Councillors and committees

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Elmbridge Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD

Contact: Nicola Morris, Partnership Committee Officer  Elmbridge Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD

Items
No. Item

RECORD OF OPEN FORUM pdf icon PDF 108 KB

29/17

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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    To receive any apologies for absence and notices of substitutions from Borough members under Standing Order 39.

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from Mr Ernest Mallett and Cllr Roy Green.  Mr Tony Samuels was delayed and missed the start of the meeting.

30/17

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

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    To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

    Minutes:

    The Chairman highlighted the recent opening of the Walton Sports Hub which will be an excellent facility for the Borough going forward.

     

    He reminded Co-opted Borough members of the need to complete the Surrey County Council declaration of interest form which is a requirement of their membership of the Committee.

     

    He sought members views on future informal meetings of the Committee.  The consensus was that as far as possible business should take place at the formal meetings but if a private informal meeting is required it should be convened as and when required.

31/17

WRITTEN PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS pdf icon PDF 59 KB

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    To answer any questions or receive a statement from any member of the public who lives, works or studies in the Elmbridge Borough area in accordance with Standing Order 69.  Notice should be given in writing or by email to the Partnership Committee Officer at least by 12 noon four working days before the meeting.

    Minutes:

    Two questions were received.  The questions and answers are set out in the supplementary agenda.  The following additional points were made:

     

    Question 1: Mr Bellchamber stated that he felt that groups would be reluctant to report defects on rights of way for fear that the route may be closed.  Whilst volunteers can help with cutting back vegetation they are unable to address capital issues and he asked what the Committee could do to help.  The Chairman reported that the Committee had only very limited funding available to them and any requests would have to be prioritised alongside other schemes.

     

    Question 2: Mr Bellchamber expressed surprise at the length of the agreed extension of the closure, but was pleased that the path would be reopened shortly.  Access to the footpath is via an alley between properties.  Searches have revealed that there is no owner of this land.  He asked whether work could be undertaken to the alley way to make it safe to use.  The Area Highways Manager asked the questioner to send him details of the exact location so that it could be looked at.

     

32/17

PETITIONS pdf icon PDF 111 KB

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    To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 68.  Notice should be given in writing or by e-mail to the Partnership Committee Officer at least 14 days before the meeting.  Alternatively, the petition can be submitted on-line through Surrey County Council’s e-petitions website as long as the minimum number of signatures (30) has been reached 14 days before the meeting.

     

    One new petition has been received.  An officer response will be provided at the meeting:

     

    St Mary’s Road, Long Ditton – objection to the proposal to remove existing parking restrictions as advertised in the Moleseys and Dittons parking review.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending:  Adrian Harris, Parking Engineer

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: One petition was received.  The details of the petition and officer response are attached in the supplementary agenda for the meeting.

     

    Philip Dale, the lead petitioner, set out the reasons for the petition.  The majority of the residents in the road oppose the removal of the current restrictions.  These were originally introduced following the introduction of parking restrictions in the Royal Borough of Kingston which displaced parked vehicles into the area.  As a result resident only parking was introduced in the majority of roads in the Eastern end of Long Ditton.  The residents of Effingham Road decided not to be included and sought to develop their own scheme, however, they have not been able to agree a scheme acceptable to most residents.  Removing the yellow lines is likely to attract drivers in search of free parking to the area disadvantaging residents in both roads.  He asked the Committee to abandon the proposals.

     

    There was no indication of any further public questions or statements so the Committee moved to debate the options.

     

    Member Discussion –key points

     

    Several members supported the views expressed by the petitioner.  However as the public consultation on these proposals has not closed it will be necessary to consider all the views expressed after the closing date before a final decision is made on whether to proceed with the proposals.

     

    The Committee noted the officer response.

33/17

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 141 KB

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    To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.

    Minutes:

    The minutes were confirmed as a correct record.

34/17

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

    (i)            Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)           Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

    NOTES:

    • Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest
    • As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)
    • Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

     

    Minutes:

    There were no declarations of interest.

35/17

MEMBER QUESTION TIME

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    To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47. Notice should be given in writing to the Partnership Committee Officer by 12.00 noon four working days before the meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were no member questions.

36/17

COLIN KEMP, CABINET MEMBER FOR HIGHWAYS - UPDATE [FOR INFORMATION]

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    Colin Kemp, the Cabinet Member for Highways will provide a verbal update on current highways matters.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Nick Healy, Area Highways Manager

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

     

    Member Discussion – key points

     

    Colin Kemp, the Cabinet member for Highways, set out his plans for working with the Local Committee going forward.  His priority is to improve communication with the Committee and he would like to share plans for centrally funded work taking place in Elmbridge at an earlier point in 2018/19 to allow Committee input into the process.  A summary of the work planned for 2017/18 in the Borough would be shared with members with the minutes. [Presentation and map attached at Annex A to the minutes, the numbers on the map are the Surrey Highways asset ID number.  These numbers correspond with the ID on the published Horizon 2 lists on the SCC website]

     

    £90m will be spent on Surrey’s highway network in the current financial year.  This should be just enough to maintain the network at its current standards in the short term, but if funding is not increased there will be a deterioration in highway condition.  Government funding is currently based on road length rather than traffic volume.  The County Council is lobbying the Government to increase the funding, given that Surrey has some of the highest traffic volumes in the country. 

