ENZO DEVELOPMENT, GLYNNEATH INFO

NPTC CORPORATE PLAN - LATEST VERSION 2019-22

2019-22 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS DOCUMENT ON THIS WEBSITE

2019-22 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS ON THE COUNCIL WEBSITE

(Extracts from this document............)

Our Purpose: Neath Port Talbot Council exists to serve and represent the interests of its citizens and communities. We strive to improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of all of our people.

Our Vision: We want our county borough to be a place where everyone has an equal chance to get on in life – a place where people want to live, learn and work and bring up their family.

We want our beautiful natural environment, and our rich cultural and industrial heritage to be appreciated and protected for many future generations to enjoy.

We also want to pursue new and existing opportunities for economic growth so we can sustain our diverse communities for many years to come.

Our Values: We will stand up for our citizens and our communities, advocating for the needs and aspirations of our people in every aspect of our work.

We will listen to our citizens, our workforce and our many partners and seek ways to meaningfully involve people in our work.

We will celebrate diversity in all of its forms and work tirelessly for greater equality in all of our communities.

We will conduct the work of the Council in an open and accessible way, ensuring we are properly accountable for the decisions we make.

We will make the best use of all resources available to us.

We will be open to challenge and will promote a culture of learning and innovation throughout our organisation.

We will further strengthen the bonds of collaboration, working with others – including the voluntary, statutory and private sectors to benefit our citizens and communities.

20200507R-DO-NPTC-corp-plan

(NPTC Corporate Plan 2019-22)

NPTC EMPLOYEE CODE OF CONDUCT - LATEST VERSION DATE UNKNOWN

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS DOCUMENT ON THIS WEBSITE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS ON THE COUNCIL WEBSITE

(Extracts from this document............)

Any breach of the Council’s Employee Code of Conduct is a potential disciplinary offence, which will be dealt with in accordance with the Council’s Disciplinary Procedure, and which can lead to the dismissal of the employee(s) concerned. A breach of the Code may also constitute a criminal offence.

The public is entitled to expect the highest standards of conduct from all employees of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The role of such employees is to serve the Authority in providing advice, implementing its policies, and delivering services to the local community. In performing their duties, they must act with integrity, honesty, impartiality and objectivity.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council’s reputation and the public’s trust and confidence in its integrity are of vital importance. It must be seen to discharge its day to day responsibilities with openness and probity. This document is presented as a framework to make clear the standards of conduct expected of all employees.

1.2 This Code of Conduct is applicable to all employees of the Authority, except those who are directly employed by School Governing Bodies, and forms part of each employee’s contract of employment.

1.3 Inevitably, some of the issues covered by the Code of Conduct affect senior, managerial and professional employees more than others, but the Code covers all employees.

1.4 Employees work for the Authority and serve the whole of that Authority. They are accountable to, and owe a duty to that authority.

They must act in accordance with the principles set out in this Code, recognising the duty of all public sector employees to discharge public functions reasonably and according to the law.
.
2. STANDARDS
2.1 All employees are expected to give the highest possible standard of service to the public and, where it is part of their duties, to provide appropriate advice to Councillors and fellow employees with impartiality. In the event that an employee becomes aware of activities which that employee believes to be illegal, improper, unethical or otherwise inconsistent with this Code, the employee should report the matter, acting in accordance with the employee’s rights under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, and with the Authority’s confidential reporting procedure, or any other procedure designed for this purpose.

. The whistleblowing procedure is set out in the Council’s Anti-Fraud, Corruption and Malpractice Strategy. Such reporting shall be without fear of recrimination. Employees must familiarise themselves with this procedure and should make relevant disclosure strictly in accordance with it.

20200507R-DO-NPTC-code-conduct

(NPTC Employee Code of Conduct)

related document...............

NPTC WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY - 22/11/2019

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS DOCUMENT ON THIS WEBSITE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS ON THE COUNCIL WEBSITE

NPT Council’s Anti-Fraud, Corruption and Malpractice Strategy - only able to find the schools version.

COMPLAINTS PROCESS

NPTC complaints process - https://www.npt.gov.uk/1454

send an email direct to contactus@npt.gov.uk

Complaints Policy Document - March 2016 - Council website

Complaints Policy Document - March 2016 - this website - add link

https://www.npt.gov.uk/media/4057/comments_compliments_complaints_policy_march2016.pdf

6.4
Comments on the Authority’s services, likewise, are not complaints under this procedure. Comments are statements by members of the public or service users about the service provided (or not provided) by the Authority. They may be compliments or suggestions as to how services could be improved. They may be views or representations, perhaps adverse, about the Authority’s policy and provision. In each case the employee receiving the comment will need to thank the member of the public for taking the trouble to express their views, describe how it will be dealt with if further action is required and then refer the comment on, if appropriate. As with requests for services, comments should not be regarded as complaints. It is important however, that comments are fed
back to the section or employee responsible as such feedback can be very useful.

