with the local business community. Jamie Sukroo – Lean Caffeine Ltd., said ‘The Peer-to-Peer sessions have been immensely valuable as I have learned from others in the group, and it has enabled me to focus on key areas within the business. The process of sharing an issue makes it smaller and the breadth of experience in the group means many different perspectives are brought to bear on the issue. Highly recommended.’ The Peer Networks programme is now open to all Hertfordshire SMEs that have been operating for at least one year, with a minimum of five employees and a minimum turnover of £100,000. To express your interest in joining this scheme, register or login to the Hertfordshire Growth Hub website (www.hertsgrowthhub.com) and ensure you have completed your business diagnostic. Following this, please visit the Marketplace, select ‘Funded Support’ then select the ‘Peer Networks’ listing. Officer Name Andrew Figgis Officer Title Economic Development Officer Tel: 01462 474477 Email: [email protected] Officer Name Louise Symes Officer Title Strategic Infrastructure & Projects Manager Tel: 01462 474359 Email: [email protected] Page 3 of 66 RESOURCES DIRECTORATE MEMBERS INFORMATION NOTE COMMUNITY RIGHT TO BID (REGISTER OF ASSETS OF COMMUNITY VALUE) We have received a request from the owner to review an AoCV listing for the following: The Bull PH, Whitwell. For more information please contact: Ian Couper Service Director - Resources Tel: 01462 474243 Email: [email protected] Page 4 of 66 PLACE WASTE & RECYCLING MEMBERS INFORMATION NOTE Garden Waste Subscription The current 12 month subscription will end on the 30th of September. The new garden waste subscription period will run from 1st October 2021 until 30th September 2022. This is a 12 month service for all residents and the price for the year is £40 irrespective of when the resident joins. To make the changes required for the new subscription period the portal we will need to close the payment portal for the month of July, this means nobody will be able to sign up for collections in July. Residents can then (subject to the webpage update being complete) sign up from August for the next subscription period. New subscribers will also be able to sign up from August. New subscribers will not need to wait until October for their collections to commence but they will be subject to the usual set up period which can be up to 14 days from sign up, they will be advised of this and be issued their permits which will have an end date of 30 September 2022. All current subscribers will be contacted to re-subscribe in batches, so as to manage contacts to Urbasers Customer Contact Centre. We will email residents over a period of 2-3 weeks to manage contacts. We will collect any “bounce back” emails and write to those residents via post. During this period we will be reminding Direct Debit customers that they do not need to take any action. All customers without an email address will be written too, also in batches. As we approach the 1st October we will examine those residents who have re-subscribed and for those that haven’t we will issue further email reminders to ensure they are made aware they need to re-subscribe. Once we have reached the peak of subscriptions we will then advertise subscribing via social media and other appropriate channels. For more information please contact: Louise Overington Service Delivery and Development Manager Tel: 01462 474366 Email: [email protected] Page 5 of 66 Page 6 of 66 Page 7 of 66 RECORD OF DECISION MADE UNDER DELEGATED AUTHORITY PART 1 – PUBLIC DOCUMENT Any interest to declare/ or conflict and any dispensation granted for the Officer or Executive Member [Yes] Cllr Keith Hoskins sits on the Committee of the Hitchin Festival as a Director (in a voluntary capacity). His interest is not pecuniary and he does not stand to personally profit from this event. He did not participate delegated decision and was not virtually present for the discussion and recommendation. Cllr Judi Billing was at the virtual meeting and declared that she would be the decision maker, was acting as a member of the area (relevant Area Committee) and participated in the discussion and recommendation. SERVICE DIRECTORATE: Legal and Community 1. DECISION TAKEN The approval of funding awards from the Hitchin Committee budget to the following body: £2,185 to Hitchin Festival to assist with creating a week-long series of events in the Dell Open Air Theatre at Woodside 2. DECISION TAKER The Executive Member for Community Engagement in consultation with the Service Director – Legal and Community 3. DATE DECISION TAKEN: 24 June 2021 4. REASON FOR DECISION 4.1 Following the cessation of the Flexibility of Meeting Regulations 2020 Committees are required to physically meet should they wish to legally participate and make decisions. As this meeting is being held on a virtual platform, with no Chair or Vice Chair having been appointed at the Annual Council Meeting, no decisions can be made by the virtual meeting and any decisions on whether to award financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending needs to be via a recommendation to the Executive Member for Community Engagement in consultation with the Service Director, Legal and Community. 4.2 To enable the distribution of funds to the project outlined above, via the delegated authority process, subject to the considerations noted at paragraph 6 below. As the Hitchin Committee met virtually on 15th June, they were unable to make a lawful decision. 5. CONSULTATION WITH COMMITTEE MEMBERS 5.1 Consultation including the effect on stakeholders, partners and the public are contained within the report published with the Hitchin Virtual Committee agenda for the meeting held on 15 June 2021. 6. APPLICATION DETAILS 6.1 The Dell Open Air Theatre at Woodside Applicant Hitchin Festival Project Creating a week-long series of events in The Dell Page 8 of 66 The Open Air Theatre at Woodside Hitchin Sum requested £2,185 Festival Total project cost £23,270 Joint funding £1,585 Crowdfunding produc £8,000 Donations from local businesses es a NHDC Policy met YES yearly Council Priorities Be a more welcoming and inclusive Council arts Build thriving and resilient communities festival Respond to challenges to the environment through out the town of Hitchin each July. It brings together community groups, businesses and individuals as well as producing several of its own events. Hitchin Festival was established in March 1991. The money will be spent on creating a week-long series of events in The Dell Open Air Theatre at Woodside. This is a space that was created by the council back in 1951 for performance and there has been a huge desire from the community to get the space up and running as a venue again. In the 70th year since its creation and with outdoor venues seeing a resurgence because of Covid-19, there has never been a better time to see this beloved part of Hitchin restored and used again in the way it was intended. The Dell is situated next to the Queen Mother Theatre at Woodside in Hitchin. The planned events will take place daily from Saturday 24th July – Saturday 31st July. The funding will be used towards hire of staging and technical equipment and to ensure the space remains safe and secure, with fencing and security present throughout the duration.