Making it happen: Strategic Planning in Pennine Lancashire David Proctor Regenerate Pennine Lancashire 20 February 2014

Outline Pennine Lancashire pen picture Why work together? My post Putting it into practice Final thoughts

Why work together?

Five local authorities… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…including one unitary… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…with a County Council… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…and a Local Enterprise Partnership… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…adjoining 3 city regions: Central Lancs… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…Greater Manchester… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

…and West Yorkshire… © Crown copyright and database rights Ordnance Survey licence number:

Many shared issues Housing –Well documented issues of stock imbalance, areas of low demand, low values etc –Also opportunity – linking housing and economic objectives, Green Belt review etc

Many shared issues Transport –Key routes cut through area –Connections to national network and other City Regions Environment –Key Green Infrastructure assets

Economy: –Key growth opportunities extend across administrative boundaries –Continuing role of manufacturing – area well represented in key growth sectors –Strategic sites distributed across the area –Assisted Area status –Emerging / existing plans for 250 ha of employment land and 22,000 houses in the next 15 years Many shared issues

To address these issues and deliver these opportunities in this context we need to work together

My Post

Track record of joint working East Lancashire Partnership Elevate Market Renewal Pathfinder PLACE Pennine Lancashire local authority and private sector representation on LEP Strong governance structures established to support these: –Local authority officers– Private sector –Elected members– Other partners

Joining up strategic planning Despite this history of joint working, never previously a joint strategic planning post. So why now? –Public funding environment –Deletion of statutory strategic planning tier –Statutory Duty To Cooperate –Local authority resource reductions

Public funding Paradigm shift 2010 onwards – investment-led not grant-led LEP is gatekeeper hence important to demonstrate contribution to LEP objectives Business case paramount – need evidence- based delivery strategy, infrastructure requirement and necessary funding support

The questions this process asks are very similar to issues dealt with in statutory planning

Public funding ≡ Strategic planning LEP objectives fit Local Plan strategic fit / Soundness Self Assessment

Public funding ≡ Strategic planning Infrastructure requirement Infrastructure Delivery Plan

Public funding ≡ Strategic planning Delivery strategy Plan-Wide Viability / Allocations evidence base

Public funding ≡ Strategic planning LEP objectives fit Local Plan strategic fit / Soundness Self Assessment BUSINESS CASE & SOUND PLAN Infrastructure requirement Infrastructure Delivery Plan Delivery strategy Plan-Wide Viability / Allocations evidence base

Public funding To achieve this we will need to align, on a sub-regional basis: –Statutory planning including infrastructure delivery planning; –Development of a sub-regional evidence base on infrastructure requirements; –Development of Growth Deal and other major funding bids

Deletion of statutory strategic planning tier Demise of Regional Strategies (and previously joint Structure Plan) Authorities of all sizes now required to engage with setting housing targets, demographics, econometrics etc Addressed through mix of upskilling and use of consultancy Need remains to create plans that make sense when read together Requirement for some central capacity

Statutory Duty To Cooperate For Pennine Lancashire, Duty bites in relation to: –Constituent authorities –County Council –LEP –Adjoining authorities / city regions –Wider set of prescribed bodies Desire to maximise effective compliance with Duty within Pennine Lancashire – get sound plans through the process Effective engagement under the Duty with authorities / bodies outside Pennine Lancashire – engage on collective basis where appropriate

Resource reductions Ongoing pressure on local authority budgets, but greater than ever imperative to compete for investment Essential to make resource available in the right areas if we are to deliver our growth priorities Plus perceived need to lessen duplication, achieve economies of scale Equals remit to model options for future service delivery

So how will we get there? Strategic Planner post Decision to establish post taken by Pennine Lancashire Chief Executives Jointly funded Initial 12 month secondment Hosted by Regenerate Pennine Lancashire – economic development company Accountable to Chief Executives 100% on Pennine Lancashire Strategic Planning!

Putting it into Practice

Putting it into practice Early priorities 1 Ensuring planning is connected into Pennine Lancashire governance and workstreams –Pennine Lancashire Planning Officers’ Group –Refreshed terms of reference and work programme endorsed by Chief Executives –Regular updates to PLACE –Direct support to PLACE from my post –Build the expectation that planning will be at the table

Putting it into practice Early priorities 2 Get plans in place –Local Plans will allocate key sites, set out key policies and infrastructure requirements –Plans are critical for authorities to be able to manage development - maximises benefits, engenders confidence in the process –Add value in getting sound plans through the examination: Evidence the Duty to Cooperate Demonstrate that the Plan is aligned with wider agendas Comprehensive evidence base on appropriate footprint Advocate strategic priorities at public examination

Putting it into practice Early priorities 3 Scale and join up the evidence base –Bring together elements of the existing evidence base – does it represent a coherent picture, are there gaps to fill, choices to make? –Commission, prepare more evidence on Pennine Lancashire footprint –Connect planning process into key evidence work under way in the sub-region –Develop Pennine Lancashire-wide delivery plan informed by evidence on strategic fit, economic benefit, deliverability

So how will we get there? Early priorities 4 Develop common narrative that can be understood and acted upon by others –Role of Pennine Lancashire Planning Officers’ Group –Overview of individual authorities’ Duty To Cooperate statements –Position papers on key Duty To Cooperate issues

So how will we get there? Early priorities 5 Cooperating beyond policy: service improvement –Essential to make resource available in the right areas if we are to deliver our growth priorities –Scoping needed, but clear opportunity at the outset for joint working to lessen duplication, achieve economies of scale in commissioning work – free up resources to focus on issues that are best tackled locally –Also act as focus for sharing best practice

Final thoughts

Final thoughts… Key growth opportunities in Pennine Lancashire, but organisational footprints and nature of issues to address demand coherent sub-regional response Reinforced by statutory Duty: fail the Duty  no sound Plan  key sites not allocated / development occurs with key policy requirements not met Wider opportunity to work together – service improvement and efficiencies

Collaboration on planning is not simply a response to a statutory Duty – it is a means to delivering agreed objectives

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