Councillor Stewart Miller (East Renfrewshire Council); Councillor Kenny MacLean (Glasgow City Council); Councillor Jim Clocherty (Inverclyde Council); Councillor Tom Begg (Renfrewshire Council); Councillor John Anderson and Councillor Alistair Fulton (both South Lanarkshire Council); and Councillor Lawrence O’Neill (West Dunbartonshire Council).

Councillor O’Neill, Convener, presided.

S Tait, Strategic Development Plan Manager and D McDonald, Assistant Strategic Development Plan Manager (both Strategic Development Plan Core Team); H Holland, Strategic Lead – Land Planning and Environment (East Dunbartonshire Council); J Nicol, Principal Planner (East Renfrewshire Council); S Taylor, Principal Planner (Glasgow City Council); A Williamson, Planning Policy Team Leader (Inverclyde Council); G Laing, Planning Manager (Strategy & Policy) (North Lanarkshire Council); C McCourt, Finance Business Partner, K Festorazzi, Senior Accountant, and D Low, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Renfrewshire Council); M McGlynn, Executive Director of Communities and Enterprise Resources and T Finn, Planning and Building Services Headquarters Manager (both South Lanarkshire Council); P Clifford, Planning and Building Standards Manager (West Dunbartonshire Council); and S Afzal, Auditor (Audit Scotland).

There was tabled the Minute of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 10 June 2019.

DECIDED: That the Minute be approved.

There was submitted a joint revenue budget monitoring report by the Treasurer and the Strategic Development Plan Manager for the period 1 April to 16 August 2019. 

The report intimated that gross expenditure was currently £15,000 underspent and income was currently £11,000 over-recovered resulting in a net underspend of £26,000.  The projected year-end position was an underspend of £67,000 due to budgets not being able to be utilised due to the Strategic Development Plan and an over-recovery in income.

DECIDED: That the report be noted.

Councillor Alan Moir (East Dunbartonshire Council); Councillor Alan Lafferty (East Renfrewshire Council); Councillor David Wilson (Inverclyde Council); Councillor Harry Curran (North Lanarkshire Council); and Councillor Jonathan McColl (West Dunbartonshire Council).

There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. 

Under reference to item 5 of the Minute of the meeting of this Joint Committee held on 10 June 2019, there was submitted a report by the Strategic Development Plan Manager relative to the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and the implications for the role and work of Clydeplan.

The report intimated that the Planning (Scotland) Bill became an Act on 25 July 2019 and removed the statutory requirement to prepare a Strategic Development Plan (SDP) but included a duty which stated that ‘a planning authority, or two or more such authorities acting jointly, are to prepare and adopt a regional spatial strategy’. The Act further stated that both the National Planning Framework and local development plans required to have regard to such a strategy.

Unlike SDPs, regional spatial strategies would not form part of the statutory development planning system in Scotland nor would they be subject to any formal examination process.  The first regional spatial strategies were to be adopted as soon as reasonably practicable after that section in the Act came into force and they must thereafter be reviewed at least once every 10 years.

The report provided detail on the definition of a regional spatial strategy; the consultation requirements; what a planning authority required to do before adopting a regional spatial strategy; and the publication of strategies and submission to Scottish Ministers.

The report advised that, in the context of Glasgow city region, the future regional spatial strategy for the city region would be the spatial expression of its regional economic strategy which was currently being refreshed for publication later this year.

The Chief Planner published an open letter on 29 July 2019 which advised that the Scottish Government was currently looking at the regulations and guidance needed to bring the Act into effect and that it aimed to publish a related work-programme in September 2019.  It was hoped that priority would be given to the publication of guidance on regional spatial strategies and any regional evidence required for NPF4 purposes.  The Strategic Development Plan Manger had offered the support of Clydeplan in the development of such guidance and the Scottish Government’s work-programme.

The Scottish Government had stated that the National Planning Framework would be developed on a co-production basis and had written to all Scottish local authority Chief Executives seeking nomination of a lead contact(s) from each grouping of local authorities. The Clydeplan Steering Group and Glasgow City Region Chief Executives Group agreed that for the Glasgow city region, the lead contacts should be Clydeplan, the Director of Regional Economic Growth and Chief Executive, Land Use and Sustainability Portfolio, Glasgow City Region. The Scottish Government would hold a joint event with economic and transport interests on 2 October 2019 to discuss regional spatial strategies and following this, Clydeplan would organise a facilitated workshop session on regional spatial strategies and the National Planning Framework which would seek to consider the objectives, themes, issues and priorities for the first Glasgow City Region Regional Spatial Strategy and help shape future guidance and regulations in relation to regional spatial planning. The outcomes of this session would be presented to a future meeting of the Joint Committee.

It was noted that, in the context of the development of the first Glasgow City Region Regional Spatial Strategy, and in the absence of guidance on their content and preparation, the Strategic Development Plan Manger had initiated early engagement with a number of key organisations.  There had been strong support expressed for the previous work and approach of Clydeplan and the need for its organisational joint working ethos to continue.

There were now a number of issues which required to be considered in relation to the future governance of the Joint Committee.  It was noted that governance options were currently being assessed in the context of the emerging Glasgow City Region structures and that these would be reported to a future meeting of the Joint Committee for consideration.

DECIDED: 

(a) That the enactment of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and the new statutory duty to prepare a Regional Spatial Strategy be noted; and

(b) That the potential implications of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 on the Joint Committee’s future governance be noted.

There was submitted a report by the Strategic Development Plan Manager relative to the Action Programme 2019 in respect of the approved Strategic Development Plan, a copy of which was appended to the report.

 

The report intimated that in terms of Section 21 of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 and Development Planning Circular 6/2013, Action Programmes required to be reviewed and republished at least every two years.  The previous Action Programme had been published in October 2017.

The Action Programme reflected Clydeplan actions in the context of the latest version of the Glasgow City Region Regional Economic Strategy Action Plan which was also currently being refreshed.  The outcome was an Action Programme which sought to more succinctly and appropriately describe Clydeplan’s delivery role and reflect the Glasgow City Region emerging activities.  

DECIDED: 

(a) That the Action Programme 2019, which was appended to the report, be approved; and

(b) That the Action Programme 2019 be published both electronically and in hard copy with two copes being sent to Scottish Ministers and copies placed in local libraries.

DECIDED: 

(a) That it be noted that the next meeting of the Joint Committee would be held at 11.15 am on 9 December 2019 in the offices of Glasgow City Council, Exchange House, 231 George Street, Glasgow; and

(b) That it be noted that a special meeting of the Joint Committee would require to be held in October 2019 and that details would be issued to members in due course.