Agenda item - South West Exeter Housing Infrastructure Fund: Update on project including approval for submission of planning application and to award tenders

Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/22/16) on the South West Exeter Housing Infrastructure Fund: including an update on the project including seeking approval for submission of planning application and to award tenders, attached.

An Impact Assessment is also attached for the attention of Members at the meeting and can be viewed online at - Published Impact Assessments - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

RESOLVED

(a) that the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority to progress the proposals for

i. Devon Hotel roundabout and Trood Lane signal-controlled junction

ii. Alphington village enhancements

iii. Southern spine road

iv. A379 junctions

including going out to tender and to award contracts for the schemes within the project budget;

(b) that the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated powers to make any necessary changes to the design and progress the proposals for the community building and GP surgery and that this includes the submission of a planning application, going out to tender and to award contracts, subject to available project budget and necessary legal agreements to facilitate delivery;

(c) that the proposals in relation to the allocation of funding recovered from developers be conditionally approved including up to

i. £5.5 million towards the electricity substation

ii. £2 million towards Cranbrook community building;

(d) that the allocation of part of the Housing Infrastructure Fund grant towards the purchase of land and undergrounding of electricity cables associated with the delivery of the electricity substation and the proposal to enter into a contract with Western Power Distribution for the undergrounding of the cables be approved.

(Councillors Connett, Gent, Hannaford attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment (PTE/22/16) which provided an update on the project as well as requesting approval for some elements to allow for the continual progression of the project. The Report had been circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

South West Exeter was a strategic allocation of 2,500 dwellings and 5 hectares of employment within the administrative areas of Teignbridge District Council and Exeter City Council. It was a complex site, with various constraints. The Council had been successful with its bid of £55.14 million to the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), which would enable the early delivery of the infrastructure to support the planned housing development. The infrastructure to be delivered included:

· Delivery of four signal junctions on the A379

· Realignment of Chudleigh Road

· Southern Spine Road

· Devon Hotel Roundabout upgrade

· Alphington Village enhancements

· School access road

· Pedestrian / cycle bridge

· Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS)

· New electricity substation

· Community building which is intended to include a GP surgery.

Previously included had been a new roundabout at Peamore and an upgrade to the foul drainage system, but both of these schemes were proposed to be delivered by developers without HIF funding.

A plan identifying the development location and infrastructure to be delivered was included in Appendix 1.

Section three of the Report gave the detail on each of the proposals;

· Electricity Substation - expected to provide sufficient capacity for development at South-West Exeter as well as additional future development – details of the consultation were available at www.devon.gov.uk/swexeter.

· Devon Hotel Roundabout and Trood Lane improvements - including an extra lane on the western A379 entry arm, pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities and toucan crossing and in relation to Trood Lane a new signal junction, pedestrian and cycle connections and new bus laybys on the A379 - a plan of the scheme included in Appendix 2).

· Alphington Village Enhancements – the options explored and the scheme that would be developed based on the options was shown in Appendix 3.

· A379 Junctions – the detailed design for the remaining junctions on the A379 was progressing with a plan of the scheme included in Appendix 4.

· Community Building – the initial design for the community building, which included a GP surgery, had been undertaken, but the cost estimate was significantly over the budget allowed for in the HIF funding. However, it remained the intention to deliver a community building through revised designs and or phased works. Appendix 5 showed the site layout for the costed scheme.

· Southern Spine Road – which would connect the three development parcels to the south of the A379 together. Plans showing the expected alignment of the Spine Road were in Appendix 6.

· Recovered funding - funding would be recovered as development was delivered and would be in accordance with terms within legal agreements.

An Impact Assessment is also attached for the attention of Members at the meeting and can be viewed online at - https://www.devon.gov.uk/impact/south-west-exeter-housing-infrastructure-fund-hif/. This highlighted that the HIF project would support the development of a new urban extension to Exeter and the delivery of the community infrastructure and school would support the creation of a community. Consideration had been, and would continue to be, given to safe and sustainable access for all.

The Cabinet noted that the proposal had been assessed and all necessary safeguards taken to safeguard the Council's position. A risk register was in place for the project which was reviewed and updated monthly.

The Local Member expressed his disappointment that money was being re-allocated to other areas of Devon and also that the recommendations didn’t specifically mention consultation with the Local Member. The Head of Service explained some of the conditions of the HIF funding in terms of reinvestment of recouped funding from developments and the Leader further highlighted the Council’s usual practice on consulting Local Members on matters that impacted on their ward.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability (including carbon impact), 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 Davis, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and