Agenda item

Alwen Williams (Chief Executive) to present the report.

1.         To agree the recommendation and preferred way forward - Revised Land and Property Programme (Option 2) stating that it will be a matter for the Sub-Committee to determine the projects to be prioritised and the approval of funding from the Growth Deal.

2.         To request that the Portfolio Director begins the transition process to formally include these elements in the Land and Property Programme.

The report was presented by the Chief Executive and Head of Operations.

DECISION

1.         To agree on the recommendation and preferred way forward – Revised Land and Property Programme (Option 2) stating that it will be a matter for the Sub-Committee to determine the projects to be prioritised and the approval of funding from the Growth Deal.

2.         To request that the Portfolio Director begins the transition process to formally include these elements in the Land and Property Programme.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

In March 2025, North Wales Ambition launched an 'Expression of Interest' process to select projects for the new Reserve List that would be able to bring forward business cases for funding in the future. One of the criteria set was that projects needed to be within the scope of the five existing Growth Deal programmes – Digital Connectivity, Low Carbon Energy, Land and Property, Innovation in High Value Manufacturing and Agri-Food and Tourism.

Of the 27 Expressions of Interest submitted, four were considered to be outside the scope of the Growth Deal. One of these was a revenue-based project and the other three were primarily transportation projects. It was noted that two had been submitted by the Welsh Government and one by Cyngor Gwynedd. Only one of the projects, 'Padeswood', met the scoring threshold to be considered for inclusion on the reserve list; however, the report to the sub-committee made clear that this would be subject to a separate decision on the inclusion of transport projects within the Growth Deal.

At the Economic Well-being Sub-Committee in May, it was agreed that:

a)         the Sub-Committee agrees to initiate a process to assess and review the scope and case for extending the current Growth Deal to include transport projects.

b)         the Sub-Committee commissions the Portfolio Director to prepare a detailed options report in consultation with the Welsh and UK Governments and officers of the Constituent Councils and Education Partners.

c)         the options report be submitted to the Sub-committee with the intention of determining whether the formal change process should be commenced to ensure agreement for the extended Growth Deal to include Transport projects.

DISCUSSION

The members were reminded that this report was being submitted following a request from the board following the last meeting in order to be able to decide whether or not it was necessary to consider initiating a formal change process to extend the Growth Deal to accommodate projects with Transport elements.

It was explained that if the 'Padeswood' project were to be approved on the Reserve List, this would enable the possibility of adding more schemes to the reserve list in the future, provided they met the requirements of the Growth Deal. It was noted that this was the only scheme that met the scoring thresholds following an Expression of Interest process to be on the Reserve List, carried out by North Wales Ambition in March 2025.

The background and relevant considerations that had been achieved prior to submitting this report were detailed, noting that a wider scope of programmes had originally been considered when conceptualising the Growth Deal, before deciding on the five programmes that were already in place (Digital Connectivity, Low Carbon Energy, Land and Property, Innovation in High Value Manufacturing and Agri-Food and Tourism). It was explained that only one project comprising Transport aspects was considered at the time of discussing the Growth Deal's Heads of Terms agreement in 2019, and that project had been implemented within the Low Carbon Energy programme thus removing the need to establish a Strategic Transport Programme within the Growth Deal. However, it was emphasised that Transport as well as skills development and employability remained key areas.

It was highlighted that the Economic Well-being Sub-Committee had requested during their meeting in May 2025 that there be a thorough assessment of different options available in order to be able to deliver projects with Transport aspects within the Growth Deal. It was noted that three options had been considered by the Portfolio Management Office (PMO), and they were expanded upon as follows:

•           Option 1: New Transport Programme – It was noted that this meant introducing a new Programme as part of the Growth Deal. It was explained that this option had been discounted because it required significant funds to be realised and would not be feasible to implement within the available budgets.

•           Option 2: Revised Land and Property Programme – Consideration was given to amending the wording of this programme to highlight that it may include projects that have transport infrastructure aspects both on project sites and off-site when linked to developments. It was noted that revising the Programme to include this clarity was sensible and achievable.

•           Option 3: No change – It was explained that this was the option that would have had the least impact, and it was confirmed that this option had been discounted as it would have meant that the Joint Corporate Committee had lost an opportunity to fund projects that could contribute to the Growth Deal's targets.

It was confirmed that two options had been discounted and that a recommendation was being made to members that they adopt Option 2 – Revised Land and Property Programme. It was reported that introducing this amendment in accordance with option 2 was within the remit of this Sub-Committee as it provided wider clarity on the work that can be delivered within the Programme.

Support for this amendment to the Revised Land and Property Program was expressed, and members were pleased that it provided flexibility for transportation matters that were beneficial to the region. However, it was emphasised that it will be the decision of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee to confirm which projects can be taken forward through this amendment.