Councillors will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on the agenda.

The following declarations of interest were made:

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting held on 15 October 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2025 were agreed as an accurate record.

To receive reports on business which in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change), supported by Amanda Ratsey (Head of Economy & Investment) and Richard Stevens (Managing Director, Plymouth Citybus), introduced the item and highlighted:

a)    Sustainable growth was generally considered as growth that did not negatively impact the environment, but promoted social inclusion and wellbeing and helped to drive a green industrial economic revolution;

b)    When considering economic growth, it was important to increase the green and blue skills within the city and consider decarbonisation, waste reduction, boosting nature recovery;

c)    To deliver economic growth, six elements had been identified through which resources would flow:

                      i.        Attracting new investment into the city in green jobs, specifically around new and emerging energy production and storage;

                     ii.        Business support, helping businesses adapt to climate change and move to net zero emission;

                    iii.        Decarbonise the current economy, including retrofitting the existing commercial building stock and opportunities;

                    iv.        Restorative actions which improved sustainability;

                     v.        Commitment to supporting sustainable travel and living, including public transport provision;

                    vi.        Skills and Workforce Development needs for a more sustainable economy;

d)    Plymouth had secured funding from central government for electric buses, receiving the largest award nationally and committing to a £20 million investment;

                      i.        Electric buses were operational, quieter and cleaner but still faced traffic and capacity challenges;

                     ii.        The Citybus depot in Milehouse was a Net Zero facility;

                    iii.        If the funding was available, the depot was in a position to be able to run an entirely decarbonised fleet of buses;

                    iv.        Plymouth was at the leading edge of the decarbonisation of public transport;

e)    Floating offshore wind development through the Celtic Array Crown Estate project included the potential for 7000 new jobs in the South West;

f)     Focus areas included marine autonomy, cybersecurity, surveying and training for high value roles;

g)    Port infrastructure investment included installation of shore power with £5 million investment supported by freeport funding, enhancing connectivity through Brittany Ferries to France and Spain;

h)    Plymouth was announced as the National Centre for Marine Autonomy, attracting businesses working on clean propulsion technologies such as hydrogen, hybrid battery systems and sail drive;

i)     Links to Freeport hydrogen power development was highlighted as important for inward investment;

j)     Sustainability priorities included investment in green jobs aligned with the corporate plan, supporting businesses to adapt to climate change, restoring the natural environment through initiatives like the National Marine Park and Community Forest, promoting clean transport and sustainable living, and developing skills for young people and career movers transitioning to clean technologies;

k)    Next steps included quarterly pillar meetings to strengthen the evidence base, commissioning further research on emerging opportunities such as battery technology, continuing monitoring of economic strategy progress using Power BI with a 75% response rate in the first round, and reviewing workstreams to reflect rapid innovation in sectors like marine autonomy and alternative propulsion.

In response to questions, supported by David Draffan (Service Director for Economic Development), Mike Page (Growth Board and Funding Manager), Lauren Paton (Economic Development Officer), the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport) introduced the item and highlighted:

a)    The Plymouth Plan had been in place since 2015 as a single holistic plan replacing over 140 strategies and had been recognised regionally, nationally and internationally;

b)    The plan set a clear strategic direction for the city, covering social, economic and environmental wellbeing and was owned by the City Council and city stakeholders;

c)    The plan had been refreshed three times and integrated with the Plymouth and Southwest Devon Joint Local Plan adopted in March 2019, giving it a clear spatial expression;

d)    The Plymouth Plan and Local Plan were separate but connected, with the Local Plan acting as the spatial strategy for the Plymouth Plan;

e)    Research by the Plymouth Health Determinants Research Collaboration found strong support for continuing the Plymouth Plan, even among those with low awareness of it;

f)     Feedback highlighted the need to simplify the plan, focusing on key outcomes rather than detailed policy revisions which should sit within delivery plans;

g)     A comprehensive review was needed as much of the content remained as it was in 2015 despite major changes including Brexit, the COVID19 pandemic, cost of living crisis, climate emergency declaration and economic impacts of the war in Ukraine;

h)    The city faced significant opportunities including city centre transformation, designation as a National Defence Growth Area, National Centre for Marine Autonomy and £4.4 billion government investment into HM Naval Base Devonport and Babcock’s Dockyard;

i)     The review process was at stage one, aiming to raise awareness and scope key issues. Councillors were asked to contribute perspectives on whether the plan addressed the most important strategic issues and identify areas for inclusion;

j)     The review provided an opportunity to integrate areas such as play into the plan and ensure the strategy includes the right hooks for delivery plans.

