To receive questions from Members on any matter for which the Council has powers, duties or affects the City.
Minutes:
In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Moore to the Leader:</AI14>
“The Council opened the Junction night shelter in 2018, funded as part of a £481,600 (1) grant to provide support to people living on the streets and help them back into accommodation. The Shelter has since closed and I have twice been told that plans to reopen it in some way are being looked into.
How much is the council paying for the lease and when will it be opened in some form to offer much needed accommodation for people currently sleeping rough?”
The Leader asked Councillor Asvachin as Portfolio Holder for Housing, Homelessness and Customer Services to respond. In responding Councillor Asvachin stated that Officers were looking at future options for the property which included potentially subletting to other agencies or terminating the lease early. Once an options appraisal had been completed discussions would take place with SMB and the relevant Portfolio Holder. The current annual rental for the property was £22,500.
In a supplementary question Councillor Moore asked what viable options there would be for those on the streets given that this facility was unlikely to re-open. In response Councillor Asvachin stated that one pod was unoccupied but work was being done to ensure that others had somewhere over Christmas and that this facility would only be closed for one week.
In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Moore to the Leader:-
“What coordinated action is Exeter City Council as Local Planning Authority doing to proactively work with Devon County Council as Transport Authority, all the interested developer parties and community to agree a plan to manage the access to the Water Lane SPD development sites through the existing Haven Banks area for both construction logistics and long term use once built out.
With its very constrained access/egress point to the area a lack of action at this stage will bake in unacceptable long term negative impacts on the area in terms of road safety, excessive traffic, air pollution and inappropriate use of residential roads for through traffic.”
The Leader requested that Councillor Asvachin as Portfolio Holder respond and in doing so she stated that the Liveable Water Lane SPD (2024) set out a long-term access strategy for the area, developed in collaboration with Devon County Council as the local highway authority. The strategy prioritised sustainable access including:
· Minimising car traffic and encouraging active travel (walking, cycling, and micromobility).
· Designating Haven Banks Road as a priority route for pedestrians and cyclists.
Haven Road itself was not suitable for general vehicle access for new developments, as confirmed in Code A03 of the SPD. Relevant planning applications reflect this approach:
· Application 22/1145/FUL (Haven Banks Retail Park) included servicing via Haven Road but removes the existing car park access, relocating all parking to Water Lane.
· Application 23/1007/OUT did not include any vehicular access to Haven Road.
Further discussions would take place with developers, Devon County Council, and stakeholders as proposals progress. Standard conditions would also be applied for construction traffic management and site operations to minimise disruption.
In a supplementary question Councillor Moore asked if the measures above were sufficient and would the Portfolio Holder work with her and the Planning team to ensure plans were adequate for the community? The Leader responded that this would be a showcase development and there would be teething problems but the relevant Portfolio Holder and Director would work together.
In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Read to the Leader:
“I am worried about news that the bollard at the South Street entrance to Cathedral Green is out of service and requiring such an extensive repair that it is unclear if it will ever be repaired. With this in mind, can the leader advise how much has been spent on the bollard to date and what plans are in place to prevent the current open season on free parking on the cobbled and pedestrianised areas every weekend evening?”
In response the Leader stated that he would provide a written response outside the meeting.
In a supplementary question Councillor Read asked if the quote of £15,000 could be found and the Leader stated that he would investigate.
In accordance with Standing Order No. 8, the following question was put by Councillor Read to the Leader:
“ECC resolved an action on 21st February 2023 to ask the water company in planning consultation responses for major developments to clarify which treatment works will be managing the sewage and whether it has the information available to assess the impact on the number or duration of sewage discharges into local rivers and seas and to share that information. After nearly 2 years of this action being resolved by ECC and despite my repeated questions on the matter we still don't know whether or not ECC has a policy to routinely ask this information of SWW. Does ECC have a policy on the matter, if so where is it published, and what has the answer been from developers to this question put by ECC?”
In responding the Leader stated that Exeter City Council did not currently have a formal policy requiring South West Water (SWW) to identify specific treatment works for sewage management in planning consultations. However:
· Regular meetings were now held with SWW to ensure their input into the plan-making process and to discuss capacity and infrastructure matters.
· SWW’s Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMP) provided the strategic framework for managing future growth and sewage impacts. The Level 2 plan for the Exeter catchment, published in June 2022, outlined SWW’s approach to managing flows and infrastructure needs.
While South West Water did not routinely provide site-specific treatment details, their assessments and feedback inform the planning process, ensuring infrastructure capacity is appropriately considered.
In a supplementary question Councillor Read asked if a policy could be created and the Developer Questionnaire by updated to include relevant questions? In response the Leader agreed to write to both Exeter MPs raising the Council’s concerns with regard to this subject.