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SUMMARY MINUTES OF THE FORTY FIFTH MEETING OF SOUTH
EAST ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
HELD ON THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2003 AT SEEDA HEADQUARTERS
Present
James Brathwaite CBE (Chairman), Professor Sir Clive Booth (Deputy
Chairman), Cllr. Ken Bodfish OBE (Deputy Chairman), Robert Douglas,
Elizabeth Brighouse, Barry Camfield, Mary McAnally, Terry Mills,
John Peel, Janis Kong OBE, Poul Christensen
Apologies for absence
Cllr. Ken Thornber CBE, Cllr. Ken Thornber CBE, Cllr. Keith House,
Cllr. Sarah Hohler
In Attendance
Anthony Dunnett (Chief Executive), Marianne Neville Rolfe (Agency
Secretary and Director, Strategy and Corporate Services), Paul
Hudson (Director, Development and Infrastructure), John Parsonage
(Director, Learning and Skills), Charlotte Dixon ( Director, Economic
Inclusion and Sustainability), Jeff Alexander (SEEDA, Director,
Business and International), Phil Bailey (Head of Secretariat)
Approval of Previous Minutes
1. The Board approved the minutes of the previous meeting (23
January 2003).
Declaration of Interests
2. John Peel noted that he had an interest in the following projects
listed under paper 20/02/03-9(3)):-
- Coastal Superhighway - Wired Sussex
- Computer People to Contract - Wired Sussex
- Lean Manufacturing Project - EEF South
- Business Link Regional Network Fund - BL Sussex
Chairman's Report
3. The Chairman reported on a number of his meetings held since
the previous Board meeting.
Visit to Buckinghamshire
4. The Chairman reported that he had visited Buckinghamshire,
the first of his regional visits. The County was generally regarded
as wealthy but he felt that there was potential for an increased
tourism industry. Businesses in the County were highly entrepreneurial,
as measured by the Global Entrepreneurial Monitor and there was
effective partnership, particularly the Economic Partnership and
the Local Strategic Partnership. The north of the County is considering
how the recent announcements concerning Milton Keynes will impact
on it whilst the south of the County tended to look towards the
Thames Valley.
5. It was noted, in discussion that Buckinghamshire had an innovative
Muslim community and a good Health Action Zone.
RDA Chairs Meeting
6. The Chairman noted an emerging issue was the RDAs' capacity
to respond to the Government' competitiveness, skills and
productivity agenda.
Meeting with Richard Bowker
7. The Chairman and Chief Executive had met Richard Bowker with
Oxfordshire County Council. The main message from Richard Bowker
was that the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) needed to focus on
getting the present rail system working well and to capacity.
SEEDA Board Committees and Member Lead Roles
8. The Chairman reminded Members that they had discussed the
structure and purpose of the SEEDA Board Committees and lead roles
after their Board meeting on 23 January.
9. The Chairman noted that an outstanding issue was how to address
Housing. He felt that Housing would be one of SEEDA 's most
significant issues because of the need for Affordable Housing
and the Growth Points agenda and therefore the Board should ensure
that it received correct advice on these issues.
10. Members were aware that there were a number of fora addressing
Housing which included the new Regional Housing Advisory Board,
an Affordable Housing Group and a Regional Housing Group. Therefore
the proposal was not to establish an additional regional forum
but that the Chairman leads an internal group consisting of the
Chief Executive, Paul Hudson and a limited numbers of Members
who are interested and involved in this agenda. Members agreed
with this solution.
SEEDA's Programmes for Effective Infrastructure
11. The presentation covered four key areas, as follows:-
- Housing;
- Transport;
- Broadband; and
- Brownfield Land
Housing
12. It was noted that Housing was rated as a key weakness in
the South East but that issues differed throughout the region,
with affordability in the prosperous areas but low house prices
in some other areas. Key points were:-
- Insufficient number of houses were being built in the South
East - current numbers were below that recommended in the Regional
Planning Guidance;
- There was a growing mismatch between the type of houses provided
by the developers and demand - provision was executive
family housing whilst demand was single person led.
