Apologies for absence should be notified by email to democraticservices@oxford.gov.uk or telephone 01865 252275 prior to the start of the meeting.

Apologies were received from Adrian Lockwood, Andrew Harrison, and Veronica James (Clark Gordon attended for the EA)

None

Purpose: to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Oxfordshire Growth Board held on 26 July 2017.

The minutes of the meeting on 26 July were agreed as a correct record, subject to correcting minute 3 to add …being filmed for a television documentary about managing….

Purpose: to receive communications from the Chair.

No announcements.

Members of the public may ask questions of the Chairman of the Growth Board, or address the Growth Board on any substantive item at a meeting, subject to the restrictions set out in the public participation scheme (attached).

The total amount of time allowed for public participation at a meeting shall not exceed 30 minutes unless the Chairman consents to that in the interests of the proper conduct of the business of the Board.

A person speaking to the Board may speak for up to 3 minutes. The Board members may ask questions for clarification.

Asking a question

Questions (in full and in writing) must be received before 5pm on Wednesday 20 September 2017 by the Chief Executive of the host authority. A written or verbal answer will be provided by the Chairman at the meeting. The questioner may ask a supplementary question directly related to either the original question or the reply received.

Addressing the Board

Notice of a wish to address the Board must be received before noon on Monday 25 September July 2017 by the Chief Executive of the host authority.

Petitions

Petitions on matters directly relevant to maters in which the Board has powers and duties must be received before 5pm on Wednesday 20 September 2017 by the Chief Executive of the host authority. The representative of the petitioners may speak. Petitions are referred without discussion to the next meeting.

Questions, petitions and notice of addresses should be submitted to the committee secretary at democraticservices@oxford.gov.uk or delivered/ posted to the Chief Executive at Oxford City Council before the deadline.

In accordance with the public participation scheme, the Chair invited those who submitted addresses and questions to speak to the Board.

The Board heard:

·         A question from Colin Thomas read by David Illingworth, North Abingdon Local Plan Group

·         A question from Helen Marshall read by Dr Peter Collins, Chairman of CPRE Oxfordshire

·         A question from Helena Whall read by Dr Peter Collins, Chairman of CPRE Oxfordshire

·         An address from Peter Rutt / Co-ordinator, Expressway Action Group.

Full details of the questions, responses and addresses are in the supplement to these minutes.

Report attached.

Final report (3, below) now attached as a supplement and available on the Growth Board pages at Www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/growthboard

Report Purpose

1)       At the Growth Board in May 2016, the Board approved the commissioning of an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS).

2)       Since that date the Project Steering Group have overseen the completion of the project, assisted by the consultants - AECOM.

3)       The final report on the project has now been completed and the report is ready to be published on the Growth Board web pages of the County Council website.

4)       This report and the presentation accompanying it at the meeting, introduces this final report to the Board and asks for the approval of the report and its conclusions.

Recommendations

(i)     That the Growth Board approves the OxIS report and the conclusions contained therein

(ii)    That the Board approves the ranking of the regional and countywide projects in the OxIS report.

(iii) That the Board agrees to the periodic update of OxIS and asks officers to build this into the Board’s Work Programme and budgets 

The Board considered the report and the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy report circulated separately. The consultants from AECOM involved in preparing the strategy, gave a presentation and answered questions.

In discussion the Board noted

·         OxIS was a comprehensive document that for the first time offered a countywide picture of the infrastructure needed to support growth

·         The projects were split into those that were regional or countywide and those that had a more local focus. All projects had been ranked once categorised.

·         OxIS included all strategic infrastructure: other more localised infrastructure that would be provided through other mechanisms or local agreements (CIL, S106) was not included.

·         The strategy needed to take account of plans from all relevant government departments.

·         OxIS highlighted a gross funding gap rather than the actual gap once all contributions had been taken into account because funding contributions are subject to negotiation with developers, infrastructure providers etc. It was not possible to entirely quantify the funding gap and what CIL and S106 may deliver. Then Board noted that councils needed to work together and with partners to fill the funding gap.

·         The capacity of the NHS and utilities to provide their parts of the infrastructure was crucial and engagement with them was essential.

·         There was more work to do on quantifying the need and costs of a number of specialist infrastructure elements such as green infrastructure and energy.

·         This was a positive strategy setting out what was necessary to support growth and must be a live document.

The Board noted the Growth Board Executive Officers Group would be the owners of the strategy and ensure that it was kept up to date, reporting to the Board as appropriate. Finally the Board noted that it had not been possible to feed all comments and representations received into the draft strategy and agreed that the consultation responses should be incorporated into the final draft.

The Board resolved:

1.    to approve the OxIS report as it is presented and the conclusions contained therein, and delegate the finalising of the report to include the consultation responses in full to the Executive Officers Group in consultation with the Leaders.

