Agenda and minutes

Resolved: Councillor Alistair Bradley was appointed as Chair for the meeting.

The Chair, Alistair Bradley, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies received from

·       Councillor Harry Landless (Preston City Council)

·       Councillor Malcolm Donoghue (South Ribble Borough Council)

·       Councillor Caleb Tomlinson (South Ribble)

·       County Councillor Matthew Maxwell Scott (Lancashire County Council)

·       County Councillor Michael Green (Lancashire County Council)

The minutes erroneously listed the next meeting taking place at South Ribble instead of Chorley.

Resolved: The Minutes were approved as correct with the above correction.  

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter

No interests were declared.

BE Group will deliver a presentation at the meeting.

Chris Wilson attended from the BE Group to present the Central Lancashire Employment Study.

The work completed was a partial update to the comprehensive study completed five years ago, accounting for new government guidance, the Functional Economic Market Area, the change in the economy and the property market in Central Lancashire.

In reference to the economy of Central Lancashire, at the end of 2019, over 14,000 were employed in the manufacturing sector over the three authorities. Despite forecasted predictions of a decline, the sector had grown 19% since 2015 with an additional 2500 jobs.

It was clarified that the recent situation in Ukraine was too recent to use in the study of manufacturing. It was however stated that component and advanced manufacturing for automotive and aircraft industry was strong in the region. 

Since 2015, growth in the construction sector lead to 335 new companies formed or expanded into the three authorities since 2015, creating an additional 2000-2500 jobs. South Ribble was historically the centre for larger construction enterprises, but recent trends observed smaller businesses with fewer than 10 employers grow in Chorley and South Ribble.

The office sector was substantial with 40,000 employed in the three authorities, with half in Preston. Available data ended in 2020, with Covid-19 not factored into the results.

Transportation was a growing sector nationally, with an increase of a third in logistic and warehousing, with an additional 2500 jobs.

The impact of Covid-19 in Lancashire was deemed to be at the national standard, it was not the most affected, but did not escape impact.

There was demand for commercial property up to 5000 square meters/50,000 square feet. The strongest demand was for smaller premises up to 500 square feet, with the average rent at £6-£9 per square foot.

Members raised that the commercial sector was struggling and asked if the methodology was confident/sound. It was confirmed that the consultation explored demand and growth of the sector, there was no evidence that the sector was slowing down. There was healthy demand for sites, ranging from high tech industry to small companies.

Current supply across Central Lancashire was 191 hectares. With 56.28 hectares in Chorley, 82.52 hectares in Preston and 51.98 hectares in South Ribble.

There were two strategic sites in Cuerdon, which at the time was confidential and part of the County’s masterplan and Samlesbury had the national Cyber Force Initiative.

Two methodologies were used to forecast the need of land. The first was to take the historic trend, take up rate and projections since 1991. The second used labour demand to project job growth and convert it to floor space and land need.

The forecast period was 17 years, 2021 – 2038. The historic trend supply estimate states that

-        Chorley required another 20 hectares of land,

-        South Ribble required another 26 hectares of land,

-        Preston had enough to meet need, with a surplus of 11.46 hectares if including small ELR sites.

The labour demand output forecast predicted an additional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 165.

Lancashire County Council Education will deliver a presentation at the meeting.

This item has been deferred to the next meeting of the Central Lancashire Joint Advisory Committee.

Lancashire County Council will deliver a presentation at the meeting.

Andrew Mullaney, Head of Planning and Environment at Lancashire County Council presented four environmental studies commissioned by Blackpool Council, Blackburn and Darwen Council, Lancashire County Council and the LEP.

The studies were commissioned as part of the County Council’s resolution to transition to net carbon zero, in line with the declarations of climate emergencies with time scales varying from 2030 to 2050.

1.     Pathway to Net Zero Carbon

8,500,000 tons of Co2 was emitted in Lancashire a year, equally spread across transport, domestic buildings, industry and commercial sectors. 

The study explored 3 possible pathways to net zero,

·       100% net zero by 2030, considered impossible to achieve in 93 months.

·       68% reduction by 2030 (compared with 1990), and

·       78% by 2035 (compared with 1990), could be achieved with strong action.

Net zero was defined as a state where any carbon emitted would be offset by environmental action, such as tree planting or restoration.

Consideration was given for high uptake of electrification, but there was debate as to the role hydrogen would take.

