Issue - meetings

Report attached.

In accordance with Regulation 11 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, approval was given by Councillor Jodi Clements, Chair of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to the following decision being made by Cabinet on 30^th October 2024, under the special urgency provisions for key decisions, on the grounds that the decision was urgent and could not reasonably be deferred.

In the absence if the Mayor, approval was given by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Josh Allen, to the disapplication of the call-in procedure on the grounds of urgency, in accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule C14.

The Cabinet considered a report of Melissa Fisher, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities, providing an update on the Huncoat Garden Village project and seeking a series of approvals to progress the project, including authority to accept the grant award and enter into a grant funding agreement with Homes England.

Councillor Fisher provided a brief introduction to the report.  She confirmed that the Council was pleased to announce its intention to progress plans for the redevelopment of the former Huncoat Power Station and Huncoat Colliery brownfield sites for 1,816 new homes, of which 263 would be affordable or social housing.   The development would include a relief road, village centre, primary school extension, railway station parking and some 23 hectares of open space, including woodland and sports facilities.

The Portfolio Holder thanked the officers for their hard work, Homes England for the grant funding and Councillor Clare Pritchard for her work in chairing a Cabinet Working Group, which had led a review of the proposals.

Councillors Aziz and Khan both spoke in favour of the project.  Councillor Khan raised questions about a proposal for a strategic rail freight terminal and about how the decision on the overall project would be communicated to residents, to which Councillor Dad responded.

Approval of the report was deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

Huncoat Garden Village formed a key part of Hyndburn Borough Council’s growth plans.  It was a residential-led, brownfield housing development project with the potential to transform the housing market within Hyndburn.

The Huncoat Garden Village Masterplan and Framework and Delivery Strategy, approved by Cabinet in October 2021, had set out a framework for the new housing development and expanded settlement of Huncoat, with the Masterplan Framework becoming a material consideration for planning applications for the Garden Village area.  A design code (currently in final draft form) set out good design principles including rules (the dos and don’ts) for the creation of a high quality residential development and environment and this would be used by Hyndburn Borough Council, landowners, developers, house builders, etc. as the project was delivered.

Huncoat Garden Village also formed a key part of the emerging Local Plan (Hyndburn 2040: Local Plan {Strategic Policies and Site Allocations}), Policy SP2.  Homes England had confirmed that the Huncoat Garden Village proposals remained consistent with the new Government’s strategy for housing growth as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 214