Comment

South Yorkshire draft devolution scheme: What could new powers mean for the region?

Consultation is now underway on a draft devolution scheme for South Yorkshire. New spatial planning powers are amongst those which are subject to consultation.

Notable progress on a devolution scheme is to be welcomed and some of the proposed powers offer the opportunity to make a significant difference to the future of the region.

It is proposed that Mayoral strategic planning powers will allow: 

• The creation of a non-statutory Spatial Framework for the city region.
• Mayoral Development Corporations to be established.
• Compulsory purchase powers in line with those held by Homes England to be used.
• Relaxed borrowing rules, which permit the Sheffield City Region (SCR) to raise investment funds which it cannot presently access.

Other powers will have implications for development and investment decisions, such as the ability to invest in and co-ordinate public transport provision.

The devil will be in the detail in the implementation of some of the measures, but the proposed Spatial Framework raises more questions than it answers. Will the South Yorkshire approach manage to avoid the issues that other regions have encountered?

Spatial planning devolution – not a new idea

City-region / sub-regional approaches to spatial planning are of course not new. The north has seen different approaches to implementing these powers, with both the Liverpool and Greater Manchester City Regions progressing statutory plans, the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) and the Greater Manchester Spatial Strategy (GMSF).

Both approaches have presented challenges, notably around whether they are addressing the fundamental issue of their respective regions and are sufficiently ambitious. The slippage in timescales for progress and the extent of public opposition has also been significant, particularly in the case of the GMSF.

Other plans that have progressed to examination elsewhere in England have been found unsound by the Planning Inspectorate, as in the case of the West of England Joint Spatial Plan.

The South Yorkshire approach

At this time it is unclear whether the South Yorkshire approach is a response to issues faced by other regions but the proposals raise a number of questions.

Timescales

The new spatial framework would require the unanimous agreement of the constituent authorities. Given the time taken to reach agreement in principle on SCR devolution, this risks significant delay in securing a plan. GMSF has been over six years in the making and potentially will not be adopted for several years.

In the meantime, a number of authorities in South Yorkshire will be required to have at least reviewed their existing local plans, and potentially started work on new local plans. There is a distinct possibility that the new local plans will be adopted before the Spatial Framework has made substantive progress.

Achieving consensus on key spatial decisions requires compromise and strong governance to ensure that the planning strategy is informed by the evidence base and is not compromised by political agendas.

The Government’s response to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) approach to the devolution proposal confirmed that any authority that wished to do so would be free to join an alternative wider Yorkshire Devolution group, leaving the SCR with a commensurately reduced devolution deal.

Lack of power

As a non-statutory document, questions can be asked as to the purpose. It will carry limited weight in the planning process. This risk is exacerbated given the issues around timescales highlighted above, if a number of the local plans have been adopted in advance of the Spatial Framework reaching an advanced stage of preparation, it will immediately be out of date.

Not all negative

More positive are the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) powers and Compulsory Purchase Powers. These have been, and are being used elsewhere to deliver much needed development and ultimately improved quality of life (through economic growth and regeneration) across a number of regions.

An MDC is a statutory body created to bring forward the regeneration of a defined area. They have powers to acquire, develop, hold, and dispose of land and property. They also have powers to facilitate the provision of infrastructure. An MDC has been established in the north in Stockport to facilitate major urban regeneration across part of the town centre, including proposals for up to 3,500 new homes and 1 million sq ft of employment space, along with social infrastructure, greenspace, and public realm works. Liverpool, the first MDC outside London, has taken a different approach of encouraging investment in job creation, education and training facilities and providing housing choice. The approach for South Yorkshire will need to reflect the particular challenges it faces but it is clear that the use of similar powers in South Yorkshire could deliver transformative powers.

On a similarly positive note, the use of Compulsory Purchase powers and the relaxed borrowing powers proposed offer the chance to facilitate and unlock transformative developments and change for the region.

An opportunity

The consultation provides the opportunity for the development industry in South Yorkshire to shape the future of its devolution and how spatial planning matters will be approached. It may wish to push for a statutory Spatial Framework that has powers to deal with the difficult issues of planning for levels of housing and employment growth which supports the aspirations of the SCR Strategic Economic Plan. This will require adequate provision to be made for these land uses, releasing Green Belt if necessary alongside the proper integration of infrastructure and cannot be achieved via a non-statutory route. Industry may also use the opportunity to shape the framework around the matters it views as priorities.

If you would like to discuss what the draft devolution scheme for South Yorkshire consultation could mean for the future of the South Yorkshire region, please contact Lewis Evans.

18 February 2020