Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED – That Councillor Peter Malpas of Chorley Council be appointed to act as Chair for the meeting.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee and invited the attendees to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor John Swindells (Preston City Council), Councillor B Yates (South Ribble Council) and Steve Browne (Director of Strategy and Policy, Lancashire County Council).

The minutes of the last meeting of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee held on 18 March 2010 were confirmed as a correct record for signature by the Chair.

To receive and consider the enclosed report of the LDF Joint Officer Team on the implications of the new Government’s recent announcements on Local Development Framework processes.

The LDF Joint Officer Team presented a report on the implications of recent Government announcements on the future progression of the Local Government Framework.  The report made reference, in particular, to the effect of the planned abolition of Regional Strategies and proposals to exert greater control over developments within residential gardens.

The Joint Advisory Committee was reminded that the Joint Central Lancashire Core Strategy had been approved by the three constituent authorities for publication.  The Core Strategy had been drafted on the basis of the housing requirement figures within the North West Regional Strategy, with a built in flexibility for actual provision over the years.  It was, as yet, unclear how future locally-based provision targets would be produced, whilst taking account of all the contributory factors, including the planned restriction of ‘garden’ developments and economic regeneration and infrastructure considerations.

In the circumstances, and in the light of impending additional information and guidance from the Government, the Committee was requested to defer firm decisions on the final publication version of the Core Strategy.

The Joint Officer Team also recommended the Committee to authorise the continuation of the preparatory work on the Site Allocations, Issues and Options Document in the light of the diminishing amount of allocated development land in the authorities’ present Local Plans.  The process could be halted at a later stage, if necessary.

RESOLVED – (1)  That progression of the Local Development Framework process work be held in abeyance for a period of approximately 4 weeks to allow members and Officers of Chorley, Preston and South Ribble Councils to consider the situation and take account of any further emerging guidance from the Government.

(2) That Officers prepare a further report on emerging advice and guidance on the abolition of Regional Strategies and other relevant matters as soon as information becomes available.

(3)  That further meetings of the LDF Working Group and the Central Lancashire Joint Advisory Committee be arranged, as appropriate.

(4)  That, in the interim, Officers be authorised to continue the preparation of the Issues and Options stage of the Site Allocations Development Plan Documents.

To receive and consider the enclosed report of the LDF Joint Officer Team on the findings of recent research.

The Joint Advisory Committee received and considered a report of the Joint Officer Team on the main findings of recent research and a review of retail and leisure facilities across Central Lancashire.

The research had been commissioned with the aim of:

·              understanding the shopping and leisure behaviour of residents of the sub-region and to identify convenience and comparison goods expenditure patterns;

·              undertaking a health check assessment of the principal centres;

·              assessing the future quantitative capacity and qualitative need for new retail and leisure provision up to 2026;

·              providing strategic advice on future needs for implementation through the LDF process.

The study had been informed by 700 face-to-face interviews with shoppers, a telephone survey of 1,600 households, a quality health check (comprising the performance of centres against local and regional data), a quantitative capacity assessment of the principal centres in Central Lancashire and surveys of district and main local centres to identify requirements for additional floorspace.

The report summarised the main findings of the research, highlighting the characteristics of each district centre and the perceptions and aspirations of shoppers at each centre, commenting on the differing factors that influenced the demand for and constraints on the provision of both convenience (food) and comparison (non-food) retail outlets.

The surveys had also encompassed an evaluation of the current take-up and average spending on leisure pursuits within the three districts, and recommendations to develop the evening economies within the three city/town centres were contained in the review’s findings.

Finally, the review findings had recommended the following four-tier hierarchy of retail centres for inclusion in the Central Lancashire Core Strategy, based on Planning Policy Statement 4 criteria and the review assessments and having regard to pertinent retail factors.

Tier 1 – City Centre (Preston City);

Tier 2 – Town Centres (Chorley and Leyland);

Tier 3 –  District Centres (Bamber Bridge;  Clayton Green; Penwortham; Longton; Cottam (Proposed); and Buckshaw Village, Euxton (Proposed);

Tier 4 –  Local Centres.

