COUNTY BOROUGH OF

REPORT TO: THE MAYOR & MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL – 10TH JULY, 2013

REPORT OF: MEMBER DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR

PRESENT: COUNCILLOR H. McCARTHY, B. A. (HONS) (THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL, PRESIDING)

Councillors G. Bartlett M. Bartlett Mrs. K. Bender, B.Sc. (Hons) D. Bevan K. Brown K. Chaplin B. Clements G. Collier D. Coughlin M. Cross M.B. Dally N. Daniels D. Hancock K. Hayden Mrs. A. Hobbs M. Holland J.J. Hopkins, Dip.Ed. Dip.Sc., O.St.J R. Jones Mrs. A. Lewis M. J. Lewis J. McIlwee C. Meredith J. Morgan D. Owens B. Pagett Mrs. D. Rowberry B. Scully T. Sharrem B. Sutton, Dip.Ed. G. Thomas S.C. Thomas Mrs. C. Tidey H. Trollope D. Wilkshire W. J. Williams, M.B.E., J.P. Mrs. L. Winnett

AND: Chief Executive Chief Legal Officer Chief Neighbourhood Services Officer Chief Technical Officer Acting Chief Officer – Environment & Regeneration Assistant Chief Legal Officer/Deputy Monitoring Officer Head of Planning and Building Control Planning Control Manager Development Plans Manager Regeneration Projects Manager Corporate Communications Manager Transportation Strategy Manager Team Leader – Pollution & General Services Environmental Health Officer Senior Engineer Engineer Solicitor Interim Press & Communications Officer

WITH: Public Speakers: Objectors Ms. Elizabeth Gibbs representing Brecon Beacons Park Society Mrs. Gwyneth Love

Public Speaker: Supporter Mr. Dylan Hurter representing Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum

Public Speaker: Applicant Mr. Michael Carrick representing Heads of the Valleys Development Company Ltd

Mr Paul Trew – Acoustics and Noise Ltd

ITEM SUBJECT ACTION

----- WELCOME

The Leader of the Council extended a warm welcome to members of the public and press seated in the public gallery.

APOLOGIES 1. Apologies for absence were received from: -

Councillors P. Baldwin, J. Mason, Mrs. J. Morgan, J.P., D. White, B. Willis, Director of Social Services.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATIONS

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations reported.

3. APPLICATION REF NO. C/2013/0062 (OUTLINE) CIRCUIT OF MOTOSPORT FACILITY (COMPRISING: HIGH PERFORMANCE CIRCUIT; MOTORCROSS CIRCUIT; KARTING CIRCUIT; FOUR WHEEL DRIVE CIRCUIT; RIDING ACADEMY; INNOVATION CENTRE; HOTELS; RETAIL SHOWROOMS; ANCILLARY RETAIL; INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS USERS; DRIVER TRAINING AREA; SOLAR PARK; CAMPING; PARKING; LANDSCAPING AND ASSOCIATED USES)

Consideration was given to the above-named application.

Councillor K. Chaplin joined the meeting at this juncture.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Head of Planning and Building Control advised Council of the following key/important points:-

 Whilst it was a matter for the Council to determine the application - the decision would not be able to be issued following the meeting. The officer advised that if planning permission was granted, discussions would commence with the applicant in relation to the S106 legal agreement. Similarly, if permission was refused a report would have to be prepared outlining the reasons for refusal.

 Welsh Government had received requests to ‘call in’ and determine the application.

 Welsh Government had been sent a copy of the report in relation to the outline application on Thursday, 4th July, 2013 and was aware of the Special Council Meeting being held today. Confirmation was received on 9th July, 2013 that Welsh Government would not issue a decision in relation to the ‘call in’ until the Special Council Meeting had taken place.

 Welsh Government would retain the right of ‘call in’ until the Council had issued a decision on the application i.e. whether to refuse or grant planning permission.

Correction: Members were advised that the second sentence on Paragraph 1.9 on Page 10 of the report should be amended to read ‘During construction, it claims 4,000 employment years over 8 years amounting to 500 FTE per year”.

