Issue - meetings
Participation of the Public
Meeting: 11/10/2023 - Executive (Item 91)
Participation of the Public
Any member of the public, who is a registered elector in the District, is eligible to ask one question at the meeting, for up to three minutes, of the Leader of the Council, or any Member of the Executive on any issue that affects the district or its people.
Notice, together with a written copy of the question, must be provided to Democratic Services, either by email to:
or by post to:
Democratic Services, West Oxfordshire District Council, Woodgreen, Witney OX28 1NB.
Questions are to be received no later than 2.00pm two clear working days before the meeting (e.g. for a Wednesday meeting, the deadline would be 2.00pm on the Friday before).
A response may be provided at the meeting, or within three clear working days
of the meeting. If the topic of the question is not within the remit of the Council, advice will be provided on where best to direct the question.
The appropriate Executive Member will either respond verbally at the meeting or provide a written response which will be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, advised the Executive had received 3 public questions, submitted to them through Democratic Services in advance of the meeting.
The Executive provided the following answers to the following questions:
Q1 Asked by Councillor Perryn Bruce, Burford Town Council:
Please could the respective Executive Members for Planning & Sustainable Development (responsible for conservation and the historic environment) and Economic Development (responsible for the visitor economy) outline a programme for achieving remedial works on 121 High Street, Burford?
The Grade 2 listed building at 121 High Street has been empty for at least seven years and is deteriorating rapidly. In the last year or so, the following has been noted:
- Window glass has fallen from rotten window frames onto the High Street, posing a Health and Safety risk to the public;
- A hole in the roof of 121 can be seen from buildings across the road. We assume this hole is enabling rainwater ingress, accelerating the dereliction of the building;
- Rainwater is penetrating a neighbour’s property at the rear of 121, creating a potential health hazard for the resident;
- There is a constant drip from an overflow pipe at the side of 121 also affecting the neighbour mentioned above;
- There has been no maintenance or cleaning in seven years or so, making the building an eyesore for Burford.
Given the Health and Safety issues regarding this property and the impact to a listed building, surely the current situation cannot be sustained?”
A1 Answered by Councillor Carl Rylett, Executive Member for Planning and Sustainable Development:
121 High Street, Burford, has been a property that has been monitored by the planning team, involving regular visits from the Conservation Officers and Enforcement Officers. WODC has a locus in assessing the state of the Listed Building in terms of its architectural and historic integrity, but is not to intervene in civil issues as regards water penetration to a third-party property, and nor does the Listed Building legislation control Health and Safety matters, albeit that it is accepted that there is some overlap between resolving one issue and helping to move others on.
The key problem with this site has been tracking down the owner. It has taken considerable work on behalf of the team, firstly to track the owner down, and secondly to arrange a meeting where the issues can be put face to face. A meeting took place today (Wednesday 11 October 2023) to seek to progress matters more quickly than has been possible whilst we have been trying to establish contact. However, the matter may be extended as the property is registered to a foreign company, which may complicate the enforcement process if enforcement is eventually required. If there are any updates from the meeting, Officers will update you as appropriate.
The defective rainwater goods and potential water penetration may be investigated by the Environmental Health team if required, because depending on the extent of harm, powers under Statutory Nuisance and Building Act legislation can be used to ... view the full minutes text for item 91