· To submit the following Notice of Motion by Councillor J Arwel Roberts:-
In April, 2019, the Welsh Government Minister for the Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, AM, declared a climate emergency in Wales.
Gwynedd County Council have already followed WAG and declared along with other authorities to follow the same footpath.
“I call on this Council to follow suit and sign up to the commitment to achieve a Carbon Neutral Public Sector by 2030. We must recognise that this Council cannot continue with business as usual, and prepare an action plan, which can be monitored and implemented.
We need to stop investing in fossil fuels, use our local planning policies to accelerate the delivery of net zero carbon developments and communities.
We are in a position to make a difference for the sake of future generations, and we have a moral duty to act”.
· To submit the following Notice of Motion by Councillor Robert Ll Jones:-
‘Our town centres on Ynys Môn are now being put under tremendous stress as people choose to go online for their merchandise, be it clothes, food supplies, shoes and most other things. We are finding more and more empty shops and also large houses and business premises that are being turned into self-contained one room accommodation. This has happened in other towns in North Wales and has resulted in a deterioration of the whole town.
I am now asking for our Joint Development Plan to be revised and for the legislation to be strengthened in order to give developers the support needed to purchase these premises and to turn them into decent homes that will be available for young families or the elderly who wish to down size as an alternative to the one room developments that are in danger of becoming the norm in our towns. It may lead to looking at a visionary approach to what our present and future role for town centres will be and to build new and innovating buildings in place of our run down Victorian shops as seen in towns all over North Wales. Tourism is growing everywhere and we need to tap into it by being an attractive place to visit while making our County a place for all of us to be proud of.
Do we have the will to take this on as an authority and to take the first step in bringing it into reality or will we continue to muddle on and see our urban environment continue to decline.
I AM ASKING FOR A JOINT APPROACH BY ALL OF NORTH WALES AUTHORITIES TO EXAMINE WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.’
Minutes:
· Submitted – the following Notice of Motion by Councillor J Arwel Roberts:-
“In April 2019, the Welsh Government Minister for the Environment,
Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, AM declared a climate
emergency in Wales.
Gwynedd County Council have already followed WAG and declared along with other authorities to follow the same footpath.
“I call on this Council to follow suit and sign up to the commitment to achieve a Carbon Neutral Public Sector by 2030. We must recognise that this Council cannot continue with business as usual, and prepare an action plan which can be monitored and implemented.
We need to stop investing in fossil fuels, use our local planning policies to accelerate the delivery of net zero carbon developments and communities.
We are in a position to make a difference for the sale of future generations, and we have a moral duty to act.”
The Leader of the Council said that the Notice of Motion was submitted before the full Council meeting in March and the Officers were requested to prepare a full Action Plan on the carbon neutral expectations but due to the Covid-19 pandemic the work on the strategy has not been able to take place. She expressed that she agreed that the Council needs to make a commitment to support Carbon Neutral Public Sector by 2030.
The Leader of the Council seconded the Motion.
Councillor J Arwel Roberts responded that whilst the attention of the Council has been in respect Covid-19 pandemic over the last few months, climate change will be a crisis in the future. There is more CO2 in the atmosphere now than any time in our history. A recent Met Office study that Britain’s 10 hottest years occurred since 2002 with the 5 hottest years since 2014. If CO2 is not controlled by 2070, the temperature will rise by several more degrees would will effect sea levels, food supply, human health and biodiversity. The Welsh Government has recognise a climate change emergency and a strong action plan needs to be in place.
The Chair took a vote on the Motion and a majority vote was in favour of the motion.
The motion was carried.
· To submit the following Notice of Motion by Councillor Robert Ll Jones:-
“Our town centres on Ynys Mon are now being put under tremendous stress as people choose to go on line for their merchandise, be it clothes, food supplies, shoes and most other things. We are finding more and more empty shops and also large houses and business premises that are being turned into self-contained one room accommodation. This has happened in other towns in North Wales and has resulted in a deterioration of the whole town.
I am now asking for our Joint Development Plan to be revisited and for
the legislation to be strengthened in order to give developers the support
needed to purchase these premises and to turn them into decent homes
that will be available for young families or the elderly who wish to down size as an alternative to the one room developments that are in danger of becoming the norm in our towns. It may lead to looking at a visionary approach to what our present and future role for town centres will be and to build new and innovating buildings in place of our run down Victorian shops as seen in towns all over North Wales. Tourism is growing everywhere and we need to tap into it by being an attractive place to visit while making our County a place to for all of us to be proud of.
Do we have the will to take this on as an authority and to take the first step in bringing it into reality or will we continue to muddle on and see our urban environment continue to decline.
I AM ASKING FOR A JOINT APPROACH BY ALL OF NORTH WALES
AUTHORITIES TO EXAMINE WHAT IS HAPPENING AND TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT.”
Councillor Bryan Owen seconded the Motion.
Councillor Richard A Dew, Portfolio Holder (Planning and Public Protection) said that he wishes to see regeneration of town centres and will be considered by the Joint Local Development Plan (JLDP). It is a statutory duty to review the JLDP every four years from the date of implementation which was July 2017. Therefore, the JLDP will be review in July 2021 and an update report will need to be considered. Welsh Government is intending to publish National Development Framework in early 2021 which may have an effect on the JLDP. It was noted that the Joint Planning Policy Unit is current preparing a Monitoring Report for 2019/20.
Councillor Dew further said that he did not support the Notice of Motion as he considered that it would be appropriate to await the Monitoring Report for 2019/20 and the review of the JLDP in 2021. He said that these reports will be submitted to the Scrutiny Committees in due course.
Councillor A M Jones said that he considered it was appropriate to consider supporting the Notice of Motion as there is a need to promote the economy of the Island and the announcements as regards to the Wylfa Newydd project is awaited. It is also appropriate as to the effects the pandemic has had economy. Councillor Jones considered that a review of the JLDP needed to be considered now and not to await until July 2021.
Councillor Robert Ll Jones said that a considerable amount of grant funding has been spent to enhance to town centre of Holyhead which he considered has not improved in attracting people to the town. He said that the Authority needed to view what other local authorities have achieved in improving town centres and the Towns Councils should also engaged to help the improvement of the town centres.
The Chair took a vote on the Motion and a majority vote was not favour of the motion.
The motion was not carried.