     

    Additional funding is being sought via bids to Local Enterprise Partnerships.  However, the preparation of schemes to submit bids is costly and match funding is required.

     

    He congratulated the Committee on the progress they had made, working with the Borough Council, to secure Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding and using the surplus on the on street parking account to fund additional work in the Borough.  He highlighted that he would be considering proposing schemes for pay and display parking in commercial areas, in order to create churn and support local business.  It would be possible to incorporate a short free period with charging for a longer stay.  Any surplus income could be reinvested in the highways in the area by the Local Committee.  Discussions had taken place with the Federation of Small Businesses who were broadly supportive.  The final decision on whether to implement pay and display and in which locations would be a matter for the Local Committee and a report will be brought to a future meeting.

     

    Members commented on the improvement to highway fault reporting on the Surrey website which now indicates whether the issue has already been reported. Further improvements are planned. Members were concerned that many of the commercial areas within Elmbridge are surrounded by residential roads and that if pay and display parking were to be introduced, there could be significant displacement into these areas.  There are also some activities, such as visiting a hair dressers or restaurant, which take longer than a short term free parking period to complete.  It was noted that there could be a potential for a surplus of around £2.7m to be generated across Surrey by the introduction of pay and display parking.

     

    The Chairman raised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36/17

Annex A pdf icon PDF 386 KB

Additional documents:

37/17

HIGHWAYS UPDATE [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION] pdf icon PDF 232 KB

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    This report summarises progress with the Local Committee’s programme of Highways works for the current Financial Year 2017-18.

     

    Committee is asked to agree the strategy for allocation of Local Committee budgets for next Financial Year 2018-19.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    That the Local Committee [Elmbridge] agreed:

     

    (i)       To approve the allocation of £40,000 from its anticipated 2018-19 budget to continue to support Street Smart for a further Financial Year; 

    (ii)      To approve the allocation of £38,636 from its anticipated 2018-19 budget for Local Structural Repair (LSR – smaller scale resurfacing) of sites drawn from the list in Annex C of the report; 

    (iii)    To approve the review of the existing road signs at Esher Green;

    (iv)    To approve the implementation of one new road table at each of the existing pedestrian crossings in both Lammas Lane and Church Street, including the advertising of the necessary legal notice;

    (v)     To appoint the following three Members to a cross boundary Walton to Halliford Transport Study Steering Group: Two SCC members – Rachael I Lake and John O’Reilly, One BC member – Graham Woolgar

    (vi)    Authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Member(s) to undertake all necessary procedures to deliver the agreed programmes.

     

    Reasons:  The recommendations are intended to facilitate delivery of the 2016-17 Highways programmes funded by the Local Committee and to facilitate development of Committee’s 2017-18 Highways programmes, while at the same time ensuring that the Chairman, Vice Chairman and relevant Divisional Members are fully and appropriately involved in any detailed considerations.



     

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Nick Healy, Area Highways Manager

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

     

    Member Discussion – key points

     

    In relation to the proposals for Esher Green, the Area Highways Manager reported that there had been 19 casualties in this area in three years and there was a clear pattern to these.  This area is amongst the worst casualty sites in Surrey.  However in view of other potential changes in the area, it was felt that an incremental response is the most appropriate at this time.  Members were in agreement with this approach, but wanted to ensure that the momentum continues and that further measures are put in place if the early changes are not successful.  It was noted that agreement to relocate the war memorial is imminent.

     

    Resolved:

     

    (i)       To approve the allocation of £40,000 from its anticipated 2018-19 budget to continue to support Street Smart for a further Financial Year; 

    (ii)      To approve the allocation of £38,636 from its anticipated 2018-19 budget for Local Structural Repair (LSR – smaller scale resurfacing) of sites drawn from the list in Annex C of the report; 

    (iii)    To approve the review of the existing road signs at Esher Green;

    (iv)    To approve the implementation of one new road table at each of the existing pedestrian crossings in both Lammas Lane and Church Street, including the advertising of the necessary legal notice;

    (v)     To appoint the following three Members to a cross boundary Walton to Halliford Transport Study Steering Group: Two SCC members – Rachael I Lake and John O’Reilly, One BC member – Graham Woolgar

    (vi)    To authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Member(s) to undertake all necessary procedures to deliver the agreed programmes.

     

    Reasons:  The recommendations are intended to facilitate delivery of the 2016-17 Highways programmes funded by the Local Committee and to facilitate development of Committee’s 2017-18 Highways programmes, while at the same time ensuring that the Chairman, Vice Chairman and relevant Divisional Members are fully and appropriately involved in any detailed considerations.



