Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The Council working in conjunction with it's West of England partners, the Homes & Communities Agency, SWERDA and other agencies, has developed a Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework for the sub-region covering the period 2010 - 2020. The partners have also concluded a Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Plan for 2010/11. This process has been known as the "Single Conversation"

2 RECOMMENDATION

The Cabinet is asked to:

2.1 Endorse the West of England Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework 2010/11 - 2019/20 subject to an annual review of delivery and priorities through the West of England Partnership Board.

2.2 Endorse the 2010/11 Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Plan concluded with the Homes & Communities Agency.

3. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The Council's approved budget for 2010/11 - 2014/15 includes committed social housing expenditure over the next two years. The budget also includes indicative amounts for the Bath Western Riverside development subject to formal project decisions.

3.2 Any future proposals would be subject to the Council's Capital Appraisal process.

4. CORPORATE PRIORITIES

• Building communities where people feel safe and secure

• Promoting the independence of older people

• Sustainable growth

• Improving the availability of Affordable Housing

• Addressing the causes and effects of Climate Change

• Improving transport and the public realm

The Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Plan will co-ordinate with existing and planned transport investments to ensure the optimum use of public funds.

5. THE REPORT

5.1 The Council together with it's Unitary Authority partners and the West of England Partnership have been working with the Homes & Communities Agency, the SW Regional Development Agency and other regulatory and funding bodies as part of the "Single Conversation" on the development of a Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework for future housing and jobs in the sub-region. The emerging Investment Framework is set out in the attached report to the West of England Partnership Board on the 25^th February 2010.

5.2 The Investment Framework has identified a number of potential strategic locations across the sub-region where the local authority partners wish to seek co-ordinated investment in both employment and housing to create "sustainable places" and support emerging and agreed Core Strategies.

5.3 The Council has put forward three Strategic Locations for inclusion in the Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework : Bath City Riverside : Keynsham including Somerdale : the Somer Valley. In addition a number of schemes have been included under a sub-regional theme of Suburban Intensification / Rural and Supported Housing.

5.4 To underpin this work a prioritisation exercise has been undertaken to test the strategic fit and deliverability of development at the identified strategic locations. This exercise was used to identify which schemes should take priority for future investment given that the sub-regional Framework sets out an ambitious programme requiring approximately £85mill investment per annum over the next three years which will exceed available resources.

5.5 As part of the prioritisation exercise the Council has sought to ensure that existing schemes and current bids for funding to deliver development schemes continue to be supported particularly where they fall within the strategic locations above. These include the Railway Land at Radstock and Bath Western Riverside.

CONCLUSION

5.6 It is clear that moving forward the Homes & Communities Agency wish to move from a "bid" led system, as the basis for allocating funding for affordable housing and other investment resources, to an investment led approach where the bulk of funding is channelled into strategic locations and linked with investment in jobs and infrastructure from other key agencies.

5.7 In turn a co-ordinated framework for Delivery & Infrastructure is likely to increase future levels of investment in the sub-region by providing more clarity for the development industry.

5.8 This process will need to be managed at a sub-regional level in order to co-ordinate proposals for growth and investment across the sub-region and align with other transportation investment programmes and funding bids under the Regional Funding Allocation and Regional Infrastructure Fund.

5.9 The 2010-2011 Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Plan addresses the current Bath & North East Somerset investment priorities, Bath Western Riverside and the Railway Land at Radstock.

5.10 Moving forward, as the next financial year is the last in the current three year funding allocation to the Homes & Communities Agency, the levels of available funding in 2011/12 and beyond are less certain. For the next three year period 2011 - 2014 the Council has identified the following priorities :

• Continued investment in Bath Western Riverside and the wider Bath City Riverside area
  
• Investment in affordable housing and infrastructure in the Somer Valley to ensure a balance between growth in housing and local employment
  
• Investment in the regeneration of the Cadbury Somerdale site, together with the provision of associated infrastructure at Keynsham.

5.11 Given the uncertainty over future levels of funding that may be available it is important that the Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework is kept under regular review in relation to ongoing delivery and to ensure priorities continue to be met.

6 RISK MANAGEMENT

6.1 Robust frameworks will need to be put in place to ensure that development at the Strategic Locations identified by the Council can come forward and access funding under the Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework. Work is ongoing through the Core Strategy and Regeneration Delivery Plan processes to ensure that the Council's priority schemes can be delivered.

7 EQUALITIES

7.1 The Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework seeks to support the Council's emerging Core Strategy and Regeneration Delivery Plans which have been subject to an Equalities Impact Assessment. A separate Equalities Impact Assessment is not required.

8 RATIONALE

8.1 The West of England Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Framework will provide a framework for attracting and enhancing public and private investment in housing and jobs in the sub-region. It will set out a clear prioritised strategic framework within which the housebuilding industry, registered social landlords and national agencies can plan for the future.

9 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

9.1 None

10 CONSULTATION

10.1 Other B&NES Services, Stakeholders/Partners, Other Public Sector Bodies were involved in the development of the Delivery & Infrastructure Investment Plan.

10.2 Cabinet members, Section 151 Finance Officer, Chief Executive; Monitoring Officer were consulted on this report

11 ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN REACHING THE DECISION

11.1 Social Inclusion; Sustainability; Property; Corporate; Health & Safety; Other Legal Considerations

12 ADVICE SOUGHT

12.1 The Council's Monitoring Officer (Council Solicitor) and Section 151 Officer (Strategic Director - Support Services) have had the opportunity to input to this report and have cleared it for publication.