Agenda item

Update from Councillor James Mills, Chair of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Advisory Sub-Group

The Scrutiny Panel agreed to invite the Chairs of the Growth Board Advisory Sub-Groups on a rotating basis. Councillor James Mills, Chair of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Sub-Group, has been invited to attend this meeting to give an update. 

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Councillor James Mills, Chair of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Advisory Sub-Group and member of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, to the meeting. Councillor Mills highlighted several points to the Panel by way of introduction as follows:

 

·           There had been continued focus by the Oxfordshire Plan Team on engagement with stakeholders and organisations covered by the statutory duty to cooperate. This had included informal workshops which had taken place or were planned with:

o   Voice of Oxfordshire Youth, (VOXY)

o   Residents panels, (including gathering views of the public’s views and aspirations for the future).

o   Professional networking groups representing ethnic minorities.

·           Further engagement was planned in respect of the next formal stage of consultation including the development briefs designed to be think pieces and though provoking around the options available. The themes covered would include how the residents of the county might live and work in the future and critique was invited.

·           Meetings with duty to cooperate bodies were being scheduled including neighbouring local authorities to address and consider strategic and cross boundary issues.

·           Commission and testing of technical pieces of work connected to the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 evidence base. This included establishment of cross authority and stakeholder steering groups and the drawing together of gathered evidence including consultation responses to identify and test Plan options and policies. Issues around health and natural capital would be included.

·           The Oxfordshire Plan 2050 team remained mindful of the opportunity to learn lessons from other joint spatial plans.

·           Production of the Oxfordshire Plan would require a significant level of technical work to inform the evidence base which in turn would start to influence and shape the policy options of the Plan and be used to test the various options. This would add to the evidence already available through the existing district council local plans although in many cases this would need to be supplemented by additional work across the county to ensure the period up to 2050 was covered.

·           Work to develop various appraisals including transport was out to tender.

·           Next steps included the launch of the formal Regulation 18 Part 2 consultation in the summer of 2020.  This required the consideration and agreement of a consultation document by each constituent council.

 

In discussion, the Panel explored how the revised timetable to produce the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 related to the timetable for the proposed Oxfordshire to Cambridge Expressway as this would have a material impact on choices for the locations of growth within the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, and decision around how that growth could be supported by infrastructure.  Councillor Mills indicated that the revised timetable had been informed by the issue of the future of the Expressway.  It had been expected initially that a report on the technical route was to be published by Highways England at the end of last year, but this had been delayed by the General Election. No further updates had been provided, but the point would continue to be stressed to HM Government that this information was essential.

 

With reference to the engagement of young people in the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, the Panel queried what types of questions would have been put to the young people.  Councillors Mills responded that he was not able to give the detail, but that the questions would have been appropriate and tailored to the age of the young people concerned, ranging from primary school to university ages. A report from VOXY had been commissioned, but the output had yet to be considered by the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 Sub-Group. Councillor Mills indicated that when the output had been considered by the Sub-Group the Panel could also be circulated a copy for information.

 

Reference was made to the notes of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 held on 14 November 2019 and that there could be opportunities in the future to align the time period of the district council Local Plans. Councillor Mills indicated that the possibility of future local plan alignment was being explored and discussed, but it had not been agreed. There could be a range of opportunities arising from alignment including the strengthening of the evidence base.  After further discussion, the Panel supported making a recommendation to the Growth Board supportive of local plan alignment. 

 

In response to a question, Councillor Mills indicated that ideas and concepts around natural capital were being looked at in terms of how these might influence and be incorporated into the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, considering adoption of Climate Change Emergency motions by authorities in Oxfordshire.  The sub-group had received a presentation from Professor Alison Smith of Oxford University on the issue.

 

Reference was made to the listing in the sub-group’s note of 14 November 2019 to ‘good economic growth’ as being one of the guiding principles of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 and the Panel queried whether growth in the future differed from growth that had taken place previously.  Councillor Mills indicated he accepted that there were many different interpretations around the term ‘good economic growth’, but that in his view the term included concepts of growth that would was inclusive of local communities and which reflected environmental considerations.  

 

Giles Hughes, Chief Executive of West Oxfordshire District Council, informed the Panel that it was important to note that work around growth scenarios as part of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 would use a different approach from the previous Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). A single growth scenario had been developed under the SHMA, whereas a range of different growth scenarios would be developed as part of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.      That the Scrutiny Panel supports the principle of aligning the Local Plans timelines after the current round, i.e. from the mid-2030s with the revised Oxon plan 2050 timelines and recommends that the Growth Board take steps to ensure this dialogue is instigated with the local planning authorities.

 

2.      The Scrutiny Panel recommends that the Growth Board urgently seeks clarity on the Government’s plan on the Ox-Cam expressway by inviting Highways England for an update at the Growth Board meeting on 11th March 2020.

 

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