Issue - meetings

To consider the following motion, submitted by Mr Jones, which was referred to the Cabinet Members for Finance and Resources and for Fire & Rescue and Communities at the meeting of the County Council on 19 July 2019.

‘This Council notes that West Sussex County Council owns the freehold land known as Withy Patch which currently forms part of an area that has planning permission from Adur District Council for an extensive new development, commonly known as New Monks Farm.

This Council recognises that the proposals for a major development and retail park has been a source of considerable controversy in recent years.  This Council believes that the continued uncertainty, anger and stress this has caused local residents, is unacceptable and calls on the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources to either take action now to reassure the community that the Council will not proceed with selling or transferring this land to developers or to confirm he will not accept any arrangement which attempts to get the Council to agree to waive, or write off, any of the section 106 developers’ contributions from the New Monks Farm developers that will be required to provide sufficient education provision to meet the needs of the resulting community.  The needs of West Sussex children and their education must come first.

This Council believes that there is already an increasing shortage of places both in primary and in secondary education in the Adur and Worthing areas with children currently being sent to maintained schools much further from their homes, because the local schools have not got the places for the existing population.  The additional population from the New Monks Farm development will inevitably create further pressures and reduce local parents’ ability to find school placements close to them without these contributions.  Moreover, the additional financial burden of creating places will almost certainly have to be met by this Council, which already faces unprecedented financial pressures without having to absorb the costs of building additional buildings and increasing capacity elsewhere.

This Council also believes that facilitating this development through the sale of the land will result in outcomes entirely at odds with the values recently expressed in the cross-party motion on climate change and the ‘climate action pledge’.  Not only may the new development increase the local flooding risk, but the increased traffic and congestion on this part of the A27 relating to the increased population and high profile retail offer will exacerbate further the already serious problems relating to pollution and air quality in the current Air Quality Management Areas within the District.

In the event that the Cabinet Member decides to sell or transfer the land it is understood the gypsy and travellers’ site at Withy Patch would be required to move to the edge of the development and the residents effectively living directly on the edge of a building site, with all the dust, noise and disruption that such construction would entail. Given what this would mean for that community, this Council  ...  view the full agenda text for item 82

82.1     At the County Council meeting on 19 July 2019 the following motion had been moved by Mr Jones, seconded by Mr Oxlade, and referred to the Cabinet Members for Finance and for Fire & Rescue and Communities for consideration. A report by the Cabinet Members was included with the agenda (pages 79 and 80).

‘This Council notes that West Sussex County Council owns the freehold land known as Withy Patch which currently forms part of an area that has planning permission from Adur District Council for an extensive new development, commonly known as New Monks Farm.

This Council recognises that the proposals for a major development and retail park has been a source of considerable controversy in recent years.  This Council believes that the continued uncertainty, anger and stress this has caused local residents, is unacceptable and calls on the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources to either take action now to reassure the community that the Council will not proceed with selling or transferring this land to developers or to confirm he will not accept any arrangement which attempts to get the Council to agree to waive, or write off, any of the section 106 developers’ contributions from the New Monks Farm developers that will be required to provide sufficient education provision to meet the needs of the resulting community.  The needs of West Sussex children and their education must come first.

This Council believes that there is already an increasing shortage of places both in primary and in secondary education in the Adur and Worthing areas with children currently being sent to maintained schools much further from their homes, because the local schools have not got the places for the existing population.  The additional population from the New Monks Farm development will inevitably create further pressures and reduce local parents’ ability to find school placements close to them without these contributions.  Moreover, the additional financial burden of creating places will almost certainly have to be met by this Council, which already faces unprecedented financial pressures without having to absorb the costs of building additional buildings and increasing capacity elsewhere.

This Council also believes that facilitating this development through the sale of the land will result in outcomes entirely at odds with the values recently expressed in the cross-party motion on climate change and the ‘climate action pledge’.  Not only may the new development increase the local flooding risk, but the increased traffic and congestion on this part of the A27 relating to the increased population and high profile retail offer will exacerbate further the already serious problems relating to pollution and air quality in the current Air Quality Management Areas within the District.

In the event that the Cabinet Member decides to sell or transfer the land it is understood the gypsy and travellers’ site at Withy Patch would be required to move to the edge of the development and the residents effectively living directly on the edge of a building site, with all the dust, noise and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82

Please note that the Chairman has agreed that the motion submitted by Mr Jones, which was referred to the Cabinet Members for Finance and Resources and for Fire and Rescue and Communities at the meeting of the County Council on 19 July 2019, will be referred to a later meeting.  This will allow for a further discussion between Mr Jones and the Cabinet Members.

