AGENDA GREATER NOTTINGHAM JOINT …...1 AGENDA GREATER NOTTINGHAM JOINT PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD 19 th April 2012, 2:00 pm Old Council Chamber, Beeston Town Hall 1. Welcome and Apologies

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AGENDA

GREATER NOTTINGHAM JOINT PLANNING ADVISORY BOARD 19th April 2012, 2:00 pm

Old Council Chamber, Beeston Town Hall

1. Welcome and Apologies 2. Declaration of Interests

3. Approval of minutes of last meeting and matters arising

4. Aligned Core Strategies 5. National Planning Policy Framework 6. Revenue Budget

7. Any other Business

8. Date of Next Meeting

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PRESENT Broxtowe : Councillor Steve Barber (Chair); Erewash : Councillor G Smith; Gedling : Councillor R Allan; Nottingham City: Councillor A Clark; Councillor J Urquhart; Nottinghamshire County : Councillor R Butler; Councillor R Jackson; Rushcliffe : Councillor D Bell Officers in Attendance Ashfield : Mr Trevor Watson Broxtowe : Mr Steve Dance; Mrs Ruth Hyde Derbyshire : Mrs Christine Massey Erewash : Ms Yvonne Wright; Gedling : Mrs Joanna Gray; Growth Point : Ms Dawn Alvey; Mr Matt Gregory; Nottingham City : Mrs Sue Flack; Nottinghamshire County : Mrs Sally Gill; Rushcliffe : Mr Paul Randle Observers Growth Point : Mr Matthew Grant; Oxalis Planning : Mr John Holmes; Barratt Homes Ltd : Mr Robert Galij; Mr John Hancock Apologies : Derbyshire : Mr Nawaz Khan; Councillor Kevin Parkinson; Nottinghamshire City : Councillor Ian Malcolm (Observer); Rushcliffe : Mr Richard Mapletoft

ITEM 3 MINUTES OF THE GREATER NOTTINGHAM JOINT PLANNING AD VISORY BOARD HELD ON FRIDAY 23 MARCH 2012 AT THE OLD COUNC IL CHAMBER, TOWN HALL, BEESTON

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1. Welcome and Apologies Councillor Steve Barber, Chair, welcomed those attending and introductions were made. 2. Declarations of Interests There were no declarations of interest. 3. Approval of Minutes of last meeting Minutes of the last meeting were approved and seconded. There were no matters

arising. 4. Aligned Core Strategies 4.1 MG updated on Rushcliffe Borough Council Core Strategy which is to be published on

23rd March. Gedling and Broxtowe Borough Councils are expecting to have their strategies approved over the next couple of months. Nottingham City Council has already had their strategy approved. All four remaining councils are timetabled for publication early in the summer.

4.2 Erewash Borough Council will be unable approve the Core Strategies prior to the

planned publication date in early June. Other councils will therefore publish their strategies ahead of Erewash to enable the statutory representation period to fall prior to the summer holidays. If there are no significant changes required then it is expected to submit core strategies for examination in autumn 2012.

4.3 The Habitats Regulations Assessment is almost complete. 4.4 The National Planning Policy Framework is expected to be published imminently. The

ACS document will be reviewed to ensure it is compliant with the NPPF. 4.5 Cllr Barber expressed his concern with timetabling of the strategy for Erewash and asked

if their dates could be brought forward by holding an extra Council meeting to approve the document. He also sought assurances from them that their strategy would be completed as indicated. Cllr Smith was confident that Erewash would complete the work due to an appointment of another member of staff to assist.

It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the progress towards publication of the Greater Nottingham Aligned Core Strategies, and the indicative timetable for Submission and Adoption.

5. Infrastructure Delivery Plan 5.1 DA gave a presentation to update the Board on the approach being taken by Nottingham

Regeneration Ltd who has been commissioned to assess the viability of site allocations in the first five years of the plan. Appraisals including construction costs, developer contributions, transport, education, health where available have been undertaken to demonstrate vialbity under different market conditions.

5.2 Cllr Jackson commented that local councils have specific affordable housing

requirements – appraisals should not undermine this. Cllr Bell noticed the amount of affordable housing affects site viability significantly. MG explained that these figures would be put in front of the Inspector of the plan to enable them to view if the site is

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deliverable. Cllr Barber acknowledged that there would be an element of risk for developers.

It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the report. 6. Programme of Development 6.1 Capital DA announced that she would provide a detailed end of financial year report when out

turn figs were available. Capital grant claims for Quarter 3 have been processed. There has been some slippage especially for Brook Street and Bath Street project where demolition works have not proceeded as anticipated. A small amount has been allocated for 2013/14 to ensure this project can proceed.

