Issue - meetings

This report describes the background to the development of the recently adopted Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), summarises its key points and highlights key issues for York. The report then outlines the purpose and key timescales for the Partial Review of the RSS which has now commenced to address the challenges coming out of the Housing Green Paper. The report seeks approval of the response made by officers to the Call for Evidence, which is the first stage of the review process.

RESOLVED: That the Officer response to the Call for Evidence, as set out in Annex A to the report, be approved.

REASON:      To endorse the response that had to be submitted to the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly for consideration by 11 July.

Members considered a report which outlined the purpose and key timescales of the Partial Review of the recently adopted Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and sought approval for Officers’ response to the Call for Evidence, which was the first stage of the review process.

The report summarised key elements of the RSS and the key issues for York.  The latter included the identification of York as a Sub-Regional Centre and requirements to:

• Define Green Belt boundaries to ‘establish long term development limits’
• Deliver 640 new homes per year from 2004-08, then 850 from 2008-26
• Review affordable housing targets in the light of emerging housing market assessments.

The Regional Assembly (RA) had now embarked upon a partial review of the RSS to seek to achieve the higher housing numbers that had come from the Housing Green Paper.  This would involve examining the housing potential in each of the seven ‘sub’ areas.  York’s role as part of the Leeds City Region and York sub-areas, and its capacity to accept higher levels of growth, were important issues to be addressed through the review process.  Adoption of the revised RSS was scheduled for completion in late 2010.  A response to the Call for Evidence document had been sent to the RA for consideration by 11 July.  Members were invited to approve the response, attached as Annex A to the report, or to recommend changes to be forwarded to the RA.

Members welcomed the opportunity to re-visit the housing and employment growth figures in the RSS, which had been considered unrealistically high.  They expressed the hope that Yorkshire Forward’s involvement in the revised document would not lead to an undue emphasis on economic development as the major driver.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That the Officer response to the Call for Evidence, as set out in Annex A to the report, be approved.

REASON:      To endorse the response that had to be submitted to the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly for consideration by 11 July.