Agenda Item No:

North Joint Planning Committee Meeting [NNJPC]

Minutes: 29 April 2010

Council Chamber Council

(Meeting held in public)

Present for all or part of the meeting:-

Mark Pengelly, Corby Borough Council (Chair)

Councillor George Blackwell, Borough Council of Wellingborough Councillor Pauline Bradbury, East Northamptonshire Council Councillor David Brackenbury, East Northamptonshire Council Councillor Lora Lawman, Borough Council of Wellingborough Councillor Peter McEwan, Corby Borough Council Councillor Bob Seery, Northamptonshire County Council Councillor Chris Stanbra, Northamptonshire County Council Councillor Michael Tebbutt, Kettering Borough Council Councillor Geoff Timms, Borough Council of Wellingborough Councillor Robin Underwood, East Northamptonshire Council Councillor Malcolm Waters, Borough Council of Wellingborough Councillor Alison Wiley, Kettering Borough Council

Also present: Ian Northamptonshire County Council Paul Hanson Northamptonshire County Council (minutes) Karen Horner Joint Planning Unit Councillor Graham Lawman Borough Council of Wellingborough Andrew Longley Planning Manager, North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit Councillor Elouise Lucile East Northamptonshire Council Councillor Terry Freer Kettering Borough Council

There were 4 others also in attendance.

08/10 Apologies and non-attendance

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Stan Heggs, Corby Borough Council and Councillor Bob Seery, Northamptonshire County Council, who had notified the Chairman that he would be arriving late.

09/10 Declarations of interest by Councillors

None.

10/10 Minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2010

RESOLVED: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2010.

11/10 North Northamptonshire Strategic Sports Facilities Framework (NNSSFF) – Presentation by Jayne Warman, Assistant Director, Nortoft Partnership

The Chairman invited Jayne Warman to introduce the item. She highlighted the following points: The NNSSFF was designed to influence the Core Spatial Strategy (CSS) review in terms of planning for sports facilities; It was also intended to inform the Building Schools for the Future programme and the Programme of Development (PoD), and to generally make the case for sports provision; Previously there had been competing priorities and no clear strategic vision, so they had attempted to assess demand using Sport approved modelling tools; They had also engaged with local authorities and England Athletics; and The resulting NNSSFF provided an evidence base for the Core Strategy, facilities recommendations for the PoD, and identified what was needed where, and how much it could cost.

In response to questions from the Committee, Jayne Warman made the following points: She was confident that the data they had recorded about existing sports provision was accurate; and In response to a comment that all three of the sports facilities identified in Corby was used by schools and were therefore inaccessible in the daytime, she acknowledged that sports hall accessibility was an issue;

Members of the Committee made the following points: It was felt that facilities for cricket, both for men and women, should be included, and that cricket provision in Wellingborough was poor; It was felt that another golf club should be provided around Corby

It was proposed by Councillor Lora Lawman and seconded that both cricket and football be included in the list of facility types covered in section 3.4 of the report. On a vote of six for and one against, the motion was carried.

RESOLVED that the Joint Planning Committee: 1. noted the content of the report, subject to paragraph 3.4 being amended to include cricket and football in the list of facility types covered; 2. agreed that the key issues identified in the report be fully considered and tested through the JCS review; and

3. agreed that the local authorities would test and take forward the relevant findings of the report through their relevant Development Plan Documents and local assessments.

12/10 Northamptonshire Arc – Presentation by Ian Achurch, Head of Strategic Partnership and Delivery, Northamptonshire County Council

The Chairman invited Ian Achurch to introduce the item. Ian Achurch made the following points: He covered the background to the Arc concept, including the credit crunch, demographic change, climate change and growth in population, housing and traffic; The Arc was designed as a single concept to raise the profile of Northamptonshire and would optimise sector strengths and the strategic location of the county; It would also provide a shared spatial framework to guide other planning documents; The key thematic outcomes were connectivity, biodiversity and climate change and a stronger economy; Strategic priorities included an agenda for rail travel, the transport gap around the A14, A45 and A43, environmental projects such as the i-con in Daventry, a biodiversity corridor, carbon sink forestry and recreation and leisure such as Stanwick Lakes and Irchester Country Parks; Full consultation would start after the general election. After that, strategies would be developed and then investment secured for the delivery phase.