Late Correspondence:

Noise Issues - The Head of Planning and Building Control reported that there had been on-going discussions between the applicant, agents and Head of Environmental Health in relation to noise issues. The Head of Environmental Health had raised a formal objection to the proposal but since the preparation of the report there had been a further exchange of information between these parties but this had not changed the Head of Environmental Health’s position in terms of objection.

Peat & Soil Issues – There was on-going dialogue with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in relation to their concerns over the extent of the impact of the proposal in relation to the peat and soils in the area.

Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum - Late correspondence had been received from Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum in support of the application.

Association of Motor Circuits Racing Owners ( & Silverstone) – Late correspondence addressed to the applicant and which had also been copied to Welsh Government and the Authority called into question some of the detail of the planning application and the viability and need for the circuit.

Taking into account the above additional information the Head of Planning and Building Control advised that the recommendation remained unchanged i.e. that outline planning permission be granted.

The Head of Planning and Building Control with the aid of slides showed diagrams and plans of the proposal which would cover both the and Sirhowy Wards.

At this juncture in the meeting, the following parties addressed the Council.

Objector - Ms. Elizabeth Gibbs representing Brecon Beacons Park Society – Ms. Gibbs commenced by explaining that she was speaking on behalf of the Brecon Beacons Park Society which was an independent organisation with over 600 members that existed to further the enhancement, protection, conservation and enjoyment of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

She congratulated the Head of Planning and Building Control on a very comprehensive report and said that the decision that would have to be made was a very complex one requiring a fine balance of the different concerns.

On the one side the benefits to the people of Blaenau Gwent seemed fairly clear – no-one could deny the need for jobs and regeneration in the area, though there did remain doubts in many people’s minds as to whether that was a really viable solution – trying to establish a new motorsport venue on a bleak windswept site that was often lost in rain and mist for a sport that seemed to be experiencing a decline elsewhere. Were there really the high tech research and development companies that were going to take up the buildings in the low carbon technology park?

The other side of the balance was of concern to the Park Society. In approving the application the Council would be going against:-

 the policies of its Local Development Plan (LDP) to build on a Greenfield site, outside the settlement boundary in a special landscape area causing a large loss of biodiversity rather than promoting a gain.

 Welsh Government directives that made sustainable development its central organising principle that state that Wales’ carbon soils should be left intact, that require the conservation of the historic environment and cultural heritage and ensure that development did not produce irreversible harmful effects on the natural environment and that common land should not be developed.

 National policy that had been established to protect National Parks. The statutory purposes of National Parks were to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park and to promote opportunities for public understanding and enjoyment of these special qualities. The statutory duty to have regard to these purposes applied to other public bodies such as the Council and the duty applied to activities both within and outside the National Park that affect it.

Ms. Gibbs said that the landscapes of the National Parks were so special that they were given this protection so that the whole nation could enjoy them. The Society believed that the effect of this development on the National Park would be very serious, in particular because of noise, light, air pollution and the effect on the landscape. The open moorland of Mynydd Langynidr, the part of the Park closest to the development included the Chartist Cave, a site of cultural and historic importance and was a part of the remote and wild upland areas for which the Brecon Beacons National Park was renowned and visited. Everyone including the communities of Blaenau Gwent had a right to the peaceful enjoyment of this special area.

The development would undoubtedly cause an increase in traffic on the narrow unfenced road over Llangynidr Mountain. Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) (now part of Natural Resources Wales (NRW)) was very concerned that any increase in traffic on this road would threaten the use of Llangattock and Llangynidr Commons by graziers (already too many of their sheep were killed each year by speeding traffic, not to mention the hazard to human life). If this historic use of the commons died out and sheep no longer grazed the mountain then the whole ecology of the areas would be changed.

Ms. Gibbs claimed that another factor not properly assessed in the Environmental Statement was the effect of the development on the drainage of the peaty soils within the National Park and how this might affect their ecology.

Ms. Gibbs continued by stating that there were many negatives that must be weighed in this delicate balance and what made the decision even more difficult was that there was so much that was unclear and uncertain.

Firstly, why was this an outline rather than a full application? The Council would be left trying to guess what approval of the outline plan might commit it to.

