Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosureofinterests

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, no interests were declared.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record.

Resolved that the Minutes of the Economy and Infrastructure Policy Development Committee held on 19 November 2020, be approved as a correct record.

Councillor D H Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Delivery & Operations, Martin Nicholls, Director of Place and Penny Gruffydd, Sustainable Policy Officer presented the Green Infrastructure Strategy report which sought Committee approval prior to being presented to Cabinet in February 2021.

It was outlined that the Strategy was designed to support the Local Development Plan (LDP) Policy ER 2 Strategic Green Infrastructure Network and emerging Supplementary Planning Guidance on Green Infrastructure.  The strategy contributed to the Council’s duties under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Environment (Wales) Act 2016 and would support the application of the Statutory SuDS Standard 2019.  It also delivered one of the steps in the Council’s well-being objective: Maintaining and enhancing Swansea’s natural resources and biodiversity and, the Swansea Public Service Board’s Working with Nature Objective.

It was added that the process to produce the Strategy included engagement with relevant Council stakeholders from the public, private and 3^rd sectors, residents, visitors and users of the Swansea Central Area during the development of the draft strategy, followed by a 5 week consultation on the draft strategy.

The report detailed how the Council’s Natural Environment Section worked in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Green Infrastructure Consultancy to develop a draft Swansea Central Area Green Infrastructure Strategy; Swansea Central Area  – Regenerating our City for Wellbeing and Wildlife,  which was included at Appendix A.  The Strategy was designed to realise the green infrastructure aims of the Swansea Central Area Regeneration Framework and ensure the city centre benefited from strategically planned green infrastructure enhancements in both the planning of new development and the refurbishment of existing buildings and public spaces.

The strategy set out the benefits and cost-effectiveness of green infrastructure which would enable the Council and stakeholders to take an informed and joined up approach to maximising these benefits and would create investor confidence in green infrastructure in the city centre.

The report provided details of the strategy development, including the strategy’s vision and how the Council would use the strategy corporately.  The comments and actions from the public surveys, email, school and Library sessions were all summarised at Appendix B.  The sustainable development principle and the ways of working which had been central to the development of this strategy from its conception, were outlined at Appendix C.  

The Committee discussed the following: -

·       The very positive partnership working with NRW to produce the excellent strategy;

·       The importance of also improving air quality within the County;

·       Concentrating the current strategy upon the city centre, the ‘buy in’ from developers and developing the strategy throughout the County as part of a three stage process;

·       Delays caused by the Covid 19 Pandemic;

·       Future funding of the project;

·       The vision of the strategy.

Councillor R Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration & Tourism stated that the Cabinet were working together to progress regeneration schemes and added that a lot of interest had been generated by the strategy, which was widely supported.

Resolved that the Strategy be agreed and forwarded to Cabinet for adoption in February 2021.

The Chair presented the updated Work Plan 2020/2021 report.

The Director of Place highlighted the transport aspect of the Covid 19 recovery to be discussed in January 2021.   He made reference to the aim of how the Council’s policies could be amended and improved to support the delivery of the Council’s aim to be net zero carbon by 2030, within the services and operations of the Council. 

He added that this was wide ranging and would allow the Committee to input into the report which would be a framework for discussion.

Resolved that the contents of the report be noted.