The prime objective of the retail hierarchy was to encourage the development of future retail and leisure proposals in appropriately sited and located centres.

One Member queried the criteria that had been used to determine the identification of the suggested District and Local Centres.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To receive and consider the enclosed report of the LDF Joint Officer Team on the commissioning of a review.

The Joint LDF Officer Team presented a report on the need to ensure a strategic and consistent assessment of open space, sport and recreation provision throughout the Borough.  The Officer Team had commissioned consultants, PMPgenesis, to undertake a review of existing provision and make recommendations on how standards could be applied consistently across the authorities.

The review was to encompass all forms of open space and recreational and sporting facilities with the principal objectives of:

·              identifying local needs;

·              identifying existing local provision;

·              setting and applying standards of provision across the sub-region;

·              identifying strategic options and policy outcomes.

It was intended that the study would assess the effectiveness of existing policies and identify both currently redundant facilities and shortfalls in provision.

The findings of the study could then be evaluated to inform the development of new local standards and a more strategic approach to the protection of existing facilities and the delivery of new facilities through identified external sources of funding.

The consultants had already presented the first phase of the study findings, with the second phase expected imminently.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To receive and consider the enclosed report of the LDF Joint Officer Team, with attached schedule.

The Joint Advisory Committee considered a report of the Joint LDF Officer Team, to which was attached a draft Infrastructure Delivery Schedule, which listed the key infrastructure schemes likely to be required to support the residential and employment developments envisaged over the next 15 years to deliver the Central Lancashire Core Strategy.

The schedule identified the approximate likely cost, timescales and likely funding sources for the infrastructure schemes.  The Core Strategy had proposed a levy/tariff type approach to securing developer contributions to make up funding shortfalls on infrastructure projects that were unlikely to be met directly by infrastructure providers or other means.  In addition to contributions required in terms of on-site obligations, developers would be required to contribute towards strategic and local infrastructure requirements.

The report referred to the need to prioritise the infrastructure schemes and the Committee members were requested to advise the Joint LDF Officer Team of their views on the prioritisation process and which schemes should, in their opinion, be taken forward for implementation.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and that the approach adopted in the production of the Infrastructure Delivery Schedule be endorsed.

To receive and consider the enclosed report of the LDF Joint Officer Team.

The Joint Advisory Committee received a report of the Joint LDF Officer Team which explained the main provisions of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the consequent changes proposed to be made to Section 106 planning obligations.

The Community Infrastructure Levy had come into operation on 6 April 2010, with the effect of reducing the scope of Section 106 provision in order to avoid the possibility of double charging for infrastructure projects.  Whilst the new coalition Government had indicated its intention to replace the CIL, it was anticipated that a similar tariff based system would be introduced.

The report referred to the concerns that had been received nationally on the inconsistency in the use of current planning obligations and the Government’s intention that ‘planning obligations should aim to secure necessary requirements that facilitate the granting of planning permission for a particular development, whilst CIL contributions are for general infrastructure needs’.

The aim of the Community Infrastructure Levy was to ensure that costs of providing the infrastructure to support a development scheme could be funded (wholly or partly) by owners or developers of land.  The regulations permitted charging authorities (including District and County Councils) to charge the Levy in respect of all forms of built development.  Each authority opting to charge the CIL would adopt a charging schedule (ie a menu of charges), following a public consultation process and endorsement by an independent examiner.

The Community Infrastructure Levy would provide a pool of capital monies that could be used to fund any of the infrastructure schemes identified on a published list of schemes.

RESOLVED – that the report be noted.

To note that next scheduled meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee was to be held on 21 September 2010.  It is likely, however, that an extra meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee will need to take place before that date.

The Joint Advisory Committee noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Committee was to be held on 21 September 2010, but were reminded that one extra meeting of the Committee may be required before that date.