Councillors and committees

Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Contact: Gregory Yeoman, Partnership Committee Officer 

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38/21

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.

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    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from Cllr Cope, with Cllr Paul Wood substituting.

39/21

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.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Cllr Sugden declared his membership of Claygate Parish Council in relation to Item 8.

40/21

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 222 KB

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

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2021 were agreed as accurate.

41/21

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

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    To receive any Chairman’s announcements.

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    Minutes:

    The Chairman invited everyone present to stand for one minute’s silence to mark the continuing crisis in Ukraine.

42/21

PUBLIC WRITTEN QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 203 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.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None.

     

    Officer in attendance: Zena Curry (Highways Engagement & Commissioning Manager).

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: Mrs Katherine Cooke.

     

    Three questions were received; the questions and responses were included in the supplementary agenda papers for the meeting. For questions 1 and 3 the questioners did not attend. The Chairman took question 2 first because the questioner – Mrs Katherine Cooke – was in attendance.

     

    Question 2

    Mrs Cooke described the near-miss involving her son that had occurred at the pedestrian crossing. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager agreed to provide available accident data covering Claygate Lane, although there was nothing specific to the crossing in question. Information will also be provided on the latest ‘Road Safety Outside Schools’ assessment and the process behind how this is prepared.

     

    Mrs Clarke drew attention to the fact that although the crossing is used by local pupils it is also an important one for residents in general, so any improvements would have a wide benefit.

     

    The Chairman thanked Mrs Clarke for raising this important issue.

     

    Question 1

    Cllr Sugden, the local Divisional member, explained that road safety and speeds on Claygate Lane have been a concern for a while and he acknowledged the work that has been done previously to address this, including the installation of speed bumps, refuge islands, a 7.5 ton environmental weight limit (which has exemptions for deliveries and school buses) and a school crossing patrol. More recently, the footway has been widened, and a new zebra crossing and an uncontrolled crossing point have been installed.

    Concerns still remain about vehicle speeds and drivers ignoring the weight limit. Given the other measures that had been introduced it was felt that a reduction of the speed limit to 20mph could be introduced just by installing signs; Cllr Sugden indicated that he would hope the parking surplus could be used to pay for the necessary speed surveys (which would hopefully also give information about HGV use along the road), and he would use his highways allocation to cover any installation costs.

     

    He would discuss this with the officer outside this meeting.

     

    Other members agreed with this approach. Cllr Darby asked for the request for the introduction of a 20mph limit in Long Ditton to be considered at the same time as the Claygate Lane one if they can both be implemented using just signs.

     

    There was also a call for the local schools to promote good cycling behaviour among the pupils. The borough contact for cycling promotion and training is David Sharpington.

     

    Question 3

    The cost of constructing a roundabout at the Hampton Court Way/Summer Road junction would no doubt be considerable and a scheme on this scale would need very careful consideration. The response to an earlier petition that requested the same scheme had not made any commitment to it.

    The local Divisional member explained that he had visited the Tiffin site near the junction last year and understood that the schools has a masterplan for the site which would move the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42/21

43/21

PETITIONS

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    To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 68. Petitions must be submitted to the Partnership Committee Officer in paper copy or on-line through Surrey County Council’s e-petitions website at least 14 days before the meeting.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    No petitions were received.

44/21

MEMBER WRITTEN QUESTIONS

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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.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    No questions were received.

45/21

APPROVAL OF BUS STOP CLEARWAYS IN THE CLAYGATE AREA (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 143 KB

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    Buses are not always able to access bus stops in certain areas in Claygate, Esher and Hinchley Wood due to parked vehicles. To ensure good accessibility onto/off buses, and to ensure that the bus driver has good visibility of waiting passengers, it is recommended that a bus stop clearway is installed at each bus stop.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    RECOMMENDATIONS

     

    The Local Committee (Elmbridge) agreed that:

     

    (i)            bus stop clearways are installed at the following stops in East Molesey and Esher division:

    a)    at Arbrook Lane bus stop (westbound) on Milbourne Lane, Esher for a length of 23 metres

    b)    at Arbrook Lane bus stop (eastbound) on Milbourne Lane, Esher for a length of 13 metres

    (ii)           bus stop clearways are installed at the following stops in Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Oxshott division:

    a)    at Oaken Lane bus stop (northbound) on Manor Road South, Hinchley Wood for a length of 19 metres

    b)    at Oaken Lane bus stop (southbound) on Manor Road South, Hinchley Wood for a length of 23 metres

    c)    at Dalmore Avenue bus stop (westbound) on Hare Lane, Claygate for a length of 13 metres

    (iii)         bus stop clearways to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

    (iv)         any objections from affected frontages to be addressed by delegated authority by the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Team Manager, in consultation with the relevant Surrey County Councillor and the Chair of the Local Committee

    REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

    It is recommended that Elmbridge Local Committee agree to the installation of bus stop clearways operating for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at bus stops as detailed. This is to ensure that buses servicing these bus stops can provide passengers with step-free access at all times and ensure that there is good visibility for the bus driver to see waiting passengers as well as aiding journey time reliability.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: Cllr Sugden declared his membership of Claygate Parish Council.

