Agenda item - Public Involvement

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Agenda item

Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

 

(a)          Petitions: To receive any petitions presented by members of the public;

 

(i)            Henley Road Taxi Rank

 

(ii)          Friar Road area parking consultation

 

(b)          Written Questions: To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 14 March 2018;

 

(c)          Deputations: To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 14 March 2018.

 

(i)            Consultation on a Controlled Parking Zone in the Surrenden Area

Minutes:

(A)         PETITIONS

 

(i)           Henley Road Taxi Rank

 

59.1      The Committee received a petition signed by 3 people requesting the removal of the taxi rank on Henley Road.

 

59.2      The petitioner was not present at the meeting therefore a response was provided in writing as follows:

 

“Thank you for your petition regarding this rank.

We have asked the taxi trade for their views on the need for this rank and they have made these comments; the size of the hackney Carriage fleet has grown over the last 15 years and only one additional rank has been provided during this time in Woodingdean.

This rank has been in existence for more than 30 years and is frequently used by the general public and as an area rank for Whitehawk, Roedean and Ovingdean. It is in use both night and day.

If this rank is removed taxis will not be able to service these areas alongside the Marina.

Hackney Carriages are compelled by the Byelaws of the City to proceed to the nearest rank and if that is not available to proceed to the next nearest rank.

Therefore at this stage we would require a lot more evidence over a longer period that this rank is not being used before continuing any discussions with the taxi trade”.

 

59.3      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.

 

(ii)          Friar Road area parking consultation

 

59.4      The Committee considered a petition signed by 161 people requesting the Council to undertake a controlled parking zone consultation in the Friar Road area.

 

59.5      The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you for your petition and I fully appreciate the parking problems in your area. They are the same problems being experienced by other communities across Brighton & Hove so that is why in October last year, this committee agreed to include the Surrenden area, which will include Friar Road, in the parking scheme consultation timetable. That parking timetable lists the other areas in Brighton & Hove, some of which have not been consulted on a parking scheme and are therefore patiently waiting to be consulted.

A report to this committee is planned for later this year to outline and discuss the extent of the consultation area and ward councillors views will be sought in readiness for this. In addition to the ward councillor’s view, the views of residents that have been forwarded to us will also all be taken into account”.

 

59.6      Councillor Nemeth asked for clarification on the legal position relating to potential problems for access to the road by the emergency services.

 

59.7      The Chair clarified that such instances should be reported to Sussex Police.

 

59.8      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.

 

(C)     DEPUTATIONS

 

(i)            Consultation on a controlled parking zone in the Surrenden Area

 

59.9      The Committee considered a deputation requesting that the scheduled consultation on a controlled parking zone in the Surrenden area be brought forward to be before the end of 2018.

 

59.10   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you for coming to the committee with your deputation in relation to the planned consultation on a controlled parking scheme for the Surrenden area and I do understand why you would wish this to be moved forward.

However, after debate at the October 2017 meeting of this committee, the timetable for parking scheme consultations was set and officers are now allocating resources and working to that timetable.

Parking income as a whole is already built in to the council’s agreed budget.

This work includes implementing agreed schemes and reviewing existing schemes as directed by the committee when those permissions for implementation were given. And so when the committee agreed to implement new parking schemes, at the same time we gave a commitment that those schemes would be reviewed this year and that will happen as well as preparing for new consultations as for the Surrenden area.

So all the other areas on the parking scheme timetable that are experiencing the same problems as you and you neighbours are, already know and have the assurance that this committee has taken the decision and they are awaiting that timetable to be put into place and receive their consultation as has been democratically agreed.

This work is carefully planned and the consultations are extensive.

Later this year a report will come to this committee detailing proposals for the area to be consulted in relation to a potential parking scheme for the Surrenden area. Input from your ward councillors will be important and views received from residents will all be considered.

This work is already factored into the officers’ programme alongside all of the work on the other areas that I have outlined and so we will be sticking to the agreed timetable and work programme”.

 

59.11   Councillor Wares stated that having visited the location, he understood the problems experienced by residents. Councillor Wares added that whilst he recognised there was a clear resident parking scheme timetable, he asked if there was anyway the Surrenden area could be brought forward or if any short-term measures to increase parking capacity could be examined in the circumstances.

 

59.12   The Chair replied that the committee had given careful consideration, thought and debate to the parking scheme priority timetable and that timetable had been agreed by the committee in October 2017. The Chair noted that a small officer team worked on several schemes at various stages of consultation or completion concurrently and therefore, it was not possible to alter the agreed timetable.

 

59.13   Councillor West noted that he had previously relayed his concerns on the length of the priority timetable and the potential time residents would have to wait to be consulted on a scheme at the meeting on October 2017. Councillor West stated that the requests for the timetable to be hastened were inevitable and in his view, the parking surplus should be used to do so.

 

59.14   The Chair reminded Councillor West that the parking surplus was used to fund concessionary bus fares.

 

59.15   Councillor Wares stated that the issue of controlled parking zones was becoming intolerable and there may be a need to reconsider or revisit the entire process.

 

59.16   Councillor Robins noted that Surrenden Road had been consulted on a controlled parking zone in 2015 and there were many other areas experiencing the same parking problems that had not yet been consulted. Councillor Robins believed that out of fairness, it would be appropriate to stick to the agreed timetable and offer an opportunity for those areas to be consulted.

 

59.17   RESOLVED- That the Committee note the deputation.

 

(ii)          Poets’ Corner Hove Dog Fouling

 

59.18   The Committee considered a deputation requesting various measures be undertaken to tackle dog fouling in the Poets’ Corner area.

 

59.19   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you for your deputation and coming to the meeting today. I very much appreciate the problems your community face and we do continue to tackle dog fouling across the city and target the behaviour of some dog owners who do not take responsibility for their pets.

In relation to the specific points that you have been making in your deputation, we can immediately provide more dog waste bins in the Poets’ Corner area and I will ask officers to contact you regarding the most appropriate siting for the bins.

The Legislation is however, very clear that the provision of bags is the responsibility of the dog walkers and we could not provide bags on this area and not do so in other areas of the city.

Increased signage in the area would certainly be possible and again, I will ask officers to get in contact with you about the most suitable location for those signs as residents will have the best knowledge about where the most instances of dog fouling are occurring. We might also be able to use pavement stencils in the worst offending areas and I’m also aware that residents in other areas of the city have put posters up in their windows where there is a particular problem. I will ask officers to discuss these options with you and any other ideas residents may have.

In terms of enforcement, we will request that our enforcement team increase their presence in the Poets’ Corner area. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible at night time but during the day there will be a more visible deterrent with the officers patrolling the area on foot.

In relation to increased street cleaning, the area is cleaned once a week which is accordance with the standards suggested by DEFRA in their Best Practice on Litter and Refuse. However residents should report issues directly to Cityclean, as we are able to dispatch our wash van to deal with dog fouling issues.

I can assure you that we will continue to try, with our limited resources to bear down on this problem and to continue to put into place our enforcement and education campaigns to warn people that this is not acceptable.”

 

59.20   RESOLVED- That the committee note the deputation.

Supporting documents:

 


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