- Density of housing was low in the South East;
- Increased attention was being given to the Growth Areas but
SEEDA also should consider the needs of the most successful
areas where the impact of housing pressures on key worker availability
was greatest;
- The challenge emerging from the recent announcements on housing
provision in the Growth Areas was how to build sustainable communities.
13. SEEDA's role would be to work through the proposed
Regional Housing Board which would design the housing strategy
at the regional level and make recommendations to Ministers on
the allocation of funding. SEEDA was also at the forefront of
initiatives to improve substantially the quality of housing through
the Regional Design Panel and the Architecture Centre.
14. Members briefly discussed a number of issues. They agreed
that quality was a key requirement but noted that the current
market was for low density, high cost housing. Therefore the approach
needed to be through the planning system and raising customer
expectations. Members agreed that SEEDA's involvement in
Ashford, Milton Keynes and Thames Gateway provided an opportunity
to achieve a planning led approach. Members shared the view that
the objective was to build sustainable, integrated communities
and that issues such as design and access were crucial.
Transport
15. Members were reminded that Transport featured as a priority
in the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) and had been identified
as a weakness of the South East. SEEDA's main role was one
of influence with the Strategic Rail Authority, Highways Agency
and the local transport authorities. The RES shared the view that
the priority was to get the existing system working to maximum
effectiveness.
16. It was noted that demand management was critical and that
the link between economic growth and increased congestion needed
to be broken. Congestion charging (i.e. paying for road space)
should be linked, where appropriate, to improvements in public
transport.
17. Members were reminded that they had agreed a response to
the South East Regional Airport Study but that the consultation
would need to be relaunched because of the outcome of the recent
judicial review. RDAs would continue to look at the issues on
a national basis.
18. Members briefly discussed SEEDA's role in Ports development.
Ports were recognized as crucial to the economic health of the
region but that they were private sector organizations and operated
on a commercial basis. SEEDA were able to be involved when presented
with brownfield land opportunities (e.g. Shoreham Harbour) and
it was noted that a representative from the Dover Harbour Board
was a member of the Infrastructure Committee.
19. Members confirmed that the transport priorities for SEEDA
were:-
- Help to get the present system working properly;
- Completion of the CTRL and its domestic use;
- Cross regional schemes (Thameslink; Crossrail)
- Airtrack; and
- East-West rail
Broadband
20. Members noted that development of broadband fed into other
issues such as reducing the need to travel, increased access for
rural areas and that it contributed to the development of the
knowledge economy. SEEDA's role was to stimulate access
and encourage people and business to use broadband. Members recognized
that increased use of broadband might lead to a 'Digital
Divide' and that there needed to be a focus on the implied
skills needs of those people who do not yet understand the technology
but wanted to use broadband.
Brownfield Land
21. Members noted that SEEDA's target of developing 40
hectares of brownfield land would be met and that the target of
building 60% of development on brownfield land was also being
met in the region. SEEDA worked with other bodies such as the
MoD and the NHS to identify potential sites.
22. The Chief Executive noted that the RDAs have been given a
new responsibility under the Sustainable Communities Plan to establish
Brownfield Land Strategies and Action Plans to ensure that the
region's brownfield sites are brought forward. In addition,
he confirmed that SEEDA was well placed to take forward its role
because of the prior work undertaken on Area Investment Frameworks
in which local partners had identified a number of priority actions
Sustainable Communities - Building for the Future
23. Members were reminded that 'Sustainable Communities:
Building for the Future' had been recently published which
addressed investment in housing and regeneration and the broader
agendas of community development and urban renaissance. The launch
of the document for the South East Region had been held in Ashford,
led by Barbara Roche MP the Minister of State in the Cabinet Office,
with supporting presentations by the Chairman of the Regional
Assembly, the Leader of Ashford Borough Council, and SEEDA's
Chief Executive.