     

     

38/17

WALTON ON THAMES AND HERSHAM PARKING REVIEW [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION] pdf icon PDF 158 KB

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    To consider the outcome of a review of parking in Walton on Thames and Hersham, and some changes to parking, waiting and loading restrictions.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    That the Local Committee [Elmbridge] agreed:

     

    (i)        The county council’s intention to introduce the proposals within this report and in Annex 1 are formally advertised, and subject to statutory consultation (as appropriate);

    (ii)        To add Fir Close, Walton on Thames to the list of roads to be included in the informal consultations on potential new resident permit schemes as set out in paragraph 2.4 of the report;

    (iii)        That if objections are received the Parking Strategy and Implementation Team Manager is authorised to try and resolve them;

    (iv)        That if any objections cannot be resolved, the Parking Strategy and Implementation Team Manager, in consultation with the Chairman/Vice Chairman of this committee and the county councillor for the division, decides whether or not they should be acceded to and therefore whether the order should be made, with or without modifications.

    Reasons: Changes to the highway network, the built environment and society mean that parking behaviour changes and consequently it is necessary for a Highway Authority to carry out regular reviews of waiting and parking restrictions on the highway network.

     

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Adrian Harris, Parking Engineer

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements:

     

    Mr Burnett, representing the residents of Fir Close a small cul de sac in Walton–on-Thames expressed concern that the parking issues affecting the road had not been addressed in the report. The increasing number of vehicles parking in the area is a safety issue as well as an inconvenience to residents.  He asked for further consultation with residents before the recommendations of the review are advertised.

     

    The Parking Engineer responded that Parking on one side of Fir Close had been proposed to maximise capacity and prevent pinch points.  However in view of the concerns expressed, he suggested that Fir Close should be added to the list of roads, outlined in paragraph 2.4 of the report, where further informal consultations will take place before a decision is made on whether to progress any additional schemes to formal advertisement.  The consultation will take place in the next few weeks.

     

    There was no indication of any further public questions or statements so the Committee moved to debate the options.

     

    Member Discussion – key points

     

    In relation to Faulkner’s Road, Hersham it was noted that if residents do not want a permit scheme the yellow lines indicated on Drawing 47 will be advertised.

     

    Noted that New Zealand Avenue is not in Rachael I Lake’s division.  Members requested that where appropriate Long Ditton is used as this area is often called Thames Ditton instead and this is confusing for residents.

     

    Members thanked the officer for the excellent and detailed work on the review which has allowed local participation in the process.

     

    Resolved:

     

    (i)        To agree the county council’s intention to introduce the proposals within this report and in Annex 1 are formally advertised, and subject to statutory consultation (as appropriate);

    (ii)        To add Fir Close, Walton on Thames to the list of roads to be included in the informal consultations on potential new resident permit schemes as set out in paragraph 2.4 of the report;

    (iii)        That if objections are received the Parking Strategy and Implementation Team Manager is authorised to try and resolve them;

    (iv)        That if any objections cannot be resolved, the Parking Strategy and Implementation Team Manager, in consultation with the Chairman/Vice Chairman of this committee and the county councillor for the division, decides whether or not they should be acceded to and therefore whether the order should be made, with or without modifications.

    Reasons: Changes to the highway network, the built environment and society mean that parking behaviour changes and consequently it is necessary for a Highway Authority to carry out regular reviews of waiting and parking restrictions on the highway network.

     

     

39/17

FUTURE OF PARKING REVIEWS IN ELMBRIDGE [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION] pdf icon PDF 145 KB

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    To consider how future parking reviews within the borough will be undertaken.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Adrian Harris, Parking Engineer

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

     

    Member Discussion – key points

     

    The Chairman indicated that unless members wished to make a decision at this meeting, it was his intention to seek views at this meeting and to make a formal decision at the next meeting. 

     

    The following points were made:

    ·      Looking at each area in turn has worked well, but it does mean that there can be delays if an issue is identified in another area which has already been reviewed, there should be more flexibility to review limited areas more regularly;

    ·      Now that a comprehensive review has been undertaken there should be less work to do in forthcoming reviews which should allow more time to address problem areas;

    ·      If the Committee returned to whole Borough reviews, these would be less frequent than the current reviews as there would be more work involved in each review;

    ·      If pay and display parking is to be considered, there may be a need to review adjacent parking restrictions to minimise displacement;

    ·      The informal survey was felt to be a useful feature of whatever process is agreed in future;

    ·      Could consideration be given to continuing with the area based approach but covering the whole Borough in 2 years instead of 3?

    ·      A definition of what is considered to be a safety issue was requested.

     

    Noted the report.

     

40/17

LOCAL COMMITTEE DECISION TRACKER [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 65 KB

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    This item provides an update on previous decisions and actions agreed by the Committee.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Nicola Morris, Partnership Committee Officer

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

     

    Member Discussion – None

     

    Noted the progress made with the previous actions.

     

     

41/17

DATE OF NEXT MEETING [FOR INFORMATION]

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    Monday 4 December 2017 at 4.00pm, Elmbridge Civic Centre.

    Minutes:

    Monday 4 December at 4.00pm, Elmbridge Civic Centre