6.2 Revenue The Revenue budget is due to be audited. There will be a detailed report to be

presented at a future meeting. 6.3 Cllr Barber queried progress with Ilkeston Station. DA explained that it is a slow process

and it will be reported at the next Board meeting. It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the capital and reve nue update and RECEIVE a future report setting out detailed proposals for capital a nd revenue expenditure following confirmation of 2011/12 outturn. 7. Growing Places Fund DA gave a presentation to announce the successful bid of approximately £18m Growing

Places Fund allocated to D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership. Funding will be partly allocated to Nottinghamshire Enterprise Zone. The funding is expected to be recycled to reinvest in other projects. The Growth Point team have provided assistance in the Accountable Body duties – resources will be made available to support his work. DA will be able to give a more detailed report when it is understood to what extent this entails and what resources are required. Deadline for submission of projects is 27 April.

It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the report. 8. Nottinghamshire Enterprise Zone 8.1 MG advised the Board that Government confirmed Boots as an Enterprise Zone in last

year’s budget. It has now been agreed to extend the zone to include three other sites: Beeston Business Park; Nottingham Science Park and Medi-park. Business rate discounts will be offered for the first five years.

8.2 Cllr Jackson asked if there was a different tax incentive. 8.3 SD referred to capital allowances only being available in the late 1980s but that the EZ

could benefit from Business Rates relief. SD also explained that it would be discretionary for councils to apply discounted rates to existing businesses on the sites.

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8.4 MG advised that in some Enterprise Zones simplified planning processes would be adopted but unlikely to apply to Boots due to historic buildings and highway issues.

It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the report. 9. Local Sustainable Transport Fund 9.1 DA explained that LSTF and partners secured their bid of £5m for sustainable transport

measures enabling Smart cards and Travel Hubs to be introduced. There will be shortlisting in July 2012 for large scale bids. Nottingham City and partners would welcome comments from this Board if there is anything they would like to be developed or put forward proposals for the second phase which will then be fed back to the Transport Strategy.

9.2 Cllr Allan voiced his concern with problems relating to air pollution on A60 and to

consider a Park and Ride service at Leapool. 9.3 Cllr Urquart explained why the Kangaroo service had seen a large price increase which

was due to high fuel prices and a reduction in bus operator service grants. 9.4 Cllr Allan suggested introducing zonal Kangaroo and travel cards. 9.5 SB asked for the idea to be put on a possible wish list and hoped that it would be

successful. It was resolved that JPAB NOTE the report and comm ent on the LSTF programme. 10. Any other Business None. 11. Date of Next Meeting Tentative Date of next meeting - 19 April in the Old Council Chamber, Town Hall,

Beeston at 2.00 pm – focus of meeting to be National Planning Policy Framework if published.

Future proposed dates to be confirmed.

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1.0 SUMMARY 1.1 This report updates JPAB on progress with the draft Aligned Core Strategies (ACS). Recommendations It is recommended that Joint Planning Advisory Board note the progress towards publication of the Greater Nottingham Aligned Core Strategies, and the indicative timetable for Submission and Adoption. 2.0 Aligned Core Strategy Update Progress towards publication 2.1 Publication is the first ‘formal’ stage of Core Strategy preparation, following the ‘informal’

consultations on Issues and Options (2009), the Option for Consultation (2010), and on the Housing Provision Position Paper and Climate Change policy (2011). It is a period to allow for representations to be made rather than a public consultation period.

Broxtowe, Gedling, Erewash and Nottingham City Coun cils 2.2 As reported to the 23rd March JPAB meeting, Broxtowe, Gedling, Erewash and

Nottingham City Councils are working towards a Publication date for the Aligned Core Strategies in early summer, and are currently going through approval processes (the City Council has already approved its part of the Core Strategies).

2.2 The approval dates of the Councils are set out below:

Council APPROVAL Broxtowe 16 May 2012 Erewash 21 June 2012 Gedling 25 April 2012 Nottingham City 21 Feb 2012

2.4 Broxtowe, Gedling and Nottingham City have decided to publish their Aligned Core

Strategies (subject to approval) on Monday June 11th, this being the last practical day that Publication could take place without the representation period running into the summer holiday period. However, the approval date in Erewash Borough is after this date. Erewash are therefore exploring the possibility of the Publication period running into the early part of the holiday period.

2.5 To accommodate this difference in timetabling, a ‘phased’ publication is anticipated, with

publication following as soon as possible after their approval. In order to reduce any risk

ITEM 4 Aligned Core Strategies

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(such as subsequent judicial review) associated with Broxtowe, Gedling and Nottingham City publishing a document with content relevant to Erewash that has not been formally approved, it is considered safest for Broxtowe, Gedling and Nottingham City to publish a document without the detailed Erewash content, and for Erewash to produce a separate document for their Borough. This would be similar to the approach being taken in Rushcliffe Borough, albeit using the same housing provision methodology, and therefore the Erewash document would remain in full alignment.

