Agenda, decisions and minutes
PDF 267 KBVenue: Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames. TW18 1XB
Contact: Carys Walker Partnership Committee Officer
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Members of the public were invited to put informal questions to the Committee ahead of the official Committee business. Questions and their responses have been published as an annex to the minutes. |
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: From Spelthorne Borough Council
Cllr Sue Doran Cllr Maureen Attewell
From Surrey County Council
Ms Denise Turner-Stewart Miss Alison Griffiths |
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MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting on 30 September 2019 as a correct record.
Minutes: The minutes from the meeting of 30 September were agreed as being an accurate record. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
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: No declarations of interest were received. |
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DECISION TRACKER (FOR INFORMATION)
To review any outstanding decisions from the Joint Committee.
A letter in response to the Joint Committee’s enquiry about the Esso pipeline has been enclosed for information as part of this item.
Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee members reviewed the decision tracker.
It was agreed that representatives from the Esso pipeline project should be invited to the next meeting.
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MEMBERS' COMMUNITY ALLOCATIONS UPDATE
An update on the allocation of county members’ community funding as of the 30 November.
Members are reminded that the deadline for applications is the 31st January, 2020. Minutes: The County Council members were reminded that there was a deadline of 31st January, 2020 for submission to their members’ allocation. |
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PETITIONS & PETITION RESPONSES
To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 14.1. Notice must be given in writing or by email to the Community Partnership and Committee Officer at least 14 days before the meeting. Alternatively, the petition can be submitted on-line through Surrey County Council’s or Spelthorne Borough Council’s e-petitions website as long as the minimum number of signatures has been reached 14 days before the meeting.
Petition details and responses will be published as part of a supplementary agenda ahead of the meeting. Decision: Petition 1 – Road Safety outside Chennestone School, Sunbury on Thames.
The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:
(i) that the Road Safety Outside Schools assessment will be undertaken and the results reported to a future meeting of the Joint Committee.
Reason:
1. The Joint Committee felt that the petitioner had made a good case for improvements to be made and want to investigate options for road safety measures.
Petition 2 – Church Street and Vicarage Road, Staines – pavement widening.
The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:
(i) to add this site to Committee’s prioritisation list for possible future Integrated Transport Schemes (ITS schemes).
Reasons: 1. The Joint Committee felt that this should be investigated in order to improve safety and access for all users.
Minutes: Petition 1: Road Safety Improvements outside Chennestone School in Sunbury.
This petition was presented by 9 year old Rosie Gurney and was brought about as a result of her experiences of walking to school. She wanted to be able to gain some independence by walking by herself but her parents felt that the main road was too dangerous and so Rosie instigated the petition to request a parking attendant or a crossing to be installed.
She and her parents had also sent in a short video of Rosie and her brother walking to school to demonstrate the problems that they encountered and this was shown to those present.
The Area Highways Manager acknowledged the problem and outlined some of the things that have been done in the area to promote road safety, such as instigating 20 mph zones and road humps in some of the roads where cars had been speeding. However, it is not possible to do everything at once and sometimes they need to review areas again to see if further measures are required.
Officers recommended to the Committee that a Road Safety assessment be carried out and findings reported to a later meeting of the Joint Committee.
The Committee agreed noting not only the safety benefits for pupils but the benefits to the environment of increasing motivation for people to walk rather than use their car.
The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:
(i) that the Road Safety Outside Schools assessment will be undertaken and the results reported to a future meeting of the Joint Committee.
Reason:
1. The Joint Committee felt that the petitioner had made a good case for improvements to be made and want to investigate options for road safety measures.
Petition 2: Pavement Widening outside Church Street and Vicarage Road, Staines
This petition was presented by Mr Bower on behalf of the Staines Village Residents & Traders Association. They have requested that the pavement is widened outside of The Bell Public House. It is proposed that this will serve the community in two ways. Firstly, the widened pavement will improve safety of pedestrians, especially those using wheelchairs and mobility aids and secondly, the narrow road that will result from this adjustment would deter vehicles (a number of which are large commercial vehicles) from speeding though this junction.
The Divisional Member supported this petition saying that she had spoken to several concerned residents about this matter and could attest to the public support for this proposal. She also remarked that as well as the safety aspect to this proposal, preserving the character of this historical area was also important to the community.
The Area Highways Manager acknowledged the concerns and outlined the issues. In order to widen the pavement as suggested, it would mean that the remaining carriageway would not be wide enough for two lanes and so this road needs either to install a priority pass, or become part of a one-way system. It was suggested that Highways officers in collaboration with the Divisional Member ... view the full minutes text for item 36/19 |
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WRITTEN MEMBER QUESTIONS
To receive any written questions from members under Standing Order 13. The deadline for members’ questions is 12 noon four working days before the meeting.
Any questions and responses that have been received will be published as part of a supplementary agenda ahead of the meeting. Minutes: No members’ questions were submitted. |
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WRITTEN PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To answer any questions from residents or businesses within Spelthorne borough area in accordance with Standing Order 14.2. Notice should be given in writing or by email to the Partnership Committee Officer by 12 noon four working days before the meeting.
Any questions and responses that have been received will be published as part of a supplementary agenda ahead of the meeting. Minutes: Question 1: Requesting answers re: Stanwell Place.
Mr McLuskey posed a question which highlighted his frustrations at not being able to clarify the latest plans for the site at Stanwell Place which is owned by the construction company CEMEX.
The officer’s response acknowledged his concerns and explained that whilst these were shared by officers and members of the Committee, both the borough and county council had limited influence over what was a national concern.
