Report by Cabinet Member for Assets, Planning
and Housing – Full Council
A list has been compiled of the Council’s property assets
that are surplus to requirements and available for disposal.
Relatively straightforward disposals with an assessed
sale price in the order of £1.5m will be submitted for approval during 2007/8,
together with more complex disposals that could add a further £3m capital
receipts. None of these assets are
regarded, by any stretch of imagination, as the Council’s Crown Jewels.
In line with the Council’s sustainability targets a
specification is being developed for buildings on the proposed Pan Urban
Extension site with carbon neutral and high thermal insulation requirements. Whole life costing of each sustainable method
will be used to detail cost saving within a 25 year period.
There is high priority on replacing an outdated, and
in parts now inappropriate, Unitary Development Plan with the new Island
Plan. The Secretary of State has indicated
support for more local input on planning policy. With policy on the move, it is important that
members of the Development Control Sub Committee are given comprehensive and
up-to-date policy information, without intruding on the independence of their
decisions.
The new Head of Planning, Mr Bill Murphy, has agreed
to manage a policy of pre-application consultation involving Ward Councillors
and Executive Members.
Lack of consistent enforcement of conditions has been
identified as a weakness. I intend to
report to Full Council at subsequent meetings on the repair of this deficiency.
A proposed Housing Strategy will be presented to
Cabinet in March 2007. In the meantime I
would like to emphasise the importance I attach to creating the volume and
quality of accommodation required to meet the needs of Islanders. That accommodation will not fill our needs if
it cannot be afforded and much policy attention will be given to that subject.
Under the Direction of Sarah Mitchell, practical
strides have been made towards driving the first spade in the ground to create
the new extension of Pan. We aim for a
place where people will be proud to live and this is a central plank of our
Strategic Housing Policy. The Ward
Councillor for Pan is watching this space.
My aim is to provide residents with outcomes of which Cllr Lumley will
be proud to have played a leading part.
Spades will soon be cutting turf in
Councillor
George Brown