Agenda item

Report of Senior Head of Regeneration, Planning and Assets.

Cabinet lead member:  Councillor Steve Wallis.

(1) Local employment and training supplementary planning document approved for publication for a 12 week consultation period to receive representations and comments.

(2) Senior head of regeneration, planning and assets given delegated authority, in consultation with the lead cabinet member, to make minor amendments before the commencement of the representation period.

72.1 Councillor Ungar addressed the cabinet.  He asked if the proposed monitoring fee would be sufficient to meet the cost of work involved in monitoring training plans.  He also asked if a lower threshold should be set for scheme size.  The senior head responded saying that the draft SPD had been drafted in line with government guidance.  The £150 fee was the rate per day and the fee would be charged at one day per week for the length of development project.

72.2 Cabinet considered the report of the senior head of regeneration, planning and assets on the preparation of 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 and this SPD would play an important role in helping to secure local employment at both construction and operational stages of this development.

72.3 The SPD would provide additional guidance on matters contained within the Eastbourne employment land local plan (ELLP). Once approved, the SPD would replace the local employment and training technical guidance note, adopted 1 April 2013.

72.4 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 council worked in partnership with local education and training providers to ensure that courses relevant to industry and employment needs could be planned and provided.  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.

72.5 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.

72.6 The draft SPD would be subject to a 12 week consultation period between 1 April 2016 and 24 June 2016 to allow stakeholders and the local community to comment and make representations.  It was anticipated that a further report will be submitted to cabinet in the Autumn when the local employment and training SPD was put forward for adoption by full council.

72.7 Resolved (key decision): (1) That the local employment and training supplementary planning document be approved for publication for a 12 week consultation period to receive representations and comments.

(2) That the senior head of regeneration, planning and assets be given delegated authority, in consultation with the lead cabinet member, to make minor amendments before the commencement of the representation period.