Agenda item

Gareth Bradford presented a report which updated the Board on progress on the development of the Spatial Investment and Delivery Plan (SIDP) which was a key recommendation of the West Midlands Land Commission, the subsequent Land Delivery Plan and the recent Housing Deal agreed with HM Government. He assured the Board that the SIPD was not intended to supersede Local Plans prepared by the local authorities.

He explained that the SIDP had been built from emerging and adopted plans in order to set out a framework for growth that included priority sites and growth areas and associated infrastructure requirements and the actions participating authorities, including the WMCA and its strategic partners, Homes England, TfWM, HS2, Network Rail and the Highways Agency, would take to support the delivery of new homes and employment opportunities in the region. Eleanor Young advised that the SIDP had been developed in close liaison with Officers from the respective local authorities. She referred to Map 4 and an error with regard to the Bus infrastructure in Coventry which would be amended before the consultation process commenced.

Councillor Ian Courts raised the following questions and points:

i)             The reference on page 7 to agreeing the consultation – with whom and by whom?

ii)            The reference on page 33 to ‘quality’ – this meant different things to different people and needed to be supplemented and reference made to ‘place making’

iii)           References to ‘Affordable Homes’ – this required explanation and needed to reflect the need for more starter homes and smaller homes to be provided;

iv)           Pages 40/44- an explanation was required on how the 27 corridors related to ‘Inclusive Growth Corridors’

v)            The reference on page 54 to the adoption of a ‘brownfield first approach to the development of land’ – the need to include reference to wider environmental improvements including ‘green credentials’.

The Chair reminded the Board that the intention of the SIDP was not to conflict with Local Plans. Councillor Peter Bilson supported the comments now made and welcomed the report but commented that it was deliverability upon which the success of the Board would be judged. He suggested that once the consultation exercise commenced the Board would be better placed to assess the support it would receive.

Bill Blincoe commented on the work being taken on the development of Local Industrial Strategy and suggested that this and the SIDP needed to be prepared in parallel with cross referencing and cross checking as necessary. He opined that the SIDP was primarily focussed on housing matters although employment matters were referenced and, on this basis, all references to employment should be removed. Gareth Bradford reported that he did not agree with this approach, and that housing and employment needed to be looked at together in the SIDP. The limited reference to specific employment sites within the SIDP was due to awaiting the forthcoming strategic employment sites study. He advised that the SIDP had been developed in consultation with the WMCA Industrial Strategy Team.

The Chair commented that he understood that revisions to the National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF) were to be published shortly and this would need to be reflected in the final iteration of the SIDP. Furthermore, the Board needed to have regard to the changes in the retail sector with the likelihood of a number of town/city centre retail units being converted to use as residential properties.

With regard to the latter point, Councillor Ian Courts commented on the rapid change in the past three months within the retail sector as a whole with many well known High Street retailers withdrawing from the sector. He reported that the affected properties were often in central areas but the properties in question not being owned by the retail operators. Resolving issues with the freehold owners was often problematic but he suggested that the WMCA could have an integral role to play in town centre regeneration in addressing such issues. The Chair commented that mapping out ownership of former retail units would be a useful starting point.

Councillor Daren Pemberton commented that responding to the rapid rate of change posed a potential problem. He was of the view that residential use of former retail premises would become commonplace. He suggested that the issue needed to be approached from a strategic perspective rather than in a piecemeal way with a regional approach being developed.

The Chair commented that the location of retail centres had been used previously to determine the location of residential areas but that this could change going forwards. He reminded the Board on the need to use finite resources carefully in providing infrastructure to service residential and retail premises. In particular, he suggested that advice on sustainable drainage systems would be a useful part of any future design guidance produced and published by the WMCA.

Roy Stokes advised that the Environment Agency was best placed to assist in addressing both ‘contaminated land’ and ‘flooding’ issues referred to in the SIPD and was keen to be of assistance.

Jasbir Kaur commented that the document waited until page 19 until it began to explain its purpose and suggested that the ‘Executive Summary’ should include the bold point. This view was supported by the Chair. Jasbir Kaur also referred to the report published recently by Savill’s in relation to changes on the average High Street which indicated that footfall had decreased but ‘click and collect’ transactions had increased.

Councillor Shaun Keasey advised that Dudley MBC had taken a conscious decision to reduce the retail offer in Dudley Town Centre with priority being given to quality rather than quantity. Redundant units would be converted for residential use.

Karl Tupling welcomed the report supported by work being undertaken on site pipelines and a Land Delivery Plan.  He advised that the SIDP document was 80% there in his view and would put the WMCA and partners in a very good position to secure funding from HM Government. With regard to ‘affordability’, he suggested that the trajectory of affordability changes be monitored as such data could prove very useful in discussions and negotiations with HM Government. He reminded the Board of the need to have regard to the various Housing Market Areas within the region.

Councillor Daren Pemberton questioned the reliability of the figures in the SIDP with regard to ‘affordability’ as he was of the view that the Stratford on Avon District Council area should be in the 9 -12 category rather than 7 (median house price to total annual household income ratio). Gareth Bradford and Eleanor Young agreed to confirm the source of the data. Gareth Bradford suggested that a report on affordability using local statistics be considered at a future meeting. He reported that a recent study had indicated that the recent increase in house prices in the West Midlands was the highest of any UK region.

Councillor Daren Pemberton commented on the need for hard discussions with development companies in relation to the type, quality and density etc. of development.

Resolved:

1.    Subject to the various points above:

a)    The timely progress in taking forward the development of the Spatial Investment Delivery Plan (SIPD) in accordance with the outline scope and timetable discussed and agreed at the meeting held on 21 February 2018 and subsequently in the Housing and Land Steering Group on 24 April 2018 be noted;

b)    That the proposed Consultation draft of the Spatial Investment and Delivery Plan be approved;

2.    That a report on ‘affordability’ making use of local statistics be submitted to the next meeting of this Board.