Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was submitted from the Mayor (Councillor Tim O’Kane).

Councillor Bernard Dawson attended the meeting as substitute representative for the Mayor (Councillor Tim O’Kane).

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations.

To advise the Committee of the procedure to be followed at the meeting in relation to Call-Ins. Attention is drawn to Point 8 of the Procedure.

Recommended – That the Procedure be received and applied to the undermentioned call-in.

The Procedure to be followed at the meeting in relation to call-ins was submitted and attention was drawn to Paragraph 8 which set out the options available to the Committee when reaching a decision on the undermentioned call-in.

Resolved                               -   That the Procedure be received and applied to the undermentioned call-in.

At its meeting held on 20^th July, Cabinet resolved:-

(1)   That the contents of the report be noted;

(2)   That bearing in mind the long-term future of the sequoia tree and Park in general, the tree be removed and the landscape plan as originally agreed by the National Heritage Lottery Board be continued with.

In accordance with the Call-In Procedure for Cabinet Decisions, the procedure has been activated. The Call-In relates specifically to the decision to remove the sequoia tree from the park. The following documents are included:

Call-In Form

Copy of Cabinet Report from 20^th July 2016 – Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid

Extract From Minutes of Cabinet on 20^th July 2016

The following documents are included in addition to provide relevant background information:

Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Council, 7^th July 2016)

MPTrees AIA Sequoia Rhyddings Park April 2016 (Council, 7^th July 2016)

Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Cabinet, 8^th June 2016)

Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Cabinet, 3^rd December 2014)

Recommended – That a decision on the Call-In be reached.

The Chair informed the Committee that the purpose of the meeting was to consider a recommendation arising from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 20^th July 2016, when it had been resolved:-

(1)        That the contents of the report be noted; 

(2)        That bearing in mind the long-term future of the sequoia tree and Park in general, the tree be removed and the landscape plan as originally agreed by the national Heritage Lottery Board be continued with.

The following documents were submitted:-

i)          Call-In Form

ii)         Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Copy of Cabinet Report dated 20^th July 2016)

iii)         Extract from Minutes of Cabinet dated 20^th July 2016

iv)        Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Copy of Council  Report dated 7^th July 2016)

v)         MPTrees AIA Sequoia Rhyddings Park April 2016 (Copy of Council Report dated 7^th July 2016)

vi)        Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Copy of Cabinet Report dated 8^th June 2016)

vii)       Rhyddings Park Heritage Lottery Bid (Copy of Cabinet Report dated 3^rd December 2014)

In accordance with the Call-In Procedure for Cabinet Decisions, the Procedure had been activated by two members of the Committee (Councillors Lisa Allen and Terry Hurn) specifically in relation to the decision to remove the sequoia tree from the Park.   Councillor Judith Addison (Sponsor) was in attendance at the meeting and the undermentioned reason was given for the call-in:-

“The controversy about the sequoia tree has arisen because Ward Councillors and local residents were never consulted about the Stage 2 Bid, despite statements to the contrary in the Customer First Analysis dated 20^th May 2016.  It was only at Stage 2 that the relocation of the Market Cross and consequent felling of the sequoia tree were introduced – they did not feature in the Stage 1 Bid or in the planning consent for the refurbishment and improvement of the Park – Planning Application No. 11/14/0359”.

The call-in related to the following:-

(a)        Cabinet’s recommendation for felling of the sequoia tree was clear but was based on a false premise.

(b)        Councillors and residents had never seen the Stage 2 Bid documentation.

(c)        The Stage 1 Bid submitted by Newground on 30/08/13 had not mentioned the Market Cross or sequoia tree.  Planning Consent 11/14/0359 for the Heritage Lottery Scheme, granted on 11/12/14, related solely to the Coach House area at the top of the Park.  The English Heritage comments dated 20/10/14 on the Case File confirmed that.  Consent to fell the sequoia had been granted under Ref. 11/16/0027 – Works to / Felling of various trees within Rhyddings Conservation Area.  Simon Prideaux’s “decision letter” of 16/03/16 stated that the Council would not be issuing Tree Preservation Orders in respect of any of the trees listed – “The reason for that was that the Council’s Cabinet had supported the proposals for the refurbishment and improvement of Rhyddings Park and that application had been made on the basis that those works to trees formed an integral  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118.