Item 1

AT A MEETING of the ENVIRONMENT POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE held on Monday 19 November 2001 at The Castle, Winchester.

PRESENT:

Councillors: J.K. Glen (Chairman); Mrs P.G. Banks; F.J. Bright; Mrs E.M. Byrom; J.E. Coles; A.P. Collett; C.R.H. Davidovitz; Mrs P.M. Devereux; A.G. Dowden; W.J. Filer; M.S. Geddes; P.R.C. Hutcheson; R.J. Kimber; T.G. Knight; R.C. McIntosh; R.H. Price; M.J. Roberts; Miss J.D. Wride.

16. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 18 October 2001 (Item 1 in the Minute Book) were confirmed by the Committee and signed as a correct record following the addition of an appendix in respect of Minute 15.

Arising thereon:-

(i) A New Forest National Park

In answer to Members' questions, the County Planning Officer confirmed that part of the Dibden Bay area that Associated British Ports wished to develop had been included in the area of the proposed New Forest National Park. He commented that the Inquiry into the Dibden Bay proposal and the New Forest National Park Boundary were two separate matters. The County Planning Officer confirmed that the Dibden Bay Inquiry was scheduled to commence on 27 November 2001.

In respect of the South Downs National Park, a three-month consultation period would commence on 27 November 2001.


(ii) 20 mph Speed Limits in Rural Areas

Following a request from Councillor Roberts, the County Surveyor offered to write to him in due course but confirmed that the implementation dates for the various schemes were not yet known.


(iii) Local Bus Services

The County Surveyor confirmed that a report detailing this year's financial position in respect of local bus services had been approved by the Executive Member for the Environment on 13 November 2001. A wider discussion on the future of bus services would take place at the next meeting of the Committee.

Talks with the District Councils were being conducted in order to highlight problem areas and to explore the possibility of the Districts making a contribution. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council had made a substantial contribution which had enabled evening services to remain in place.


(iv) Reviewing the County Structure Plan

The County Planning Officer reported that, in respect of the Review, technical work was underway in four key areas:-


· South Hampshire Study


· Blackwater Valley


· Examination of existing Structure Plan policies to ascertain their future relevance


· New topics such as energy/climate change

Technical teams were being set up and stakeholder groups to debate the way forward.


(v) Transport Network Improvement Best Value Review - Options Report

In respect of the forthcoming Transport Network Improvements Challenge Workshops, additional nominations had been received as follows:-


· Public Engagement Workshop - Councillor Mrs P.G. Banks


· Democratic Process and Minimising Bureaucracy - Councillors J.E. Coles and R.H. Price


· Whole Life Costings - Councillors J.E. Coles, M.S. Geddes, R.H. Price


· Managing and Developing Skills for the Task - Councillors Mrs P.G. Banks, Mrs P.M. Devereux, M.S. Geddes

17. CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman reported that a stakeholder meeting (Entec) in respect of the Review of the Minerals Local Plan would be held on Saturday 1 December 2001 at The Castle, Winchester. Attendance was by invitation only. Councillor Davidovitz confirmed that he would give a short report to Members at the next meeting of the Committee.

18. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Committee received a presentation on Sustainable Development (Item 2 in the Minute Book) by Peter Brown from the Environmental Challenge Team in the County Planning Department. A copy of the presentation material would be sent to Members in due course.

The County Planning Officer reported that this was an area in which there was a clear role for the Committee in promoting and challenging sustainability issues. The economic aspects of sustainability were just as important as the environmental aspects and should not be overlooked.

19. FORWARD PLAN OF ACTIVITY FOR THE COMMITTEE

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive (Item 3 in the Minute Book). The list of items put forward by Members at their last meeting had been assessed. The proposed forward plan for the next three meetings of the Committee was detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, and would be a standing agenda item.
The Committee also considered its several roles. After a wide-ranging discussion, there was a consensus of opinion that the Committee should be more proactive in its involvement in Executive Member issues and be kept more fully informed in relation to the County Council's Forward Plan.

Following consideration of the County Council's Forward Plan, the following items were identified for discussion at future meetings:

· Eastleigh Borough Local Plan - First Deposit Draft Plan


· Gosport Borough Local Plan - First Deposit Draft Plan


· Portsmouth Local Plan - Second Deposit Draft Plan


· Project Integra Board Business Plan (Board)


· Project Integra Business Plan (County Council)


· Consultation by Government - Green Paper on the Future of
Planning

20. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Committee would be held on:-

Monday 10 December 2001 at 10.00 a.m. in the Conference Room, Ashburton Court, The Castle, Winchester.

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