Issue - meetings

To receive a report by the Head of Development providing an update on the current position with infrastructure planning in Huntingdonshire.

Notes the update on the current position with infrastructure planning in Huntingdonshire and that future update reports will be presented annually in June and December.

The Cabinet received an update report by the Head of Development (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) as to the current position with infrastructure planning across the Council. 

Given the importance of the issue, it was intended that further update reports would be presented to the Cabinet in June and December of each year to keep Members fully informed of progress with emerging infrastructure strategies, projects and delivery mechanisms. 

There was a significant amount of Member and Officer activity on a range of different types of infrastructure planning and the report specifically summarised the following areas of current work:

Infrastructure Delivery Plan; Highways and Transport Infrastructure Projects; A14 Trunk Road; A428; A1; Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and East West Rail; A141 Huntingdon/St Ives; Rail investment; County-wide Infrastructure Planning; Growth and Infrastructure Group; District and County Council Working relationship; District and Local Enterprise Partnership working relationship; Potential opportunities from Government initiatives; and Community Infrastructure Levy.

Having considered the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) the Cabinet

RESOLVED

to note the update on the current position with infrastructure planning in Huntingdonshire and that future update reports be presented annually in June and December.

The Huntingdonshire Infrastructure Planning Update is to be presented to the Panel.

With the aid of a report by the Planning Service Manager (Policy) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Huntingdonshire Infrastructure Planning update was presented to the Panel. Members noted that the Panel would receive future update reports in June and December of each year; in addition the Panel would receive an update report on the progress of the Local Plan in March 2016.

Members were informed of the infrastructure projects in progress. They are:

·  A14 Trunk Road;

·  A428;

·  A1;

·  Oxford to Cambridge Expressway;

·  East West Rail; and

·  A141 Huntingdon to St Ives

The Panel noted that the projects could not be delivered by the Council alone and recognised the requirement to work with partners. In response to a query regarding potential funding and increased partner cooperation Members were informed that the Government’s drive to devolve powers and funding to local areas presents an opportunity for the Council to work more closely with partners to enable to deliver the infrastructure to support growth.

In response to a query with regards to the timescales of the current infrastructure projects, Members was informed that the A14, A428, A1 and A141 projects was currently subject to a Development Order Process. The Panel had been advised that timescales can be difficult to establish however the projects were more likely to be completed in collaboration with partners.

With regards to the Local Plan, the Panel had expressed concerns that Cambridgeshire County Council’s traffic modelling was not up to the required standard however Officers were confident that the traffic modelling would be completed in time for the Local Plan to be submitted.

Members expressed their approval that the Council was working with external partners in order to deliver large infrastructure projects. In addition the Panel emphasised that they would like the Cabinet to investigate whether devolved powers and funding could be used by the Council to work more closely with partners to enable the delivery of infrastructure to support growth.

(At 8.00pm during the discussion on this item, Councillor J W Davies left the meeting).

(At 8.03pm during the discussion on this item, Councillor J W Davies returned to the meeting).