To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Kelly, Councillor Hussain and Councillor Taylor.

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.   

There were no declarations of interest.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chair decides should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items of business.

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the Pennines Township Committee held on 20 July 2021.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Pennines Township Committee held on 20^th July 2021 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The following matter was raised as part of the Open Forum:-

a)    Community Rail Partnership – Calder Valley Line

Mr Jackson informed the Committee about difficulties that the Littleborough Civic Trust had experienced in trying to become involved with the Community Rail Partnership for the Calder Valley Line.

In response, the Assistant Director (Economy) informed the Committee that the Partnership was in its very early stages and had not met yet and matters such as stakeholder involvement had not been finalised. The comments would be passed to the Officer in the Council who was co-ordinating work to establish the Community Rail Partnership to provide a response.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Communications / Director of Economy.

The Committee considered a report which advised that a draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been produced for consultation purposes for the Littleborough Station area to support the redevelopment and renewal of the area by providing detailed planning and design advice. The report sought the views of the Township Committee on the content of the Draft SPD as part of the consultation with key stakeholders.

As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, Supplementary Planning Documents build upon and provide more detailed advice or guidance on the policies in the Local Plan. Regulations 11 to 16 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 set out the requirements for producing SPDs. Regulation 12 requires that consultation is undertaken prior to the adoption of an SPD.

In considering the submitted report, written questions had been submitted by members of the public present at the meeting. A submission from Mr Hooson was also read out by the Assistant Director (Economy) as part of the introduction to the report and a submission from Councillor Taylor was read out by the Chair in his absence.

The written questions submitted from members of the public included:

• Ms Barber – asking about proposed bus movements at Littleborough Train Station and the potential implications of pedestrianisation or narrower roads in front of the station and links to existing pedestrian and cycle networks;
• Mr Pickering – asking about suggestions that properties housing long standing businesses could be demolished;
• Mr Cropper – asking why shopkeepers and residents had not been informed and the intentions and process relating to the Littleborough United Reformed Church;

There were also questions asked in the meeting about the formal consultation process and what format that would take; the possibility of the consultation process being extended as had happened with the Castleton SPD consultation recently; clarity about some of the terminology being used in the Draft SPD and the potential use of CPO powers.

Committee Members asked questions and made comments including;

• proposals about the narrowing of Church Street and retaining the green space adjacent to the Co-op;
• ensuring that local business owners and residents concerns should be taken into account as part of the process;
• the need to maintain suitable access to rail replacement services;
• the need to take into account the routeing of bus services.

The Committee were advised by the Assistant Director (Economy) and the Portfolio Holder for Economy and Communications that:

• The report presented to the Committee was the start of the process and presented initial aspirations and indicative plans to express the objectives of the SPD to inform any consultation as part of a series of regeneration plans being developed for land and buildings around the Train Stations across the Borough. Having an SPD in place would assist in attracting funding for schemes in future;
• All stakeholders were being encouraged to submit responses, comments and suggestions. In other parts of the Borough, stakeholder input had led to draft SPD’s being changed following consultation;
• One of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.