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SUMMARY BOARD MINUTES OF THIRTY
THIRD MEETING
HELD ON THURSDAY 24 JANUARY
2002 AT
SEEDA HEADQUARTERS, GUILDFORD
Members Present
Professor Clive Booth (Deputy Chairman and Acting
Chairman for the meeting), Sarah Ward OBE, Cllr. Kit Oliver (OBE),
Caroline Williams, Dr Peter Read CBE, Janis Kong, Cllr. Kevin
Wilson, Robert Douglas, James Brathwaite CBE, Liz Brighouse,
Apologies for absence
Allan Willett CMG (Chairman), Cllr. Ken Bodfish
OBE (Deputy Chairman), Mary McAnally, Barry Camfield, Ken Thornber
CBE
Others in Attendance (for all or part of
meeting)
Anthony Dunnett (Chief Executive), Jeff Alexander
(Agency Secretary and Director, Strategy and Corporate Services),
Phil Bailey (SEEDA, Head of Secretariat) Paul Hudson (SEEDA, Director,
Regeneration and Infrastructure), Valerie Carter (SEEDA, Head
of Rural Development)
Summary of Meeting
1. The Board :-
- Welcomed the new Members (Robert Douglas, Elizabeth Brighouse
and James Brathwaite - Ken Thornber was unable to attend) to the
Board;
- Noted the Declaration of interests by Members;
- Congratulated Janis Kong on her award of the OBE in the New
Years Honours;
- Noted the award to SEEDA of one of the 'Festive Five' awards
by CABE;
- Received an update on Hastings;
- Considered a paper on 'Delivery through Local Partnerships';
- Noted an update on the Corporate Plan and Regional Economic
Strategy Consultation;
- Discussed and agreed SEEDA interventions in the rural sector;
- Discussed a proposed response to the Planning Green Paper; and
- Reviewed and noted the Finance Report and various SEEDA programme
investments.
Declaration of Interests
2. James Brathwaite and Liz Brighouse and declared
non-pecuniary interest in items 5(3) and 6 respectively. The Board
agreed that these declarations of interest did not debar participation
in discussion on those items.
Urban Renaissance
3. SEEDA was now regarded as delivering best
practice in the Urban Renaissance agenda. This was demonstrated
by the award of one of the 'Festive Five' awards by CABE, recognising
SEEDA's work at Chatham Maritime, its support for the design competition
for the Turner Centre in Margate, the involvement of masterplanners
in Hastings and Ramsgate and SEEDA's policy of submitting all
significant projects for a review of design quality.
4. The Board welcomed this award.
Hastings
5. The Chief Executive asked the Board to note
that an inter-Departmental Working Group had been established
by Government on Hastings and that he had been holding discussions
on the most appropriate way forward for SEEDA and partners to
deliver the Plan for the recovery of Hastings.
Delivering through Local Partnerships
6. Members were reminded proposals in the Corporate
Plan, that the Board approved at its December Meeting, raised
the possibility that the effective delivery of SEEDA's funding
under the new single budget regime could require a rationalisation
of current partnership structures, to reduce duplication and achieve
critical mass for effective delivery. This issue needed to be
considered within the strategic context including the RES and
the sub-regional economic development strategies being pulled
together by the local economic partnerships.
7. It was noted that whilst the paper was primarily
concerned with the Priority Areas for regeneration, the draft
made clear that SEEDA would continue to pursue the interests of
all parts of the region through its region-wide programmes and
individual initiatives.
8. The Board welcomed the general approach taken
in the paper and asked the Executive to put forward final recommendations
in a further paper.
Rural Development
9. The Board noted the continuing strategic
importance of the rural sector in the South East and the need
to build a rural revival. Central to the rural revival was livestock
revival. Foot and Mouth had severely affected the South East because
of decreasing prices for livestock and loss of the important export
trade.
10. The paper also noted that one-third of the
South East landscape was recognised as having 'national quality'
which leads to tensions between development and preservation.
11. Key actions of the Livestock Revival Plan
are:-
- To concentrate on the alternative market place developing quality
local produce and local outlets; and
- To establish a network of medium-sized abattoirs - using existing
companies- making sure that they have adequate facilities to meet
the needs of the region's producers, and traditional retailers
for private/contract kill and basic cutting needs.
12. The Board recognised that the rural debate
also involved significant other issues such as public transport
and affordable housing. Nevertheless responsibility for those
areas lay elsewhere and therefore SEEDA needed to continue to
work closely with our partners.
13. The Board endorsed the proposal that SEEDA's
intervention should be through the following main initiatives:-
- to support the land based sector through diversification, new
crops, alternative energy and farm buildings and local produce;
- to support other specific sector-based initiatives - such as
rural tourism and the livestock sector; and
- to support local communities -with a strong emphasis on the
more deprived areas [around the 119 worst wards] and small market
towns.
Corporate Plan 2002/04 - Update
14. The Board were informed that the draft Corporate
Plan had been submitted to Government on 21 December 2001. Comments
were expected by early February.
Review of Regional Economic Strategy - Update
15. Members received a progress report on the
RES events.
16. In addition to the RES Consultation Events,
three major Conferences were being organised:-
- Transport - 28 January (a joint event with the Regional Assembly)
- Sustainable Development - 13 March; and
- Social Inclusion - date to be confirmed
Planning Green Paper
17. The Board discussed a proposed response
to the Planning Green Paper. The Planning Green Paper was a response
to the growing criticism from the business community about the
slowness and inflexibility of the current planning system. The
Green Paper proposes some radical changes to answer the business
concerns and also to seek greater involvement of the local community.
18. The key proposal is to remove County Structure
Plans and devolve greater powers and responsibility to the regional
and local level. This would be by replacing Regional Planning
Guidance with statutory regional spatial strategies and replacing
Local Plans with Local Development Frameworks which should connect
with the local Community Strategy.
19. RDAs would be involved in the preparation
of the regional spatial strategy and be a statutory consultee
in a very limited number of development proposals that are likely
to have a significant economic impact at the regional level.
20. It was agreed that SEEDA should work alongside
the Regional Assembly as they develop their response. A proposed
response, covering the Green Paper and the four complementary
consultation papers, would be submitted to the February Board
meeting.
Date of Next Meeting
21. Thursday 21 February 2002, at SEEDA, Chatham
Maritime. Start time to be 10.30hrs.
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