Complaints Procedure 7.1
......However, the Ombudsman normally expects the complaint to have been raised with the body concerned and given them a reasonable opportunity to investigate and respond before contacting him.

15.1 All documentation, notes, letters, findings, reports and so on must be retained. These will be very important should the complaint be referred to the Ombudsman or if contact is made by the Ombudsman to supply information.

Freedom of Information

https://www.npt.gov.uk/1699 - request page

https://www.npt.gov.uk/media/6788/foi_roa_guide.pdf - guide

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN - 2016 - CLICK HERE

Conservation:

Policy EN 6 Important Biodiversity and Geodiversity Sites Development proposals that would affect Regionally Important Geodiversity Sites (RIGS), Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINCs), sites meeting SINC criteria or sites supporting Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) or S42 habitats or species will only be permitted where: 1. They conserve and where possible enhance the natural heritage importance of the site; or 2. The development could not reasonably be located elsewhere, and the benefits of the development outweigh the natural heritage importance of the site. Mitigation and/or compensation measures will need to be agreed where adverse efects are unavoidable.

Policy EN 7 Important Natural Features Development proposals that would adversely afect ecologically or visually important natural features such as trees, woodlands, hedgerows / feld boundaries, watercourses or ponds will only be permitted where: 1. Full account has been taken of the relevant features in the design of the development, with measures put in place to ensure that they are retained and protected wherever possible; or 2. The biodiversity value and role of the relevant feature has been taken into account and where removal is unavoidable, mitigation measures are agreed.

ENVIRONMENT (WALES) ACT 2016

Priority habitats:

Wet woodland

Hedgerows

Peat and clay exposures

Fens & swamp

Major: Loss of feature and/or quality and integrity of feature; severe damage to key characteristics, features or elements.

Neath Port Talbot Council Contaminated Land Strategy October 2005 - CLICK HERE

EXTRACTS FROM THIS DOCUMENT

(page 1) Part IIA of the Environment Protection Act 1990, was introduced in Wales on July 1st 2001, until this time there had been no strategic approach to the identification of contaminated land. Land contamination had always been addressed during redevelopment or when the risk has manifested itself. Since 2001, all local authorities have a duty to inspect their areas, locate and ensure the remediation of all statutory designated contaminated land. One of the key objectives of the council's strategy (Key Objective 4:) is to ensure that during the redevelopment of new sites, land contamination issues are dealt with effectively and at an early stage of the planning process.

(page 15) Chapter 3: Strategy Aims, Priorities and Timescales

3.2 Interaction with other regimes

In addition to powers under Part IIA, Environmental Protection Act 1990 there are a number of other statutory regimes that can deal with contamination dependant upon the source of contamination and the current, proposed or historical use of the land. Neath Port Talbot Council will ensure that land contamination is dealt with under the most appropriate legislation. The other statutory regimes are summarised below:-

Planning
When considering development proposals, the planning authorities role is to ensure that all material planning considerations, which can include the actual or possible presence of contamination are satisfactorily addressed. When considering an application, where contaminated land is involved the planning authority will identify specific measures to be undertaken prior to redevelopment, these requirements will be imposed by a set of conditions attached to the planning permission. The main objective of the conditions is to ensure suitable investigation work is carried out and that the land is remediated to a standard that is suitable for the proposed end use.

(page 26) 5.11 To establish whether identified contaminants pose a significant risk to human health, results from the site investigation will be compared with generic guideline values.

DEFRA and EA have published Contaminated Land Reports (CLR 7 – 11) to provide generic assessment of human health risks from contaminated land. The reports include SGV’s (Soil guideline Values) derived from the CLEA (Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment) model. SGV’s can be used to assess the risks posed to human health from exposure to soil contamination resulting from land use. They represent ‘intervention values’ which indicate to an assessor that soil concentrations above this level could pose an unacceptable risk to the health of site users and further investigation involving and/or remediation is required.

Part IIA of the Environment Protection Act 1990, inserted by Section 57 of the Environment Act 1995 places a duty on Local Authorities to inspect their area for contaminated land.

(page 3) Section 78A(2) defines contaminated land for the purpose of Part IIA as:

“Any land which appears to the local authority in whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that –

(a) significant harm is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused;

The local authority is the principle regulator and is responsible for: -

Preparing and publishing inspection strategies for their areas, within 15 months of the date of implementation

Inspecting individual areas of land to determine whether any meet the statutory definition of contaminated land

Agreeing with the environment agency which areas of Contaminated Land should be designated as “special sites”

Enforcing remediation for those areas of Contaminated Land that are not designated as “Special Sites” and,

Maintaining public remediation registers

(page 14) It is commonly accepted that humans are the most sensitive environmental receptors, therefore in the highly populated urban areas where heavy industrial activity has taken place, the people who live and work here are considered to be the Borough's most sensitive risk group.

