Councillors and committees

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Pippbrook, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ

Contact: Rowena Zelley, Partnership Committee Officer  Surrey County Council, Community Partnerships & Engagement Team, Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Woodhatch, Reigate, RH2 8EF

Link: Click here for the webcast

Items
No. Item

43/21

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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

    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from District Councillor Raj Haque who was substituted by District Councillor Rosemary Hobbs and County Councillor Helyn Clack.

     

44/21

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 321 KB

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

    Minutes:

    Regarding the progress of Green Lane path Cllr Hall confirmed to Cllr Townsend that he will speak to our Principal Lawyer. Cllr David Hawksworth confirmed he was pleased to see the draft that had gone to legal did not include ‘stiles’.

     

    The minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

45/21

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

    Minutes:

    There were no declarations of interest made.

     

46/21

PETITIONS

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    To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 65 or letters of representation in accordance with the Local Protocol. An officer response will be provided to each petition.

    Minutes:

    No petitions were received.

     

47/21

PUBLIC WRITTEN QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 734 KB

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    To receive any questions from Surrey County Council electors within the area in accordance with Standing Order 66.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

    Officers attending: Zena Curry, Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager, SCC, Duncan Knox, Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements:

     

    8 written questions were received as follows:

     

    1. District Councillor Keira Vyvyan-Robinson re roundabout maintenance
    2. Rosemary Dickson re maintenance of roundabouts in Leatherhead
    3. Roger Troughton re maintenance of footways
    4. Roger Troughton re matrix displays
    5. Roger Troughton re 20mph limit in towns
    6. Joanna Slater re Leatherhead town main road crossing
    7. Julia Dickinson re LCWIP-related
    8. Julia Dickinson re LCWIP-related

     

    The questions asked and the answers given were published in the supplementary agenda.

     

    1. District Councillor Keira Vyvyan-Robinson asked how to add the roundabout to the maintenance programme, and will SCC commit to doing this.

    Cllr Chris Townsend asked if flooding could be addressed on the Knoll roundabout.

     

    2. Rosemary Dickson asked about getting sponsor(s) for the three roundabouts with a plaque to say the sponsor is responsible and will look after them.

     

    The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager thanked the volunteers for their work. The nature of vegetation is that it will grow back so we will look at the classification to see if all the roundabouts fall within the rural grass cutting programme, but it won’t give the enhanced aesthetic sought.

    Sponsorship is managed through Mole Valley District Council so this can be put forward. Details are available on our website. Plaques are part of the scheme.

     

    The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager confirmed flooding on the highway is managed through the wet spots process and she will check where the Knoll roundabout is on the prioritisation.

     

    Cllr Clare Curran observed lots of litter both sides of Young Street and down the A24. District Councillor Caroline Salmon asked if litter problems could be reported, and it will then get on the schedule and confirmed Young Street and down the A24 will be added.

     

    3. No supplementary question.

    Cllr Chris Townsend advised it is not possible to cycle on the Ashtead to Knowle footpath and asked what could be done. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager suggested volunteering and prioritisation on maintenance budgets available.

     

    District Councillor Caroline Salmon mentioned closer liaison with SCC and Mole Valley District Council is needed regarding sweeping and cutting back. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager confirmed that she will look at what can be done in the next financial year.

     

    District Councillor Rosemary Hobbs asked if there was a monitoring system to look at vegetation. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager confirmed an annual inspection will pick this up but not all vegetation is highways. Other landowners are involved so please report issues.

     

    District Councillor Caroline Salmon mentioned that the National Trust along A24 have an agreement that SCC maintain footpaths. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager will respond outside of this meeting.

     

    4. No supplementary question.

     

    5. Roger Troughton said new cars manufactured from 6 July 2022 will have to be legally fitted with Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) technology to help drivers obey speed limits. He asked if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47/21

48/21

MEMBER WRITTEN QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 114 KB

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    To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

    Officers attending: Zena Curry, Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager, SCC

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements:

     

    1 member question was received as follows:

     

    1. District Councillor Paul Kennedy re changes to highways functions

     

    The question asked and the answer given were published in the supplementary agenda.

     

    District Cllr Paul Kennedy confirmed he had no supplementary question.

     

    The chairman (Cllr Tim Hall) mentioned the gridlock in Fetcham, Bookham and Leatherhead and the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager confirmed that unfortunately there can be emergencies on the diversions from planned works.

     

    Cllr Chris Townsend asked why Headley Road is closed and the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager confirmed that she will respond outside of this meeting.

     

    District Councillor Paul Kennedy asked why roadworks are set up overnight and no-one is working on them and is there an end of year effect.The chairman (Cllr Tim Hall) answered that the renewal of traffic lights in Leatherhead town centre means they are unplugged and cannot be plugged in again until finished. No end of year effect as programme of works set out across the year.

