planning and regeneration departmental … · cabinet members with portfolio responsibility for the...

PLANNING AND REGENERATION DEPARTMENTAL PLAN 2017 - 18

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Introduction Cabinet Members with Portfolio responsibility for the work of Planning and Regeneration About Planning and Regeneration Our Structure Our Short, Medium and Long Term Aspirations Financial Overview Our Department’s Impact on Climate Change Our Resources Our Achievements Departmental Targets & Projects

Introduction

This document provides a strategic overview for the Planning and Regeneration Department, setting out the key objectives, priorities and

performance measures for the department in 2017-18. The overview is supported by strategies and service delivery plans for each service

area, which provide a more comprehensive and detailed description of the key drivers, service objectives, targets for achievement and the

level of performance expected.

Many of the activities dovetail with the Council’s Corporate Plan 2016-2020 which sets our high level vision and priorities. These are focused

on Council and Community, Health and Housing, Employment and Enjoyment which all center on our Community Leadership role.

Community Leadership The Council is keen to engage with the community, listening to what residents want from their Council and delivering high quality services, through partnership working and collaboration, engaging with the community, and supporting the vulnerable. The Department has a clear vision. It is aware of the challenges within the District, alongside the opportunities and has a clear set of values which underpin the priorities and projects across the Department.

Examples of Community Leadership within Planning and Regeneration include:

Garden Communities master planning

Local Plan

Improved Broadband

Coastal Regeneration

Employment and Enjoyment Education and Skills

Business Growth

Making the most of our assets

Health and Housing Mental Health

Place Shaping

Build Council Houses

Local Regeneration

Children’s Strategy

Council and Community Balanced Budget

Support Rural Communities

Supporting the Vulnerable

Partnership Working

Cabinet Members with Portfolio responsibility for the work of Planning and Regeneration

Fred Nicholls

Corporate Enforcement

Zoe Fairley

Investment and Growth

Corporate Enforcement

Planning

Regeneration and Inward Investment

About Planning and Regeneration

The Planning and Regeneration Department comprises the following service areas:-

Planning Policy

The Planning Policy section is mainly concerned with ensuring that Council has the right policies in place to facilitate sustainable development and protect the district against harmful proposals. These policies need to reflect government requirements, the aspirations and corporate objectives of the Council and its partners, and the results of public consultation.

Planning Managers

The Development Management section is mainly involved in the implementation of the Council’s planning policies and national planning law by determining planning applications, providing professional pre-application advice, negotiation and monitoring of S.106 agreements to secure infrastructure for the district, dealing with planning appeals and, when necessary, using enforcement powers to tackle unauthorised development. As well as planning applications, the Development Management section also deals with applications for Listed Building Consent, applications for works affecting protected trees and the issue of Lawful Use Certificates.

Building Control

The Building Control section is involved in inspecting and approving building works in line with the national building regulations to ensure they meet necessary standards of safety, resilience and accessibility.

Support and Development

The Planning Support section provides customer service, administrative and technical support to all the functions within the Planning Department and also delivers the Local Land Charges service. It provides planning advice, arranges duty planner meetings and reception services for a wide range of the functions undertaken by the Council at Weeley. The Local Land Charges section carries out land and property searches for prospective buyers and others involved in the conveyancing process. It also maintains the database of records for all properties and land within the district including planning history, grants, legal agreements and listed buildings.

Regeneration

Tendring sits at the north east of Essex, 70 miles from London. The area is best known for the Port of

Harwich and the resorts of Clacton and Frinton. Whilst Tendring is an attractive place to live and work, there

are some pockets of extreme deprivation which conceal the economic potential of the area. The

Regeneration team has developed a comprehensive economic development strategy that seeks to address

these issues.