Secondly, there was a lack of information and level of uncertainty associated with several of the topic areas in the Environmental Statement, particularly the biodiversity, ground conditions, noise and lighting chapters. The uncertainties and lack of clarity made it very difficult to evaluate the nature, extent and severity of the impacts associated with this proposal. There were points that were still a matter of discussion between the developers and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) who had not withdrawn their objection.

Furthermore, there was a high level of certainty in relation to whether suitable compensation sites and mitigation measures could be delivered – such as compensation for the loss of biodiversity and mitigation for the massive loss of peat and the carbon emissions association with this development. Yet the developers had insisted that the application came to the Council for decision before these points had been resolved.

Ms. Gibbs concluded by stating that with this level of uncertainty she felt that Members were not in a position to make a fair judgement of the delicate balance of issues for and against this development and she requested that outline planning permission be refused.

Objector – Mrs. Gwyneth Love – Mrs. Love commenced by stating that she was not representing any organisation but private citizens a considerable number of which were unaware of the proposal. She stated that if the Council was really interested in the wider public it should wait a while and undertake a wider campaign to advise people of the proposal in particular those residents on the Powys side of the border who would be very much affected by the proposal even though the majority of the development would take place on the Blaenau Gwent side of the border.

Mrs. Love said that whilst she could not imagine anyone not wanting to see a project that would bring jobs and opportunities for the youth and excitement into people’s lives people did not believe that 12,000 jobs would materialise. She expressed her concern that once the peat had been excavated the project may become a white elephant if it was unsuccessful.

This special landscape was a transition point between post industrial Wales and rural Wales and some of these types of issues would be difficult to determine. Mrs. Love said that many people were scared by the prospect of the project and did not believe this was the only way to provide jobs on the land which was currently the gateway to Wales for a considerable number of tourists.

However, for all the jobs and the lives that would be enhanced by the project in Blaenau Gwent Mrs. Love asked that consideration be given to the lives on the other side of the border that would be ruined by the noise and increase in volume of traffic in particular motorbikes which could result potentially in an increase in road traffic accidents.

Mrs. Love emphasised that she was not of the view that no development should take place but it should not be such a development that would have a catastrophic affect on both the land and the people residing nearby. She concluded by requesting that Members take these views into account when they made their difficult decision.

Supporter – Mr. Dylan Hurter representing Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum – Mr. Hurter explained that whilst he was representing Blaenau Gwent Youth Forum he was also representing the Youth Ambassadors for the Circuit of Wales. He continued by explaining that in the past people had a sense of identity in the community and found employment with all the major industries. However, this opportunity did not currently exist and people were apathetic, felt that they had little to be proud of or little opportunity to be part of the community.

However, this exciting major project would give young people the opportunity to branch out and learn new skills (currently they had to travel out of the area to obtain these skills). The prospect of thousands of jobs was being regularly discussed by the young people and jobs were a very big part of what was needed for young people to take ownership and have pride in themselves.

Mr. Hurter continued by stating that the Circuit of Wales project was the last hope for the Valleys. He had never seen so many people so eager to stay in Blaenau Gwent because of the project – so many people talking about it and excited. Normally young people moved out of the area as soon as they could but this had changed. Young people wanted to stay in the area to be part of this exciting development. He concluded by imploring for the future generations of people of Blaenau Gwent so their hope was not misplaced once more that the project be endorsed.

Applicant – Mr. Michael Carrick representing Heads of the Valleys Development Company Ltd, the Sponsor behind the project – Mr. Carrick commenced on behalf of the Board by expressing appreciation to:-

- Council for the opportunity to speak in support of the development plans.

- Members of his team, his advisors and partners who had worked tirelessly and with conviction for over 4 years to reach this decision point.

- Council officers and Members who had worked with the company to digest the challenges of a project like this. The 170 plus pages of the report was an impressive and comprehensive document and it was balanced and articulated the issues and judgements that were faced. Mr. Carrick said that whilst he did not agree with all of it he did agree with the overall recommendation and he expressed his appreciation to the Head of Planning and Building Control and his team for their efforts in making a complex and intricate development understandable in the context of an equally complex planning process.

- To the very many members of the community who had attended the consultations and provided feedback on the plans, who shared their views on the challenges facing the community, expressed support for the scheme and empowered the company to do things better.