2.6 Assuming no issues are raised as a result of representations which would entail re-

publishing either document, this would still allow for both documents to be submitted for Examination at the same time, and therefore a conjoined Examination remains possible, subject to the views of the Planning Inspectorate.

2.7 Assuming the four Councils approve and publish the Core Strategies in line with the

timetable above, the following timetable to Examination and Adoption is proposed. It assumes no major changes to the Publication draft are required that would entail further consultation or re-Publication. (NB after Submission, the timetable is driven by the Planning Inspectorate).

STAGE DATE Council Approvals Feb to June 2012 Publication 11th June 2012 Close of Rep Period 23rd July 2012 Inputting etc 22nd Oct 2012 Schedule of Changes 5th Nov 2012 Approval/Submission 30th Nov 2012 Pre Hearing 25th Jan 2013 Hearing Sessions 8th March 2013 Delivery of report 25th June 2013 Adopt July/September 2013

Ashfield District Council and Rushcliffe Borough Co uncil 2.8 Ashfield are preparing a 10 year Local Plan covering the whole of their District, and are

targeting a ‘Preferred Option’ consultation for the summer. Rushcliffe Council published its Core Strategy for representations on 23rd March, with a closing date of 10th May.

3.0 On going work Redrafting policies and supporting documentation 3.1 The government has now published the final version of the National Planning Policy

Framework (NPPF), which is the subject of a separate agenda item. As a result, a small number of relatively minor changes have been made to the Aligned Core Strategies to ensure it remains in general conformity with the NPPF.

Sustainability Appraisal/Habitats Regulations Asses sment/Equalities Impact Assessment 3.2 The final Sustainability Appraisal of the Publication draft ACS is complete, and has been

considered by retained SA consultant Levett-Therivel. They have suggested some re-ordering and drafting changes to ensure legal compliance and to clarify the overall

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approach, which have now been included in the document. The equalities Impact Assessment is also complete.

3.3 Some further work on the Habitats Regulations Assessment for Gedling sites has been

completed, and agreed with Natural England. This has involved including a package of measures in the plan to ensure that development proposed in Gedling does not give rise to any significant effects on the Sherwood Forest prospective Special Protection Area.

Assessing the evidence base 3.4 Background Papers setting out in more detail the approach to Employment, Housing

(and Household Projections) and Retail are being finalised, to assist the Examination in considering these matters. It is anticipated they will be complete for Publication.

Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Transport Modellin g 3.5 The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (and the Transport Modelling component) are well

advanced, and will be published alongside the Aligned Core Strategies. Preparation for Publication 3.6 In order to ensure legal compliance with the planning regulations for publication, other

relevant documents, such as Statements of Consultation and Public Notices are in preparation.

Contact officer:-

Matt Gregory Greater Nottingham Growth Point Planning Manager 0115 876 3981 [email protected]

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1.0 SUMMARY 1.1 This report includes a presentation on the publication of the National Planning Policy

Framework. Recommendations It is recommended that Joint Planning Advisory Board NOTE the publication of the National Planning Policy Statement, and comment on aspects considered to be of particular interest. 2.0 National Planning Policy Statement (NPPF) 2.1 As reported in the Aligned Core Strategy Update item, the government has recently

published the NPPF. The policies in the Framework apply with immediate effect. 2.2 Some of the key changes from the draft version of the NPPF include:-

• It is more balanced than the consultation draft of the document, reflecting environmental concerns, for instance by recognising the intrinsic value of the countryside.

• It acknowledges the Local Plan should be the basis for planning decisions, but retains a presumption in favour of sustainable development where a Local Plan is out of date, silent or indeterminate, unless the adverse impacts of doing so significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

• For plan making, the presumption means plans should positively seek opportunities to meet the development needs of the area.

• It provides some further detail on the definition of sustainable development. • It encourages the development of brownfield land except where this is of high

environmental value. • It confirms the need for a 5 year supply of deliverable housing sites, with an additional

buffer of 5%. This buffer is increased for to 20% where there is a record of persistent under delivery, although there is no guidance as to what constitutes under delivery.

• It strengthens the ‘town centre first’ principle for retail and leisure. • It re-introduces office development as a key town centre, which means that town and city

centres are the preferred location for offices. • It places more responsibility on councils for prevention of flooding on sites in the Local

Plan. • Separate guidance has been published on gypsies and travellers, and travelling show

people. There is still a requirement to provide suitable accommodation based on evidence, but the preparation of this evidence is now a matter for the council concerned.

