Agenda item

The Community Resources Manager introduced the report and gave a brief overview before discussing projects for consideration. The report set out the available funds for allocation by Area Committee 6 and listed the proposals to be considered.

Area Committee 6 had £72,593.42 available to allocate as of 31 December 2023, of which £10,922.33 was general CIL and £61,671.09 was ringfenced for the Hengrove Neighbourhood Plan Area.

Members were advised that based on figures from 31 December 2023, for CIL funding there was an overall sum of £72,593.42 available to Area Committee 6, which broke down as General AC6 expenditure £10,922.33 and for Hengrove and Whitchurch Park Neighbourhood Development Plan expenditure £61,671.09.  Due to the low balance of general CIL, the Committee had decided not to invite any proposals outside the Neighbourhood Development Plan area forwards to submit stage 2 proposals. This means no proposals were considered, and all have been deferred for future consideration.

Regarding £20,000 S106 money for the Whitchurch Lane traffic scheme, the allocation of the funding was time sensitive, so the funding had been allocated in October 2023 meeting. Members were reminded that following advice from the Transport team additional funding of £40,000 general CIL was needed to bring this project forward by combining CIL and S106 funding.

The S106 officer had advised that the committee should approve the allocation of the £20,000 proposed at the last meeting, despite the lack of general CIL available to act as match funding. This was agreed. In order to bring a scheme forwards, the Committee were made aware they would need to commit £40k general CIL when funding becomes available, in order to meet the minimum sum required by the transport department.

Members noted that this year Area Committees were not able to approve funding for a Stage 2 proposal

by pre committing ‘still to be received’ general CIL funds. There was no option to go into a deficit of CIL

funding at this meeting by over-committing on the assumption of a future receipt of CIL. This was

because Area Committee boundaries would change before the next set of committee meetings and their

balances needed to be calculated afresh based on new boundaries. Members asked if this would apply

to Neighbourhood Development Plan areas, where it was known development would be coming forwards, as boundaries of these areas will not change following the AC boundary changes. The community resources manager said she would confirm this with the planning obligations manager.

Members were then asked to consider the approval of funding for 6 Proposals which fall within the Hengrove and Whitchurch Park Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) area, submitted at Stage 2.

5a) Projects invited to submit Stage 2 Full Proposals – NDP Area

Consultation on Neighbourhood Development Plan proposals: The ward councillors for Hengrove and Whitchurch Park have had 2 public forum meetings and a public consultation. There was a limited response but no objections. Residents had been informed. 

Approval of these proposals would leave a deficit of over 60k for the NDP area. 

5b) Projects invited to submit Stage 2 Full Proposals – Outside of NDP area

RESOLVED:

1. That the Area Committee take note that this year, there was no option to pre commit funding or go into deficit of general CIL funds, due to changes to Area Committee boundaries which were due to take place.

2. That funding for the submitted Stage 2 proposals as set out in Minute 5a), including any conditions which the committee had included, be approved.

3. That funding for the submitted Stage 2 proposal as set out in Minute 5b) be not approved due to lack of funding available and inability to go into deficit, but that allocated S106 for the same project remain allocated.

4. That the allocated eligible S106 monies to support relevant proposals in order to conserve CIL funds for future use, be approved.

5. That the legal information concerning the Public Sector Equality duty in reaching all its decisions be noted.