Maximum intervention would be required for Lancashire to be net zero by the early 2040s, which could include:

·       Transport – encourage the uptake of walking, cycling, public transport, while removing the incentive of personal vehicle usage.

·       Domestic building intervention would include ensuring all homes and businesses were insulated, with energy efficient glazing, heating and lighting.

·       Large scale carbon removal intervention, including peatland restoration and tree planting.

2.     Climate resilience – The methods and means to cope with climate change.

Since the industrial revolution, the average temperature had been gradually climbing.

The study showed that Lancashire is on average 1.5 degrees warmer than at the end of the nineteenth century.

By 2080, it is estimated that if no change were made, the annual temperature would increase by 4 degrees, and a two-fold increase was expected in the frequency of heavy rainfall leading to increased flooding and surface water.

3.     State of the Environment Report

Over the previous 30 years, 24 indicators were explored over 8 themes.

·                Air quality – There were 24 degisnated Air Quality Management Areas in Lancashire

·                Water quality

·                Waste – 34% of waste went to landfill, with 46% recycled, but the figures had plateaued for a number of years.

·                Noise

·                Energy

·                Climate change

·                Nature recovery/biodiversity – The new Environment Act contained duties for Councils related to nature recovery.

·                Transport

4.     Renewables Development Report

2011 forecasted that by 2021 in Lancashire, 807 MW would come from renewable, actual figure fell short at 544MW. Three areas, wind, biomass and heat pumps were below expectation.

Emerging themes from the studies.

·                Green infrastructure programme delivery was required

·                Major green housing programme, every building to be domestically efficient

·                Local energy planning – important and linked to the local plan, exploring the energy use, and how it would be provided and how to deploy renewables.

·                Transport – improvements to buses, active travel and electric vehicle charging.

Members raised that until there were better house building standards from Central Government that forced new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 167.

Report of the Central Lancashire Local Plan Co-ordinator (enclosed).

Carolyn Williams, Central Lancashire Local Plan Co-Ordinator, presented the Local Plan update and explained that alternate means of support were being sourced to increase the development of the Local Plan. For Chorley, support was required with ‘climate change and natural environment policies’, Preston, Design detail and supporting climate change __, and South Ribble, Collaboration with South Ribble for sustainable energy.

It was estimated that the preferred options consultation would be ready for November 2022.

The screening stage of the site assessment work was completed, currently awaited County to provide the transport and education consultation. Landowners have been contacted to submit possible sites for the plan.

Work was ongoing with reviewing and assessing with policies of the Local Plan needed to be rewritten and recreated.

No more submissions for the Flood Risk Assessment was being accepted

until the preferred options was ready.

Housing evidence was with the consultants, an the Planning Departments have draft scenarios presented to officers and Members of the JAC in due course.

It was agreed that Hive would undertake greater Density work.

Engagement with developers to take place to assess their acceptance of the dwelling levels, once agreed, the issue would return as a Member Learning Session.

The County Council, in relation to transport held regular meetings and had provided assurance that work was underway on the Masterplan, and that modelling work was due to start following procurement. The completed work would provide a list of infrastructure impact and requirements that would be addressed in the Local Plan.

Central Lancashire Land Use Study work was progressing, and should include policies related to open space, green belt functions and other related policies.

Decision: The update was noted.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

By Virtue of Paragraph 3: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) Condition: Information is not exempt if it is required to be registered under- The Companies Act 1985, The Friendly Societies Act 1974, The Friendly Societies Act 1992, The Industrial and Provident Societies Acts 1965 to 1978, The Building Societies Act 1986 (recorded in the public file of any building society, within the meaning of the Act) The Charities Act 1993.

Information is exempt to the extent that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Information is not exempt if it relates to proposed development for which the local planning authority may grant itself planning permission pursuant to Regulation 3 of the Town & Country Planning General Regulations 1992(a).

Report of the Central Lancashire Local Plan Co-ordinator (enclosed).

Ed Broadhead, Central Lancashire Planning Policy Officer, provided an update to the Local Plan Policy Review.

The update covered the changes required to ensure consistent and up to date policies that align with the national framework.

Resolved: The update was noted

To note that next meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee is to be held at South Ribble Borough Council on Tuesday, 21 June 2022 at 6:30pm.

The next meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee is to be held at South Ribble Borough Council on Tuesday, 21 June 202 at 6:30pm.