Agenda item

To consider the contents of the report and the work carried out to date, and the proposed next steps to enable the delivery of Olympia Park.

The Committee considered the report of the Olympia Park Project Manager which asked Members to note the work carried out to date, and the proposed next steps, to enable the delivery of Olympia Park.

Members were pleased to note that Homes England had now issued a formal offer letter to the Council confirming the award of the £8.878 million grant, subject to certain conditions being satisfied, mainly relating to the Council providing details about how the grant would be spent and ensuring that a comprehensive scheme was delivered for the whole site. The Council was required to complete a Grant Determination (funding) Agreement with Homes England by the 31 March 2019 to enable the funding to be drawn down.

The Committee understood that the HIF investment would have a major impact on accelerating the delivery of the site, targeting funding at the construction of the access road from the by-pass and contributing to the cost of utilities and site preparation works. The investment would act as a catalyst for future development, but a crucial role for the Council would be to guarantee that mechanisms were put into place to ensure that comprehensive proposals were developed for the site, and that landowners/developers contributed towards the provision of common infrastructure.

Officers explained that the HIF investment had to be spent by 31March 2021. In order to achieve this critical deadline the Council would be working collaboratively with all of the landowners to prepare the necessary legal agreements for them to commit to the design and delivery of a comprehensive, integrated scheme for the whole site. Until legal agreements were signed with the respective landowners, this would remain a project risk that would need to be actively managed by the Council.

The Committee acknowledged that the HIF funding could be supplemented by additional investment from the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP. Up to £1.2 million of investment had been agreed in principle, subject to the approval of a Detailed Business Case, which was being prepared. It was anticipated that this would be considered by the LEP’s Board for approval in June 2019.

Members noted that to help ensure the delivery of a comprehensive scheme, the Council was developing a planning strategy for the Olympia Park site based on the preparation of a Planning Brief and Masterplan for the area, likely to be published in consultation draft form in June 2019. The document would set out design principles and an overall vision for the site, including the indicative location of key infrastructure such the primary school, neighbourhood centre and open space and it will establish a planning framework for determining future planning applications. The document was dependent on approval by the Council’s Executive, after which it would be subject to a 6 week public consultation period in June/July. Representations made at this stage would be considered prior to the document being formally approved in the autumn of 2019.

It was expected that a detailed planning application for the construction of the access road was likely to be submitted in June 2019 in order to meet the HIF investment timescales. Subsequent outline/hybrid planning applications for the development of the site for housing, employment and community uses would be submitted by the landowners and/or their development partners towards the end of 2019 once the Development Brief and Masterplan had been approved by the Council. 

Members were pleased to hear that the Council had established a strong governance structure to oversee the development of the Olympia Park project that included a Board (chaired by the Director of Economic Regeneration and Place) and a Project Team that met on a monthly basis.

The Council was continuing its important enabling role, brokering meetings between the landowners who control the site and their potential development partners, to ensure that a comprehensive development strategy was agreed for the site for a scheme that had appropriate links to the town centre and neighbouring communities.

Members asked Officers to check a recently submitted planning application for two additional silos by Cemex who were present occupiers of the Olympia Park site. Officers explained to the Committee that the impacts on future residential development of existing employment activities on the site, such as noise and smells, were being considered carefully as part of the design of the scheme.

RESOLVED:

To note the work carried out to date and the proposed next steps to enable the delivery of Olympia Park.