Agenda item
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.
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 remedy the situation if required.
Q2 Asked by Councillor John White, Burford Town Council:
Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has a team working on finding a regional solution to the problems caused by HGVs rumbling through small towns and villages in the County, especially Burford.
What is the District Council’s position on this project?, and has it, or will it tell OCC where it stands on these issues?
A2 Answered by Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, (on behalf of) Councillor Duncan Enright, Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive Member for Economic Development:
In a previous role in the County Council, Councillor Enright put in place a new freight routing strategy, which will use a range of measures to work with hauliers and other HGV users, in order to reduce inappropriate traffic on our rural road network. The pilot for the new approach at the County Council will take place in the Windrush Valley, covering everything in the triangle between Fosseway, A40 and A44 (as well as the Henley area).
As the Executive Member for Economic Development at West Oxfordshire District Council, Councillor Enright is well aware of the need for our many businesses in the district, including in agriculture, quarrying and haulage, to have appropriate access. This must be balanced by the need of residents and businesses to be safe on our roads, and not suffer from heavy goods traffic unnecessarily.
There is no solution which fits every situation, and our neighbours (for example in Gloucestershire and Warwickshire) have the same problems. There is goodwill on all sides, which is a strong place to start finding a solution to HGV traffic routing, particularly around our quarrying and construction sites, and in sensitive locations like town centres in Burford and Chipping Norton, Leafield and Woodstock, and on West End in Witney.
West Oxfordshire District Council will work with the County Council to facilitate the pilot and future work to the fullest extent, as well as considering the needs of businesses and residents in the forthcoming new Local Plan.
Q3 Asked by Councillor Peter Higgs, Mayor of Burford:
I submitted a question to you regarding WODC’s action plan to improve Car and Coach parking in Burford on 12 September 2023.
Please could I receive the council's formal plans to improve Burford Car Park both in capacity and in resilience against flooding, and how WODC can help provide proper coach parking to support Burford’s tourist industry.
A3 Answered by Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council:
Car parking in Burford as everyone knows is very popular, particularly at the Guildenford car park. During a recent usage survey carried out by the District Council, 32.75% stated they travel under 10 miles to the town, indicating that they live in the local area. The remaining 67.25% were from outside the area, and the average occupancy of car parking throughout the duration of the study was 61%.
The Guildenford car park is most popular between the peak times of 1.00pm and 3.00pm, when on average 80% of spaces are occupied. This increases during summer months when it becomes more popular with tourists, reaching levels of 80-90%.
The majority of customers using the car park are short stay, which indicates a high turnaround of customers and spaces. There is additional parking available on the street permitting both short and longer stay, for which there is currently no charge. Analysis of our enforcement activity in the area, highlighted that the majority of enforcement action was taken as a result of customers parking beyond the bay markings.
At the meeting tonight, the Executive are recommended by officers to resolve to:
a) Agree that a further review in 2024 of Guildenford car park, supports the best use of council assets to identify parking issues and capacity levels; and
b) Agree to delegate the decision to approve the costs associated with undertaking a further review of Guildenford car park, to the Assistant Director for Resident Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects.
These reviews would incorporate proposals to mitigate against flood risks, and look at the issues related to coach parking in the town. So, in short, we are on it, and we will work with you to find a solution.