The Committee made the following points: The question of what form the consultation would take was raised; It was felt that the document was focussed too much on Northampton; The purpose of the concept was called into question and some members of the committee questioned the need for it; It was felt that there was not enough in the document for Wellingborough and it was hoped this would improve following consultation; It was felt that the document lacked ambition and also ignored large parts of East Northamptonshire; There should be more emphasis on infrastructure; The Arc was not another level of bureaucracy but was part of the overall strategy for the county

The Planning Manager, made the following points: He clarified the status of the document and explained that it would need to support the planning process; The issues about content were set out in the second half of the report; He suggested that, if possible, the committee look at the Arc again before the formal consultation began.

RESOLVED: that the Joint Planning Committee:

1. supported the principle of having a unifying idea for the county to align with the Sustainable Community Strategy and raise the national profile of Northamptonshire; 2. Raised specific questions and concerns, as set out above and in Section 3 of the report, about the status and content of the Arc Documentation; and 3. Agreed that the implications of the ARC concept should be fully tested through the Core Strategy review options process and that the JPU should work closely with County Council officers to ensure that this happens.

13/10 Strategic Plan – presentation by Michel Kerrou, Chief Executive River Nene Regional Park

The Chairman invited the Michel Kerrou to introduce the item. Michel Kerrou made the following points: Northamptonshire was an inland county with no areas of outstanding natural beauty and no designated green belt; The vision of the strategic plan was “by 2021 the Nene Valley will be nationally recognised as an exemplar for the innovative enhancement and management of its natural and cultural environment, leading to a better quality of life for new and existing communities whilst accommodating unprecedented growth”; There were nine objectives: o Strengthen urban/rural integration o Protect and enhance the natural environment o Improve access o Investing in facilities at attractions; o Creating places o Investing in waterways o Building recognition of the Nene Valley o Delivering sustainable development that tackles climate change o Supporting the rural economy There were five themes: o A more enjoyed Nene o Improved Nene towns o Living countryside o Connected nene o Enhanced natural attractions The Strategic Plan was a cross-boundary initiative; Work had already begun on the new marina at Beckets Park in Northampton; and The Strategic Plan would be delivered through partnership working.

The Committee made the following points: The Strategic Plan was a commendable project, but funding was very limited; Wellingborough would benefit from having a small marina of its own; The viability of the plan was questioned;

It was not easy to expand the capacity of waterways as the frequency and slowness of locks was a major bottleneck, as was the need for somewhere safe and attractive to keep boats; and The Plan presented a real opportunity for quiet recreation and care should be taken not to fill up the Nene Valley with noisy leisure sites

Michel Kerrou made the following points in response: There existed the potential for a 100% increase in river traffic, although this was not proposed by the Plan; and He agreed that the funding situation was serious and there was no additional spending currently planned other than that currently planned by Local Authorities.

The Planning Manager stated that the Strategic Plan was about identifying opportunities. How they would be progressed was another matter.

RESOLVED: that the Joint Planning Committee: 1. supported the strategy but recommended that the document be made more succinct and re-titled as a ‘Framework’; 2. agreed that the proposed actions and projects be taken forward, as appropriate, through the Local Development Framework – both the revised Joint Core Strategy and any site specific documents produced by the district planning authorities; and 3. recommended that further consideration be given to how sustained coordination of project funding and delivery could be achieved.

14/10 Urgent Business

None.

Councillor Seery thanked the Chairman for chairing the committee over the past year.

There being no other business the meeting concluded at 8.50pm

Paul Hanson Democratic Support Service, Northamptonshire County Council