Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 Engagement with members of the Council.

2.2 Key inputs into the development of a planning policy framework within the context of the Regional Spatial Strategy exploring the potential for a tariff structure for developments within the city centre, including the SPD for BWR.

2.3 Engagement of the public on the overall vision and priorities on the understanding that affordability may be an issue.

2.4 Further financial modelling and the development of a funding strategy for the vision which is consistent with funding opportunities.

2.5 Production of the forthcoming Bath Western Riverside Supplementary Planning Document in the context of the outcome of the local plan enquiry.

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The costs of further development work for the Future for Bath have been included within the Financial Plan for the Directorate of Development and Major Projects which is still subject to Council approval as part of the Corporate Financial Plan.

3.2 These costs include provision for the engagement exercise, the development of a Supplementary Planning Document or Local Development Framework Document, and further development work.

3.3 The South West Regional Development Agency committed £75,000 towards the cost of producing the Business Plan and Spatial Framework. They will be approached to determine if they are able to offer further support.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The reasons for promoting a strategic vision for Bath were outlined in the Council Executive paper in July 2005 which authorised expenditure on the production of a Business Plan and Spatial Framework.

4.2 This work was commissioned in September 2005 and is now complete. The main focus of the work was to examine the draft "Future for Bath" vision and spatial proposals established within the Council to ensure that they were robust, and to translate this into a Business plan and Spatial Framework. This whole exercise has been underpinned by the production of a financial model so that the costs of realising the vision could be examined and the amount of finance that could be obtained from a tariff on planning consents established.

4.3 A series of presentations on the outcome of the studies have been given to Director's Group, The Long Term Strategy Group, Informal Executive, O & S Panel, Urban Regeneration Panel and the Bath Development Board. The general feedback has been very positive. If the Executive accept the recommendation, officers will engage members of the Council in the vision.

4.4 During the production of the Business Plan and Spatial Framework discussions have been undertaken with many of the Council's key stakeholders.

4.5 It is now intended that the "Future for Bath" should be the subject of an exercise to engage the public to seek support.

4.6 At the same time it is proposed that work should begin to promote the planning regime required to address the wider Regional Spatial Strategy and to ensure that the Council can obtain contributions from all developments within the City. The promotion of a suitable planning framework will require considerable input from Planning and Transport Service areas.

4.7 It is also intended that work should be undertaken to develop the proposals within the vision and carried out in tandem with the work set out in 4.6. This will include finalisation of development briefs for sites in conjunction with Property Services that can be brought to the market sooner rather than later in the context of the vision and consistent with achieving best value.

5 RISK MANAGEMENT

5.1 A risk assessment related to vision and recommendations has been undertaken, in compliance with the Council's decision making risk management guidance. This risk assessment will become more detailed as the vision develops.

5.2 The key risk is that if a long term vision is not established then the economy of Bath is likely to suffer. Without a long term vision the challenges facing the Bath economy such as low wages, declining visitor numbers and retail pressures will be exacerbated.

5.3 Another major risk is that the vision is too ambitious to be delivered. The development of the vision is underpinned by a Financial Plan to assess the likely impact of the developments and to assess at a high level the viability of the proposals. This will be used as the basis for the subsequent development of a funding strategy. In any public engagement exercise it will be stressed that the vision is subject to further financial and affordability appraisals.

6 CORPORATE PRIORITIES

6.1 The vision will have a positive impact on a number of the corporate priorities. The main focus of the vision is to establish a sustainable economy and it will also help guide investment decisions within a number of the Council's priorities.

6.2 The vision examines such issues as movement and access, the public realm and affordable housing and by examining these issues it will act as a catalyst to help provide solutions.

6.3 The proposal to engage the public on the vision should also help to promote customer satisfaction.

6.4 As the vision is developed, it will be possible to consider more detailed proposals as to how other corporate priorities can be targeted.

7 RATIONALE

7.1 The creation of a focused vision for Bath will ensure that the Council can plan for the future. Without a vision the Council would find it difficult to deal with planning applications and without a properly adopted Planning framework the Council will not be in a position to maximise contributions from each development towards the investment required in the city centre. The production of a vision will also help to support financial applications to government bodies and agencies.

8 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

8.1 Various options have been appraised during the production of the Vision and it is considered that the present proposal offers the best option for the strategic development of the city.

8.2 Other delivery options have also been considered but it has been concluded that the production of a Supplementary Planning Document or a Local Development Framework Document has to be the first step in delivering the Vision.

9 CONSULTATION

9.1 The Executive councillor, Overview & Scrutiny Panel, Other B&NES Services, Section 151 Finance Officer, Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer have all been consulted on the contents of this report.

9.2 Presentations have been given to/are scheduled to be given to Members, the Executive, the Group Leaders, the Major Projects & External Bodies O&S Panel, Directors Group, Heads of Service Group, Bath Development Board, B&NES Initiative and the Local Strategic Partnership.

9.3 The draft vision has been presented to a range of audiences' outwith the Council. These have included Regional Government Officers and Agencies, and representations of the business community. During the work by Ernst & Young and Terence O'Rourke discussions were also held with key stakeholders.