Agenda, decisions and minutes

Circulated separately with agenda for council meeting on 16 November.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2016 were submitted and approved and the chairman was authorised to sign them as a correct record.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) by members as required under Section 31 of the Localism Act and of other interests as required by the Code of Conduct and regulation 12(2)(d) of the 2012 Access to Information Regulations.  (Please see note at end of agenda).

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) by members as required under section 31 of the Localism Act and other interests as required by the council’s code of conduct and regulation 12(2)(d) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

No declarations were made.

Report of Director of Regeneration and Planning.

Lead cabinet member:  Councillor Steve Wallis.

(1) Eastbourne employment land local plan endorsed and full council recommended to adopt along with the revised policies map.

(2) Any minor or technical adjustments found necessary in the plan delegated to director of regeneration and planning in consultation with lead cabinet member.

47.1 Cabinet considered the report of the director of regeneration and planning.  In May 2012, the Eastbourne core strategy local plan had been subject to public examination by a government appointed planning inspector.  The Inspector had expressed concerns over the evidence that supported core strategy policy ‘D2: Economy’, particularly relating to the employment land supply.  In order to address this issue without delaying the adoption of the core strategy, the inspector recommended that this policy be the subject of an early review, leading to its replacement with an additional local plan to deal specifically with the employment land supply.

47.2 Subsequently. an employment land local plan (ELLP) had been produced.  The plan would guide job growth and economic development in Eastbourne up to 2027 by identifying an appropriate supply of land to meet project needs for future employment development, in order to achieve a sustainable economy and make Eastbourne a town where people wanted to live and work.  It specifically related to land and buildings within the B1 (offices and light industry), B2 (general industry) and B8 (storage and distribution) use classes.

47.3 The ELLP was subject to consultation in December 2013 (proposed draft), in December 2014 (proposed submission) and again in December 2015 (revised proposed submission).  It was subsequently submitted to the Secretary of State for examination in February 2016.

47.4 The examination considered whether the plan was ‘sound’ and whether it was  compliant with legal requirements. In order to be found sound, a local plan should be: positively prepared; justified; effective; and consistent with national policy.  The examination hearings took place on 12 and 13 May and 30 June 2016.

47.5 The inspector’s report was formally received by the council on 24 October 2016, and publicised in line with regulations the following day.  The inspector concluded that the ELLP provided an appropriate basis for the planning of employment land provisions in the borough, provided that a number of modifications were made to it, and that with the recommended modifications the plan satisfied the requirements of Section 20(5) of the 2004 Act and met the criteria for soundness in the National Planning Policy Framework.

47.6 A summary of the inspector’s findings and the modifications to the ELLP were given in the report.  Following the incorporation of the modifications, the ELLP strategy to meet an employment land requirement of 48,750 sq.m. GEA (gross external area) was:

·         20,000 sqm (GEA) of industrial and warehouse use and 1,875 sq.m. (GEA) of office use to be provided within the existing industrial estates through redevelopment and intensification.

·         3,750 sq.m. (GEA) of office use to be provided in the town centre on development opportunity site 2 (land adjoining the railway station and the Enterprise Centre).

·         23,125 sq.m. (GEA) of office use to be provided at Sovereign Harbour, predominantly on sites 6 and 7a.

47.7 As a result of policies contained in the ELLP there would be some changes to the core strategy’s policies map and the revised policies map would need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

Report of Director of Regeneration and Planning.

Lead cabinet member:  Councillor Steve Wallis.

(1) Local employment and training supplementary planning document endorsed and full council recommended to adopt.

(2) Any minor or technical adjustments found necessary in the planning document delegated to director of regeneration and planning in consultation with lead cabinet member.

48.1 Cabinet considered the report of the director of regeneration and planning on the outcome of steps taken to prepare a local employment and training supplementary planning document (SPD) to assist in securing local labour agreements as part of development proposals.  The level of development required in Eastbourne up to 2027 would create a significant number of jobs.  The SPD had been prepared to provide detail to the Eastbourne employment land local plan policy EL1 in order to provide a framework as to how local labour agreements (including employment and training measures) would be secured and how to maximise local employment opportunities at both the construction and first operational phase of the development.

48.2 It was considered that there was a clear case for the use of ‘section 106 agreements’ to secure local labour agreements from future developments.  This would secure contributions from developments that would support and benefit the local labour market and economy.  The contribution was financial in the form of a monitoring fee.  The fee would enable the funding of personnel to undertake the monthly monitoring of employment and training during the construction phase and up to one month in the first operational phase.  It also covered negotiation, co-ordination and administration of employment and training initiatives associated with a development such as meet the buyer events, extra curricula activities, sector based work academies and local promotion.  If required the fee could also include drafting employment and training plans.

48.3 The following thresholds would trigger a request for a local labour agreement:

Commercial – All developments (other than C3/C4 planning use class), including change of use, that create/relate to 1,000 sq. m. (gross).  This also included developments of strategic importance (e.g. essential infrastructure, development identified in council plans and strategy) and all of those that created 25 or more jobs.

Residential - Major developments (within C3/C4 planning use class) that involved 10 or more gross units.

48.4 The SPD had been published for consultation from 1 April to 24 June 2016.  All the representations were considered and the SPD was amended to reflect the responses.  Details of the consultation responses, response and amendments were provided as appendix 1 to the report and the final version of the SPD as appendix 2.  Once approved, the SPD would replace the local employment and training technical guidance note, adopted 1 April 2013. 

*48.5 Resolved: (budget and policy framework) (1) That local employment and training supplementary planning document be endorsed and recommend that at full council it is approved for adoption.

(2) That any minor or technical adjustments found necessary in the local employment and training supplementary planning document are delegated to the director of regeneration and planning in consultation with the lead cabinet member.