Issue - meetings

Report of Strategic Director, Planning, Housing and Economy

Summary

To enable Members to agree the proposed responses to the seven questions posed in the Department for Transport’s consultation upon High Speed Rail with respect to both the proposed national high speed rail strategy and on the recommended line of route for an initial London to West Midlands section of the railway.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended:

(1)               To agree that the Council should make representations in response to Consultation questions 1-3 objecting to the national high speed rail strategy in general accordance with the comments expressed in Section 3 of this report , those made by the “51M” group to the Transport Select Committee, and subject to the agreement of the Lead Member for Planning, in accordance with the “51M “ group’s further comments on this  matter

(2)               To agree that the Council should make representations in response to Consultation questions 4-6 expressing severe concerns about the paucity of information and concerns about several details of the scheme as consulted upon in general accordance with the comments contained in sections 4-6 of this report, and subject to the agreement of the  Lead Member for Planning in accordance with any further representations made on behalf of “51M” as a critique of the Appraisal of Sustainability

(3)               To agree that the Council should make representations in respect of Consultation question 7 in accordance with the comments in Section 4.33-4.34 of this report

(4)               To delegate to the Strategic Director of Planning Housing and Economy , in consultation with the Lead Member for Planning,  the final wording of the consultation responses to be made in general accordance with recommendations 1-3 above 

Approved, with the additional resolution that the Development Control Team Leader be requested to liaise with Bernie Douglas, Chairman of Voxopp, to circulate the report to villages affected by the HS2 proposals.

The Strategic Director Planning, Housing and Economy submitted a report which enable Members to agree the proposed responses to the seven questions posed in the Department for Transport’s consultation upon High Speed Rail with respect to both the proposed national high speed rail strategy and on the recommended line of route for an initial London to West Midlands section of the railway.

Councillor Tim Emptage, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, addressed the Executive regarding the funding the council had allocated to support its campaign in opposition to the HS2 proposals.

In response to Councillor Emptage’s address, the Chairman confirmed that at present up to £50k had been allocated and should additional funding be required, the request would be submitted to Full Council for consideration.

Mr Bernie Douglas addressed the Executive as Chairman of Villages of Oxfordshire Opposing HS2 (VoxOpp).

The Executive commended the Development Control Team Leader and his team for the comprehensive and high quality report.

Resolved

(1)               That it be agreed that the Council should make representations in response to Consultation questions 1-3 objecting to the national high speed rail strategy in general accordance with the comments expressed in Section 3 of the report (attached as an annex to these minutes as set out in the minute book), those made by the “51M” group to the Transport Select Committee, and subject to the agreement of the Lead Member for Planning, in accordance with the “51M “ group’s further comments on this  matter.

(2)               That it be agreed that the Council should make representations in response to Consultation questions 4-6 expressing severe concerns about the paucity of information and concerns about several details of the scheme as consulted upon in general accordance with the comments contained in sections 4-6 of the report (attached as an annex to these minutes as set out in the minute book), and subject to the agreement of the  Lead Member for Planning in accordance with any further representations made on behalf of “51M” as a critique of the Appraisal of Sustainability.

(3)               That it be agreed that the Council should make representations in respect of Consultation question 7 in accordance with the comments in Section 4.33-4.34 of the report (attached as an annex to these minutes as set out in the minute book).

(4)               That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director of Planning Housing and Economy, in consultation with the Lead Member for Planning,  the final wording of the consultation responses to be made in general accordance with resolutions 1-3 above. 

(5)               That the Development Control Team Leader be requested to liaise with Bernie Douglas, Chairman of Villages of Oxfordshire Opposing HS2 (VoxOpp), to circulate the report to villages affected by the HS2 proposals.

Reasons

At it’s meeting of 7 March 2011 the Executive agreed to join other local authorities along the preferred route to campaign against the proposals. Formal agreement of the Council’s responses to the seven questions posed in the Department for Transport’s consultation upon High Speed Rail  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19