Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development on proposals for balancing the Council's duties as a planning authority with its future public health responsibilities.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report to assist the Scrutiny Board’s consideration of issues associated with balancing the Council’s duties as a planning authority with its future public health responsibilities.

Appended to the report were copies of the following documents for the information/comment of the meeting:-

• Changes to Core Strategy Text (Appendix 1 refers)
• Core Strategy – Leeds Local Development Framework – Health Background Topic Paper – Publication Draft – February 2012 (Appendix 2 refers)
• Fair Society, Healthy Lives – The Marmot Review – Executive Summary – Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post 2010 (Appendix 3 refers)
• Public Health in Leeds City Council – New Responsibilities – Report of Director of Public Health – Executive Board – 20^th June 2012 (Appendix 4 refers)

The following representatives were in attendance and responded to Members’ queries and comments:-

-  Councillor L Mulherin (Executive Board Member for Health and Wellbeing), Leeds City Council

-  Dr. Ian Cameron (Joint Director of Public Health) – NHS Airedale Bradford & Leeds/Leeds City Council

-  David Feeney (Head of Forward Planning and Implementation) –City Development, Leeds City Council

At the request of the Chair, the Head of Forward Planning and Implementation provided the meeting with the background context and reiterated that health was an important consideration within the Council’s overall Local Development Framework (LDF).

The Head of Forward Planning and Implementation advised the Scrutiny Board that:

• The Core Strategy would form part of the overall Local Development Framework (LDF) and a detailed site allocations plan would follow once the Core Strategy had been agreed
• The details presented were approved for consultation by Executive Board in February 2012
• Details of proposed changes to the consultation draft were included in the Scrutiny Board’s agenda papers
• A report on the outcomes of the consultation is scheduled to be considered by Executive Board on 7 November 2012, prior to the proposed final version being presented to Full Council later in November 2012

The Joint Director of Public Health advised the Scrutiny Board that Public Health had contributed to the development of the document presented to the Scrutiny Board.  The Joint Director of Public Health added that in considering the draft Core Strategy, he had considered three broad questions, namely:

(1)  Whether the Core Strategy reflected planning’s contribution to health;

(2)  Whether the Core Strategy covered the breadth of planning’s contribution to health; and,

(3)  In terms of implementation, whether there was sufficient assurance that the health and wellbeing aspect of planning would become incorporated as developments occur

The Joint Director of Public Health outlined that while the Core Strategy reflected the Council’s emerging Public Health duties/ responsibilities, he had felt that earlier drafts had underplayed some of the health challenges facing the City and the contribution of planning in helping to address such challenges. However, it was felt that initial concerns had been addressed and the current draft strategy included all the contributions that planning can make towards improving health across the City.

Reference was also made to an additional document produced by Marmot (The Marmot Review: Implications for Spatial Planning), which provided evidence on the relationship between aspects of spatial planning, the built environment, health and health inequalities.

In terms of implementation of the strategy/ framework, the Joint Director of Public Health welcomed the proposal to establish a health and planning reference group, to ensure the contribution and consideration of health issues much earlier in the planning process than had historically been the case.

A number of specific issues were highlighted and discussed, including the following matters:

• The general complexities associated with health and well-being and its relationship with inter-dependencies such as employment, income, housing, education and the built environment and consideration of how specific areas of the City that had historically had higher levels of deprivation, for example Burley, Chapeltown, Harehills, Beeston and other outer areas, would benefit from the development of the LDF Core Strategy
• Concerns about the rapid Health Impact Assessment process adopted to consider the health implications / considerations of planning.  There was a general view that this perhaps reinforced and reflected the position that, historically, health implications were not considered early enough within the planning/ development processes.  Assurances were given by the Joint Director of Public Health that a much closer working relationship between City Development and Public Health had developed over recent months and that he was confident this would continue
• Queries regarding the accuracy of the population growth projections (approx. 200,000 by 2033 (20 years), as this represented more than double the current health dynamic in the City (i.e. the difference between births and deaths)
• Implications of the population growth projections on infrastructure across the City and the availability of affordable housing across the City.  It was outlined that changes to the affordable housing policy were proposed, which would make the policy applicable to all residential developments (from 1 property upwards)
• Subjectivity around the term ‘sustainable development’ and the need to maximise the development of brownfield (previously developed) sites to help control the expansion of urban areas
• The anticipated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) regarding the relationship between planning and health.  Specifically, members queried how this and future guidance / best practice evidence would be taken into as part of specific future planning considerations/ proposals. The Joint Director of Public Health highlighted the importance of the ongoing involvement of Public Health professionals within the planning process. It was also stated that ensuring the most up-to-date guidance / evidence was considered would be a key role for Public Health professionals and would be a key responsibility of the Joint Director of Public Health
• The general availability and/or provision of green space.  It was highlighted that this would form part of the ‘site allocation process’, which would consider where the different elements of the Local Development Framework (including green space, housing etc.) would be provided across the City.  There was a recognition of the difficulties associated with creating additional open/ green spaces in existing highly populated urban areas, however the Core Strategy aimed to help improve access to walking, cycling and green infrastructure across the City
• The protection of playing pitches and where issues of re-provision elsewhere in the City were considered, the ‘elsewhere’ was key to those communities where the original provision may be lost
• Securing job opportunities for local people through S106 employment agreements.  It was highlighted that provision for such agreements was available within the LDF policy framework, however it was suggested that issues remained regarding the application and implementation of the policy

Members also raised some issues relating to specific development’s and planning applications.  The Head of Forward Planning and Implementation responded in general terms but advised he was unable to address specific queries related to individual planning applications/ developments.

Members of the Board were also advised that, as the Leeds Local Development Framework Core Strategy forms part of the council’s budget and policy framework, the Scrutiny Board (Sustainable Economy and Culture) – as the relevant Scrutiny Board – would be invited to make any formal comments at its meeting on 1 November 2012, before the final draft was submitted to the Executive Board for recommendation to Full Council. 

RESOLVED-

a)  That the contents of the report and appendices be noted.

b)  That the Principal Scrutiny Adviser ensure the points raised by the Scrutiny Board (Heath and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care) were reported to the Scrutiny Board (Sustainable Economy and Culture) – as the relevant Scrutiny Board – for consideration ahead of the final draft of the Core Strategy being submitted to the Executive Board for recommendation to Full Council.