Councillor Eric Kerry

None.

Of the meeting held on 16 June 2017 (for confirmation)

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2017 as a true record, with the exception of the following:

·  Councillor Kevin Rostance did not give apologies as he was present for the latter part of the meeting;

·  Under Item 5 (Transport Update), paragraph (c), the bus connections to jobs in Kegworth are non-existent rather than inadequate;

With the above alterations, the minutes were signed by the Chair.

Report of the Joint Officer Steering Group

Chris Carter, Transport Strategy, Nottingham City Council, introduced the report providing an update on transport related issues across the Greater Nottingham conurbation, highlighting the following:

(a)  Nottingham has been identified by the government as an area that will be in breach of the Air Quality Strategy for Nitrogen Dioxide emissions by 2020. The main areas of exceedance is on the ring road, and as a result Nottingham City Council needs to develop a local Air Quality Plan and a Clean Air Zone;

(b)  bids have been submitted for shares of the National Productivity Investment Fund by both Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council for road improvements and contactless/mobile public transport ticketing, with announcements due in Autumn 2017. Bids will also be submitted for the Housing Viability Fund and the Forward Planning fund by 28^th September 2017;

(c)  the route alignment for the HS2 high speed rail line has been formally confirmed, including realignment of the route to the south of East Midlands Airport and a viaduct through Long Eaton;

(d)  the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that it is cancelling the Midland Mainline electrification north of Kettering and Corby, preferring instead the use of bi-mode trains. This may make the region less connected to HS2 in the future;

(e)  consultation is ongoing regarding the future of the East Midlands rail franchise, to which there will be a joint response from East Midlands councils. Proposals include splitting the Liverpool-Norwich train service and inclusion of the Nottingham-Birmingham service in the franchise;

(f)  the DfT has announced a Transport Investment Strategy paper regarding future transport funding including a review of the Integrated Transport Block and Maintenance Block funding allocations, and an announcement that a proportion of funding from Vehicle Excise Duty will be used for improvements and maintenance of a Major Road Network;

(g)  the DfT has announced a call for evidence on the future of aviation in the UK, including surface access to airports, airport capacity, changes in technology, security, information provision and global connectivity. This could be of significance to East Midlands and Robin Hood airports.

Committee members raised the following points during the discussion which followed:

(h)  the cancellation of electrification of the Midland Mainline is a retrograde step as bi-mode trains will not be as efficient as electric trains, and train operators will be unwilling to upgrade these to electric trains in the future;

(i)  East Midlands Airport is currently poorly connected, with no bus link to East Midlands Parkway and poor links to other areas. The employment opportunities of the area are enormous.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the contents of the report.

(2)  send a joint letter to the Department for Transport outlining this Committee’s concerns around the Midland Mainline electrification cancellation;

(3)  explore opportunities to lobby for better access to regional airports as part of the Aviation Strategy.

Report of the Joint Officer Steering Group

Matt Gregory, Planning Police and Research Manager, Nottingham City Council, introduced the report updating the Joint Committee on the work of the Joint Planning Advisory Board (JPAB), highlighting the following:

(a)  at the JPAB meeting in June, the Board resolved to write to the Minister of Housing asking him to visit and see the work of the Board first-hand as a good example of collaborative working;

(b)  the next meeting of the JPAB will examine housing delivery, and why housing is not being constructed despite having gained planning permission.

Board members emphasised that Planning Committees should not be blamed for the slow rate of housing construction, as permission is often granted but then not carried forward.

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report

Report of the Joint Officer Steering Group

Matt Gregory, Policy and Research Manager, introduced the paper informing the Committee of progress with preparing the Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Replacement Waste Local Plan and the revised Nottinghamshire Minerals Local Plan.

The Part 2 Waste Local Plan has been deferred due to alternative demands on both the county and city councils, and will now be consulted on in 2019.

Consultation on the draft Minerals Local Plan is planned for June 2018, with adoption in October 2019.

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

Report of the Joint Officer Steering Group

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the Joint Committee’s work programme;

(2)  request an update on the Air Quality Plan for a future meeting.