To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 14.1. Notice should 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 or Woking Borough Council’s e-petitions website as long as the minimum number of signatures (30) has been reached 14 days before the meeting.
Petitions received:
a) Health care facilities in Byfleet village
Minutes:
Petition A: Health care facilities in Byfleet Village
In accordance with Standing Order 14.1 Mrs Amanda Boote presented this petition on behalf of local residents. The petition contained 1078 signatures and was worded as follows:
We, the undersigned, would like Health Care facilities brought back to Byfleet village.
The key issues that residents raised are set out below:
· Within Byfleet there are 3,700 households, and a third of the residents are either under 10 years old or over 65 years, and there are currently no healthcare facilities in the village.
· A questionnaire was sent to all households in the village, and the main request that came back was for a medical centre to be provided. This was particularly the case for the 40 plus age group.
· The closest medical facility is over two miles away in West Byfleet, which is too far to walk and is not safe to cycle. Residents feel that the medical practice in West Byfleet is struggling to cope, and parking is a particular issue in and around the medical practice. Buses are infrequent and follow the commuter route, so often get caught in traffic. It was felt that the provision of a health care facility in Byfleet would also help relieve some of the traffic problems in the area.
· The lack of provision is particularly difficult for the elderly, and the provision of mobile doctors or a district nurse in Byfleet would help enable older people to stay in their homes for longer.
· The demographics of Woking show an ageing population, and there is a projection for 350 new homes in Byfleet which will add more pressure to the existing infrastructure.
The Chairman gave the following response. Following on from the question that was put to the Joint Committee on 25 June 2014 from Mrs Farrant on the same issue, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee wrote to the Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health and Health and Wellbeing Board as requested. We have been advised to forward the residents’ concerns to the Surrey and Sussex Area Team of NHS England, who oversee healthcare for Surrey and Sussex, and commission primary care services (GPs, dentists, optometrists and pharmacists) as well as Public Health screening and immunisation programmes. The residents’ petition will also be forwarded to the Area Team for their consideration.
The County Divisional and Borough Ward members were fully supportive of the petition. They agreed that access to the West Byfleet practice was an issue. It was also noted that a nursing service used to be provided at St Mary’s Day Centre, and asked whether this could be re-instated?
It was noted that the Joint Committee would be updated on the response from the Surrey and Sussex Area Team at the first available opportunity.
Petition B: Road safety/speeding near Common Close
In accordance with Standing Order 14.1 Mr Les Adcock presented this petition on behalf of local residents. The petition contained 59 signatures and was worded as follows:
We the undersigned residents of Common Close, Horsell wish to appeal that the speed limit along the A3046 Chobham Road past the junction of our Close be reduced from the current 50mph and instead continue at 30mph as it is up to the roundabout just before our Close (junction with Shores Road) and for the 50mph to then commence at the next roundabout (junction with Littlewick Road) where the road is straight.
Over many years there have been shunts into the rear of cars waiting to enter the Close from the Chobham side and the worst was on Wednesday 27 March 2013 when a waiting car was hit by a car coming round the bend from Chobham resulting in a driver having to be cut out by emergency services and the road closed for a lengthy time.
The lack of warning triangles from either direction of the presence of a junction with a side roads add to the danger.
We have tried to no avail to convince Surrey County Council of the danger and hope that your new committee will be more sympathetic.
Mr Adcock presented the petition and explained that there have been a number of back end shunts over the years, which have got worse since the speed limit was raised to 50mph. Residents find it difficult to turn right out of Common Close, and some turn left and do a u turn further along the road. Replacement of warning signs is urgent. In addition residents would like the speed limit reduced and some of the vegetation pruned to improve sight lines.
The following officer response was given:
We have a signing scheme in hand to enhance the signing in the vicinity of Common Close, although it has taken longer to draw up and complete than had been hoped. It is anticipated that the signage will be in place by end of December 2014.
Our personal injury collision database shows that in the last 3 year period, two collisions have taken place at the Chobham Road / Common Close junction resulting in 5 slight injuries. No record is kept of "damage only" collisions in which no personal injury is sustained. In addition, 2 collisions have taken place in the vicinity of the Chobham Road / Cheapside junction which resulted in 2 slight injuries, although excess speed was not cited as a factor in any of these collisions.
We do not have any speed data for this length of road and have not carried out an assessment against the County Council's speed limit policy. We cannot therefore say if a 30mph speed limit would be appropriate for this section of Chobham Road but it could be added to our programme of works for this assessment work to be carried out. However, it is worth stressing that if the speed limit was reduced, no repeater signs indicating the lower limit could be displayed and the existing 30mph speed limit entry signs on Chobham Road close to the mini-roundabout junction with Shore's Road and at the entrance to Common Close, would have to be removed. No repeater signs would be allowed due to the presence of a system of street lighting and it should be noted that where this situation exists a short distance away in Kettlewell Hill, there are on-going issues with non-compliance with the 30mph speed limit, which could be expected in the vicinity of Common Close.
It was clarified that Common Close was within Woking North Division. It was agreed that the existing speed would be checked in line with the SCC Speed Limit Policy in consultation with Surrey Police.