24. The document dealt with three main themes: providing more
affordable homes in the South East, revitalising part of the North
and Midlands, and then ensuring that the existing housing stock
meets the decent homes standard. The programme addressed with
the very different circumstances in the South East, compared with
the situation found in many parts of the North. Whereas in the
South East, there is a high demand for additional housing and
persistent problems of unaffordable housing, in some cities in
the North there is considerable over-supply of housing, leading
to a virtual collapse in the housing market and abandonment.
25. Resources will be provided to tackle low demand and abandonment,
to address the shortages of affordable housing, to promote more
private house building, coupled with a reform of the planning
system, and substantial investment in the growth areas of Thames
Gateway, Ashford, Milton Keynes/South Midlands, and London/Stansted/Cambridge.
26. SEEDA will need to work to ensure that such new and expanded
communities are sustainable, well designed, high quality and attractive
places in which people will positively chose to live and work.
Over the next three years, an additional £446 million is
provided for the Thames Gateway (which covers London and Essex
as well as the Kent part within the South East Region). £164
million is being made available for the other three growth areas
of Milton Keynes/South Midlands, Ashford, and London/Stansted/Cambridge.
This money is specifically for site assembly, and remediation
of brownfield land, delivery mechanisms, affordable housing and
essential local infrastructure.
27. The expanded role for SEEDA in Housing was welcomed. The
Plan proposes the creation of a Regional Housing Board, charged
with the preparation of a Regional Housing Strategy, which will
set out the priorities to ensure that resources are spent in their
support. The Regional Housing Board will be chaired by the Regional
Director of the Government Office with representatives of the
Housing Corporation, the Regional Assembly, SEEDA, and English
Partnerships. A draft Regional Housing Strategy will be produced
by the early summer, to enable submission in the autumn, as the
basis for advice to Ministers on strategic housing investment
priorities in the region.
Corporate Plan
28. SEEDA's draft Corporate Plan 2003-06 had been submitted
to DTI immediately before the Christmas break and that initial
feedback by DTI minister Alan Johnson to the Chairman and Chief
Executive on 20 January was highly positive. Formal written comments
from Government were minor, and amounted largely to requests for
clarification or greater detail in order to highlight alignment
between regional and national priorities. A final draft Corporate
Plan is currently being prepared in response to these comments,
for submission by 28 February.
Business Plan 2003/04: Principles
29. The Business Plan will provide an overview of the principal
operations (programmes, projects and other activities) planned
by SEEDA to deliver its contribution to the RES and RES Action
Plan in 2003-04. It will enable progress to be monitored, in broad
terms by partners and key stakeholders such as the Regional Assembly,
and in more detail, by the Board. The aim is to provide an overview
view of activities, with some key activity milestones against
which to report progress, alongside the quarterly reporting of
outputs.
Chief Executive's Report
South East Science and Technology Council
30. The Chief Executive noted that the first meeting of the South
East Science and Technology Council had been a success, involving
key players from the region's Universities who wanted to
work alongside SEEDA in getting in touch with the business and
market capabilities.
Regional Assembly Select Committee
31. The Chief Executive noted that the Regional Assembly had
undertaken a rigourous review of SEEDA's delivery of the
'Cultural Dividend' through its regeneration programmes.
Initial comments indicated that SEEDA was undertaking its responsibilities
in pursuance of the cultural agenda.
SEEDA/EEF Manufacturing Conference
32. The Conference had been a success with more than 500 businesses
attending.
Corporate Matters
33. The Board reviewed and noted the Finance Report and approved
various SEEDA programme investments including policy approval
to provide an Enterprise Gateways in Medway and the Chilterns.
All potential conflicts of interest were identified.
34. The Board agreed that Barry Camfield should continue to serve
on the Audit Committee for a further year.
Date of Next Meeting
35. The next meeting of the SEEDA Board will be on Thursday 20
March 2003, at SEEDA Headquarters.
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