Decision details

The Guildford Joint Committee agreed that:

(i)    The Committee endorses the Outline Business Case to date as shown in Appendix 1 and the preferred option of a 50mph speed limit from 70mph on a section of the A331 shown in Appendix 2.

(ii)  Delegate authority to The Director of Community Services, Guildford Borough Council in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Licensing, Environmental Health and Protection and Community Safety (Guildford Borough Council) and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Surrey County Council) to make any minor amendments and submit the Outline Business Case to the Joint Air Quality Unit by the 31 December 2018.

(iii)Delegate authority to The Director of Community Services, Guildford Borough Council in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Licensing, Environmental Health and Protection and Community Safety (Guildford Borough Council) and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport (Surrey County Council) to make any minor amendments to and submit the Full Business Case to the Joint Air Quality Unit.

Reasons:

The UK National Plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations (2017) named Guildford Borough Council along with Rushmoor Borough Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council as needing to undertake a Feasibility Study to explore measures to achieve compliance with the EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide along part of the A331 (Blackwater Valley Road) in the shortest possible time.  The requirement for the Feasibility Study was specified in a Ministerial Direction.

The recommendations help ensure that Guildford Borough Council complies with the Ministerial Direction.  Firstly, by complying with guidance issued by the Joint Air Quality Unit that states the Feasibility Study should be approved by the Local Authority and secondly by delegations to ensure the Feasibility Study is submitted by the specified deadlines.