Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE and John Thomson.

Baroness Scott was substituted by Councillor Richard Clewer.

Apologies were also received from Paddy Bradley, SWLEP Director.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2017.

To receive the minutes the SWLEP Board held on 20 September and 29 September 2017 and 24 January 2018.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2017 were presented, along with the minutes of the SWLEP Board meetings on 20 September and 29 November 2017, and 24 January 2018.

Resolved:

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2017 as a true and correct record.

To receive the minutes of the SWLEP Board for 20 September and 29 November 2017 and 24 January 2018.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the relevant Standards Committee.

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

There were no announcements .

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm 14 February 2018 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on16 February 2018. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There were no statements or questions submitted.

To receive highlight reports on SWLEP projects.

A report was received summarising the status of each Local Growth Fund project and other Local Enterprise Projects, assessing their management in accordance with the Assurance Framework and their level of progress. It was explained that technical advisers to the SWLEP had assessed each project and identified six projects in particular as being ‘high risk’ due to scope, complexity and other factors, and the Committee sought details on those projects, as well as overall progress for all projects as detailed in the report.

Chippenham Station Hub was a multi-phase project of high complexity which requires input from multiple partners such as Network Rail and Great Western Railway. Work had been completed on gate-lines and ticket hall, and an outline business case for future phases had been agreed by the SWLEP Board at its January 2018 meeting.

Consultation was underway on a revised planning submission for the A350 Yarnbrook/West Ashton project. The revisions had been due to the need to accommodate the presence of bats. An application to the Housing Infrastructure Fund had been successful.

It was confirmed that there had been delays with the Maltings project in Salisbury due to the change in developer, and that heads of terms were still to be agreed. The Committee discussed the level of housing that might be proposed on the site.

In relation to the Swindon Bus Exchange it was confirmed a Housing Infrastructure Fund application had not been successful, and a programme was being developed to ensure continued delivery of the project. The Committee emphasised that the project was integral to the wider town centre development, and sought additional details. It was stated that a land release fund application in relation to the John Street Car Park had been successful, and that the overall funding shortfall was approximately £7millions, but this was being reduced.

The New Eastern Villages projects at the Southern Connector Road, A420 and Wichelstowe were also discussed. There had been increases in costs due to archaeological concerns, and Swindon Borough Council were also to consider approving potential compulsory purchase order action at its March Cabinet meeting. Design options for the A420 were being reviewed, and an outline business case for Wichelstowe would be considered at the May meeting of the SWLEP Board.

The Committee also discussed potential projects, in particular the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery project. There had been a visit from the Heritage Lottery Fund with SWLEP support, and responses were being provided to their questions, with an announcement to follow later in the year if successful.

Updates were also provided on the nearly complete Junction 16/17 upgrades, and discussions for the next phase of the Porton Science Park.

Resolved:

To approve the Commissioning Group’s assessment that the highlight reports are an accurate representation of the status of all LGF projects.

An update will be provided on joint planning work between Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and the SWLEP.

An update was provided from Tim Martienssen, Director of Economic Development and Planning at Wiltshire Council, and Philip Smith, Service Manager – Planning Policy at Swindon Borough Council. Following initial consideration by the Committee in 2017 the draft Strategic Housing Land Market Area Assessment (SHLAA) and Functional Economic Market Area (FEMA) had been released for public consultation in late 2017. Councillors and officers from both authorities were also working togethering on a Joint Spatial Framework.

It was stated the majority of public consultation responses to the SHLAA and FEMA had come from Wiltshire, but that all comments were being assessed for a paper to be considered as appropriate by the two cabinets. The next step would be for a Joint Strategic Framework to be developed.

The Committee was also advised that a revised National Planning Policy Framework from central government was due to be published for consultation around Easter, which would need to be taken into account in any joint planning work, and that a standardised methodology of assessing housing need was also due to be released. If that showed significant differences in housing need to that of the market assessment undertaken for the SHLAA, it could have a major impact.

In discussing joint planning work, it was raised whether areas within Wiltshire Council’s areas such as Royal Wootton Bassett could be impacted should Swindon Borough Council not have a demonstrated five year housing land supply.

Resolved:

To note the update on joint planning work

To confirm the dates of the next meetings as 19 April, 27June, 11 October and 13 December 2018.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 19 April 2018.

It was raised that there was a ministerial review of Local Enterprise Partnerships underway and potential changes to status and governance as a result, with implications for the role of the JSEC, with updates to follow at future meetings when available.