Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that the Joint Strategy (Appendix 1 of the report) be approved, subject to agreement by the other partner authorities, with delegated authority granted to the Director of City Development in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for City Development, to make any amendments arising from the resolution of the other authorities provided that they do not materially alter the content of the document.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the Exeter City Council and East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge District Councils non-statutory Joint Strategy report, which set out key functional linkages across the area, how the development strategies in Local Plans fit together and identified key infrastructure themes.

The Joint Strategy sought approval for publication on the City Council website, and East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge District Councils were also taking equivalent reports through their committee processes in late 2023.

Reference was made to how the document demonstrated the joined-up strategy across the area and the benefits of working together through shared coordinates and the duty to cooperate, which was a key part of producing the Exeter Plan and a means for supporting funding bids for the infrastructure.

Councillor Moore, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item welcoming the report, but raised concerns about climate change relating to the MRF and district heating in system in Cranbrook, which were high in CO² emissions. She considered that there needed to be additional conclusions of measures for moving towards Net Zero.

Councillor M. Mitchell, as an opposition group leader asked whether the document was statutory.

Councillor Jobson, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item and welcomed the report.

During the discussion the following points were made:

·         the Shared Coordinates document was welcomed and an appropriate title;

·         the report would help bring other Councils to progress their Net Zero aspirations;

·         Exeter did not use landfill and the CO² emissions from the energy from waste plant was producing renewable energy; and

·         the document supported the duty to cooperate and was not a formal planning policy document.

RESOLVED that the Joint Strategy (Appendix 1 of the report) be approved, subject to agreement by the other partner authorities, with delegated authority granted to the Director of City Development in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for City Development, to make any amendments arising from the resolution of the other authorities provided that they do not materially alter the content of the document.