(page 4) Contaminated Land and The Planning Process

The objective of the policy regarding land contamination is to ensure that applications are conditioned to require remediation to a standard that is suitable for the proposed use.

The best way of minimising any associated risk is to ensure that any sites that may be contaminated are identified at the earliest stage of the planning process. The history of the site or nearby sites is the principle factor in determining whether a site is likely to be contaminated or not.

1.3 A question has been added onto the standard planning application form requesting developers to provide information on historical land use. This question is as follows:-
Are you aware if land has been subject to a contaminative use i.e. industrial use?
If yes then please specify a list of historical uses.

1.4 A list of planning applications is updated weekly and made available on the Neath Port Talbot Council intranet site, the Contaminated Land Officer will check the list against the contaminated land database to highlight any previous industrial use on the proposed developments, and therefore potentially contaminated land.

Where the information under 1.3/1.4 or any other information indicates a potential for contamination a scheme for dealing with contamination will be required and an assessment will be made as to whether the site can be developed in a safe manner subject to remediation. If this is the case, a condition will be imposed on any consent which will include an appropriate site investigation prior to the commencement of the development, and a remediation strategy and validation certificate prior to occupation of development. This will involve close liaison between the Contaminated Land Officer and the planning officer at an early stage of the planning process and throughout the development stage.

Under Part IIA the Environment Agency has a mainly supporting role, providing assistance and site specific guidance to local authorities, particularly with respect to cases of water pollution. The Agency acts as the enforcing authority for “special sites”.

	from EA publication	"Human health toxicological assessment of contaminants in soil" This document was published by the Environment Agency in January 2009. By the time the 2008 geo-technical survey reached the planning application stage in 2009, this document was current and the Environment Agency were the relevant authority for the contaminated land - CLICK HERE FOR THIS DOC ON THE WEB - CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEBSITE ( 20090100a-DO-EAGE-toxic-assmt ) includes HCV = Health Critreria Values GLOSSARY A - D GLOSSARY E - M GLOSSARY N - Z ABBREVIATIONS
		Arsenic is listed as a class one carcinogen (NRC, 2001; IARC, 2004), and is considered to be one of the most important toxicants of human health concern because of its ongoing potential threat to the health of hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide (Baig et al., 2009; Christen, 2001; Zavala and John, 2008). There is no evidence that As is essential for human health and its exposure has been linked to severe health complications such as hyperkeratosis, gangrene, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, melanosis, keratosis, bladder, and internal cancers, and also its carcinogenic consequences on skin and lungs (Fatmi et al., 2009; IARC, 2004; Ramadan and Al-Ashkar, 2007). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4833018/
		http://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2006/2989/contents/made contaminated land wales regulations 2006 Land required to be designated as a special site 2.—(1) Contaminated land of the following descriptions is prescribed for the purposes of section 78C(8) as land required to be designated as a special site— (a)land affecting controlled waters in the circumstances specified in regulation 3; (b)land which is contaminated land by reason of waste acid tars in, on or under the land; (c)land on which any of the following activities have been carried on at any time— (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), “waste acid tars” are tars which— (a)contain sulphuric acid; (b)were produced as a result of the refining of benzole, used lubricants or petroleum; and (c)are, or were, stored on land used as a retention basin for the disposal of such tars.
		Environment Agency report on Contaminated Land up to 2007 - CLICK HERE Dealing with contaminated land in England and Wales A review of progress from 2000-2007 with Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act published January 2009 - all Welsh council were aware of this document because all submitted a report. 20090100A-DO-EAGE-contam-review 20090100A-DO-EAGE-contam-review The waste management and energy industries were often reported as causing contaminated land sites in England. In Wales, other types of activities (for example the deposit of ash) was reported to cause contamination at the majority of contaminated land sites. For special sites, chemical and waste management industries are associated with causing contamination.- 20090100A-DO-EAGE-contam-review (page 12) Remediating contaminated land To remediate a contaminated land site, the significant pollutant linkages must be broken, so that no unacceptable risks remain. Remediation can, therefore, be achieved by: • removing or reducing the source of contamination • blocking the pathway (route) between the contamination and the receptor (person or thing affected) • reducing exposure to the contamination • removing the receptor altogether. Under Part 2A, remediating a site does not necessarily mean the source of contamination has to be removed. (for example, capping an old landfill). - 20090100A-DO-EAGE-contam-review (page 12) (Concluding comments) The planning system continues to be seen as the major route for dealing with land contamination. 20090100A-DO-EAGE-contam-review (page 26)