51 (16) PROVISION OF THIRD PARTY FUNDING FOR ALKBOROUGH FLATS REEDBED PROJECT - The Service Director Highways and Planning submitted a report seeking approval to release £7,744 from the Wind Prospect Evironment Fund to provide a Contributing Third Party payment for the creation of a reedbed at Alkborough Flats Managed Realignment Site.
Alkborough Flats Managed Realignment Site formed part of the Environment Agency's Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy. Since 1998 the council had worked in partnership with the Environment Agency, Natural England and Associated British Ports to deliver the site and develop a Nature Reserve.
The creation of a reedbed would increase the biodiversity of the site and contribute to National and Local Biodiversity Action Plan targets for priority habitats and species. External funding for the creation of the reedbed had been secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund through the funding of the South Humber Wildlife and People Project.
The council had also been successful in securing a grant of £70,400 from SITA trust towards the cost of creating the reedbed. To be able to receive the funding from SITA trust, a Contributing Third Party payment, equivalent to 11% (£7,740) of the grant had to be made by the council.
Resolved - That the release of £7,740 from the Wind Prospect Environment Fund as a Contributing Third Party payment to release the grant of £70,400 from the SITA trust, be supported.
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52 (17) PARTNERSHIP FOR RENEWABLES - The Service Director Highways and Planning submitted a report seeking authorisation to work with the Carbon Trust through the Partnership for Renewables initiative, to identify land within North Lincolnshire Council's property portfolio, which might be suitable for commercial wind energy generation.
The European Union had committed member states to a 20% renewable energy target by 2020. The UK Government had admitted that it was starting from a low base (currently only 3.5% of the UK's energy comes from renewable sources) and had renegotiated the 20% target down to 15%, but this was still a very challenging target.
The UK Government had also acknowledged that the public sector had substantial landholdings and that there was the potential to deliver wind energy schemes. The Government had injected substantial funds to support Public Sector bodies in delivering renewables on their land and this would be supported through the Carbon Trust.
The process for developing schemes was outlined in the appendix to the report.
Resolved - (a) That agreement be given to enter into the Partnership for Renewables initiative, and (b) that the Climate Change Steering Group co-ordinate its implementation within the context of the Climate Change Action Plan and its remit in managing the council's carbon budget.
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53 (18) STRATEGIC REGENERATION, HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICE PLAN 2008-11 - The Head of Strategic Regeneration, Housing and Development submitted a report seeking approval for the draft service plan for Strategic Regeneration, Housing and Development (SRHD).
The SRHD service plan formed a key part of the council’s overall strategic plan ‘Going Forward Together’ by contributing towards the overall vision that the council had for the North Lincolnshire Area. It set out how the SRHD service would deliver the council’s major strategic priorities.
The service plan was an essential tool for setting the SRHD division’s service developments and priorities for the next three years, clearly linking them in with financial planning and performance management.
Resolved – That the attached draft service plan for Strategic Regeneration, Housing and Development be approved.
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The following items contain exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).
54 (19) COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TRANSACTION SCHEDULE – The Service Director Asset Management and Culture submitted a report for consideration and approval of the terms of all recently completed, current/ongoing and new property transactions.
Resolved - That the schedule appended to the report be approved.
55 (20) ALLOCATION OF PROPERTY TRADING ACCOUNT FUNDS - The Service Director Asset Management and Culture submitted a report seeking approval to provisionally allocate Property Trading Account (PTA) funds to development schemes and to approve moving forward with the schemes listed in Appendix 1.
The council's Industrial/Commercial Property Management and Development Policy allows use of the PTA funds for appropriate development schemes which were linked to the council's wider Regeneration/Environmental Agenda and Policy Framework. The Policy required an annual strategy document reviewed at six monthly intervals, which approved and reported on those proposed development schemes/investment projects.
Further information was set out in the report and its appendix.
Resolved – (a) That approval be given to provisionally allocate PTA funds against the proposed development schemes listed in Appendix 1 of the report, (b) that the Service Director Asset Management and Culture be authorised to progress negotiations to implement the approved schemes.
56 (21) CROWLE MOORS LAND PURCHASE - The Service Director Highways and Planning submitted a report seeking approval to begin the purchase of 63 acres of Crowle Moors Special Protection area and Special Area of Conservation.
The areas of Crowle Moors to be purchased had had peat extraction on it for many years.
The area concerned was the site of a major public inquiry, which began in 2001 and was finally completed in 2007. The council case in closing down the peat works was upheld by the Secretary of State in 2008. In order to restore the area of moorland back to a raised mire it was recommended that the council purchase the land and undertake the work. The land in question was outlined on the plan appended to the report.
Resolved - That approval be given for negotiations to buy the land on Crowle Moors as soon as possible.
Note: Reports are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and therefore require a suitable reader to view them. A reader can be downloaded free from the Adobe website (full instructions for downloading the reader are provided on the site).
Where there is no report this is because it is exempt, as it contains information which is considered to be of a confidential nature, as detailed in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act.