     

    Officer in attendance: Alison Houghton, Senior Transport Officer, Strategic Transport Group

     

    Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None.

     

    Key points from discussion:

    The Senior Transport Officer clarified that a bus stop clearway consists of a yellow cage outline painted on the road plus a sign on a pole displayed to say ‘no parking within certain times’, which can be up to a 24-hour restriction. Clearways differ from double yellow lines in that they also prohibit loading.

    Bus stop accessibility and the encouragement of bus use need to be balanced with the possible inconvenience of loss of a parking space. With the exception of the sites on Manor Road South, the proposals did not directly affect any property frontages; residents of affected frontages will be informed of proposals and given an opportunity to provide feedback which will be considered before decisions are made.

     

    The existing road lining in Hare Lane (Dalmore Avenue bus stop) has unusual lining which will be adjusted with new kerb buildout. The officer undertook to provide the local Divisional member with the dimensions of the bus stop cage for this location.

     

    Resolved:

    The Local Committee (Elmbridge) AGREED that:

     

    (i)            bus stop clearways are installed at the following stops in East Molesey and Esher division:

    a)    at Arbrook Lane bus stop (westbound) on Milbourne Lane, Esher for a length of 23 metres

    b)    at Arbrook Lane bus stop (eastbound) on Milbourne Lane, Esher for a length of 13 metres

    (ii)           bus stop clearways are installed at the following stops in Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Oxshott division:

    a)    at Oaken Lane bus stop (northbound) on Manor Road South, Hinchley Wood for a length of 19 metres

    b)    at Oaken Lane bus stop (southbound) on Manor Road South, Hinchley Wood for a length of 23 metres

    c)    at Dalmore Avenue bus stop (westbound) on Hare Lane, Claygate for a length of 13 metres

    (iii)         bus stop clearways to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

    (iv)         any objections from affected frontages to be addressed by delegated authority by the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Team Manager, in consultation with the relevant Surrey County Councillor and the Chairman of the Local Committee

    Reasons for recommendations:

    It is recommended that Elmbridge Local Committee agree to the installation of bus stop clearways operating for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at bus stops as detailed. This is to ensure that buses servicing these bus stops can provide passengers with step-free access at all times and ensure that there is good visibility for the bus driver to see waiting passengers as well as aiding journey time reliability.

46/21

HIGHWAYS REPORT (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 245 KB

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    This report seeks approval of a programme of highway works for Elmbridge funded from the Local Committee’s delegated capital and revenue budgets.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    RECOMMENDATIONS

     

    The Local Committee (Elmbridge):

     

    General

    (i)    Noted that the Local Committee’s devolved highways budget for capital works in 2022/23 is £755,551 as agreed by Cabinet on 22nd February 2022.

     

    (ii)   Agreed that the devolved capital budget for highway works be used to progress both capital improvement schemes and member capital allocation as detailed in section 1.

     

    (iii)   Authorised that the Highway Engagement & Commissioning Manager in consultation with county members to be able to reallocate budget to reserve schemes should there be a need to change the programme. 

     

    (iv) Authorised that the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager in consultation with county members, be able to allocate any additional funding for schemes, in accordance with any guidance issued surrounding that funding.

     

     

    Capital Improvement Schemes

    (v)  Agreed that the capital improvement schemes allocation for Elmbridge be used to progress the Major Integrated Transport Schemes programme set out in Annex 1 (recommended option).

     

    (vi)  Authorised that the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager be able to vire money between the programme of schemes agreed in Annex 1, if required.

     

    (ix)  Agreed that the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager, in line with the Scheme of Delegation, is able to progress any scheme from the Major Integrated Transport Schemes programme, including consultation and statutory advertisement that may be required under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for completion of those schemes. Where it is agreed that a scheme will not be progressed, this will be reported back to the appropriate county member.