- Mr. Carrick said that whilst the company had tried to make it simple to digest, the reality of this project was that it was not simple and he fully acknowledged the very difficult decision Members faced in balancing potential economic and social advantage against the environmental impact. He believed that the officer recommendations struck the right balance for this community and he supported the decision.

The Vision

Mr. Carrick stated that it was impossible to do justice to the scale and ambition of this project in four minutes and to condense the many thousands of pages of documentation into a couple of overview slides. He said he would not even attempt but did want to share with Members what had driven the company as a group of experienced professionals to harness their resources and focus on Blaenau Gwent. The vision as equity sponsor was pretty simple – “To use combined human and financial capital to deliver transformation and sustainable change”.

He was aware of the economic and social challenges facing the region since the closure of the steelworks and the mining industry and the many attempts to make improvements over the years. Whilst there had been many places to locate this development this was where it was believed the investment programme greatest potential would make the most impact.

Social and economic change on the scale necessary would not happen without a catalyst. The company was one of the catalysts and there were several changes that would happen as a result of the initial £280m investment programme. It would deliver change to:-

- Perceptions of this region as a place to invest. - Aspirations within the community. - The level of and access to opportunity. - The level of confidence.

It was noted that these were not things that could be read about in the planning submission but were the consequences of one of the most significant private investment programmes in the U.K. today.

The fact that this had led the company to promote a Greenfield development on the edge of a national park in the motorsports industry was simply the best way to deliver the transformational and sustainable change.

Overview of Facilities

The initial £280m phase 1 investment was set to deliver a full year of international motorsports in 2016. The building of the motorsport surfaces, the required buildings and grandstands, the hotel and some of the commercial real estate would be undertaken immediately. This represented the biggest ever private investment in UK motorsports infrastructure.

At the heart of the development was a 5km track that would create exhilarating racing and fantastic spectator facilities. The leading designers Populous (master planner to the Olympics) and contractors (FCC and Alun Griffiths) were on board to deliver this. The developer would also be building the educational academy, the motocross tracks, off road surfaces, kart centres and the driver training surfaces. This was more than a race track but a whole motorsport complex that would offer a wide range of motorsport experiences, events and commercial development.

It was positioned to take advantage of the growth in low carbon motorsport industry. Welsh universities lead the way with industrial partnerships on battery technology, green fuels, composite material and propulsion units that one day would be standard features on all production vehicles. The Circuit would specifically create an industrial cluster for this type of activity to be advanced.

Environmental Challenges

Mr. Carrick said it was important to convey to Members how seriously the environmental impact of the development was taken.

At the core DNA of this project was sustainability and it was the benchmark for sustainable motorsport development by the industry regulator – FIA.

The company acknowledged the environmental impact of the project and had worked with the Council, the statutory consultees and other interested parties over many years to understand the effect, address concerns and discuss the mitigation measures proposed and this work would continue.

Mr. Carrick said that the company had responded and had extensively redesigned the facility to remove some of the more obtrusive visual impacts, relocated functional aspects to reduce noise, moved facilities to reduce impact on watercourses, historic monuments and more interesting landscape, raised berms and agreed extensive mitigation areas for nature reserves. Mr. Carrick said that he believed that these were the right things to do and support its sustainable strategy.

The facilities would incorporate the latest sustainable technologies for energy generation, for building and track efficiency, for low carbon events such as electric bikes series and low emission car races and for supply chain and logistic companies. The vision of the development was very much targeted towards low carbon motorsport.

Although the pubic access paths would be removed and rerouted Mr. Carrick believed that the plans made the site more accessible than it currently was.

On common land an agreement had been executed with the commoners on acquiring their rights and the process that would enable the land to be deregistered from the common would be followed.

Over 500 acres would be redeveloped and Mr. Carrick believed the approach and the conditions proposed in the planning submission achieved this in a sensitive and sustainable way.

The Benefits

The judgement to be made was whether this was worth the effort and impact. The size of the prize was potential economic, social and environmental change on a transformational scale.

3,000 jobs would be created in construction, a balance between skilled and unskilled – people would be trained to undertake these jobs and they would be overwhelmingly locally provided. Training partners to work on skills development had already been appointed.

Through the company’s and its partner’s commercial development Mr. Carrick said that he was confident that more than 6,000 new jobs would be created post construction through activity on and around the site.

