NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL
15 November 2023
STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR OPEN TO BUSINESS
including Economic Development & Regeneration, Planning, Visitor Economy, Broadband, and Harbours
Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism & Skills
Economic Growth Strategy
The October 2023 Executive agreed to propose to Council that it adopts the Economic Growth Strategy and that the Strategy and action plan that flow from it will be reviewed annually to reflect the prevailing economic conditions and wider opportunities that may arise.
The Strategy had been refined to reflect the outcome of a variety of internal and external sessions held with members and key partners to test, challenge and shape the development of the strategy.
The Strategy covers the period 2024-29 and provides a clear strategic framework for the Council’s economic development and regeneration delivery model, ensuring that it is well placed to proactively drive future economic growth across the area and the North.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF)
As we reach the 18 month point of our three year UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund programme, we are on target to deliver our second year of around £5.8million (including the £500k underspend from Year One) in full. All themes are opening new projects and grant offer which can be found on the NYC webpage UK shared prosperity fund | North Yorkshire Council.
The team are preparing content for a new website that will promote and celebrate the work/impact of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme; this will include a roll-call of all funded projects and works, including:
· Wesley Centre Development, Ryedale: Shared Prosperity Fund has contributed to a multi-million pound development, directly enabling the sensitive restoration and transformation of the interior to create a performance and viewing space, a community café, and clear glass entrance lobby.
· Growth Hub capacity extension - NY-wide impact: Appointment of 3 x Specialist Business Relationship Managers focusing on start-ups/pre-start-ups, workforce and skills development, energy and cost reduction decarbonisation measure.
· Craven Arts House: Capital contribution to the refurbishment of Craven Arts House in Skipton – providing community space, studio facilities and music rooms to support the local creative industries and attract young people.
Sherburn-in-Elmet Industrial Development
Officers from several NYC teams have been instrumental in facilitating the successful outcome of a planning application for Sherburn 42. The development consists of 660,000 sq ft of grade A units, built to the highest environmental standards. Increased employment in the area places a focus on connectivity and officers recently delivered a transport event in Sherburn-in-Elmet attended by transport providers, businesses and residents. Good progress was made at the first event and efforts will now continue to ensure that transport solutions reflect the growth in employment.
Visits to neighbouring Authorities
To inform the approach of the economic development service at NYC and the positioning of the service and roles in relation to a Mayoral Combined Authority, senior officers and the Portfolio Holder recently took part in informative visits to the economy teams at Durham County Council and City of Doncaster Council.
Digital Model of Selby
Funded through the 2022-23 district allocation of UK Shared Prosperity Fund ‘Pride in our Places’ as a pilot, a digital model has been built of Selby, with additional detail for the town centre. The model allows the viewer to travel around the town and to look at existing and proposed buildings from a range of angles, giving a unique vision of what a proposed development or change to public spaces or highways would look like. Selby was chosen due to the number of regeneration proposals being developed for the town centre (Transforming Cities Fund, Selby Abbey Quarter, Selby Places and Movements Study, Station Quarter Masterplan), with the model allowing public consultation to be much clearer. There is support from government for authorities to use such models to increase participation in planning and regeneration and improve design quality. Experience elsewhere indicates that such visual aids lead to many more people taking part in consultations, particularly younger people. There is also scope to raise funds by charging developers to access the model to showcase their proposals. Officers from regeneration, planning, GIS and IT will take the work forward.
Town Deals and Levelling Up Fund programmes
Major regeneration activity across North Yorkshire including the Town Deals and Levelling Up Fund programmes continue to progress well with planning applications for both the Catterick Garrison Town Centre scheme and Scarborough Harbour West Pier project being submitted for planning determination over the coming period.
On 1 October 2023, Government announced further regeneration support for the Scarborough area. Entitled the “Long Term Plan for Towns” 55 towns (including Scarborough) will receive an endowment-style fund of £20 million (25% Resource, 75% Capital split) to support a ten-year Long-Term Plan for investment and regeneration, aligned to the themes of safety and security, high streets, heritage & regeneration and transport and connectivity. Further guidance on the fund is expected before Christmas with monies becoming available in the Spring/Summer of next year.
Work to progress the Area Constituency Committees (ACC) Economic, Regeneration Tourism and Transport Project Development Fund is well underway. All Area Constituency Committees have now provided their feedback on the structure of the fund and work has now commenced to identify the projects which members would like to prioritise for funding through the scheme.
Destination Management Plan
Work continues on the development of a Destination Management Plan for North Yorkshire. Consultation with a variety of stakeholders took place over August and September to agree five priority areas. The next stage will be a number of Action Planning Forums to work with stakeholders to identify actions underneath the agreed priorities.
