Environment and Sustainability Committee
Decisions taken at the meeting held on Thursday, 13 November 2025.
Meeting Time:
7.00 pm
Meeting Venue:
Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB
PRESENT: Councillor Malcolm Beecher (Chair), Councillor Kathy Grant (Vice-Chair), Councillor Sean Beatty, Councillor Mary Bing Dong, Councillor Tony Burrell, Councillor Jolyon Caplin, Councillor Darren Clarke, Councillor Anant Mathur, Councillor Joanne Sexton, Councillor John Turner, Councillor Howard Williams and Councillor Paul Woodward
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4. Voluntary Placement Stipend Green Initiatives Fund Application |
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The Committee resolved to: 1. Approve the project to run up to 5 ‘voluntary placement’ positions for Academic Year 25/26. 2. Approve the application of funding of £1,500 from the Green Initiatives Fund (GIF) to provide a stipend of £300/voluntary placement for 5 placements. |
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5. Green Initiatives Fund Bid Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Points |
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The Committee resolved to: 1. Approve the project to further develop the operational electric vehicle charge point infrastructure on the Council’s operational buildings, the Depot, the Greeno Centre and the Fordbridge Day Centre. 2. Approve the application of funding of £64,000 from the Green Initiatives Fund (GIF) for the project. 3. Recommend that Council approve amending the Capital Programme by bringing £64,000 forwards from the EV chargers provision from 2026-27 to 2025-26. 4. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Commissioning and Transformation in consultation with the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee to procure an electric vehicle charge point supplier to expand the existing operational charging network for the council and to award the contract. 5. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter into the necessary legal documentation. |
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6. Approval of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding |
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The Committee resolved to: 1. Approve CIL funding for the following applications, following consideration by the Strategic CIL Task Group and recommendation to the Environment and Sustainability Committee: a. Strategic CIL funding applications for: - Surrey Police – installation of 10 ANPR cameras - Play area improvements and renovations in Halliford Park, Littleton Park, and Orchard Meadow - Ashford Park Primary School – 3G pitch, community hub and outdoor learning area b. Six Local Cil applications referred from Local CIL spending boards. 2. Approve the amendments to existing, agreed CIL funding allocations, also considered by the Strategic CIL Task Group and recommended to the Committee, as follows: a. To repurpose £21,065 unused funds from a previously approved in 2023 ANPR cameras bid to the current application for Surrey Police ANPR cameras, as set out in the report; b. In respect of Playing Pitch improvements, for a value of £68,050 approved in 2022. There is no change to the value agreed but the number of playing pitches included has reduced, due to the lack of availability of matched funds and based on an updated assessment of need, feasibility and potential benefits. |
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7. Play Facility in Memorial Gardens, Staines-upon-Thames |
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The Committee resolved to: 1. Agree for a new play facility to be built within Memorial Gardens, Staines-upon-Thames, to replace the Five Swimmers’ statute, subject to planning approval. 2. Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to commence a planning application for the installation of a new play facility 3. Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to commence a consultation for the installation of a new play area in Memorial Gardens, Staines-upon-Thames. 4. Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to commence a procurement process for the construction and installation of a new play facility and safety surfacing in Memorial Gardens, Staines-upon-Thames including site preparation. 5. Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to select the preferred tenderers and award the contracts not exceeding the Community Infrastructure Levy funding of £300k set out in the report. 6. Authorise the Group Head Corporate Governance to enter the contracts and necessary legal documentation for the preparation of the site and the purchase and installation of the new play equipment and safety surfacing. |
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8. Spelthorne Open Spaces and Biodiversity Strategy |
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The Committee resolved to approve the updated Open Spaces and Biodiversity Strategy. |
NOTES:-
(1) Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:
(a) Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;
(b) Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;
(c) Those decisions:
i. reserved to full Council
ii. on regulatory matters
iii. on member conduct issues.
(2) Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.
(3) Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.
(4) The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.
(5) When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:
a. Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or
b. Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or
c. Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.
(6) Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.
(7) The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(8) Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.
(9) In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(10) In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.
(11) The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on 19 November 2025.