Agenda and minutes

None.

Scrutiny Committee Public Open Forum ~ Guidance

Our Scrutiny Committee meetings are live streamed and a link to the live stream will be available on the meeting page of the Monmouthshire County Council website

If you would like to share your thoughts on any proposals being discussed by Scrutiny Committees, you can submit your representation in advance via this form

·     Please share your views by uploading a video or audio file (maximum of 4 minutes) or;

·     Please submit a written representation (via Microsoft Word, maximum of 500 words)

You will need to register for a My Monmouthshire account in order to submit the representation or use your log in, if you have registered previously.

The deadline for submitting representations to the Council is 5pm three clear working days in advance of the meeting. 

If representations received exceed 30 minutes, a selection of these based on theme will be shared at the Scrutiny Committee meeting.  All representations received will be made available to councillors prior to the meeting.

If you would like to attend one of our meetings to speak under the Public Open Forum at the meeting, you will need to give three working days’ notice by contacting Scrutiny@monmouthshire.gov.uk .  

The amount of time afforded to each member of the public to speak is at the chair’s discretion, but to enable us to accommodate multiple speakers, we ask that contributions be no longer than 3 minutes. 

If you would like to suggest future topics for scrutiny by one of our Scrutiny Committees, please do so by emailing Scrutiny@monmouthshire.gov.uk

The Chair advised that many submissions had been received and that it would not be possible to read them out at the meeting due to the significant number. She advised that written submissions received in sufficient time ahead of the meeting had been shared with the committee, Cabinet Member and officers, and that any submissions received since, would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member and officers for further consideration. 

The Chair noted receipt of 15 written submissions objecting to site CS0270 in the plan, and a further two objecting to land at Mounton Road and land west of Usk, Penperllenni. Three members of the public spoke at the meeting about CS0270 raisinga number of concerns: 

·        Sufficiency of infrastructure, how homes will be zero carbon when the developer has not committed to it until 2050, potential increases in phosphate discharge which already exceed permissible levels, questioning whether sufficient funds will be available, asking why the 270 homes can’t be added to Abergavenny, and suggesting it is too far from the town centre for walking or cycling whereas at Abergavenny the homes would be closer to the train station. 

·        Noting that CS0270 is a special site given its beauty and location, its importance to the greater horseshoe bats, its visibility from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and proximity to a scheduled ancient monument, objecting to the loss of prime agricultural land – suggesting that CS0274 would therefore be a better alternative. 

·        Raising concerns about traffic emissions and air quality monitoring in Monmouth, suggesting that the current methodology is flawed and lacks sufficient data on real or projected emissions.  

The Chair thanked the public for their input, through sending written submissions and by contributing to the meeting via the Public Open Forum. 

To scrutinise the RLDP Deposit Plan prior to Council endorsement for public consultation

Cabinet Member Paul Griffiths introduced the report, delivered a presentation, and answered the members’ questions with Craig O’Connor. In his presentation of the report, Councillor Griffiths acknowledged the following: 

·        Demographic Trends:He highlighted the decline in school-age and working-age populations in Monmouthshire, contrasting with the growth in the over-65 population, emphasizing the need to reverse these trends to maintain sustainable communities.  

·        Housing and Affordability: He stressed the importance of increasing the supply of housing, particularly affordable housing, to retain young people in the county, highlighting that 50% of the population cannot afford to purchase homes on the open market, necessitating a high level of affordable housing in the plan.  

·        Plan Proposals: He outlined the plan to provide 2000 new homes over 15 years, with 50% being affordable, explaining that 660 of these would be social housing for rent, with 330 being low-cost home ownership options.  

·        Employment Land: He discussed the provision of 48 hectares of employment land to support job growth and address the lack of land for business expansion.  

·        Sustainability and Infrastructure: He emphasized that new homes will be within walking distance of existing settlements, will be net zero carbon, and will be supported by necessary infrastructure.  

·        Overall Vision:He explained that the plan aims to create younger, more sustainable communities by providing appropriate housing and job opportunities, whilst protecting the environment, and supporting existing town centres.  

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for presenting the report and proceeded to take questions and key points from the Committee, with answers being given by the Cabinet Member and officers.  

Questions and key points raised by the Committee:?             

·        A member asked whether in relation to candidate site CSO270, what the impact would be of the influx of residents arising from the rollover sites from the previous LDP of 280 homes, and how this would affect the number of vehicles on the roads. 

They were advised that theplanning policy team have reviewed the sites and considered the impact on existing infrastructure and that the Dixton Road site was identified as the most appropriate and sustainable option. 

·        It was asked whetherthe 5.8-hectare candidate employment site is sufficient to provide enough employment opportunities for those living in the new homes, in order that Monmouth’s residents fulfil the criterion of living sustainable lifestyles. The member raised their concerns about further exacerbation of road congestion. 

They were advised that there is 4.5 hectares of employment land allocated at the Wonastow Rd site, and that this should create jobs within the area to balance the housing.  

·        A member asked how Monmouth qualifies as a sustainable development considering the severe lack of public transport links. 

They were advised that Monmouth was allocated a site to keep the community sustainable and ensure a balanced demographic. They also confirmed that the strategic phosphate solution for Monmouth enables sustainable development. 

·        A member asked why the local transport strategy isn’t included within  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Forward Work Programme was noted and the timescales for the Parking Review would be clarified. 

The plan was noted.  

11^th July 2024

24^th July 2024 (Special)

3^rd September 2024 (Special)

·        11^th July 2024 

·        24^th July 2024 (Special) 

·        3^rd September 2024 (Special) 

The minutes were confirmed, proposed by CouncillorLucas and seconded by CouncillorWright. 

Confirmed as7^th November 2024