World Travel Market
On 6-8 November North Yorkshire Council partnered with the Herriot Country Tourism Group to showcase North Yorkshire to the travel trade at the World Travel Market. As part of this, North Yorkshire Council is also working with Herriot Country, Make it York, Visit Leeds and City Cruises to host a networking event to connect the tourism industry with buyers from across the travel trade, ultimately to drive more visitors to Yorkshire.
Planning
Development Management & Enforcement
By the end of September, the service had dealt with 112 major, 877 minor and 1800 minor other applications. In addition, we have also dealt with a considerable number of other types of applications, including prior approvals, screening opinions, scoping reports, trees, hedgerows, discharge of conditions, telecommunications etc.
The Constituency Area Planning and Strategic Committees have now met 22 times. In addition, we have had two meetings of the Chair and Vice Chairs. A key role of this group is to consider how planning committee is functioning, including the Scheme of Delegation.
In terms of Planning Enforcement, since 1 April 2023, we have closed 1,033 cases. In addition, we have organised Enforcement Training from Members and have commenced work on an Enforcement Management Plan.
Planning Policy
Consultation of the Council’s draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) will commence from mid-November for six weeks. This document sets out the process for consulting on planning policy documents and throughout the planning application process.
Officers are firming up the initial stages of the engagement strategy to ensure early and regular input from Councillors throughout the preparation of the new Local Plan. This also includes how we will consult with our key stakeholders, communities and the development industry. Launch events with the development industry and infrastructure providers will take place before the end of the year.
A ‘call for sites’ for the new Local Plan will take place in early 2024 and officers will work towards the first stage of public consultation on Issues and Options before the end of 2024. The formal timetable (the Local Development Scheme) for the preparation of the new local plan and other development plan documents will be finalised soon.
Changes to the constitution have been recommended to include a new cross-party Development Plan Committee, which will act as the main sounding board for the preparation of the Local Plan and other Development Plan Documents (both informally and formally); supporting officers in the evolution of the plan and ultimately providing recommendations and comments for consideration by the Area Constituency Committees and the Executive at formal stages of plan making.
Planning Operations
The Operations team continue to provide technical support across the range of Planning & Building Control functions as well as processing Land Charges Searches and processing requests for Street and Property Naming and Numbering.
Harbours
Harbour Strategy Development
Since the last meeting of Full Council, the Harbours Management has commenced working towards a strategy document for each harbour undertaking covering a period up to 2035.
The work has involved an initial strategy workshop at each harbour undertaking whereby stakeholders were asked to identify their priorities for the Harbours future.
Each workshop was positively approached by attendees and undertaken in the vein of co-design rather than consultation.
It is hoped that a draft strategy will be available for Members to consider in early 2024 with the eventual aim to produce a collection of shovel ready projects available for funding applications.
Harbour Regeneration Projects (SH West Pier and Whitby Maritime Training Hub)
Both major regeneration projects involving our harbours have taken steps forward since the last meeting. Wide ranging consultation on the Scarborough West Pier project was conducted in October with both online and in-person opportunities for residents to express their thoughts on the proposals prior to a planning application submission in the coming months.
At Whitby, work has continued towards the Whitby Maritime Training Hub with several design iterations produced to reflect concerns from the community and to meet the needs of potential tenants. Further survey works on Endeavour Wharf were undertaken in October 2023 to allow more detailed construction planning.
Statutory Compliance Inspections
Over the summer, the Harbour Authority has undergone a number of statutory compliance inspections and audits including a Port Security Inspection and Aids to Navigation Audit and Inspection. This programme of audits and inspections ensures that the Council as the Statutory Harbour Authority, remains compliant, with the often complex, Harbours legislation. Each of the inspections concluded with a positive outcome and reassuring feedback from the relevant inspector.
Fish Pier, Whitby - Structural Repairs
After funding was approved in March 2023, a joint project between the Council and the RNLI to effect repairs to the Fish Pier at Whitby has now successfully been completed. The repairs remedy issues with the aging sheet pilling which had resulted in movement of it away from the stone structure.
Fish Quay, Scarborough - Sheet Piling Repairs
Repairs to the Fish Quay sheet piling at Scarborough Harbour have moved another step closer with a detailed dive survey conducted in October. The results of the survey will aid Council Engineers and its contractor to design a solution to extend the life of this aging sheet piling. The repair works are hoped to commence at the beginning of 2024 subject to relevant approvals.
COUNCILLOR DEREK J BASTIMAN