The deadline for questions to be submitted to the Monitoring Officer is 15 March 2021.
Minutes:
Question from Councillor Mark Howell
The budget has allocated approximately £400,000 for completion of the planning process for development of housing on Turlin Moor playing fields. This clearly demonstrates an intention to proceed with the scheme, which was initiated by the Borough of Poole, following the planned consultation. How does the Council intend to fund the build-out of the scheme, what level of certainty is there as to the availability of funding and when can we expect to see proposals for re-siting of the football pitches?
Reply from Councillor Philip Broadhead, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning and Deputy Leader of the Council
The project was commenced by the former Borough of Poole with the intention that once a Planning consent was achieved, a full business case would be prepared and the Council would then make the decision as to how the project would then be taken forward. The options at that time were to include disposal of the site, once the remediation works were completed, or the selection of a joint venture partner to work with the Council.
The site remains a significant allocated housing site, but as I’ve pledged again and again, we can only take the next steps if we bring the local community along with us, and that starts with full and proper local consultation. I’m pleased to say that work to begin this process and do it properly has started in earnest with the Ward Councillors alongside myself and Cllr Jane Kelly as the Lead Member for Community Engagement. Our aim is to show how to listen properly to the locally community and not bully them into something by telling them that we know best.
Once the parameters for a scheme is finalised following that resident consultation, then the business case will be developed. Prior to any planning application being submitted, the business case with the various options will need to be considered by Council.
The capital funding requirements for the project will form part of that business case together with any grant opportunities which may be suitable for the project. I’m delighted to confirm that Homes England have committed that they would welcome a further funding bid if there are suitable funding programmes available and once the project has more certainty.
With regard to the background work for the project, that is at the stage where most of the site investigation works and surveys have been completed, but there are still some site surveys needed to be able to conclude the technical options for the sports pitch provision. At the current time the additional surveys are on hold until that full engagement can take place, face to face, with the local community. As part of that process, we will clearly need to fully engage with the local sports clubs regarding the football pitches as part of the process to come. The time scales of this are as yet unknown but those conversations and consultations will start again when lockdown eases.
Councillor Howell referred to the sports pitches and the housing numbers required by the Government which was 2,500 a year. He asked if the Portfolio Holder would agree that it was essential that the capacity of the sports pitches was not lost and that for this project new sports pitches should be in place before the existing pitches were taken out of service. The Cabinet Member indicated that he fully agreed that it was necessary to have a strategic approach taking account of housing and sporting provision. He highlighted the importance of community engagement which was paramount to achieve a joined-up approach.
Question from Councillor Chris Rigby
With the work due to start on replacing the aviary in Bournemouth Lower Gardens as well as Westover Gardens Art and Makers Market, the traders are concerned about a significant loss of earnings. In the current climate, we need to be stepping up support for our local artists and traders, a large number of whom slipped through the cracks in the Covid support schemes. By making a commitment to not only continue the existing Market but expand it across the conurbation BCP Council can demonstrate their support to our small local businesses.
Therefore, would the portfolio holder be able to confirm that the traders who use this space, will have a suitable alternative site provided at the current rate they’re being charged whilst the works are ongoing? Further to this could the Council investigate new suitable sites for Art and Makers Markets to be held in both Poole and Christchurch this summer?
Reply from Councillor Mohan Iyengar, Cabinet Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture
The market won’t be closing for construction during the peak period. Summer trading is important so the market and aviary will stay as-is and open through to early September, subject of course to Government rules around lockdown and easing. There will also be a spring-clean of the site before the summer starts.
But also, I think most people would agree the market and the aviary need some improvement. The legacy here is that we have two different projects at different stages. One is a design for the market – modern and improved with ground-work and prefabricated stalls; this has gone through consultation and has planning consent. The other is the construction of the aviary, which is currently further along in its cycle. Ward councillors have been supportive and secured an allocation of neighbourhood CIL to the project, and discussions are continuing to secure the whole funding that’s required.
If the funding can be delivered, we’ll look to deliver both projects in as joined-up a way as possible, ideally with only one disruption and at the least sensitive time for trading as possible.
On the point about providing an alternative site at current rates, I think this question was asked on the assumption that summer trading would be disrupted by construction. It won’t be, and when we get nearer to the real dates there will be a discussion about what’s appropriate.
Finally, on the general point about supporting small businesses across the three towns, I think it’s fair to point out that BCP Council has worked at considerable speed over the past year to expedite more than £125 million in grants and loans to, in particular, small businesses. Market traders have been able to claim grants to help them survive through the pandemic. We will also be introducing the so-called Bounce Back Challenge Fund, to which market traders can bid to support their activities and to improve pride in our towns.
More recently we announced the Festival Coast Live: A way to kick-start a whole range of activities that bring residents outdoors and visitors to our towns – precisely to support our local traders and organisations of all kinds. Specific sites and events are being coordinated through Festival Coast Live and the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) across the towns. I do encourage market traders to see what’s available and get involved.
Councillor Rigby asked if the market could open up earlier aligned with the reopening of general retail to provide more length to the trading season. Councillor Iyengar reported that he would take the supplementary question away and respond to Councillor Rigby.