58.1     The Council noted that the Chairman had agreed that the motion submitted by Mr Jones and seconded by Mr Oxlade, which had been referred to the Cabinet Members for Finance and Resources and for Fire & Rescue and Communities at the meeting of the County Council on 19 July 2019, will be referred to a later meeting.  This will allow for a further discussion between Mr Jones and the Cabinet Members.

To consider the following motion, submitted by Mr Jones, notice of which was given on 2 July 2019.

‘This Council notes that West Sussex County Council owns the freehold land known as Withy Patch which currently forms part of an area that has planning permission from Adur District Council for an extensive new development, commonly known as New Monks Farm.

This Council recognises that the proposals for a major development and retail park has been a source of considerable controversy in recent years.  This Council believes that the continued uncertainty, anger and stress this has caused local residents, is unacceptable and calls on the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources to either take action now to reassure the community that the Council will not proceed with selling or transferring this land to developers or to confirm he will not accept any arrangement which attempts to get the Council to agree to waive, or write off, any of the section 106 developers’ contributions from the New Monks Farm developers that will be required to provide sufficient education provision to meet the needs of the resulting community.  The needs of West Sussex children and their education must come first.

This Council believes that there is already an increasing shortage of places both in primary and in secondary education in the Adur and Worthing areas with children currently being sent to maintained schools much further from their homes, because the local schools have not got the places for the existing population.  The additional population from the New Monks Farm development will inevitably create further pressures and reduce local parents’ ability to find school placements close to them without these contributions.  Moreover, the additional financial burden of creating places will almost certainly have to be met by this Council, which already faces unprecedented financial pressures without having to absorb the costs of building additional buildings and increasing capacity elsewhere.

This Council also believes that facilitating this development through the sale of the land will result in outcomes entirely at odds with the values recently expressed in the cross-party motion on climate change and the ‘climate action pledge’.  Not only may the new development increase the local flooding risk, but the increased traffic and congestion on this part of the A27 relating to the increased population and high profile retail offer will exacerbate further the already serious problems relating to pollution and air quality in the current Air Quality Management Areas within the District.

In the event that the Cabinet Member decides to sell or transfer the land it is understood the gypsy and travellers’ site at Withy Patch would be required to move to the edge of the development and the residents effectively living directly on the edge of a building site, with all the dust, noise and disruption that such construction would entail.  Given what this would mean for that community, this Council also calls on the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities to undertake a meaningful consultation with those residents as the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 40

40.1  The following motion was moved by Mr Jones and seconded by Mr Oxlade:

‘This Council notes that West Sussex County Council owns the freehold land known as Withy Patch which currently forms part of an area that has planning permission from Adur District Council for an extensive new development, commonly known as New Monks Farm.

This Council recognises that the proposals for a major development and retail park has been a source of considerable controversy in recent years.  This Council believes that the continued uncertainty, anger and stress this has caused local residents, is unacceptable and calls on the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources to either take action now to reassure the community that the Council will not proceed with selling or transferring this land to developers or to confirm he will not accept any arrangement which attempts to get the Council to agree to waive, or write off, any of the section 106 developers’ contributions from the New Monks Farm developers that will be required to provide sufficient education provision to meet the needs of the resulting community.  The needs of West Sussex children and their education must come first.

This Council believes that there is already an increasing shortage of places both in primary and in secondary education in the Adur and Worthing areas with children currently being sent to maintained schools much further from their homes, because the local schools have not got the places for the existing population.  The additional population from the New Monks Farm development will inevitably create further pressures and reduce local parents’ ability to find school placements close to them without these contributions.  Moreover, the additional financial burden of creating places will almost certainly have to be met by this Council, which already faces unprecedented financial pressures without having to absorb the costs of building additional buildings and increasing capacity elsewhere.

This Council also believes that facilitating this development through the sale of the land will result in outcomes entirely at odds with the values recently expressed in the cross-party motion on climate change and the ‘climate action pledge’.  Not only may the new development increase the local flooding risk, but the increased traffic and congestion on this part of the A27 relating to the increased population and high profile retail offer will exacerbate further the already serious problems relating to pollution and air quality in the current Air Quality Management Areas within the District.

In the event that the Cabinet Member decides to sell or transfer the land it is understood the gypsy and travellers’ site at Withy Patch would be required to move to the edge of the development and the residents effectively living directly on the edge of a building site, with all the dust, noise and disruption that such construction would entail.  Given what this would mean for that community, this Council also calls on the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities to undertake a meaningful consultation with those residents as the person accountable for their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40