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Agenda and minutes

Venue: 16, Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD

Contact: Carl Craney Governance Services Officer 

Items
No. Item

48.

Apologies for Absence (if any)

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Sharon Thompson (Birmingham City Council), Roy Stokes (Environment Agency), Karl Tupling (Homes England), Councillor Julie Jackson (Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council) and Councillor Richard Overton (Telford and Wrekin Council).  

49.

Notification of Substitutes (if any)

Minutes:

Marc Lidderth had been nominated as a substitute for Roy Stokes (Environment Agency) and Gavin Ashford had been nominated as a substitute for Councillor Richard Overton (Telford and Wrekin Council).

50.

Declarations of Interests (if any)

Members are reminded of the need to declare

any disclosable pecuniary interests they have in

an item being discussed during the course of the

meeting. In addition, the receipt of any gift or

hospitality should be declared where the value of

it was thought to have exceeded £25 (gifts) or

£40 (hospitality).

 

Minutes:

No declarations of interests were made in relation to items under consideration at the meeting.

51.

Minutes of last meeting pdf icon PDF 153 KB

[For confirmation]

Minutes:

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

52.

Housing and Regeneration Portfolio: Quarterly Update (Q1 2019) pdf icon PDF 230 KB

Minutes:

Gareth Bradford presented a report which provided an update on the various workstreams which had been agreed by the Board in December 2018. He advised that work had commenced on all of the workstreams and, as expected, the pace of work had increased and was expected to increase further over the remainder of 2019. He referred specifically to paragraphs 3.7 and 3.8 of the report insofar as they referred to the Town Centres Programme and reported that Town Centre Delivery and Investment Plans were being prepared for each of the pilot schemes and work was underway on early interventions (predominantly land acquisitions) as appropriate. 

 

The Chair commented on the present deteriorating position with the retail offer in town centres following Debenhams entering into administration on 9 April 2019 and suggested the need for a dialogue to be commenced with major retailers in order to understand their respective long term strategies. He also expressed concern with regard to recent suggestions by HM Government to proposed changes to ‘Permitted Development Rights’ which could allow certain categories of retail premises to be converted into residential units without seeking planning permission.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the positive progress in work under the Housing and Land portfolio in Q1 2019 and some of the key work programmes being progressed during the remainder of 2019 be noted;

2.    That discussions with the Housing and Land Steering Group and supported working groups be continued on how existing arrangements on engagement, project based governance and working arrangements could be enhanced further between the WMCA, local authorities, the private sector and other organisations.

53.

Hoardings and Signage for Development Sites pdf icon PDF 125 KB

Minutes:

The Board considered a report and a PowerPoint presentation from Gareth Bradford on the progress with the design for hoarding panels and sign boards which would be used on development sites that the WMCA was acquiring, funding and/or supporting. He emphasised that the purpose of the hoardings and sign boards was to emphasise the role of the WMCA in working in partnership, making collective investments and its role as an enabler and facilitator of developments.  He advised that the Board was invited to comment on this first iteration of the approach to hoardings and signage with a view to further work being undertaken with partners and a subsequent report being submitted to future meetings.

 

The Chair and members made the following comments:

·         A top down approach was not appropriate and a linkage was required as to who the development was for and whether the developers name could be shown;

·         The need to stress the role of partnership working;

·         The desire for hoardings and signage to be appropriate to the proposed location and to reflect the partners involved;

·         Details to be included on the purpose of the acquisition of a particular site, especially where remediation of land was included;

·         Consideration to be given to the use of a common strapline;

·         The possibility of similar hoardings and sign boards being used on projects other than housing and land.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the approach to hoardings and signage for all WMCA development sites as detailed in the report be supported;

2.    That the PowerPoint presentation be circulated to members of the Board and to the Housing and Land Steering Group for further consideration, including the comments detailed above, with a view to a report on a further iteration of the designs being made to a future meeting;

3.    That in conjunction with 2. above, officers liaise with colleagues in their respective Communications Teams on this matter to ensure that it is included in the various communications networks;

4.    That reports on progress with ‘Pipeline’ schemes and ‘Land Remediation’ be submitted to a future meeting   

54.

Exclusion of the Public and Press

[To pass the following resolution:

That in accordance with Section 100A4 of the Local Government Act

1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the

consideration of the following items of business as they involve the

likely disclosure of exempt information relating to the business affairs

of any particular person (Including the authority holding that

information)]

 

Minutes:

Resolved:

That in accordance with Section 100A4 of the Local Government Act

1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the

consideration of the following items of business as they involve the

likely disclosure of exempt information relating to the business affairs

of any particular person (Including the authority holding that

information).

 

55.

Single Commissioning Framework

Minutes:

Carl Pearson presented a report which provided the Board with an update on the timely completion of the Single Commissioning Framework for investment in Housing, Land and Property Development (the ‘framework’). He advised that it had been prepared collectively by Officers of the WMCA, local authorities, LEPs and other organisations and had gone live on 1 April 2019. He commented that it would be a living document and would be updated as required. It was intended that a ‘Glossary of Terms’ would be produced to demystify the terminology used. He advised that it covered all WMCA managed funds with the exception of the Black Country Land and Property Investment Fund which would continue to be overseen by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.

 

The Chair commented that the ‘framework’ covered all matters with the exception of small sites. Gareth Bradford reminded the Board that £10 million had been earmarked previously in the Residential Investment Fund to assist with the development of small sites and that the ‘framework’ also included a proportionate process for such sites. He confirmed earlier comments that the document would be reviewed and amended as necessary.

 

Members commented on the need for all public sector partners to co-operate in the development of sites in which they had an interest. Councillor Peter Bilson referred to a debate at a recent meeting of the Association of Black Country Authorities with regard to the remaining £97 million of funding for the Black Country Land and Property Investment Fund. Sarah Middleton reported that the BCLEP was working with the WMCA Housing and Regeneration Team on the articulation of the outputs for the £53 million allocated to date to that fund and that she hoped to be in a position to report on positive outcomes shortly.

 

Gareth Bradford reported that the ‘framework had been received well by the development industry especially those companies committed to Inclusive Growth and Place Making.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the completion of the Single Commissioning Framework, as appended to the report, be noted as a key deliverable for 2019/20 for the WMCA Housing and Land Portfolio and that it be applied by the WMCA’s Investment Board and Housing and Land Delivery Board with effect from 1 Aril 2019;

2.    That the Single Commissioning Framework be reviewed on a regular  basis with any material changes proposed being subject to consideration by the Board and with delegated authority being granted to the Director of Housing and Regeneration in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Land in respect of minor amendments;

3.    That details of the drawdowns through the Single Commissioning Framework be incorporated into the Dashboard reports to this Board