Minutes:
Question from Mr Brooks, read by the Chairman on his behalf
From November 2023, the Environment Act 2021 will amend the Town and Country Planning Act to force developers to provide a biodiversity increase of at least 10% for their projects. If this can't be done on the site itself, it should be done locally (off-site) or via the purchase of national credits.
What is the Council's strategy to maximize this investment in biodiversity at the local level? Are there any flagship projects which could be built on the back of this policy?
The following response was provided by the Cabinet Member for Planning.
I welcome this question as it provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of improving biodiversity, which this Council has been doing.
It is important to note that for many years the Government’s national planning policy has included an ambition to secure net gain in biodiversity. We welcome the Environment Act 2021 which makes a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) mandatory from November this year.
The Council has a long-held commitment to securing BNG and we are not waiting for it to become a mandatory requirement:
· the District Plan (adopted in 2018) requires developers to take opportunities to improve, enhance and manage biodiversity;
· The Site Allocations Development Plan Document (adopted in 2022) includes a requirement to deliver a net gain to biodiversity; and
· The emerging District Plan Review includes policies which call for the mandatory 10% net gain requirement to be increased to a minimum of 20% on ‘Significant Sites’.
Five years ahead of this statutory requirement we also led the way back in 2018, with a minimum 10% requirement of BNG at the Northern Arc (now known as Brookleigh). In fact, monitoring at Brookleigh shows that on-site BNG will exceed 20%. Furthermore, we continue to work with all our developers to achieve 10% BNG on current planning proposals despite it not being mandatory.
Legislation is clear that BNG can be provided on or off site or via statutory biodiversity credits and operational details of BNG are still being developed by the Government in fact consultation was recently carried out on proposed draft Regulations.
It is worth remembering that BNG will not only be achieved through planning, but this Council is also going further in our Sustainable Economy Strategy which aims to “improve, manage and promote biodiversity and nature recovery”. As a result, the Council is refreshing the management plans for our countryside sites to ensure they deliver maximum biodiversity benefit and build on current successes of local rewilding initiatives under the national BLUE campaign.
To provide some background to the BLUE Campaign, in response to a dramatic biodiversity and biomass decline in the UK, a wildlife film maker Fergus Beeley started a simple process around the idea of letting a piece of ground go wild. It has been taken up across the country and if you see a stake with a Blue Heart sign it indicates an area that is participating. Private gardens, allotments, business yards are all taking part and a number of Councils are also working to rewild Council land and verges.
Question from Mr Bright
MSDC’s Leader stated in his latest video that Clair Hall refurbishment could cost £3m. The June 2022 Property Report showed costs could be spread over a number of years. The 20th December 2021 report called for investment options but no calculations have been published to date. At closure the footfall had been 55,000 and 40 major shows were cancelled. Can the community now see an investment plan for the opening of the Hall with the same footfall and live performances as at closure with future projections? Why is this information overdue despite so much expenditure on consultancies.
The following response was provided by the Leader:
The video to which Mr Bright refers was published to update local people on the work that Cabinet agreed to in late 2022, namely engaging in soft market testing with experienced cultural providers and other operators. The aim of this work remains to advise us on the viability of each of the two options we agreed to explore, as set out in previous Cabinet reports. I was pleased to see the number of cultural providers who came to view the site and share their expertise.
This will enable us to come back to Cabinet in relation to potential next steps – specifically looking to either have a brand-new building or a significant remodelling of the current building. Our focus remains working to secure an investment partner and cultural anchor tenant who can help us deliver cultural and leisure provision in a modern, fit for purpose venue on the Clair Hall site. The report on this work is due to deliver in the spring on schedule which will enable Cabinet to consider and propose next steps.
We continue in the meantime to support the NHS in their campaigns and know that they and residents are grateful for the use of this facility.
I also remind Members that during consultation in 2021, 95 % residents wanted to see positive change on the Clair Hall site and that is what we are working to.
I would urge Mr Bright and others to keep up to date on our engagement hub where we share all the information on our work to deliver a sustainable venue for now and the future.
Supplementary Question
Mr Bright noted that Clair Hall closed three years ago and it has been used by the NHS with volunteers since then. The hall main door signage with the ‘Clair Hall’ name has been removed and the grounds are neglected and overgrown. The community is concerned that the Hall will go the same way as the Martlets in Burgess Hill. He asked if the Council will engage with local organisations to produce quickly an investment plan to reopen in a more immediate timescale than is being planned by the Council, which we now learn will probably be 4-5 years past the closure date.
The Leader noted that the building is the day-to-day operational responsibility of the NHS and they are responsible for the operational management. He referred Mr Bright to the previously published reports which transparently set out the work being undertaken. The next report from expert advisers will be provided to Cabinet later in spring. The goal is to ensure we have a modern, fit for purpose community and entertainment venue on the Clair Hall site, that meets the needs of the community for the next 50 years rather than just recognising what has been there in the past.