In response to questions, supported by Kat Deeney (Head of Environmental Planning), Jonathan Bell (Head of Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development) and Paul Barnard (Service Director, Strategic Planning and Infrastructure), the following was discussed:

k)    There had been ongoing discussions about how the Plymouth Plan worked and its value, which could not be achieved without partnership work. The programme set out in the draft paper looked ahead to the autumn of 2026 and was expected to move more swiftly than a local plan;

                      i.        From late spring to early summer, work was planned to pull together a draft plan for consultation, providing opportunities for input before final endorsement by City Council and partnership boards;

                     ii.        Partners had consulted within their own communities to ensure the information feeding into the plan was as thorough as possible and there would be opportunities to reconnect with scrutiny at key stages to keep members informed and involved throughout the process;

l)     The existing Plymouth Plan was a large document, but the intention had been to reduce it down because it was a high-level strategic plan. Beneath were plans such as the Plan for Nature and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport), supported by Rebecca Miller (City Planning Manager), Jonathan Bell (Head of Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development), introduced the item and highlighted:

a)    Since 2019 there had been an adopted joint local plan with South Hams and West Devon which had been effective but key elements were now out of date due to changes to the national planning policy framework and the new standard method for housing need;

b)    The previous government and the current government had continued reform to the national planning system, but not all parts were yet in place to formally start a new local plan process;

c)    Work had begun to identify what should be in scope of the new plan and what the key issues were that needed to be addressed;

d)    A Local Development Scheme (LDS) was approved setting out a provisional timetable for a 30-month plan production period plus a four-month scoping period subject to local plan regulations being published;

e)    The aim was to start the four-month scoping stage in January 2026;

f)     Plymouth had significant opportunities with over £4.4 billion of planned investment in the defence industry, Team Plymouth work streams, investment in the Freeport, being shortlisted as a potential new town and partnership working with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Homes England;

g)    Major challenges included meeting the governments standard method for housing which had doubled the annual requirement, the challenge would be balancing growth with preserving the unique environment and meeting needs of the population;

h)    Early involvement from the scrutiny panel and ward members was important for launching the new local plan process;

i)     The current joint local plan would be replaced by separate plans for Plymouth and for South Hams and West Devon, but the existing joint plan would remain in place until the new plans were adopted;

j)     National planning reforms including the new local plan regulations and spatial development strategies were still awaited and were needed before Plymouth could formally start the new plan;

k)    The duty to cooperate had been cancelled but the requirement remained to work with neighbouring authorities for proper strategic planning;

l)     The plan would have to address the standard method for housing as housing delivery had only met the required level twice in recent years;

m)  The plan must support the economic strategy including land for marine employment and strategic connectivity;

n)    Plymouth was a regional city, and the plan must support the city centre and major facilities and ensure good connectivity with the surrounding areas and natural environment;

o)    Transformational change in the city centre was expected to be a major topic for the next plan;

p)    The plan had to consider how Plymouth became more accessible and well connected and how local communities had what they needed close to their homes, including access to nature;

q)    Climate resilience and reducing carbon emissions in line with the climate emergency declaration would be a major challenge;

r)    Planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change), supported by Andy Sharp (Interim Service Director for Street Scene & Waste), Kat Deeney (Head of Environmental Planning) and Chris Avent (Green Estate Manager) introduced the item and highlighted:

a)    It was noted that Plymouth was an incredibly green city with hundreds of thousands of trees and that trees brought wide benefits including flood resilience, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, urban cooling, air quality and improved wellbeing;

b)    It was noted that there were real challenges in ensuring environmental values were embedded across all teams and that the tree management principles document would help improve transparency, safety, engagement and sustainability;

c)    The document continued to be rooted in expert feedback from tree officers, environmental groups and the plan for trees steering group, which included passionate community representatives;

d)    It was noted that the background to the document had been influenced by contributions from opposition councillors through planning, which had shaped thinking on how to continue improving practice;

e)    The Council was responsible for approximately 70,000 trees and had duties relating to tree protection orders (TPOs) and planning which all interrelated;

f)     It was confirmed that the document recognised the importance of trees to the identity of Plymouth and updated the original 2019 version to reflect new legislation, new context and new standards;

g)    The scope had been expanded to include management of Council trees, TPOs, trees in the planning process and plans for planting more trees across the city;

h)    Engagement and consultation were embedded throughout the document and that safety considerations were clearly set out for the public and stakeholders;

i)     It was reported that the new Environment Act had introduced duties to consult on removing street trees and that learning from the Armada Way review had strengthened the focus on communication and public engagement;

j)     Internal and external working groups, including trusted external partners, had reviewed the document and comments from the meeting would be considered in the final version;

k)    It was confirmed that the document would be reviewed every five years to respond to changes in legislation, context and the needs of the city;

l)     Key changes included expanded definitions of how Council trees were managed, clearer explanations for the public and new sections on tree planting and the relationship with planning;

m)  The document set out a clear process for consultation on trees, drawing on learning from other authorities, and included an appendix covering consultation steps;

n)    It was noted that the revised document provided a framework for working with partners and the public to make sensible decisions on tree management across planning, Council owned trees and future tree planting.

In response to questions, the Panel discussed:

o)    The legislation did not set out how assessments had to be carried out and there were no prerequisites about what information had to be included;

p)    The duty was to consult for removal of trees, display notices, inform the public, publish information on the website and communicate with local residents;

q)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

Glenn Caplin-Grey (Strategic Director for Growth) and Hannah Chandler-Whiting (Democratic Advisor) explained:

a)    With a number of items remaining on the work programme it had been determined that an additional meeting would be scheduled for 29 January 2026;

b)    This would also allow the Chelson Meadow Solar farm to be discussed following the outcome of a funding bid, but before it would need to go to Cabinet for decision;

c)    There were also time pressures relating to the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership item and it was therefore also proposed for the 29 January 2026 meeting.

Hannah Chandler-Whiting (Democratic Advisor) noted:

a)    Outstanding actions were being chased.

The Panel noted its action log.