Agenda and minutes

The Chairwelcomed allparties tothe meetingand drewattention tothe emergencyevacuation procedure in the event of an emergency.

Apologies forabsence werereceived from Councillors Fabian Breckels, Amal Ali & Katja Hornchen.

To note any interests relevant to the consideration of items on the agenda.

Any declarations of interest made at the meeting which are not on the register of interests should be notified to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion.

The Chair and Councillor Classick declared that they had responded to the BCC/History Commission public consultation regarding the Edward Colston statue.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting as a correct record.

The Chair agreed to defer approval of these minutes until the next meeting.

There were none.

Therewere noissues arisingfrom theAction Sheet.

To note appeals lodged, imminent public inquiries and appeals awaiting decision.

There were no questions regarding appeals.

To note enforcement notices.

Therewere no questions regarding Enforcement.

Any member of the public or councillor may participate in public forum. The detailed  arrangements for so doing are set out in the Public Information Sheet at the back of this agenda. Please note that the following deadlines will apply in relation to this meeting:

Questions:

Written questions must be received three clear working days prior to the meeting. For this meeting, this means that your question(s) must be received at the latest by 5pm on 15 February 2024.

Petitions and statements:

Petitions and statements must be received by noon on the working day prior to the meeting. For this meeting, this means that your submission must be received at the latest by 12.00 noon on 20 February 2024.

The statement should be addressed to the Service Director, Legal Services, c/o The Democratic Services Team, City Hall, 3^rd Floor Deanery Wing, College Green,

P O Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE or email - democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK AT THE COMMITTEE, YOU ARE REQUESTED TO INDICATE THIS WHEN SUBMITING YOUR STATEMENT OR PETITION. ALL REQUESTS TO SPEAK MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A WRITTEN STATEMENT.

In accordance with previous practice adopted for people wishing to speak at Development Control Committees, please note that you may only be allowed 1 minute subject to the number of requests received for the meeting.

If you have any further questions, please see the Development Control B Committee Public Forum FAQ for more information

https://democracy.bristol.gov.uk/documents/s86621/Public%20Forum%20FAQ%20for%20Development%20Control%20Committees.pdf

Members of the press and public who plan to attend a public meeting at City Hall are advised that you will be required to sign in when you arrive and you will be issued with a visitor pass which you will need to display at all times.

The public forum bundle was noted. There were no speakers.

To consider the following applications for Development Control Committee B -

TheCommittee consideredthe followingPlanning Application:

The report was summarized for the benefit of the Committee and the following points arose from questions:-

1.      Both the plinth and the statue were currently listed but this application would regularize the situation as if granted the statue would no longer be listed and would then become part of the museum’s collection. The statue would then be cared for under the regulations of the museum. Conditions 3 & 4 ensured the public benefits were secured in their totality;

2.      Officers were confident that the right balance had been struck in relation to the benefits secured without being overly prescriptive. Future administrations could come back and seek a variation to those conditions.

Councillor Windows arrived part way through the presentation and the Chair informed him that he would not be able to vote on the application in line with the Code of Conduct on planning matters.

The following points arose from debate:-

1.      The application was welcomed as coming before the Committee for transparency purposes. It was noted that history was a moveable concept and this application was the appropriate response to recent events. It was hoped that one day there would be a museum in Bristol to those harmed by the slave trade;

2.      It was a shame that the statue had been pulled from the plinth and the museum was the best place for it and kept most people happy;

3.      It was good that the statue was down and it should never go back up. There was some reservation regarding whether the plaque struck the right balance in adequately explaining the context. The Officer recommendation was supported, though a change of wording and the ability for the statute to go elsewhere in the future should this be chosen was additionally supported;

4.      There was some concern regarding who had the final decision regarding the plinth;

5.      The wording for the plaque was suggested by the History Commission but it was felt that it did not reflect African heritage;

6.      The Chief Planner reported that the Committee could review the wording and a revised wording would come back to the next DC B Committee for approval. The application could then be granted subject to conditions and the review of the wording and this was supported by members;

7.      There being no further comments the officer recommendation, as amended, was moved and seconded and onbeing putto the vote it was:-

RESOLVED – (Unanimous) - that the application be granted subject to conditions and that the wording for the plinth be reviewed by the Committee and the matter come back to 10 April DC B Committee for decision.

2pm 10 April 2024

The nextmeeting isscheduled for2pm on10 April 2024.