Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation & Environment (PTE/16/42) on the County Council's  involvement in the development of cross-boundary strategy and planning incorporating proposed governance arrangements, attached. 

(Councillors Biederman, Connett, Greenslade, Julian, Squires and Westlake attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation & Environment (PTE/16/42) on the County Council's  involvement in the development of new cross-boundary strategy and planning, incorporating proposed governance arrangements.

The Head of Service’s Report outlined the new cross-boundary planning strategy and policy arrangements that were emerging in Devon reflecting housing markets, travel to work areas and economic geographies.  These functional areas crossed Local Planning Authority administrative boundaries and it was axiomatic that Council should work in partnership when developing strategy and policy.  The three urban, economic functional geographies, shown in Appendix B to the Report now submitted, were:

·           Greater Exeter:  East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon and Teignbridge;

·           Plymouth Area:  Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon; and

·           Northern Devon:  North Devon and Torridge.

The Head of Service emphasised that in order to reflect these functional geographies, joint Plans were currently being prepared for each area, which would be statutory planning documents setting out long term planning policy.

The County Council had an important strategic role to play in the development of these Plans and had been invited to engage with the various plan-making processes. This more collaborative role, albeit differing in detail from one area to another, offered the County Council greater influence over the planning process, helping to ensure that policy in each area specifically reflected the County Council’s corporate priorities. The Report summarised the developing administrative and organisational arrangements to support this new approach. 

The Head of Service and the Cabinet Member  for Economy, Growth and Cabinet Liaison for Exeter indicated their willingness to ensure that all Members of the Council would be kept informed of progress with this process and any emerging strategies and policies through regular briefings or other means considered appropriate in due course, affording Members an opportunity to contribute thereto.

The Head of Service’s Report also incorporated an Impact Assessment relating to the possible impacts of the proposal, which had been circulated previously for the attention of Members at this meeting in order that as part of its determination of the next steps in the process the Cabinet might have full regard to the responsibilities placed upon it to exercise its Public Sector Equality Duty, under s149 of the Equality Act 2010, where relevant. The Assessment recognised that, given the nature of the decision required of the Cabinet, there were unlikely to be any direct equality impacts and any marginal or tangential impacts would, it was felt, be positive and beneficial to the Council, to staff and to the community as a whole; no unmanageable impacts had been identified.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, environmental, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Head of Service’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69