     

    Member Capital Allocation

    (x)   Noted that £50,000 is allocated to each divisional member.  Up to £15,000 of this could be allocated to minor ITS, or all £50,000 on capital maintenance (recommended option). The schemes are to be agreed by county members in consultation with the Stakeholder Engagement Officer.

     

    Revenue Maintenance

    (xi)  Noted that the members will continue to receive a Member Local Highways Fund (revenue) allocation of £7,500 per county member to address highway issues in their division; and

     

    (xii) Agreed that all county member allocate £2,222 of their Member Local Highways Fund allocation to be pooled as a contribution to Elmbridge Borough Council’s Street Smart Team.

     

    (xiii)Agreed that revenue works are to be managed by the Highway Maintenance team on behalf of and in consultation with county members.

     

     

    REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

    To agree, a programme of highways works in Elmbridge for 2022/23, funded from budgets available to enable schemes and works to progress.

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officer Attending: Zena Curry, Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager

     

    Petitions, Public Questions and Statements: None

     

    Key points from discussion:

    The Engagement and Commissioning Manager outlined the draft budget report, the funds available for Members and the two options for handling the budget for 2022/23, the first (Option 1) agreeing the proposed prioritised ITS list as laid out by the officers and arrived at following discussion prior to this meeting, the second (Option 2) dividing the capital budget equally between county councillors. Additional funds had also been made available county-wide to cover road safety outside schools.

     

    Members discussed the relative merits of Options 1 and 2. While the point was made that some Divisions had no schemes on the Option 1 list despite some locally important ones being requested, it was noted that this list included schemes for which design work had already been started, and larger schemes could be delivered than would be achievable under Option 2.

     

    There were also comments that the scoring system used to arrive at the prioritised list was subjective.

     

    It was explained that for 2023/24 each member will be asked to suggest one project per division. The new Stakeholder Engagement Officer had already been in touch with members to ask them for nominations of projects and will continue to liaise to ensure the best selection of schemes. This list needs to be finalised by September this year so that all the projects county-wide can be considered for prioritisation.

     

    The established CASEE scoring will be reviewed during the development of the new process, for example to take account of the Greener Futures initiative. The Community Network Approach will also be important for enabling members and communities to bring the right people into the conversation to determine local priorities. Ward members were considered key stakeholders in the process and the Chairman stressed the importance of County Councillors working with the ward members to ensure that all views were heard.

     

    It was confirmed that Elmbridge Borough Council was continuing with its support for the StreetSmart scheme. Information would be circulated outlining what the StreetSmart team can work on and how to contact them to ask for work to be done.

     

    CIL was highlighted as a possible source of alternative funding for schemes. Strategic CIL is linked with projects on the Infrastructure Delivery Plan which are larger than those on the ITS list. Neighbourhood CIL is more appropriate for schemes of a scale that the committee would consider and a number of applications have been made. Any new applications would need to start from the beginning with feasibility and design in a very short time-frame as the application deadline is the end of March.

     

    The Engagement and Commissioning Manager agreed to provide a list of the main schemes that had been completed over last 4 years and how much had been spent.

     

    In relation to recommendation (ix) the Engagement and CommissioningManager clarified that it related to the rare occasions when a scheme could not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46/21

47/21

LOCAL COMMITTEE DECISION TRACKER [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 369 KB

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    This item provides an update on previous decisions and actions agreed by the Committee. The Committee is asked to agree that the items marked as complete are removed from the tracker.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The decision tracker was noted with the following comments:

     

    Item 1 – Cllr Sugden (Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Oxshott) will arrange a meeting with officers to discuss Hare Lane.

    Item 2 – Cllr Darby (The Dittons) asked for confirmation of the request from officers for Member feedback.

    Item 4 – the £1m budget referred to is not new. There is a second £1m budget for road safety which is new and which is in addition to the original one.

    Item 10 (final bullet point) – the Engagement and Commissioning Manager will arrange a meeting with Cllr Lewis (Cobham) to discuss the CIL application once the results of the feasibility study are known. CIL decisions will be made in July, therefore there is still time to hold a public consultation.

     

48/21

FORWARD PLAN [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 103 KB

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    The Committee is asked to note the forward plan for the Committee and propose any items which they would like to see added.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Forward Plan was noted.

     

    The Chairman asked the Committee Officer to arrange an informal meeting of the committee for discussion of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) output plan prepared by Atkins.

49/21

DATE OF NEXT MEETING [FOR INFORMATION]

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    Tuesday 07 June 2022.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    07 June 2022.