Planning powers now officially in hands of MDCs
MOVE AIMS TO FAST-TRACK REGENERATION
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PLANNING powers have officially transferred to controversial mayoral development corporations in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough.
The latest step means the two corporations have now received powers to act as the determining authorities for planning applications in the areas bound by the development corporations.
The move, as seen by its supporters, gives the corporations more clout to drive investment and cut red tape while retaining safeguards for both Hartlepool Council and Middlesbrough Council over future developments.
But the development corporations, particularly in Middlesbrough, have been met with a backlash from critics who previously said it’s a needless body that’s conducting a “smash and grab” of £14.7m worth of council assets.
Mayoral development corporations (MDCs) aim to fast-track regeneration.
Significant planning powers have now been shifted to the corporations to cut red tape and they will also have powers to acquire, develop, hold and dispose of land, as well as build new infrastructure.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) has committed £10m each to the two towns to drive the development effort.
The shift means, in practice, the MDC is responsible for all planning decisions that fall within the boundary where they meet a ‘strategic’ definition, which will be set out. Decisions on all other matters would be delegated back to the council.
According to the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) – the organisation spearheading the plans – the corporations are working closely with both local authorities to finalise the types of applications the development corporations determine, and those which are to remain with the councils shortly.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We will make huge changes to Middlesbrough and Hartlepool by cutting red tape and boosting investment while keeping a hand on the tiller when it comes to ensuring development truly comes to fruition.
“By taking on these planning powers, the corporations now have the means to really transform the hearts of both Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.
“We want to see Hartlepool grow as a cultural capital of the north, and we have great ambitions to make Middlesbrough a place where people want to live, work and study. The sky really is the limit.”
Middlesbrough’s development corporation will focus on the town centre, Middlehaven and the Zetland Historic Quarter to tie them together more closely.
It will also include crucial assets such as the Boho zone, Middlesbrough Station, the Northern School of Art, Centre Square, and Teesside University.
Middlesbrough Football Club, Union Village, at Gresham, and the area behind Sainsbury’s between the A66 and North Road are also included within the zone’s boundaries.
Meanwhile, Hartlepool’s Corporation will encompass Oakesway Business Park, retail and leisure land – including Mill House Leisure Centre and Middleton Grange Shopping Centre – with a raft of public realm, land, and civic buildings.
A consultation by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the asset owners in both MDCs is ongoing.
It’s previously been understood the government will aim to transfer the assets by early summer.
Moves to set up Hartlepool MDC were unanimously backed at a full council meeting in February with the principle of a list of assets transferring to the development corporation and the constitution supported.
However Labour councillors raised concerns about the list of assets subject to transfer proposals not being released publicly, and raised a motion to do this, which was defeated.
At the time, leading council officers said the list was not public due to negotiations on safeguards and protections for the assets continuing, and it would be made public once agreements were reached. Labour politicians have raised a number of concerns about the Middlesbrough MDC. A major sticking point is that £14.7m of local authority assets, including Broadcasting House, the Civic Centre and the former Crown pub, would be transferred to the new body. The party branded this the “biggest smash and grab” since the council’s inception.
At a meeting earlier this year, 16 Labour councillors voted against the proposals, defeating the 12 who were in favour of the plans.
The party was then slammed by high-profile Conservatives in the region, with Mr Houchen claiming people deserved better than the
Ben Houchen “negative and bitter Labour politicians who currently represent them.”
In the aftermath, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove intervened and gave his support to the development corporation.
It followed letters from former Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston, alongside the three Conservative councillors and all 22 of the independents, who wrote to Mr Gove and Mr Houchen to express support for the scheme.
Newly-elected mayor Chris Cooke, who voted against the creation of the MDC, said he would sit on the board to “make sure we get the best deal for Middlesbrough”.
Those in favour of the plans see it as an opportunity to tackle areas of the town that desperately need to be transformed. Mr Preston said previously that it would start an avalanche of investment and job creation and is keen for the transfer of assets to happen sooner rather than later.
Mr Houchen has championed the £18m that will be invested in the town, including £8m for Gresham if the plans go ahead. The Secretary of State will have the final say over whether the assets should transfer to the respective MDCs.
The Gazette has contacted Middlesbrough Council and Hartlepool Council for comment.
the corporations now have the means to really transform the hearts of both Middlesbrough
and Hartlepool.