Agenda item - Items referred from Council

Item referred from the last meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014 (copy attached).

 

(a)          Petitions:

 

(i)            Mile Oak improvements

 

(ii)          Ban Animal Circuses in Brighton & Hove

 

(iii)         Bus Shelter, Grand Avenue

 

(iv)         Event Day Parking in Moulsecoomb

 

(v)          Pedestrian Crossing Whitehawk

 

(vi)         Water Fountains

 

 

(c)      Deputations

 

(i)            Hollingbury Road Closure

 

 

(a)          Petitions

 

(i)            Mile Oak Improvements- Ms Soanes

 

59.1      The Committee considered a petition signed by 1388 people requesting improvements to the equipment and access to Mile Oak recreation ground. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014 that had also passed recommendations to the Committee to consider.

 

59.2      The Chair provided the following response:

 

“As members will recall this petition was debated at Council and recommendations were made to this committee which are offered on page 47 of our agenda.

Central Government Playbuilder funding provided a very welcome opportunity to provide better play facilities for the children of the City. However, we now have a great deal of equipment to maintain in the context of Government funding cuts which are diminishing our budget.

In the short term this is not a problem as new equipment requires little repair but as the equipment ages unless more money is put into maintenance we will not be able to keep the equipment we currently have.

Officers are undertaking a comprehensive review of our play parks and will be identifying possible ways of dealing with the funding gap we face as we go forward. I have asked for the Committee to receive this report by June.

Officers have already met with residents and I am happy to ask that they meet residents again to consider what improvements at Mile Oak Park residents wish to see and how residents might be able to make that a viable long-term possibility.  But I have to be clear, there is currently little to no capacity in the parks project team to facilitate developing an Improvement Plan for Mile Oak Park, nor is there any money available in the parks budget to buy new equipment, and in the event we did receive external funding there will be no money to maintain new equipment once it starts to wear out.

I appreciate this is a bleak outlook but this I’m afraid is the situation the Council is now placed in by Government funding cuts”.

 

59.3      Councillor Mitchell stated that whilst she understood the continuing financial constraints placed upon the council, she felt it would be appropriate for the Committee to receive a report on this specific matter that could examine options for external funding and the possibility of maintenance by the local community.

 

59.4      The Chair stated that the future of Mile Oak recreation ground needed to be considered in the wider picture of all the authorities parks and would be a part of a report to the Committee in the summer.

 

59.5      Councillor Robins stated that he disagreed with the Chair’s suggestion as that was not what was agreed by Full Council and June was some way off.

 

59.6      The Chair stated there were no funds available in the parks budget to undertake works and that Members had to be realistic in their ambitions in the context of severe budget cuts. The Chair added that Officers had indicated that a plan could not be drawn up for this one park outside of a wider review and suggested that a meeting between residents and Officers may lead to a solution that could be brought back to Committee.

 

59.7      Councillor Theobald stated that Carden Park, which was in his ward, was maintained by funding raising events by local residents and that was a possible solution for Mile Oak recreation ground.

 

59.8      Councillor Cox stated that he felt there should be a specific report on this issue. Councillor Cox added that he was a aware of a perception of neglect from residents living in the outskirts of Brighton and Hove and focus on these types of issues may reduce that somewhat.

 

59.9      Councillor Daniel noted that the will of Full Council was for an officer report on the matter and not to do so may undermine resident’s confidence and trust in the council.

 

59.10   Councillor Cox moved a motion for a report to be presented to a future meeting of the Committee considering options for improvement and refurbishment of Mile Oak recreation ground.

 

59.11   Councillor Mitchell formally seconded the motion.

 

59.12   The Chair put the motion to a vote which passed.

 

59.13   RESOLVED- That the Committee receive an officer report considering options for improvement and refurbishment of Mile Oak recreation ground.

 

(ii)          Ban animal circus acts- Ms Baumgardt

 

59.14   The Committee considered a petition signed by 141 people requesting Brighton & Hove Council to refuse any circuses using animal acts from performing in the city. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.15   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“While the Economic Development & Culture Committee was considering the annual renewal of the application for Zippo’s Circus, a request arose for this Committee to review the Animal Welfare Charter.

At our meeting on 1 July 2014, Members considered an officer report on updating the Charter.

The Committee was asked to consider authorising a consultation for removing or retaining the exemption in the Charter relating to performances involving equestrian acts on council land. The recommendation was put to the vote which was not carried.

Having considered the issues in depth in July, and in the absence of any new information which would lead to a different decision, it is not proposed to call for another report”.

 

59.16   Councillor Buckley noted that she had originally proposed a review of the Charter that lead to the report presented in July 2014 and moved a motion requesting an officer report into the matter.

 

59.17   Councillor Davey seconded the motion.

 

59.18   The Chair put the motion to a vote that failed.

 

59.19   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

 

(iii)         Bus shelter Grand Avenue- Mr Magee

 

59.20   The Committee considered a petition signed by 375 people requesting a bus shelter and real time bus information display at the northbound bus stop located outside Warnham Court. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.21   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“I am pleased to confirm that, following previous representations, the request for a shelter at the bus stop on the west side of Grand Avenue has already been added to the council’s list of shelter requests.  Whenever additional shelters become available officers prioritise this list, taking account of the location.  Officers look at a number of factors, including how busy the bus stop is in terms of people boarding buses there; whether the location is exposed and how far it is to an alternative bus stop with a shelter. 