Our Structure

Our Medium and Long Term Aspirations

Drive the development and delivery of the Tendring District Local Plan

Publish Publication Draft of Local Plan Adopt Plan Deliver Plan

Short Medium Long

Support the Council’s business critical projects

Building new homes – providing pre-application advice and dealing with planning applications Economic Development Strategy – achieve alignment of Local Plan and support delivery of EDS Office Transformation – contributing to project group and providing DM and BC advice Self-sufficiency - shared commissioning of evidence and joint plan for East Colchester, management of Ss.106 and preparation for CIL

Short Short Short Short

Improve service to customers and service resilience

Continued development of website – wider use of on-line payments, weekly lists self-serve options for customers Resolve recruitment and retention issue among technical and professional staff

Medium Medium

Support delivery of appropriate development

Achieve a 5 year housing land supply Achieve delivery of key employment site

Medium Medium

Regeneration

The overarching objectives of the Regeneration, Inward Investment & Growth Team are articulated within the Council’s Economic Development Strategy, which was approved by Cabinet and endorsed by Full Council at its meeting in November 2013. This identifies five broad objectives and seeks to secure the economic growth and prosperity of the district by capitalising on: the commercial opportunities afforded by the offshore renewables sector at Harwich and Brightlingsea; development of key employment sites along the A120 Corridor; and exploiting the growth opportunities afforded the district by its proximity to the University of Essex and the Knowledge Gateway. The Strategy’s five objectives are as follows: Objective 1: Supporting Tendring’s Growth Locations - Intervening in areas where the potential for economic growth is highest and

where there is a strong case for intervention particularly (but not exclusively) in Harwich, Clacton and West Tendring (developing commercial links with the Severalls Business Park and the University of Essex).

Objective 2: Targeting Growth Sectors – Targeting the sectors which are best placed to support growth and job creation within Tendring’s economy. The Strategy focusses on the opportunities afforded by Offshore Wind Energy and Health, Care & Assisted Living.

Objective 3: Skills and Information – Recognising that the district has some of the most disadvantaged populations in the country this

objective seeks to build a stronger and more competitive economy by equipping local people with the skills and aspiration necessary to participate.

Objective 4: Supporting Modernisation, Diversification & Growth within the Business Base – Improving business liaison, innovation

and inward investment and creating dynamism in the economy that will make Tendring more competitive and resilient to national and international shock.

Objective 5: Facilitating Population Growth where this supports the Economy – Recognising that the district has an elderly and

shrinking population, this objective seeks to build on the district’s positive characteristic of being an attractive place to live and promotes population growth as a means of supporting the long-term future of the economy.

Financial Overview

Service Budget Service Budget

Head of Planning and Administration Head of Planning and Customer Services

£451,110

£451,110

Planning Development Planning Development Manager Planning and Enforcement Development Control – Chargeable Account Planning Enforcement Dangerous Trees

£818,770 £26,000 £86,150 £16,100

£430

£947,450

Planning Policy Planning Policy Management Heritage and Conservation – General Land Property Gazetteer – Policy and Conservation Suffolk Coastal AONB Contribution Dedham Vale AONB Planning Policy and Conservation Tree Planting Land Charges

£238,420

£3,210 £2,240

£7,650

£740 £175,000

£2,230 £49,870

£479,360

Building Control Building Control Management Building Regulations – Non Chargeable/Other Activities Account Building Regulations – Chargeable Account

£236,610

£860

£7,880

£245,350

Total

£2,123,270

Service Budget

Regeneration

Regeneration Service Unit Tendring Citizen Advice Bureau Public Halls-Jaywick Community Centre Youth Initiatives Enabling Fund Community Rail Partnership Industrial Units and Properties Jaywick Enterprise Centre (Starter Units) Business Investment and Growth Jaywick Team

£327,930 £144,000

£4,080 £5,450 £6,210 £2,600

£3,440 £20,810 £23,540 £86,000

£624,060

Our Department’s Impact on Climate Change

The Planning Department will play a key role in tackling climate change in the following ways:

Ensuring new building work meets the latest building regulations, which incorporate standards for insulation and energy efficiency;

Requiring developers who apply for planning permission to demonstrate how they have sought to minimise the impacts of development on climate change, both through the construction process and after construction;

Applying the new planning policy for Brooklands, Grasslands and the Village in Jaywick which will enable higher quality, more resilient property to be built in the high risk flood area and, in turn, reduce the risk of damage, injury and death in those areas as sea levels rise in the future; and having positive policies for dealing with proposals for renewable energy installations and the infrastructure associated with them – both in-land and off-shore – including solar energy and wind energy.

