To receive the following questions from councillors under standing order 12.
A. Question from Councillor Emily Smith to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the Council.
The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership strap line says "OxLEP - driving economic growth". Which bodies are responsible for the social and environmental aspects of sustainability?
B. Question from Councillor Catherine Webber to Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for Planning.
Vale planners are reluctant to require a Construction Management Plan to manage the construction traffic on a development site (or any other highways needs) where Oxfordshire County Council Highways, who are the statutory consultees, have raised no objections. Most recently, in response to one planning committee member requesting a Construction Management Plan on a sensitive site, planning officers told members that no Construction Management Plan was possible because county had raised no objections. The Oxfordshire County Council officers don't appear to consider comments from other respondents. In light of this, should the public and members direct our parking and roads concerns directly to the Oxfordshire County Council officer instead of the Vale officer?
Minutes:
A. Question from Councillor Emily Smith to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the Council.
The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) strap line says "OxLEP - driving economic growth". Which bodies are responsible for the social and environmental aspects of sustainability?
Councillor Matthew Barber responded as follows:
OxLep’s Strategic Economic Plan makes it clear that their approach to growth “ is focussed on the Knowledge Spine and underpinned by our high quality natural capital which delivers quality of life and supports our rural and visitor economy”. Their Strategic Economic Plan also confirms that it is the LEP’s intention to “Grow Oxfordshire’s Green Economy and Natural Capital through the development of a Strategic Environmental Economic Plan”
The plan also refers to the fact that “Oxfordshire is renowned for its innovative thinking and nowhere is this more in evidence than at the Earth Trust… which is all about new ways of working, encouraging enterprise, enhancing skills and engaging people as we strive to look after the environment” and to the fact that the SEP aims to “provide opportunities for residents throughout the county to participate in our high skills, high quality labour market, including measures specifically targeted on our rural areas”.
Growing Oxfordshire’s world-class technology clusters, achieving a more balanced economy, capitalising on the global reputation of Oxfordshire’s knowledge base and fulfilling our potential as an internationally renowned business, academic and research centre can only be achieved if efforts to achieve these objectives are matched by an equal effort to improve social and environmental sustainability.
That’s why OxLep’s plan also refers to the need to “Build on the strong base of skills, knowledge and experience of existing Oxfordshire VCFS (voluntary, community and faith sector) to support the development of social and environmentally-orientated enterprises targeted on social and employment issues such as ageing, worklessness and the number of people not in education, employment or training”.
Finally, the plan also refers to intended investment in much needed transport infrastructure improvements (including cycle and walkways) and increased high speed broadband connectivity – all of which is a major contributor to our future social sustainability.
The LEP’s main partners include Oxfordshire’s Local Authorities and the County Council, the Government and the private sector. The responsibility for delivering social and environmental aspects of sustainability at the same time as economic growth therefore falls to all partners that contributed to the development and support the delivery of OxLeps’s Strategic Economic Plan. Both Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire Council’s therefore bear some responsibility to make sure the LEP delivers on the social and environmental sustainability elements of their economic plan.
In response to a supplementary question as to whether the council could influence LEP to improve their consultation processes Councillor Matthew Barber stated that no consultation is perfect but that he would seek to influence the LEP.
B. Question from Councillor Catherine Webber to Councillor Roger Cox, Cabinet member for Planning.
Vale planners are reluctant to require a Construction Management Plan to manage the construction traffic on a development site (or any other highways needs) where Oxfordshire County Council Highways, who are the statutory consultees, have raised no objections. Most recently, in response to one planning committee member requesting a Construction Management Plan on a sensitive site, planning officers told members that no Construction Management Plan was possible because county had raised no objections. The Oxfordshire County Council officers don't appear to consider comments from other respondents. In light of this, should the public and members direct our parking and roads concerns directly to the Oxfordshire County Council officer instead of the Vale officer?
Councillor Roger Cox responded as follows:
The County Highways Authority seeks to be proportionate in the use of construction traffic management plans and tends to direct their use at larger major application sites, where the scale of traffic-related issues warrants their use.
County officers do consider local comments, which are often drawn to their attention by Vale planning officers and local comments are also available online for all parties involved in the application to read and to review. Moreover, in our role as ward councillors, we are free to draw county officer’s attention to the specific local issues.
In response to a supplementary question Councillor Roger Cox confirmed that the County Highways Authority is aware of parking concerns raised in respect of individual planning applications.