Agenda item

To receive a presentation on how the council’s regeneration strategy has evolved over the last 25 years, a description of the present strategy and an indication of how this strategy may evolve (including examples of past and present major regeneration schemes – plans, execution, problems and lessons learnt).

This presentation is intended to inform the regeneration scrutiny review going forward.

The committee received presentations from Councillor Johnson Situ, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Planning and Transport and Councillor Martin Seaton, Chair of the Planning Committee.

Councillor John Situ gave an overview of the council’s approach to regeneration, achievements and challenges.

In addressing the committee Councillor Situ, set out the reasons for engaging in regeneration as a local authority.  The following areas were highlighted:

·  Access to best quality standard of housing that is affordable and secure

·  Opportunities for Jobs

·  Good quality open spaces

·  Access to good quality education in premises with good quality facilities

·  Good quality libraries

Councillor Situ reconfirmed that it was the local authorities role to reduce inequalities as much as possible and meeting the housing needs of the families on the council’s housing waiting list. Councillor Situ also stressed the importance of having clarity and vision on what the council wanted to achieve, and the values that underpin that vision.  He reported on the council’s visions and commitments and explained that they would be delivered through the policies set out in the New Southwark Plan, Area action plans, area studies, heritage studies’ conservation plans and also in the Council Plan.

Councillor Situ touched upon affordable housing, workspaces to support SMEs and small businesses, open spaces in key opportunity areas, climate emergency energy and carbon off-setting, the importance of developing strong relationships with the community, the development of the Consultation Charter and community review panel (Old Kent Road), and engaging with communities at the earliest opportunity.

Councillor Situ also stressed the need to have the ability to be practical and flexible in light of the planning system and planning lag.  He reported that In recent years the council have undertaken Area studies, such as the one in Camberwell.  The Area studies enabled the co-ordination of development in an area.

Councillor Situ went on to highlight achievements through investment, lessons learned and challenges as detailed below:

Achievements through investment

·  Significant number of homes approved in recent years

·  In last few years, have seen best number of genuinely affordable homes (number one in London for Social Housing Starts – 783 Starts in last financial year)

·  Nine out of ten primary schools achieving good or outstanding

·  Over 60% of secondary schools achieving five A stars

·  Schools have seen significant investment (both primary and secondary)

·  Significant upsurge of ‘green flags’ for parks across the borough

Lessons learned

·  Winning the trust of communities – development of the Consultation Charter

·  Transparency – being transparent about viability assessments and all the work the council does.

·  Being explicit about concerns with the policies the national government are putting forward.

Challenges

Achievements are in jeopardy over the next few years due to current government and the planning white paper which will make it more difficult:

·  To deliver genuinely affordable housing

·  To respond to the climate emergency

·  For local communities to have their voice heard at planning meetings

Current system based on planning gain and a downturn in the economy represents a big threat in delivering aims – new jobs, genuinely affordable homes, investment in schools and public open spaces

Closing remarks

Health inequalities within society - planning and regeneration has a key role in addressing this.

Climate emergency remains a pivotal part of all work moving forward.

Councillor Martin Seaton gave an overview of the planning process.  He explained that the planning committee was not a whipped committee and that it was a committee imbued in the policies and regulations that impact on good quality housing, offices and other places in the borough. It was also a cross party partnership.

He considered the Southwark planning team excellent, and believed the policies in place, particularly the consultation policies helped to ensure that the planning committee were able to make decisions which were well considered.

Councillor Seaton gave an example of an area the planning committee were grappling with, this related to the Old Kent Road, where there was a clear policy to build 20,000 new homes along the Old Kent Road.  He explained that the council wanted to ensure that these are good quality homes, that are policy compliant in respect of affordable home quantum, of excellent design, with appropriate amenity space for both private and wider amenity space, and fall in line with the council’s climate change policies – this was a real challenge particularly as the area is quite constrained. 

Councillor Seaton further explained that the challenge for the planning committee was therefore, where to make compromises in order to deliver on the core policy area of affordable homes which have private amenity space and broadly fall in line with climate change policies. This was a judgement for the planning committee and they were sometimes asked to make decisions that were a slight compromise on some of the council’s policies, but satisfy core policy targets (affordable homes with appropriate space and of excellent design).  The aforementioned was raised in the context of the development of new policies, particularly in opportunity areas across the borough. Where an application does not provide appropriate amenity space for families or does not comply with the affordable homes quantum, and there is not good reason for not complying, then the application would be resisted.  There was a propensity to support applications that meet the council’s core policy objectives.

Councillor Seaton explained that the council’s new consultation policy had made it easier to involve local people in the planning process and for them to understand what the policies are and the potential implications of those policies, and either through the council or directly with the applicant, negotiate some mitigation / compromise on what the applicant sought to implement.  Applicants who are receptive to local desires and local priorities who respond positively to local priorities are likely to be more successful in navigating the planning process.

Councillor Seaton touched upon protecting Metropolitan Open Land and Listed Buildings and new planning proposals which would take away democratic intervention.  Councillor Seaton also touched upon the focus of regeneration in the central and northern part of the borough and also tall buildings which would be a feature of regeneration schemes in Southwark.

Following Councillor Situ and Councillor Seaton’s address, members asked questions around the following:

·  Long term delivery of affordable housing

·  Southwark Transport Strategy – how it is evolving

·  Role emerging planning policy can play to ensure vibrant town centres and high streets

·  Green / open space policy – lack of spaces in the north of the borough

·  Use of office spaces

·  Briefing on the planning white paper

·  How existing policy could be knocked by economic recession following Covid-19

·  Best example of regeneration in Southwark

Following discussion the chair thanked Councillors Situ and Seaton for their contributions and Stephen Platts and Simon Bevan for their attendance.