There were no apologies.

There were no public questions.

The following scrutiny committee reports have been, or may be, submitted to this meeting:-

·         Performance Monitoring Q2;

·         Riverside Land;

·         Oxpens Masterplan – Outcome of consultation.

The following reports from Scrutiny were submitted (now appended);-

·         Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document –Adoption

·         Waste and Recycling Strategy

·         Riverside Land – Acquisition

The reports were taken with the related reports elsewhere on the agenda (minutes 94, 95 and 96 refer).

With the agreement of the Chair, Councillor Fooks addressed the Board on the subject of minute 94 (Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document).

Report of the Head of City Development.

Following approval from CEB in June 2013 to formally consult on the Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document, (SPD), City Executive Board is asked to consider proposed changes to the document arising from public consultation, and then to agree to its adoption.

The draft Oxpens Masterplan SPD will supplement existing plans by explaining how the policies can be interpreted. It will add a further degree of detail and set out the Council’s aspirations for the area but will not introduce any new policies.

City Executive Board is recommended to:-

(1)  Adopt the Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document as modified in the form set out in Appendix 5;

(2)  Endorse the accompanying Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Combined Screening and Scoping Report;

(3)  Authorise the Head of City Development to make any necessary editorial corrections to the document prior to final publication, in consultation with the Board Member.

The Head of City Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended).  The Board also had before it a Scrutiny report (previously circulated, now appended) on the subject.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee spoke to the Scrutiny report.  Councillor Fooks addressed the meeting.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee said, in summary, that the Committee had generally welcomed the Plan.  He referred to the list of items in the report about which some Scrutiny members had concerns.

Councillor Fooks expressed concerns about the Masterplan.  In summary she felt that it missed the opportunity to achieve a necessary balance between housing and jobs.  More housing was needed in the City and the Plan should recognise this.  Councillor Fooks also had concerns about traffic impacts. 

The Leader said that it was indeed important to get the balance of land uses right.  The Plan was illustrative of development but was not firm in terms of the balance of land uses

Resolved to:-

(1)  Adopt the Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document as modified in the light of consultation in the form set out in Appendix 5 to the report subject to the ice rink being referred to in Chapter 6 of the Document;

(2)  Endorse the Strategic Environmental Assessment Combined Screening and Scoping Report that formed Appendix 3 to the report;

(3)  Authorise the Head of City Development in consultation with the Board Member to make any necessary editorial corrections to the Supplementary Planning Document prior to final publication.

Report of the Head of Environmental Development.

In December 2011 CEB approved a Sustainability Strategy for Oxford.  The Sustainability Strategy focuses on a number of core themes including climate change flooding, land quality and managing our waste.

This report presents and recommends a policy linked to the Sustainability Strategy which is the Waste and Recycling Strategy for Oxford.  The Sustainability Strategy was approved following public consultation.  As the Waste and Recycling Strategy is subordinate it is not proposed to hold a public consultation on this strategy.

City Executive Board is recommended to approve the Waste and Recycling Strategy for adoption

The Head of Environmental Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended). The Board also had before it a Scrutiny report (previously circulated, now appended) on the subject. 

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee spoke to the Scrutiny report.  He referred to the six recommendations in the report and paid tribute to the work of the recycling panel in pre-scrutinising the Waste Strategy report and formulating constructive recommendations.

The Board member commended each of the recommendations to the Board save for recommendation 2 (costing pre-scrutiny and diversion of recyclable for household waste).  He considered that not to be financially viable.

Resolved:-

(1)  That the Waste and Recycling Strategy that forms Appendix 1 to the report be adopted as a strategy within the Sustainable Strategy for Oxford policy framework subject to the Waste and Recycling Strategy’s Vision making it clear that waste was a resource and a commodity from which the Council could generate income, and that the Council should continually be looking for further opportunities to benefit financially from the waste that the City produces;

(2)  In pursuance of the Strategy, to agree:-

(a)  to provide to the Scrutiny Committee more detailed information on the costing and feasibility for the options that had been considered to recycle food from flats alongside the details of the current capital bid;

(b)  more actively to use the waste enforcement penalties to convince residents who do not present waste in the manner required;

(c)  to investigate, through the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, local opportunities to reduce excess packaging and the use of plastic bags;

(d)  to take all opportunities to promote the benefits of food waste separation to commercial customers and investigate opportunities to offer incentives to new business customers.

Report of the Head of Environmental Protection and the Regeneration and Major Projects Manager.

This Report seeks approval for claiming title to the strip of land adjacent to Abbey Road (as shown highlighted in red on the plan attached as Appendix 1) by way of a claim for adverse possession.

The strip of land consists of a grass verge between the towpath and the river adjacent to Abbey Road

City Executive Board is recommended to

(1)   Approve the acquisition of the strip of land adjacent to Abbey Road by adverse possession to allow the Council to regularize mooring on this land and if successful;

(2)   Agree limited visitor mooring to the southern section of the acquired land.

The Head of Environmental Development and the Regeneration and Major Projects Manager submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended).  The Board also had before it a Scrutiny report (previously circulated, now appended) on the subject.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Approve the acquisition by adverse possession of the strip of land adjacent to Abbey Road as shown on the plan that forms Appendix 1 to the report to allow the Council to regularize mooring on the land;

(2)   Subject to (1) above, to agree limited visitor mooring to the southern section of the acquired land;

(3)   Note the offer of assistance from local residents in the matter of managing and maintaining the riverside land, the subject of the report.

The Democratic Services Manager said that the draft agenda for the December Board meeting contained ten substantive items.

Minutes of the meeting held on9^th October 2013

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th October 2013 were approved as a correct record.