     

    The chairman (Cllr Tim Hall)  and the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager hope the emergency works will soon be fixed and the planned works are towards the end of their process. The Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager recommended looking at the https://one.network/uk for all road closures and planned works.

     

    District Councillor David Hawksworth asked about temporary notices and the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager appreciated it is frustrating but the best way to find out before setting out is check on the one app https://one.network/uk

     

    Cllr Clare Curran mentioned the road map on the SCC website is also helpful.

49/21

HIGHWAYS BUDGET 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 241 KB

50/21

RURAL SPEED LIMIT REVIEW pdf icon PDF 1 MB

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    Most rural roads in the south and southwest of Surrey are still subject to the national speed limit of 60mph. The 60mph speed limit is inappropriate for these rural roads. The Drive SMART Road Safety Partnership have agreed to provide £100,000 funding which will be supplemented by additional funding for road safety from Surrey County Council to review and implement lower speed limits on rural roads in the south of Surrey in a proactive, strategic, area wide basis. This report presents proposals for a reduction in speed limits across a wide area of the south of rural Surrey and seeks agreement from the committee to proceed. If the lower speed limits result in successful reductions in speeds, this will reduce the number and severity of road collisions, support active travel, improve air quality, and could also help address concerns over excessive vehicle noise.

     

    Decision:

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed that:

     

    (i)      The speed limits be reduced on the roads as shown in Appendix B that are in the Mole Valley Local Committee area. (Other roads within the Guildford and Waverley areas are also shown for information and are being presented to the Local/Joint Committees for those areas for approval separately).

     

    (ii)      Authorise the advertisement of a notice in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the effect of which will be to implement the proposed speed limit changes, revoke any existing traffic orders necessary to implement the change, and, subject to no objections being upheld, that the order be made.

     

    (iii)     Note that after 1 April the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager will be responsible for resolving any objections received in connection with the proposal in consultation with the relevant Divisional Member.

     

    (iv)    Note that if the reductions in speed limit have not been successful, then further supporting highway measures or a higher speed limit may be necessary.

     

    REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

    Reducing the speed limit on these roads will help to manage vehicle speeds to a level more appropriate to the use of road and will reduce the risk and severity of collisions. Lower speeds can also reduce air and noise pollution, and make it safer, easier and more pleasant to walk, cycle and ride horses.

     

     

     

     

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

    Officer attending: Duncan Knox, Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Key points from discussion:

     

    ·         Members welcomed the report.

    • Brexhall Green Road, South Holmwood is shown as 60 and it was asked if the speed limit should be lowered. The Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager confirmed it had been looked at and not included in this review. The adjacent residential housing estate would need to be included and it was not considered part of the rural speed limit review. The local divisional member agreed to look at commissioning work to look at the speed limit.
    • A member asked if apart from local divisional members pursuing things were there any plans to extend the review. The Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager confirmed there were plans to extend in Waverley and Guildford and it could be easily extended to other parts of Surrey where the national speed limit is no longer appropriate. It is possible local divisional members can also promote schemes on country lanes with future funding.
    • A member asked about accidents on these roads and what prevention rates would be. The Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager confirmed all the collisions have not been collated on all the roads but there would be before and after analysis of collisions and speeds and the speed surveys will be repeated.
    • A member asked if air quality will be monitored. The Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager said there were no plans to monitor but he will find out if there are any monitoring stations in that area.
    • A member asked if there was going to be more signage, how much enforcement and any use of average speed and static cameras. The Road Safety and Sustainable School Transport Team Manager confirmed there would be more signage. SCC’s speed limit policy has been used so additional enforcement should not be necessary. However, if there is poor compliance the police would expect SCC to put in engineering measures. Soon the location of new average speed cameras will be made public. These will be at the worst collision hot spots where speeding is an issue.

     

    Resolved:

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed that:

     

    (i)      The speed limits be reduced on the roads as shown in Appendix B that are in the Mole Valley Local Committee area. (Other roads within the Guildford and Waverley areas are also shown for information and are being presented to the Local/Joint Committees for those areas for approval separately).

     

    (ii)      Authorise the advertisement of a notice in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the effect of which will be to implement the proposed speed limit changes, revoke any existing traffic orders necessary to implement the change, and, subject to no objections being upheld, that the order be made.

     

    (iii)     Note that after 1 April the Highways Engagement and Commissioning Manager will be responsible for resolving  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50/21

51/21

DECISION TRACKER pdf icon PDF 296 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.

    Minutes:

    The Local Committee noted the decision tracker and agreed items marked as closed and complete could be removed.

52/21

FORWARD PLAN [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 13 KB

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    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) will note the contents of the forward plan.

    Minutes:

    The Local Committee noted the forward plan of items expected to be received

    at future meetings.

53/21

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

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