Over 750,000 visitors would be delivered to the site per annum. This would be one of Wales’ most popular tourist destinations and the economic benefit to Blaenau Gwent from this facility was estimated at over £50m per annum. The southern boundary of the park would be made more accessible and encourage the growth in leisure based activity.

Summary

Mr. Carrick concluded by stating that he did appreciate that this was not a decision that the Council neither could nor should take lightly.

The officer’s recommendation was supported that on balance the project should go ahead and Mr. Carrick said he looked forward to working with Council and the wider stakeholders to fully deliver its potential.

Members were then given the opportunity to raise questions/comment in relation to the proposal.

Noise Issues – a Member expressed his concern regarding the impact of the noise levels from the proposal on the surrounding communities particularly Rassau and requested that mitigating actions to address the noise levels be undertaken.

The Head of Planning and Building Control advised that a Noise Management Plan would be developed to deal with the issue of noise and this would provide detail such as the number of days per year whereby there would be unrestricted racing and the number of quiet days when the track was not operating commercially. For example, there may be 10 days per annum that would be the nosiest days and on these days the Council may inevitably receive complaints. He also confirmed that because planning permission had been granted, provided the planning condition was being complied with there would be no action the Council could take under environmental health legislation.

The officer concluded by stating that the report set out the socio-economic factors and negative impact such as noise and it was anticipated that the level of noise disturbance could be kept to reasonable levels throughout much of the year but that disturbance at times would be the consequence of granting planning permission

Skywalk – a Member thanked the Head of Planning and Building Control for his comprehensive report. He expressed his concern regarding the provision of a skywalk and enquired whether a conclusion had been reached regarding this structure.

The Head of Planning and Building Control explained that skywalks were huge structures that would allow spectators to traverse from one side of a site to the other. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had raised concerns over these extremely large structures which would have a huge visual impact on the landscape.

The officer said that whilst a skywalk had been included as part of the outline planning application a condition had been attached to prevent the construction of these structures.

Mr. Carrick confirmed that the sky bridges would no longer be part of the project.

Heads of the Valleys Dualling – another Member expressed his concern whether the proposal would impact and delay the upgrading of the Heads of the Valleys network and enquired how the extra volume of traffic would be dealt with.

The Head of Planning and Building Control advised that the developers had been in discussion with Welsh Government Roads Division and a key condition was the requirement for an Event Management Plan to be agreed by all parties which would control the volume of traffic on event days and it was felt that the reconfiguration of both the new and old A465 would be able to cope with exceptional demand.

The Senior Engineer reported that during the construction phase of the proposal there would be significant amounts of HGV movements – as many as 184 per hour. It was acknowledged that this would have a short-term major affect on the existing highway network. One of the planning conditions included the submission of a Traffic Management Plan to the Council for approval. This plan would deal with issues such as construction, compound locations, wheel washing, traffic management issues for local highway networks, noise minimisation. Consultation would take place with local residents and there would be limited hours of haulage operation.

The Senior Engineer concluded by advising that the Traffic Management Plan was enforceable and he was confident with this document in place there would be no detrimental affect on the existing works to the Heads of the Valleys.

Job Creation – a Member enquired how many of the jobs would be sourced locally and also whether the company was working with the local education establishments to offer apprenticeships.

Mr. Carrick advised that a company had been appointed to develop skills in order that the local labour market had the relevant and necessary skills to take advantage of the economic impact of the development. The company had provided a commitment that 90% of the construction jobs were for local people. A S106 agreement would contain these elements and would include the development of local skills and apprenticeships and discussions would also take place with schools around the potential opportunities. He concluded by stating that there were numerous steps being undertaken to ensure that the jobs that were created would be offered to local people.

Development Site/Noise/Drainage Problems/Insurance – a Member commenced by expressing his appreciation to the Head of Planning and Building Control on his robust, comprehensive and equitable report.

He continued by expressing his concern/commenting in relation to:-

- Noise levels particularly during events. - If the development failed did the Council have insurance or a bond that would enable the site to be reinstated to its original condition. - Drainage problems – further details were required and the removal of the peat would cause additional drainage problems.

