Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member:  Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/189

Contact: Richard Warren, Strategic Project Delivery Manager Tel: 07748 112169

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA10).

The Council’s Major Infrastructure Delivery Commercial Team is managing the delivery of a number of major highway improvement schemes.  Some of these schemes require additional land to enable delivery of the proposed improvements which will reduce congestion, improve movement, access and safety and encourage use of sustainable transport.

This report provides a list of the following schemes (with supporting compulsory purchase order land details) that require additional land.

·                     Chilton Interchange

·                     Featherbed and Steventon Lights

·                     Harwell Phase 1

·                     Harwell Phase 2 -  Hagbourne Hill

·                     Ducklington Lane Corridor Improvements, Witney

The report requests approval by Cabinet for the Director of Environment and Economy in consultation with the Executive Cabinet member to exercise delegated authority for use of Compulsory Purchase powers for the purchase of land for these schemes, in the event that this land required cannot be purchased by negotiation.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)       approve delegation of the exercising of compulsory purchase powers to the Director of Environment and Economy in consultation with the Executive Cabinet member, for the purchase of land required for the delivery of the major infrastructure schemes as outlined in this report, further to the Council seeking (exhaustively) to acquire the necessary land through negotiation with the landowners;

(b)         note that in so far as the whole or any part or parts of land required is not acquired by negotiation the making of a compulsory purchase order, under provisions contained in Part X11 of the Highways Act 1980 for the acquisition of the land, will be progressed. This could include providing the necessary attendance, expert witness provision, etc at a public inquiry if required.

Recommendations agreed.

The Council’s Major Infrastructure Delivery Commercial Team is managing the delivery of a number of major highway improvement schemes. Some of these schemes require additional land to enable delivery of the proposed improvements which will reduce congestion, improve movement, access and safety and encourage use of sustainable transport. Cabinet considered a report that provided a list of schemes (with supporting compulsory purchase order land details) that require additional land.

The report further requested approval for the Director for Environment and Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment to exercise delegated authority for use of Compulsory Purchase powers for the purchase of land for these schemes, in the event that this land required cannot be purchased by negotiation.

Councillor Hards, speaking as a local councillor, welcomed the schemes and the steps proposed to secure the land needed but urged that officers ensure that they identify all the land required for CPO purposes at the start of the process.

Councillor Nimmo Smith in moving the recommendations commented that the reason for the proposed CPO’s was to keep options open to enable progress on these very important schemes.

RESOLVED:                                                             to:

(a)          approve delegation of the exercising of compulsory purchase powers to the Director of Environment and Economy in consultation with the Executive Cabinet member, for the purchase of land required for the delivery of the following major infrastructure schemes as outlined in this report, further to the Council seeking (exhaustively) to acquire the necessary land through negotiation with the landowners:

·                     Chilton Interchange

·                     Featherbed and Steventon Lights

·                     Harwell Phase 1

·                     Harwell Phase 2 - Hagbourne Hill

·                     Ducklington Lane Corridor Improvements, Witney

(b)          note that in so far as the whole or any part or parts of land required is not acquired by negotiation the making of a compulsory purchase order, under provisions contained in Part X11 of the Highways Act 1980 for the acquisition of the land, will be progressed. This could include providing the necessary attendance, expert witness provision, etc at a public inquiry if required.