• It places additional responsibility on local authorities in addressing flood risk on sites as part of the plan making process. Separate guidance has also been published on flood risk.

2.3 An important point relates to the transitional arrangements for existing Local Plans, and

Local Plans in preparation. The NPPF is now in effect. Councils have 12 months to

ITEM 5 National Planning Policy Framework

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have an up to date plan in place and, after this, a sliding scale will be place whereby the closer an adopted Local Plan policy is to the NPPF, the more weight it will be given, and the closer a draft Local Plan is to adoption the more weight it will be given. If the timetable set out in the Aligned Core Strategies Update item is adhered to, there is likely to be a short period where several Greater Nottingham Councils effectively have no Local Plan, since it will take until summer next year to adopt the Core Strategies. However, given the advanced state of the plans, they should be accorded significant weight in decision making.

Contact officer:-

Matt Gregory Greater Nottingham Growth Point Planning Manager 0115 876 3981 [email protected]

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SUMMARY 1.1 This paper updates the board on the current position with the Growth Point Revenue

Budget. Recommendations It is recommended that Joint Planning Advisory Board;

1. APPROVE the draft revenue budget; 2. APPROVE the staffing arrangements as set out in the report subject to formal

agreement with Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council; 3. NOTE the costs associated with Examination of the Core Strategies and potential cost

savings.

2.0 Background 2.1 The board have previously approved a revenue budget to support activities associated

with the Core Strategies and Capital Programme. An updated draft budget is set out within Table 1.

3.0 2012/13 Revenue Budget 3.1 The 2011/12 budget (capital and revenue) will be audited on 9th and 10th May. An

updated revenue budget for 2012/13 has been prepared for consideration by the Board. The budget makes provision for secretariat services provided by Broxtowe Borough Council, contributions to joint commissions, salaries and master-planning.

3.2 The previously approved budget made provision for Growth Point Team staff salaries as

follows:

Growth Point Planning Manger - until 31st March 2013 (part time seconded from Nottingham City Council) Growth Point Policy Manager - until 6th August 2013 (full time seconded from Nottinghamshire County Council) Growth Point Commissioning/Delivery Manager (full time) - until 31st March 2013

ITEM 6 Growth Point Revenue Budget

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3.3 The duration of the above contracts was predicated on the basis of a faster pace towards Examination. The Examination is now expected to take place in March 2013. To ensure that sufficient resource is available support progression of the Core Strategies up to and immediately after the Examination period, is proposed that all posts are extended to 30th April 2013 (i.e. extending the Growth Point Planning Manager post by 9 months and the Growth Point Policy Manager and Commissioning Manger both by one month).

3.4 This would require an increase in the budget for salaries of approximately £38,000. It is

proposed to meet this cost from savings of £8,000 (previous years salaries costs are less than anticipated due to pay freeze/appointment dates) and reducing the master-planning budget by £30,000. The Board is asked to consider the principle of extending the contracts and, if approved, formal agreement would be sought from Nottinghamshire County Council and from Nottingham City Council to extend the two secondments and from Nottingham City as Responsible Body for hosting the posts.

4.0 Examination 4.1 The councils are preparing for publication, submission and Examination of the Core

Strategies. Provision is made in the revenue budget for contributions to shared legal costs should they arise.

4.2 The Growth Point Team will co-ordinate the appointment of Programme Officers and

Inspector for a conjoined Examination of the Aligned Core Strategies, the cost of which will be shared amongst the partners. Significant cost savings are anticipated from a joint approach. For information, a summary of the main estimated costs associated with Examination are set out in Table 2.

Contact Officer Dawn Alvey Greater Nottingham Growth Point Commissioning and Delivery Manager 0115 876 3982 [email protected]

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Table 1 Growth Point Revenue Budget

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Table 2 Examination Costs

Item Assumptions Estimated Cost

Cost if Shared by 4

LA's

Programme Officer F/T 6 Months £ 27,600 £ 6,900

Programme Officer Assistant F/T 6 Months £ 19,200 £ 4,800

Inspectors Fees 25 weeks duration (hearing and report writing), £1k per day £125,000 £ 31,250

Examination Venue and Inspectors Room

15 day hearing, 1 x main hearing room, 2 x Ante rooms, provision of IT/office facilities for Inspector and Programme Officers (council venue to be used if possible).

£ 27,500 £ 6,875

Document Printing ACS Printing £ 6,000 £ 2,000 Information Panels/Examination Resources

£ 2,000 £ 500

Total £207,300 £ 52,325 Notes: The above does not include costs for additional evidence/legal advice which may arise as a result of third party representations or requests from the Inspector as the Examination progresses.