Environment Policy and Review Panel - Tuesday, 31st January, 2017 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 8th November, 2016 (copy attached).

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 8th November, 2016 were approved and signed by the Chairman, subject to the inclusion of an additional sentence at the end of the Recycling Levels in Rushmoor item to say ‘The Chairman noted that nothing was being done by the Cabinet to address the low recycling levels in Rushmoor’.

The Building Control Partnership Manager and Environmental Health Manager to report on the procedures, and roles and responsibilities, for dealing with dangerous structures and demolition of buildings in the Borough, and clarify the extent to which Rushmoor Borough Council has power to act.

Martin Hobley, Building Control Partnership Manager, and Colin Alborough, Environmental Health Manager, at Rushmoor Borough Council reported on the procedures, roles and responsibilities for dealing with dangerous structures and demolition of buildings in the Borough.  The Panel was advised that, if a structure larger than 50 cubic metres was required to be demolished.  Section 80 of the Building Act required the applicant to serve a notice on the Council.  The Council would respond within six weeks with a Section 81 notice which would include the requirements with which the applicant had to comply.  The Panel was advised that regulation of health and safety on a demolition site was the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

In terms of the Council’s duties with regard to dangerous structures, any structure that could present a danger to the public would require the Council to either contact the owner to rectify or in an emergency the Council would arrange to make the site safe.  The Council could apply to the Magistrates’ Court under Section 77 to serve a notice on the owner requiring them to make the structure safe or in extreme cases could act themselves under Section 78 which allowed the Council to take immediate action. 

There had been issues with the demolition of a building recently with which the Council and HSE had both been involved.  The matters regarding health and safety were now in the hands of the HSE to investigate.

The Panel discussed the position of the Council on making buildings safe and the process for the demolition of buildings.  It was requested that, in future, when works were being carried out by individuals that had not followed procedures in the past, careful monitoring should be carried out.

The Panel NOTED the presentation.

Sophie Slade from Thames Water Utilities to attend the meeting to advise the Panel on the Aldershot Catchment study being carried out to look at improving the drainage arrangements.

Sophie Slade, Paul Bowring and Gian Illari attended the Panel meeting, on behalf of Eight2O, to report on the Aldershot Catchment Study.  Eight20 was an alliance made up of eight companies set up to deliver elements of Thames Water’s investment programme. Thames Water had a five year plan that would help save over 2,100 properties that currently suffered from sewer flooding.  In addition to the five year plan, funding had been secured to undertake five catchment studies to investigate whether more properties could be protected, one of which was the Aldershot Catchment Study. 

The Panel was advised that flooding had occurred at a number of key locations across the Aldershot catchment area during numerous historical storm events due to the incapacity of the surface water sewer network.  A wide range of options had been investigated to reduce the risk of flooding in key flooding areas in Aldershot.  Preferred solutions had been identified and work was being undertaken to assess the feasibility of the schemes.

A proposed scheme had been designed to address flooding at 50 properties in the vicinity of Manor Park.  The scheme involved implementing a range of sustainable attenuation features in and around Manor Park.  The proposed scheme would require close collaboration with both Rushmoor Borough Council and Hampshire County Council to ensure the design offered maximum benefit to stakeholders and local residents.

The Aldershot Catchment Study would be completed in March/April 2017.  The study assessment and costings would then be completed and outline drawings and calculations produced.  An Integrated Catchment Strategy would be produced which would recommend the sequential implementation of the proposed options and provide a long-term strategy for the catchment to address remaining flooding issues.  Thames Water would seek an agreement in principle for ownership and maintenance of proposed drainage features should the scheme progress further.

The Panel discussed the Aldershot Catchment Study work that was being carried out and the proposed scheme.  Regular updates to the Panel were requested to monitor the progress of the work.  The Panel suggested a number of areas that had flooding issues but were advised that all schemes had to be assessed and the cost benefit calculated.  Schemes would only proceed if they were feasible and cost effective.  It was expected that the modelling for any schemes that were not included in the Thames Water programme could be shared with the Council.

The Panel NOTED the presentation

Clare Mills, Flood and Water Manager from Hampshire County Council, the Lead Local Flood Authority, to advise the Panel on the flood work being carried out in Rushmoor and future plans.

Clare Mills, Flood and Water Manager from Hampshire County Council (HCC), the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), attended the Panel meeting to report on the role of the LLFA and the approach being taken within Hampshire.  The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 placed a number of responsibilities on the LLFA and there were a number of statutory requirements that were either a power or duty to undertake.  There were a number of other agencies with a flood management role including the Environment Agency, water companies, highway authority and the planning authority.  The LLFA role included:

·                Co-ordinating the management of flooding from surface water, ground water and ordinary watercourses;

·                Investigating flooding;

·                Approving works to watercourses; and,

·                Enforcement of unconsented works or lack of maintenance works on ordinary watercourses.

The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy had been adopted by HCC in July 2013 together with the associated high level action plans.  A review of the Strategy was underway and expected to be completed in early 2018.  The approach in Hampshire was a more catchment based approach to flooding to better co-ordinate work and maximise the availability of funding.  Work had been commissioned to look at all flood risk within the catchments of Hampshire.  Once complete, a programme for the catchment plans would be developed.  The flood risk schemes within Rushmoor were located at Middleton Gardens, Sycamore Road and Rectory Road in Farnborough; two further schemes had also been included in the unfunded pipeline programme for 2021/22 onwards.  All funding allocations in the programme remained unsecured until agreement of a full business case for any proposed scheme had been granted.  Partnership funding was required to enable national funding to be released.

The Panel discussed the programme of schemes and proposed some additional areas that had suffered problems with flooding.  A response on specific areas was not able to be given at the meeting but details would be investigated and reported back to the Panel.

The Panel NOTED the presentation.

To note the Panel’s current work programme (copy attached).

The Panel was asked to advise the Panel Administrator of any items to be considered for the 11th April Panel meeting by 7th March. 

The Panel NOTED the current work programme.