2.    to approve the ranking of the regional and countywide projects in the OxIS report.

3.     (iii)to agree to the periodic update of OxIS and ask officers to build this into the Board’s Work Programme and budgets 

Oxfordshire County Council officers will provide a verbal update.

The Board considered a short paper tabled at the meeting by the County as lead authority for HIF Forward Funding Bids, setting out the summary of proposals for expressions of interest to the national HIF. The Board noted that the bids had been prioritised as required and due to the size of each of the three bids submitted only one bid was likely to be funded. The West Oxfordshire proposal should be called Oxfordshire Cotswold Garden Village or West Oxfordshire Garden Village.

The Board resolved to:

1.    endorse the HIF bids that the County Council propose to submit, pending final assessment and approval

2.    ask the Chair of the Board to write to government in support of these bids on behalf of the Board.

Report Purpose

1)     This report is to update the Board with progress on a number of workstreams that the councils are currently working on with the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) on the Oxford to Cambridge corridor (O2C).

2)     This report also updates the board on the progress of discussions with Government officials on developing a housing and growth deal for Oxfordshire

Recommendation

That the Growth Board:

1.    Notes the progress with the NIC workstreams.

2.    Notes the progress on the development of an Oxfordshire housing and growth deal proposition to government.

The Board considered a report setting out progress on a number of workstreams that the councils are currently working on with the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) on the Oxford to Cambridge corridor (O2C) and on discussions with Government officials on developing a housing and growth deal for Oxfordshire.

The Board noted the focus on first mile/ last mile and local schemes and on non-car routes and cycling. This work also needed to show the rationale for infrastructure and form the first part in a long-term realistic and ambitious investment programme.

The Board noted:

1.    the progress with the NIC workstreams.

2.    the progress on the development of an Oxfordshire housing and growth deal proposition to government.

1.    Reports attached on:

a)    England’s Economic Heartland Alliance (EEH) formation of a Strategic Transport Body (STB) consultation and

b)    Growth and City Deal Programme

2.    A representative of OXLEP will then provide a verbal update about the work of the Local Economic Partnership.   

Report Purpose

This report provides the Growth Board with an update which sets out indicative proposals from the England’s Economic Heartland Alliance (EEH) for the formation of a Strategic Transport Body (STB) covering its current footprint covering an area including Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, to Cambridgeshire.

The report is supported by Annex One – EEH: Developing A Sub-National Transport Body Briefing Paper (attached)

Recommendation

That the Growth Board:

1.    notes the proposals for the development of a Strategic Transport Board (STB) across the EEH geography and

2.    agrees the continued engagement in developing the proposal supported by EOG.

The Board considered a report and annex setting out indicative proposals from the England’s Economic Heartland Alliance (EEH) for the formation of a Strategic Transport Body (STB) covering its current footprint covering an area including Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, to Cambridgeshire.

Nigel Tipple and Jeremy Long, OxLEP, said discussions on the STB were in very early stages and did not reflect the views or input of all 28 local authorities covered by the proposals. The Board noted that there was a need to have a single joint and consistent message to allow focus in talks and development.

The Board:

1.    noted the proposals for the development of a Strategic Transport Board (STB) across the EEH geography and

2.    agreed the continued engagement in developing the proposal supported by EOG.

Report Purpose

The report and operating plan progress report (Annex 1) provides an update covering the period to 31 July 2017.

Recommendation

That the Growth Board notes the report and the annex.

The Board considered a report and operating plan progress report (Annex 1) giving an update covering the period to 31 July 2017.

The Board noted the report and the steps being taken to find the gap funding for the Oxford flood alleviation scheme.

Report to follow/ Officers will provide a verbal update.

The Board discussed the recent announcement of a consultation on the calculation of Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) and the implications for housing numbers. They commented on the OAN not taking appropriate account of economic growth and affordable housing; the implications for councils depending on their Local Plan timetable; possible fall-back positions in the absence of a Local Plan or a plan which was not in compliance with the required housing figures; and the necessity of a considered response to the consultation and its outcome.

The Board noted that reports on the implications of the consultation and the OAN figures would be brought to the next meeting of the Board for endorsement before submission to government a future meeting.

Purpose of report

To update the Growth Board with progress towards Local Plans adoption across the county

Recommendation

That the Growth Board note the report

The Board considered the report and noted the progress towards Local Plans adoption across the county.

Dates for future meetings are:

30 October (additional meeting to consider the Joint Spatial Plan business case)

30 November 2017

1 February 2018

27 March 2018

11 June 2018

All meetings are to be held 2.00pm to 4.00 pm in the Oxford Town Hall, Old Library.

The Board noted the next meetings on

30 October at 2pm

30 November at 2pm.