Agenda item

This report reviews progress to date on the York Northwest Area Action Plan, and gives an overview of comments and headline results arising from consultation on the Issues and Options Report between November 2007 and January 2008. Members are asked to note the progress to date and the use of the consultation findings to inform the preparation of the Preferred Options. Members are further asked to agree the approach and programme for the preparation of the Preferred Options, which are also set out in this report.     

(Please note: Appendices 6 – 12 are available on the council’s website www.york.gov.uk or from the Democracy Officer as detailed below.)

Members considered a report which reviewed progress to date on the York Northwest Area Action Plan (AAP), and gave an overview of comments and headline results arising from consultation on the Issues and Options Report between November 2007 and January 2008. Members were asked to note the progress to date and the use of the consultation findings to inform the preparation of the Preferred Options. Members were further asked to agree the approach and programme for the preparation of the Preferred Options, which were also set out in this report.     

Members received a presentation which covered the following points:

• Progress on the LDF, including the Core Strategy, Key Allocations and City Centre AAP, Evidence Base, Transport and Stakeholder Activity
• Issues and Options Consultation
• Vision and Objectives
• Key Themes, including Employment, Housing, Social Infrastructure, Culture and Tourism, Transport, Open Space
• Next Steps, including timescales, information analysis, developing conceptual options and the preferred options report

Members made the following comments:

• It was an important opportunity to review the success of the consultation process and what did and did not work.
• Future consultations could include having more local meetings, finding ways to reach hard to reach groups and ways of improving the consultation questionnaire return rate.
• The location of a rail halt at the bottom of the York Business Park should be considered as part of further transport work for the area.
• No specific consultation had taken place with residents in the Rawcliffe/Clifton area on the cycling / foot bridge option over the river. Officers reported that the implications of this bridge would be addressed in the transport options in the next stage of consultation as part of the Green Infrastructure/Transport options.
• There would need to be clear implications of each of the transport options when they go out for consultation.
• A range of options including the option of the tram-train should be brought back to Members before consultation.

RESOLVED: (i)That the comments received on the Issues and Options documents be noted and their consideration in informing the Preferred Options stage for the Area Action Plan be supported;

(ii)               That the progress made to date on production of the Area Action Plan be noted and the approach for the development of the Preferred Options stage of work be agreed.

(iii)             That officers be thanked for all the work done during the consultation process on the Issues and Options report.

REASON:                  To ensure that the Area Action Plan could be progressed to the next stage of work, in accordance with the Local Development Scheme.

To ensure that Members views were included in the generation of Preferred Options put forward.