The council is in the process of retendering the contract for bus shelter provision and we hope that new shelters will become available during the next twelve months, with the start of the new contract.  At that stage officers will certainly consider the bus stop on the west side of Grand Avenue as a potential site for a shelter, along with other stops in the city where shelters have been requested.

Unfortunately we do not currently have funds for the provision of new real time bus information signs as these are generally funded by new developments around the City.

However I am sure that Stagecoach will provide timetable information similar to that supplied for the other shelter on Grand Avenue”.

 

59.22   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

 

(iv)         Event Day Parking- Councillor Marsh

 

59.23   The Committee considered a petition signed by 140 people requesting the council properly enforce the Amex event day parking scheme in the Moulsecoomb area. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.24   The Chair provided the following written response:

 

“It is disappointing to hear that despite the work of the Club and our enforcement officers, some motorists attending matches and events at the AMEX Stadium are still choosing to flout the parking restrictions which then impacts upon local residents.

Currently, we deploy at least 4 Parking Officers to enforce the AMEX event day parking scheme whenever there is a football match or other event. We deploy 2 Civil Enforcement Officers on each side of the scheme area. We only enforce the scheme during match times to avoid penalising residents as much as possible. This does limit the amount of streets we are able to visit but we always aim to enforce as much as possible and focus on the most affected streets.

We also enforce the area on non-match days in the same way as anywhere else in the outer areas but only to enforce Double Yellow Lines, School Keep Clears, Bus stops and so forth.

So far this season we have issued 306 PCN's in the scheme. We would not usually tow any vehicles as a matter of course; we would only tow from certain restrictions such as bus stops, loading bans and suspended bays.

We would be keen to work more closely with residents to identify streets that are particularly problematic. This way we can ensure that we visit them, if we don't already, to improve matters”.

 

59.25   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

 

(v)          Pedestrian Crossing on Whitehawk Road- Councillor Mitchell

 

59.26   The Committee considered a petition signed by 1020 people requesting the council to provide a pedestrian crossing at the southern end of Whitehawk Road near the Steiner School. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.27   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Brighton & Hove City Council receives many requests for pedestrian crossings and as a result has introduced a priority system to enable us to focus resources on those areas most in need.  

The full methodology & assessment process can be found on the councils webpages.

The assessment covers 12 different categories including pedestrian & vehicle numbers, current road layout, access to public transport and local environment issues.  Assessments are normally carried out annually and made publically available.  A request for a new crossing can be made to the Transport Planning Team who will consider this request & carryout appropriate assessments.

In this case the bottom end of Whitehawk Road near the Steiner School has been identified for improvements as part of the planning application for the Royal Sussex County Hospital development. Highway works required by the hospital development are specified in the relating Section 106 agreement.  This section 106 agreement does not include detailed design drawings but does specify signalised traffic signals & pedestrian facilities at the junction of Eastern Road, Arundel Road and Whitehawk Road junction.

This request will therefore be considered within the detailed design process for the overall hospital development”.

 

59.28   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

 

(vi)     Water fountains- Councillor Duncan

 

59.29   The Committee considered a petition signed by 175 people requesting a network of public drinking fountains throughout the city. The petition had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.30   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you Councillor Duncan for your petition.

Personally I am in favour of more water fountains as access to drinking water is clearly important to good health, and water available from a tap water reduces unnecessary bottle waste.

I’m very pleased to say that we have included two new water fountains in the redevelopment of the Level and these facilities are proving highly popular.

I am therefore keen that we incorporate water fountains within the Valley Gardens project and this is being discussed by project officers. Such facilities will help to support the creation of a high quality and useable open space and sustainable transport environment.

As ever cost of installations, their operation and their maintenance are critical factors, and in the face of government cuts it is difficult to see how we would look to add further facilities without knowing how they would be funded in the long term”.

 

59.31   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

 

 (c)     Deputations

 

(i)        Hollingbury Road Closure

 

59.32     The Committee considered a Deputation requesting a permanent closure of the junction between Hollingbury Road and Upper Hollingdean Road to non-essential motorised through traffic. The Deputation had been referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 23 October 2014.

 

59.33   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you Ms Entwhistle for your deputation.

I have read your submission and can see that you have looked carefully at the positive and negative aspects of this proposal.

As you are clearly aware, closing a road permanently, particularly a through road requires very careful consideration of issues such as the impact on the nearby network, legal requirements and consultation with residents, businesses and road users.

Officers have looked at the traffic impact that is likely to arise from closing Hollingbury Road and have concluded that this would place greater pressure and congestion on adjoining roads in the local network.

As a result, I’m sorry to say that officers do not recommend proceeding with the request at this time”.

 

59.34   RESOLVED- That the Deputation be noted.