The Regeneration Department has aspirations to establish an Innovation Centre in Harwich, providing managed workspace for new and established businesses in the supply chain serving the Offshore Renewable Energy Sector. The development of wind farms in the Southern North Sea plays a significant part in the UK Government’s approach to reducing the country’s reliance on carbon and non-renewable forms of energy.

Our Resources

The staffing and budgetary resources for Planning are as follows: - (As at End of February 17)

SERVICE NUMBER OF STAFF (Full-Time Equivalent)

SERVICE NUMBER OF STAFF (Full-Time Equivalent)

Corporate Director 1 Planning 38.4

Regeneration 10.6

TOTAL 49

Our Achievements

Departmental Targets & Projects - Regeneration

Performance Target

(SMART) Milestones Current Position

2017/18

Target

Contribution to

Corporate Priorities

Improved Broadband Develop a Digital Strategy in

order to maximize the

benefits afforded by the

District’s broadband

connectivity.

Ensure the use of planning

conditions via broadband

connectivity is attached to

planning consents for new

residential and commercial

developments.

Influence the investment

plans of Superfast

Essex/BDUK to ensure

optimum coverage in

Tendring.

March 18

Ongoing

Ongoing

Council and Community

Employment and Enjoyment

Performance Target

(SMART)

Milestones Current Position 2017/18 Target Contribution to


Economic

Development

Delivery

Roll-out the Council’s

Small, Medium Enterprise

(SME) Growth Fund

targeted on new and

existing businesses within

the

District.

Work with the University of

Essex and Colchester

Institute to identify the

growth opportunities in

Care & Assisted Living.

Develop a Creative and

Cultural Strategy in order

to secure jobs and growth

in this sector.

To date £250k in Capital

Funding has been secured

via ECC in support of the

Council’s Small and

Medium sized Enterprise

(SME) Growth Fund.

Ongoing

This work is embryonic

and officers are working to

establish whether

or not there is any tangible

growth opportunities

associated with this sector.

Ongoing

March 18

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Garden Community Innovative joint work with Colchester Borough Council, Braintree District Council and Essex County Council to develop a number of communities in North Essex based on Garden City principles

Draft legal agreement with land owners completed (April 17)

Employment and Enjoyment

Deliver four

business/skills

events to promote

growth in line with

the Council’s

Economic Strategy

Jobs and Careers Fair,

Blue Ribbon Awards to be

delivered in October 17.

October 17 Council and Community

Employment and

Enjoyment

Performance Target

(SMART)



Maximise Business

Rate Revenues by

ensuring town centre

vacancy levels

remain below the

national average and

encourage new

commercial

development in line

with the Council’s

EDS

September 17 and

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Work with Colchester

Institute to expand

the training

opportunities

provided via the

Harwich Energy

Skills Centre

Work with Colchester

Institute to secure the

expansion of the Energy

Skills Centre (increasing

the number of students,

apprenticeships and

participating employers).

September 17


Employment and

Enjoyment

Performance Target

(SMART)



Support the district’s

visitor economy and

capture the economic

opportunity afforded

by visiting cruise

ships and Stenaline

Ferries

Assist in the production of

a visitor leaflet in

partnership with the

Harwich and Dovercourt

Tourism Group.

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Energy, Marine

Engineering and Port

Related Activity

Work with partners to

secure jobs growth in these

sectors.

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Work with developers

and other partners to

secure the

development of key

employment sites

along the A120

Corridor:

Stanton Europark: 3.3

Hectares

HPUK Sites: 34

Hectares

Pond Hall Farm: 27

Hectares

Work with developers to

secure funding to deliver

the infrastructure required

to unlock these key

employment sites –

releasing the sites

economic potential.

March 18


Health and Housing

Employment and

Enjoyment

Performance Target

(SMART)



Walton Town Centre

Improvements

Work with the Council’s

Public Realm and Assets

Team to develop proposals

for Walton Town Centre

(Millennium Square and

Mill Lane Enterprise Units).

