Agenda item

The Head of Strategic Planning & Regulatory Services to submit a report to advise on the work undertaken to date in the preparation of a Strategic Growth Plan for Leicester and Leicestershire.

In a report previously circulated, the Head of Strategic Planning & Regulatory Services set out the work undertaken to date in the preparation of a Strategic Growth Plan for Leicester & Leicestershire.  The Consultation Draft Strategic Growth Plan was at the stage of having been endorsed by the Members’ Advisory Group (MAG) and now a period of public consultation needed to take place.  The detail and the extent of consultation that was to take place would vary between the partner organisations, to provide flexibility for each to reflect their own practices.  In practice, however, there needed to be an ‘agreed minimum’ which each local authority will adopt.  It is recognised that the LLEP had a different role in this process.

The report referred to the proposed start date for the consultation period and its duration.  All consultation responses will be reviewed and reported, in the first instance, to MAG.  At the same time, consideration would be given to whether amendments to the Draft Plan would need to be made. It was anticipated that the final version of the Strategic Growth Plan would be presented to MAG for consideration in summer/early autumn 2018.  If agreed, it will proceed through the governance arrangements of each partner organisation.

In moving the recommendations contained within the report and as set out in the Order Paper, the Leader said the importance of this document could not be underestimated; throughout the discussions on the Strategic Growth Plan, the focus had been on defining the long term future for Leicester and Leicestershire until 2050.  The Leader drew Members’ attention to paras 3.9 and 3.10 in the report which listed the series of events which had been held to keep Members advised of progress during the development of the Consultation Draft Plan.  He thanked the Members of the Council’s Local Plan Working Group who had contributed to this process.  If the Council agreed to the recommendations before it at this meeting, and the partners also agreed, the draft document then this would trigger the consultation period.

The Deputy Leader, who had attended the MAG meetings as the Council’s representative, spoke in support of the recommendations and acknowledged the contribution of Councillors Chandler and Illingworth in respect of the Local Plan.  Support for the Consultation Draft Plan demonstrated the Council’s commitment to driving economic growth for the area.

A Member advised that the County Council had given its approval to the document last week and also referred to the period of consultation in the report which had been cited as 8 weeks correcting  this to 12 weeks.  A short debate ensued during which other Members spoke in support of the document and how vital this was to the area’s future economic growth and viability.  Neighbouring districts and the County were backing the need for the MMDR.

The Leader amended his motion to reflect that the period of consultation was 12 weeks not 8  and this was seconded by Councillor Higgins.  A vote was then taken following which the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED:

(1)       to note and endorse the process which has  been undertaken in the preparation of a Draft Strategic Growth Plan for Leicester & Leicestershire;

(2)       to note that the Consultation Draft Plan has been endorsed by the Members’ Advisory Group (MAG) which oversees the preparation of the Plan (Appendix 1 to the report);

(3)       to approve the consultation process and the timetable (as amended);

(4)       a further report be brought back to Council to consider the consultation responses and to approve the final version of the Plan.