It was suggested that a formal approach was made by the Joint Committee to CEMEX to request a site visit and this could be followed up by a letter to the local MP if CEMEX were not forthcoming.
This approach was agreed and the decision tracker was updated to reflect this.
Question 2: Consultation with residents on 20 MPH zone in French Street, Sunbury.
Mrs Nichols posed this question about a proposal to extend the 20 MPH zone in Sunbury. Her question illustrates concerns she had that residents are not being adequately consulted on these measures. She felt that the proposed scheme had some benefits but that these could have been improved upon. She felt that consulting residents on certain aspects such as signage should have been done at a much earlier stage and that residents did not have adequate time to engage.
The Area Highways Manager replied that residents’ views are usually sought once a defined solution has been designed for a specific location, rather than on a generic question of whether or not residents desire measures in the general vicinity. The proposal in question is part of a wider scheme of measures across this area of Sunbury. However, budget and operational constraints have meant that these measures have been installed a piece at a time. This means that residents may not appreciate the collective impact on traffic of all the measures working together once installed and so residents’ feedback may not be impactful on the ultimate decision. In the instance highlighting by Mrs Nichols however, residents’ feedback did result in an adjustment made to the final plan for the scheme so this was valuable in this case.
Question 3: Inclusion of Adult Education Centre in Local Plan.
This question was put by Mrs Nichols’ and illustrated her concerns that the centre’s inclusion means that it is earmarked for closure and is requesting more information about this. The officer’s response from Surrey County Council is that there are no plans to close this at this time. The property was included to encourage a joined up approach in the future usage of borough and county assets. This response was accepted by the Chairman.
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HIGHWAYS UPDATE (FOR DECISION)
To receive an update from the Highways Area Team Manager (North East).
Additional documents: Decision: The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:
(i) Authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Divisional Member to advertise the necessary legal order to adjust the one-way system in Walton Lane, Shepperton, to resolve any objections, and if there are no insurmountable objections to make the change on site. (ii) Approve the recommended capital ITS programme for next Financial Year 2020-21. (iii) Approve the proposed LSR programme for next Financial Year 2020-21 (iv) Authorise the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Members, to amend the 2020-21 capital LSR programme as appropriate when the 2020-21 budgets have been confirmed (v) 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:
1. The Committee agreed to give approval to actions that will bring the 19/20 programme to completion
2. The Committee agrees to the proposed Highways programmes and funding in order that work can commence promptly in the next financial year, once budgets have been approved. Minutes: The Area Highways Manager presented his report which gave an update on the progress of the Highways programme for 2019/20 as well as looking ahead to the Committee’s priorities in 2020/21.
Committee members were able to clarify details of the proposed projects with the Highways manager to inform their decision.
It was also requested that members received more information to understand how officers came to their recommendations from the many prospective projects available.
The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:
(i) Authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Divisional Member to advertise the necessary legal order to adjust the one-way system in Walton Lane, Shepperton, to resolve any objections, and if there are no insurmountable objections to make the change on site. (ii) Approve the recommended capital ITS programme for next Financial Year 2020-21. (iii) Approve the proposed LSR programme for next Financial Year 2020-21 (iv) Authorise the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Members, to amend the 2020-21 capital LSR programme as appropriate when the 2020-21 budgets have been confirmed (v) 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:
1. The Committee agreed to give approval to actions that will bring the 19/20 programme to completion
2. The Committee agrees to the proposed Highways programmes and funding in order that work can commence promptly in the next financial year, once budgets have been approved. |
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OVERVIEW OF STREET WORKS OPERATIONS (FOR INFORMATION)
A verbal update and presentation about how roadworks are managed. Additional documents: Minutes: The Traffic and Street Works Manager presented to the Committee. The presentation began with an overview of the team and their work. It then went on to outline how the street works of external companies (such as utilities) are coordinated and monitored and what powers Surrey County Council has to ensure that works are completed to time and to a suitable standard.
Committee members wanted to know how the public could usefully provide feedback to the team to help monitor street works and under what circumstances fines could be levied to external organisations for substandard work. The officer reported that are online portals for the public to report dangerous road works or tarmac reinstatements and that in a recent case, a report from a resident resulted in a very dangerous situation being quickly remedied and a successful prosecution was brought against the offending company. |
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IMPROVEMENTS TO SHOPPING CENTRES IN SPELTHORNE (FOR INFORMATION)
A report on the improvements to shopping centres in Spelthorne. As part of the presentation, a selection of photographs will illustrate the improvements. Minutes: Spelthorne Borough Council’s Economic Development Manager presented the report which detailed recent successful shopping parades refurbishments in the borough as well as feedback from the businesses and any lessons learned about carrying out such projects again in the future. |
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HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVES IN SPELTHORNE (FOR INFORMATION)
A summary of the initiatives being undertaken by Spelthorne Borough Council to prevent and relieve homelessness, including rough sleeping.
Additional documents: Minutes: A report from Spelthorne’s Housing Strategy and Policy Manager was presented on homelessness and how this was being tackled in the borough. The officer reported that Spelthorne Borough Council’s homelessness strategy was open to consultation and encouraged committee members to input into this and to encourage other to do so.
A video from the charity Crisis was shown to highlight some of the issues faced by homeless people.
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FORWARD PROGRAMME 2019/20
To review the forward programme 2019/20, indicating any further preferences for inclusion. Minutes: The Forward Programme was agreed for the next meeting. |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
To be held on Monday 23 March 2020 at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, Spelthorne Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB.
(Meeting to start with Informal Open Forum)
Minutes: The next meeting is to be held on Monday 23 March 2020. |