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Brook Park and

Waterglade Retail

Offer

Work with the private

sector to assist in the

development of the retail

offer at Brook Park West

and Waterglade.

March 18


Employment and

Enjoyment

Co-ordinate work to

establish programme

and project

interventions for the

SELEP Coastal

Communities Group

Work with the SELEP

Coastal Communities

Group to prepare a Social

and Economic Profile of the

coastal strip and prepare

an Issues and Options

Paper for the SELEP

Board.

November/

December 17

Employment and

Enjoyment

Performance Target

(SMART)



Develop a Creative

and Cultural Strategy

with associated

Implementation Plan,

detailing project

interventions

Secure Cabinet Approval

for Draft Strategy and

Implementation Plan by

September 17.

September 17


Employment and

Enjoyment

Dig 4 Jaywick

Community Garden

To offer on-going support

for the development of the

community garden project,

working with volunteers

and project assistant.

External funding of

£15,000 March 18


Health and Housing

Employment and

Enjoyment

Departmental Targets & Projects - Planning

Performance Target

(SMART) Current Position if Applicable 2017/18 Target

Contribution to Corporate Priorities

Policy Development - Local Plan

Agree Publication Draft for consultation

Local Plan Committee 19 January 17 agree new Local Development Scheme

June 17 Employment and Enjoyment

Publication Draft consultation June/July 17

Submit Local Plan to Secretary of State

October 17

Examination in public December 17

Projects

Performance Target (SMART)

Current Position if Applicable 2017/18 Target Contribution to Corporate

Priorities

Support the Council’s business critical projects

Building new homes (Jaywick)- Secure appropriate polices in Local plan

Regeneration policy included in Local Plan Preferred Options consultation draft

Inclusion of policy in Publication Draft

Health and Housing

Building new homes (Jaywick)- Provide pre-application advice and determine planning applications in timely fashion

Informal advice being provided through project group

As required Health and Housing

Economic Development strategy- embed key information into Local Plan

Ongoing as allocation and policy proposals

As per Local Plan timetable Health and Housing

Office transformation - provide planning advice as necessary

Contributing as required Ongoing Health and Housing

Projects



Priorities

Improve service to customers and service resilience

Undertake process review in each section. Implementation of Enterprise & Exacom system to work alongside Uniform

Enterprise & Exacom purchased. Process review and training agreed

September 17 Council and Community

Provide program of training for Councillors

Completed 5 events during 16/17 4-5 events to be held in 17-18


Develop and implement new approaches to recruitment and retention of professional staff

Review qualification path and training options to ‘home grow’ planning officers

Ongoing Council and Community

Projects



Priorities

Affordable Excellence

Maximise opportunities for joint authority working including commissioning joint studies and plans as appropriate

Shared work with Colchester Borough becoming well established and work with other north Essex authorities developing

Ongoing


Explore role for Building Control Officers to undertake processing of Disabled Facilities Grants and the potential for joint working with Approved Inspectors

Initial model for working obtained from Basildon Council.

Liaison with Housing Service – initial meetings have taken place

June 17 Council and Community

Performance Indicators

Performance Target

(SMART) Current Position if Applicable 2017/18 Target

Contribution to Corporate

Priorities

Planning applications – speed

of determination

Targets exceeded for Minors & Others

Majors below target

Major applications

determined in 13 weeks

65 %

Health and Housing

Non-major applications

determined in 8 weeks

80 %

Local Land Charges – Official

Search provision within 5

working days

Target exceeded 16/17 95% Health and Housing

Building Control - Plan

checking

Target exceeded 16/17 90%

5 Year Housing Supply

(Influencing Role)

As at 31.03.16 there is approximately 3.0

years housing supply in the Tendring

District.

5 years supply Health and Housing

Planning applications – quality

of decision making

Appeals for major applications allowed as

% of all major applications determined

<10% Health and Housing

Appeals for non-major applications

allowed as % of all non-major

applications determined.

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