Agenda, decisions and minutes

Purpose: To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose: To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2016.

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The minutes of the meeting of 14 September 2016 were submitted.

Councillor Hilary McGuill thanked the Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) for circulating the detailed information on gully cleaning.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

That the Committee continues to support the actions set out in the Renewable Energy Action Plan and the progress made so far.

The Chief Officer (Planning & Environment) introduced an update on progress with the Renewable Energy 10 year Action Plan which had been developed to maximise the social, environmental and economic opportunities of low carbon and renewable energy generation on Council owned land.  A summary of activities undertaken during the first year of the Action Plan were set out, including an update on the solar PV installations at the Brookhill and Standard landfill sites.  A site visit to the Standard landfill site was to take place following the meeting.

Councillor Kevin Jones highlighted the significant progress on the landfill sites, in particular the substantial savings to be gained from the connection from the Brookhill site to provide electricity to Alltami depot which would also link to the proposed electric vehicle fleet.  He also spoke about opportunities to develop areas of biomass through grant funding and with involvement by colleagues in Agricultural Estates on potential flood alleviation.

Councillor Paul Shotton commended the £2.8m savings expected to be generated over the 20 year cycle and asked whether any other areas had been identified.  The Energy Conservation Engineer said that a list of Brownfield sites provided by the Valuation & Estates section would be analysed in detail to establish their suitability.  In respect of hydro generation at Wepre Park, the scheme design was awaiting completion.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Regeneration) referred to the challenges on both landfill projects and thanked the Energy Conservation Engineer and Mr Paul Murphy, the manager of both sites, for their work.

Councillor Hilary McGuill questioned the scope of the public consultation exercise.  The Energy Conservation Engineer explained that a link to the survey had been displayed on the Council’s website and Twitter during the spring.  Councillor Bernie Attridge acknowledged the need to include town and community councils as part of future consultation and said that the survey would be revisited at some point.

Councillor McGuill asked about the potential for solar PV installation at the high-rise flats in Flint and was informed that this was not viable due to the external wall fabrication and that the panels needed to be mounted on an angle to be more effective.  A request for further clarification would be followed up by a separate detailed response.  In response to comments on new housing developments by North East Wales (NEW) Homes, the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) said that various funding sources would be explored to maximise opportunities for renewable energy.  The list of identified Brownfield sites would be assessed to establish if any were suitable for solar PV installation or future development by NEW Homes.

Councillor Nancy Matthews spoke about the need for a cautious approach to achieve the predicted savings and for consideration of flood risk management on biomass schemes.  In response to a question, it was explained that solar battery storage was being explored at both landfill sites.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee continues to support the actions set out in the Renewable Energy Action Plan and the progress made so far.

That the report be noted.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) introduced the regular update report to consider progress towards the delivery of the impacts set out in the 2016/17 Improvement Plan, focussing on the areas of under-performance relevant to the Committee during Quarter 1.

On the major risk area, Councillor Bernie Attridge referred to reliance on grant funding for priority flood alleviation schemes and forthcoming discussions with the local MP on the Mold scheme.  Councillor Nancy Matthews spoke about the importance of delivering a viable scheme for Mold and suggested that Welsh Assembly Members should be involved in those discussions.

The Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) said that the intention was to review the current approved Mold scheme to ensure it was affordable and met requirements.  Responding to comments from Councillor Haydn Bateman, he stated that the cost of the scheme was significant and that alternative options were being explored with funding sought from Welsh Government.  Councillor Kevin Jones pointed out that this would be a separate funding stream from the Single Environment Grant.

On flood risk, Councillor Hilary McGuill commented on flooding at a housing scheme involving a holding tank, where permission had been granted by the Welsh Government Inspectorate.  The Chief Officer advised that in each case, the decision-maker needed to be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact on the drainage solution, based on evidence provided at the time.  Councillor Veronica Gay had concerns about a similar scheme in Saltney and was informed that this had already been raised with Natural Resources Wales.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be amended as necessary; and

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises.

The following actions were agreed:

·         A final update on the North Wales Residual Waste Project was confirmed for the next meeting on 7 December 2016.

·         Members would be notified whether the provisional budget meeting on 9 December 2016 would proceed.

·         All Members had been invited to attend a workshop on Public Space Protection Orders on 5 January 2017, where some elements would help to inform the feedback report from the Dog DNA Task & Finish Group on 11 January 2017.  Councillor Hilary McGuill asked that the workshop include information on the approach to the Dog DNA scheme and the cost to the Council.  Councillor Bernie Attridge suggested that a reminder of the workshop be sent to all Members.

·         Following a suggestion by Councillor Veronica Gay, an update on cross-border communications, such as Mersey Dee Alliance, would be scheduled for a future joint meeting with the Community and Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

On the provisional budget meeting, Councillor Nancy Matthews expressed her concerns about the impact of any further proposed budget cuts within the portfolio.  Councillor Attridge said that the meeting was unlikely to take place as all service efficiencies had already been considered by Overview & Scrutiny committees and Cabinet.  As requested by Councillor Matthews, details of efficiencies within service portfolios would be shared as a reminder to Members.

In response to remarks from Councillor Richard Lloyd on conflicting times of meetings and seminars, Councillor Attridge pointed out that it was the responsibility of those arranging events to avoid committee dates set in advance as part of the formal Diary of Meetings.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be amended as necessary; and

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises.

There was one member of the press in attendance.