Councillors and committees

Agenda item

NATIONAL AIR QUALITY PLAN - APPROVAL OF OUTLINE BUSINESS CASE (A331) (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION FOR DECISION)

The report seeks approval of the Outline Business Case to implement measures to improve air quality on the A331 (Blackwater Valley Relief Road) and comply with the accompanying Ministerial Direction and the preferred option of a 50mph speed limit from 70mph on a section of the A331 shown in Appendix 2 of the report.

 

The Blackwater Valley partnership of Guildford Borough Council, Surrey Heath Borough Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Surrey County Council and Hampshire County Council have jointly prepared the Outline Business Case as they all have an interest in the A331. 

 

Annex 1 of the report will follow with the supplementary agenda.

Decision:

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.

 

Minutes:

Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

 

Officers present: Justine Fuller, Regulatory Services Manager, GBC and William Bryans Transport Studies Team Manager, SCC

 

Member discussion - key points:

 

 

Councillor Ellwood thanked officers for all their hard work; he commented that five councils working together was quite an achievement.

 

Members asked how the proposed speed limit was going to be enforced.  The Regulatory Services Manager informed members that Hampshire Police had recently said they no longer have the resources to install and enforce the proposed speed limit via average speed cameras. The speed limits will be enforced as part of the Police’s general activities, but there will not be any additional proactive enforcement.  Road users will be made aware of the reason for the speed reduction with signage. The final decision on the proposed measures rests with the Secretary of State.

 

Members agreed that if a similar report came back to the Committee it would be helpful to have costs for the other options in a simple table and the ongoing cost and benefit of them.

 

Members asked if DEFRA would pick up the police enforcement costs.  However, officers explained that  it is not just a matter of meeting the Police’s costs.  The main issue is that Hampshire Police will have a lack of resource in their offices dealing with safety camera enforcement.  Furthermore, DEFRA do not have the authority to instruct the Police to undertake activities.

 

Members queried whether the southern end of the A331 would be compliant with the EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide. Officers responded that this section is forecast to become compliant during 2020, and there will be a monitoring programme so they will be looking at this section and submitting reports on this to DEFRA.

 

The recommendations were agreed by majority.

 

Resolved:

 

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.

 

Supporting documents: