Agenda item

Presentation by the Community and Corporate Planning Manager.

This is an opportunity for the Committee to learn more about the Council’s development of the Sustainable Communities Strategy, in particular the current status of the project and the next steps, and to consider what contribution they wish to make.  

At the Committee’s request the Community and Corporate Planning Manager was present at the meeting to update members on the Sustainable Community Strategy, in particular the current status of the project and the next steps. 

The Community and Corporate Planning Manager presented the draft of the new Cherwell Sustainable Community Strategy which would be out for formal public consultation from mid-July for 3 months.

In response to questions, the Community and Corporate Planning Manager advised the Committee that it was a statutory requirement for counties to have a sustainable community strategy and local strategic partnership. The sustainable community strategy should be a long-term plan and be closely linked to the Local Development Framework. Most districts also develop their own plans. In the case of Cherwell, the 2030 vision timeframe for the strategy had been chosen because of the need for a similar timeframe to the Local Development Framework (2026) and Oxfordshire County Council’s community strategy.

The new sustainable community strategy was commissioned by the Cherwell Community Planning Partnership, Cherwell’s Local Strategic Partnership. The document was based on extensive research, analysis and community engagement. The Cherwell Community Planning Partnership was the ‘owner’ of the strategy and Cherwell District Council was one of the key partners (along with the primary care trust, the police, the voluntary sector and the private sector). The council had taken a coordinating role in developing the new strategy and the Cherwell District Council Executive had endorsed the draft document for formal consultation. The Community and Corporate Planning Manager advised the Committee that new leadership and governance arrangements were being developed for the Partnership. The Committee requested that a role for scrutiny be included within the new Terms of Reference.

Members of the Committee commented that the draft Sustainable Community Strategy was very aspirational and queried how progress would be measured. The Community and Corporate Planning Manager advised the Committee that each priority would have its own targets, projects and milestones within a five year delivery/action plan framework. The delivery plan would be developed in autumn 2009 based on the outcomes of the public consultation. There would be ongoing monitoring to ensure the strategy remained responsive and fulfilled the needs of the district and its residents. An annual performance review and an in-depth review after 5/6 years would also be carried out. 

Members of the Committee requested a number of minor editorial changes (indicated in italics) be made to the draft strategy (all page numbers refer to the draft strategy document and not the agenda):

• Page 3, “Cherwell in 2030”, paragraph 2, final sentence to read: “…to achieve appropriate skills, qualifications and jobs and to be able to participate in the community in Cherwell.”
• Page 8, “Community Challenges”, paragraph 3, final sentence to read: “Addressing residents’ perception of crime and anti-social behaviour…”
• Page 8/9: tourism should be added throughout these sections
• Page 11, “Adapting to an ageing population”: Incorporation of reference to the pre-retirement generation and how they will adapt to older age.
• Page 14/15, “A diverse economy – the economic pledge”: Stronger emphasis on tourism highlighting the important economic impact it has on the community through the provision of employment.
• Page 19, “Did you know”, bullet 6: Provide a breakdown of the 4% who do not classify itself as white and wards with a high proportion on ethnic groups and link this to page 21, “Draft Priorities – For Consultation and Review”, bullet 7.
• Page 26, “Draft Priorities – For Consultation and Review: Bicester”, bullet 5: Make reference to the proposed North West Bicester ecotown development.
• Page 26, “Draft Priorities – For Consultation and Review: Kidlington”, bullet 2: “Continue to explore the possibility of a new railway station.”

The Community and Corporate Planning Manager offered to attend a meeting of the Committee in the autumn to advise members of the outcomes of the consultation and present the draft delivery plan and new Cherwell Local Strategic Partnership leadership arrangements.