The Member concluded by requesting that the development site be properly fenced off prior to construction commencing in order to ensure that the public would not be able to roam over this area.

The Head of Planning and Building Control confirmed that the site was currently classed as common land and the ecological mitigation area would also be within this boundary. However, in order that the ecological mitigation was effective each commoner might have to sign an agreement and be bound by its terms which would require a change to grazing practices.

With regard to concerts or events taking place on this site these would require the approval of the Council’s Licensing Committee.

The concern expressed throughout the process had been the development’s large footprint and he confirmed that there was sufficient ecological mitigation land to compensate for development and that would be sufficient for the site.

In relation to drainage issues insufficient detail had been provided and further discussions were taking place Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in relation to this issue. The approach that would be advocated by planning conditions was that a whole drainage strategy be developed for the site and this could be addressed via a planning condition.

Adverse Weather Conditions – a Member referred to the adverse weather that was experienced in the Valleys and asked Mr. Carrick whether this would impact on the viability of the development.

Mr. Carrick advised that the event stage operated from Easter to September - it was very seasonal. Outside this period there would be some activity taking place in the commercial zone and some small related activity. However, variable weather conditions would add to the excitement of the activity.

Insurance/Bond – in reply to a question in relation to whether insurance or a bond was legally enforceable, the Head of Planning and Building Control explained that the developers would be required to pay a premium in the event the company ceased to exist and the Council would be able to activate that policy and utilise the money to restore the site to its former condition. The terms of this policy had yet to be agreed.

Full Planning Application – a Member said that the project was generating a considerable amount of excitement in the community and enquired when the Council could expect receipt of the full planning application.

The Head of Planning and Building Control advised that even when outline permission was granted, reserved matters would need to be considered. He suggested that another obstacle was the de-registration of the common land which would commence when the application had been granted permission and this process could take many months.

Mr. Carrick said that there were two processes. He confirmed that it was hoped that the detailed planning consent would be submitted within 6 months including reserved matters and conditions and work on the footprint had commenced. The second part of the process was in respect of the deregistration of the common land and this could take some time to complete.

The Executive Member – Economic Strategy and Development expressed his appreciation to the public speakers for their frank views. He said that this was a compelling and important project (the largest in Wales) which had the opportunity to deliver substantial benefits to the local economy and was the future of Blaenau Gwent. Particularly, since the demise of the coal and steel industries Blaenau Gwent had suffered from high unemployment, with its resident’s dependent on benefits and there was low income and car ownership households. It was noted that there were also high incidences of ill health. However, the residents of Blaenau Gwent were resilient.

The Executive Member continued by stating that the proposed training programmes would ensure that the people had the relevant skills in order to maximise the opportunities that would come to fruition as a result of the proposal and the Enterprise Zone hopefully with the commitment of Welsh Government would provide new research and development employment opportunities for Blaenau Gwent and would make it a centre of excellence for this industry.

The proposal was a significant leisure attraction and would increase the number of tourists (as many as 750,000) to the area eager to explore the diversity in Blaenau Gwent and beauty of the surrounding areas and with the attraction of leisure and commercial investment Blaenau Gwent would be a better place to live and work. Motorsport was broadcast to over 5 billion people throughout the world and Blaenau Gwent would have an international profile.

The Executive Member concluded by expressing his appreciation to the officer for his excellent report and commended the recommendation contained therein.

Upon a vote being taken it was unanimously

RESOLVED that the report be accepted and that

(i) outline planning permission be GRANTED subject to a s106 agreement dealing with matters outlined in section 24 of the report. This was also subject to the conditions listed in section 28 of the report;

(ii) a further report be prepared for Members to confirm the precise wording of conditions prior to issuing planning permission. This further report would also detail the reasons for attaching each condition as well as confirming the reasons for granting planning permission as required by Articles 22(1) and 24(1) of The Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(Wales) Order 2012; and

(iii) if discussions were unsuccessful in delivering the terms set out in the report, the officer would report to Council for further instructions.

The Chair expressed his appreciation to those officers involved in preparing and contributing to the report. He said that this was a momentous decision of regional importance. A world class motorsport circuit would have huge economic benefit in terms of jobs and inward investment which could lead to lifestyle changes.

The Chair, thereupon, declared the meeting closed.