Issue - meetings

To consider a report by Councillor Hugh Evans (copy enclosed) on the progress of expanding Town Plans into broader Area Plans incorporating smaller and more rural communities across Denbighshire.

RESOLVED:- that Cabinet approves the process for expanding Town Plans into broader Town based Area Plans as set out in this report, including specifically the:-

·                     communities covered by each Plan, set out in Appendix 1

·                     consultation arrangements, set out in Appendix 2

·                     expectation that Area Plans are completed by September 2013

Councillor H.H. Evans presented the report, circulated previously, which sought approval for the process for expanding Town Plans into broader Area Plans incorporating smaller and more rural communities across Denbighshire.

He explained that during 2011/12, Denbighshire had developed and agreed Town Plans for the County’s seven principal towns, excluding Rhyl.  An exercise had been undertaken in Rhyl to develop the Rhyl Going Forward Delivery Plan.  The Town Plans had allowed community needs and priorities to be identified for each major settlement. However, they had not yet addressed the needs and priorities of smaller and more rural communities.  In January, 2013 Cabinet had agreed to expand Town Plans into broader Area Plans and the report detailed how this would be implemented.  The Town Plans for Corwen, Denbigh, Llangollen, Prestatyn, Rhuddlan, Ruthin and St Asaph had been approved by Cabinet between December, 2011 and March, 2012.

In January, 2013 Cabinet approved an initial allocation of funding for projects identified as Year 1 priorities in the Town Plans and agreed to expand the Town Plans into broader Area Plans.  The Town Plans Co-ordination Group had considered the appropriate process for expanding the existing Town Plans into broader Area Plans and had addressed three main questions:-

i)                         What was the appropriate ‘area’ for an Area Plan.

ii)                        How should the Area Plans be developed.

iii)                       What would the Area Plans look like

The Group had considered two options which included Plans covering Member Area Group (MAGs) areas, or areas incorporating the Towns and the communities which had a traditional or natural affinity to them.  As Area Plans were intended to enact the Council’s commitment to community based planning and its ambition to be Closer to the Community, Group Members concluded that the second option – Towns and their Associated Communities – was preferred.  The Group had considered that such Plans were more easily understood by residents and this approach would be in line with best practice in community led planning and economic development of market towns.

Appendix 1 set out the communities to be covered by each Plan and these had been discussed and agreed by the MAGs and were believed to represent the ‘best fit’ natural links between communities and towns.  The Town Plan Co-ordination Group decided that in total there should be 9 Plans, the existing 7 Town Plans, the Rhyl Going Forward Programme for Rhyl and a new Plan for Bodelwyddan, to be developed if the proposed Local Development Plan was approved.

The Town Plan Co-ordination Group had recognised that good local consultation must be at the foundation of the new Area Plans if they were to be truly community based and reflective of local needs and priorities.  To ensure consistency of approach, the Co-ordination Group had agreed a broad framework for consultation and this had been incorporated in Appendix 2.  In keeping with the Town & Community Councils Charter, proposals had been designed to ensure that Community Councils lead consultation and engagement at local level.

The Leader highlighted the importance of the role of the Champions and the Group had recommended that Town Plan Champions, supported by their Support Officers, draw up detailed consultation plans for the smaller and more rural communities to be incorporated into their Area Plan in line with the framework and the MAGs would be required to agree the local consultation arrangements.  A small number of Councillors would have communities within their wards incorporated in an Area Plan outside their MAGs and since MAGs would have an important role in the development of the new Area Plans, the Town Plan Co-ordination Group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7