Agenda and minutes

RLDP Steering Group - Tuesday, 24th January, 2023 4.00 pm

Venue: Virtual

Items

No.

Item

Welcome & Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

The Service Director Democratic Services & Communications welcomed

Members and Officers to the meeting and Members were reminded that this was the second meeting to seek Members’ views on the remaining strategic issues as set out in the briefing paper.

Apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillors M Powell, S Trask and G Hopkins.

10.

Declaration of Interest

To receive disclosures of personal interest from Members in accordance with the Code of Conduct

Note:

1. Members are requested to identify the item number and subject matter that their interest relates to and signify the nature of the personal interest: and

2. Where Members withdraw from a meeting as a consequence of the disclosure of a prejudicial interest, they must notify the Chairman when they leave.

Minutes:

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, there were no declarations made pertaining to the agenda

11.

Minutes PDF 161 KB

To receive the minutes of the RLDP Members Steering Group meeting held on the 8^th December 2022, as an accurate summary of the discussions.

Minutes:

RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the RLDP Members Steering Group on the 8^th December 2022 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.

12.

Overview of the Revised Local Development Plan 2022-2037 PDF 221 KB

For members of the Revised Local Development Plan (RLDP) Steering Group to impart their views on the remaining headings within the briefing paper to help inform the RLDP.

Minutes:

The Development Services Manager ( Planning Policy) provided a brief update on progress relating to the RLDP to date including the role of the Members’ steering group. He added that a number of meetings were previously held in 2021/2022 however, for several reasons, inclusive of the pandemic, operations ceased on the RLDP (2020-2030) and instead commence work on the RLDP 2022-2037. The first meeting for this new plan period was held in December 2022.

The Development Services Manager (Planning Policy) commented on the purpose of the Members’ Steering Group, which is to guide the preparation of the plan, not a specific decision-making group, but as an open forum where issues ae discussed prior to reaching any decision-making stages. He invited any views or queries from Members to the policy team via email or phone, should they not be raised in the meeting.

The Development Services Manager outlined the progress of the policy team who have met with various other Council departments and stakeholders including NRW, as part of the LDP Forum and Stakeholder Group. He added that they have prepared evidence to date on what is in the existing towns and villages and which of those would be the most appropriate for growth and produced a large amount of analysis around housing figures, in terms of working out what the level growth should be required over the plan period. As a result of the evidence collated, the team have compiled a number of Growth and Spatial Options, which highlight how much RCT is going to grow by and where.

The Development Services Manager confirmed that it is the Welsh Government that sets out national policy and guidance in relation to the preparation of the LDP.

In response to a query regarding the involvement of the private sector in employment and whether there was previously a specific Business Forum, the Development Services Manager commented that there are currently many stakeholders who contribute to these issues, the Federation of Small Businesses who engage in the LDP Forum and the Council’s Town Centre Team link in with local businesses. Additionally, the team have commissioned consultants on the Employment Land Review who will liaise with a number of businesses and companies that run/lease out industrial estates.

The Head of Planning advised that the town centre businesses are engaged, and he confirmed that he would present the feedback to the Council’s Regeneration section in relation to re-establishing the business forum. Furthermore, Cllr Middle wished to send an email to the Development Services Manager to address the employment issue.

The Spatial Options:

Option 1 – Continue with the Current LDP

The Development Services Manager commented on the north/south split to encourage development and attempt to prevent dereliction, depopulation and decline in the north, whilst trying to manage growth in a sustainable manner in the south. He added that everything was based around the designated Principal Towns and Key Settlements, with eight large Strategic Sites (mainly large, constrained brownfield sites).

Previously, forecasts were used to assess ... view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Next Steps

To discuss and agree the next steps.

Minutes:

The Chair thanked Members and Officers for attending the meeting and acknowledged the requests for a future meeting to be held via a hybrid arrangement, whereby Members have the option of attending in the Council Chamber or virtually.

The Service Director Democratic Services advised that a number of committees had been categorised as hybrid with working groups as virtual only, however, subject to Members wishes, it would be possible to hold the next meeting of the RLDP on a hybrid basis with details of the next date to be circulated in due course.