Agenda item

The Overview and Scrutiny Panel is invited to comment on Officer recommendations d) to l) from the Community Infrastructure Levy Spend Allocation Cabinet report attached.

Executive Councillor: T Sanderson.

By means of a report by the Funding Project Manager of Strategic Growth (a copy of which was appended in the Minute Book), The Community Infrastructure Levy Funding Report was presented to the Panel.

Concern was raised that the proposed Youth building was being treated in the same way as a general community facility. He emphasised that young people require a dedicated space rather than hired rooms within other buildings, noting that no such provision currently exists in St Neots. He referenced the Huntingdonshire Futures Place Strategy—particularly its focus on Youth Provision—and considered the application to be well aligned with its objectives. It was further highlighted that the proposal would bring a unit vacant for three years back into use and that its town-centre location was preferable, as out of town sites could increase the risk of anti-social behaviour.

It was explained that the query in the report relates to current community facilities and their use needing a fuller explanation.  The principle of youth space is recognised, and the Town Council were invited to work with the Implementation and Planning teams to explore and progress this project for a future round.

Support was expressed for the previous points raised, noting that the proposal represented a positive opportunity to bring a currently vacant unit back into productive use. It was emphasised that repurposing the unit for a community focused initiative would provide clear benefits to local residents.

It was noted that Section 4.9 (f) highlights the concern that this is a prime retail space. There are conflicts with Local Plan policy for prime retail spaces that would need to be investigated and Planning Permission granted for this project to be considered deliverable. Due to this this needs resolution first.  To date there have been no discussions with the Planning Department about this and this is the first step needed to ensure deliverability.

The Panel were reminded that there was an error in the published paper and attention was drawn to the Supplement which had since been provided.

Queries around the scoring mechanism were raised by the Panel.

The scoring system is an indicative one at present. In Overview & Scrutiny 8th October 2025 Officers highlighted that scoring was being reviewed and Members were invited to volunteer by the Chair. No requests have been received to date. All applications are assessed against Legislation and CIL governance.  It was explained that the Team would not be comfortable using it as the basis for approval or rejection of applications at this stage.

A Member commented on the application for the Huntingdon Sports and Health Hub, noting that while they welcomed the prospect of enhanced facilities, they had reservations about the level of expenditure involved, referencing other projects that they felt would be a worthy legacy for Huntingdonshire.

It was advised the amount of funding assigned to the project is to be agreed under delegated authority by the S151 Officer as per governance agreed at HDC Cabinet in February 2026.

The Executive Member highlighted additional projects currently in progress, citing as an example the work being undertaken by the Combined Authority on plans to enhance further education provision in St Neots. It was emphasised that the allocation of CIL funding was fundamentally based on the prioritisation of identified needs and projects.

It was remarked that St Neots has a significant youth population and the view was expressed that a dedicated facility would be of benefit to the community. He acknowledged the high cost associated with the proposed location and remarked that other retail sites had been used for development. It was commented that consideration of an alternative site would have been welcomed. It was also noted that the use of the Oast House has not been agreed yet.

The Panel was reminded of the importance of obtaining planning permission. Members were advised that broader discussions regarding the proposed location could be held with the Planning Department outside of the CIL process. It was noted that there was no objection to the concept itself; however, concerns remained regarding the process and the deliverability of the project at the location proposed.

The Panel were pleased to see the high number of approvals this round and asked if the next funding rounds dates had been agreed.

It was confirmed that the next dates would be post Elections.

Following the discussion, it was

RESOLVED

that the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel be passed to Cabinet for their consideration when making a decision upon the recommendations within the report.