Question from Councillor Tony Trent
Over the last 12 months pandemic we’ve learned a lot about how to cope with lockdowns and have had to adapt to the limitations and challenges that all of us and our communities have faced. In view of these experiences, and the fact that many scientists and researchers believe that as a result of many factors, that include the opening up of previously isolated areas, particularly deep forest to mining and agriculture, we could see the one in a hundred year global pandemic become one in twenty years, should this Council (and others) review their plans and policies to take account of these new dangers?
For example…
During the lockdown we have realised the value of open spaces and places to walk on our doorstep, rather than a car ride away. Should we review the idea that a new development can be served by an alternative green space a car or bus ride away, and look to more localised and joined up areas to walk, cycle, or push a buggy?
On the management of our existing open spaces and parks, we’ve realised that particularly in the winter our valuable footpaths and parks, that have become busier than ever, can so easily become quagmires, often causing people to break social distancing guidelines to pass one another, and that in some of our natural areas there are bottlenecks that have involved trampling on valuable vegetation to pass other people at what even then is often less than the ideal distance apart. Could we look at the way we manage these spaces so that in areas which need it, there are pedestrian passing places, and in all areas the footpaths are able to withstand the greater usage?
Finally, could we look at the creation of disabled friendly routes on the flatter areas of our open spaces, so that we do not exclude those that for whatever reason have limited mobility?
Reply from Councillor Mark Anderson, Cabinet Member for Environment, Cleansing and Waste
BCP Council is working on a new Green Infrastructure Strategy with the input of public Health Dorset. We will certainly be trying to develop plans that link up more spaces and give the public better access to green space and wild space, we’re calling this our ‘green net.’ This is especially important for those with the poorest access to green space at the moment.
We will look to ensure that more people can easily access green space by foot and by bike, many people can already do this by using the Seafront, The Stour Valley Way, The Poole Harbour Trail or Castleman Trailway, but we will keep working on missing links and creating links from our most built up areas to these spaces. That might be by improving existing green space, opening up more green space or making it easier to access spaces by improving crossing points.
You mentioned creating passing places and widening paths. This last winter has been difficult, with many more people staying local and visiting local green spaces. The wet weather has caused a number of sites to suffer from heavy use. In the short term we’ll be repairing paths that have been damaged and adding more stone or bark chip.
In the longer term we are working on a number of key routes through green spaces with the Transforming Cities Team and will be working to improve a number of these paths. Upton Country Park has been extended and new walks are now available to people at that park, whilst we are working on plans to open up more space at Throop with a new nature park, adding an additional 12 hectares of much needed open space. In Christchurch we’ll be opening up more space such as at Mares Mead.
You asked about making routes accessible for people with disabilities. All of our new and improved routes are designed to meet good standards for accessibility as far as is practically possible, we know there are many routes throughout the conurbation that don’t meet good standards, but each year we make more spaces available. The Parks Team are working with DOTS Disability to audit Watermans Park and Alexandra Park this year, where improvement suggestions will inform new plans for those sites. We’re looking at improvements along the Stour Valley, Central Gardens and Kings Park in Bournemouth, Iford Golf Course and Jumpers in Christchurch, and through Harbourside in Poole. As part of the Green Flag Award standard we aspire to for our sites we always consider good and safe access.
Councillor Trent implied in the question that the Local Plan needed to be looked at with previous thinking that a number of developments were going to be justified by having green spaces away from the site where the development was located. He asked in view of what we have learnt should we ensure that we do not create dense developments that do not have some degree of green space and walking areas. The Cabinet Member indicated that he supported green spaces being as close to residents as possible. He reported that there were over 470 green spaces in the BCP area offering a wide range of facilities including referring to those in Councillor Trent’s ward. The Cabinet Member commented on the names of a number of open spaces and indicated that he had been researching their history.
Question from Councillor Marion Le Poidevin
The Leader has recently assured a resident that holding the Air Festival is compatible with the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency. I would be grateful if he could outline the additional measures being put in place for this year’s festival to ensure compliance with the spirit and letter of this declaration.
Reply from Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of the Council
In 2019 the Council undertook both Environmental and Economic assessments of Bournemouth Air Festival.
The economic impact confirmed that the Air Festival made a major contribution of £32m to the local economy attracting over 600,000 visitors and still retains its reputation as an important attractor event for the region.
The environmental impact assessment calculated the total carbon footprint of the festival to be 7190 tonnes CO2e. The display aircraft fuel accounted for only 240tonnes - 0.3% of the total calculated on usage of 95211 litres of fuel.
The main challenge that we face is a modal shift in travel to and from the destination whether for the Air Festival or the millions of visitors that travel to the area throughout the year, as well as the thousands of residents travelling around the area to visit beaches and local attractions.
Alongside the BCP Sustainable Events Management Policy there is an ongoing Air Festival Sustainability Action Plan which includes objectives to not only reduce the carbon footprint of travel by a third over the next three years but also reduce use of man-made energy, plastics, waste to landfill and the carbon footprint of trade and catering provision. We will also continue to offset the carbon emissions of the flying display fuel each year.
Plans are in place to develop the programming of the festival to make it more attractive for residents to visit and provide a wider community interest for the whole conurbation. This will include greater content on sea and land alongside the air displays.
Tourism is vital to the economy, worth over £1billion and 17,000 jobs and the thousands of visitors attracted to the Air Festival not only support this economy but provide the opportunity for us to begin to influence how they think about travel, not only to the festival but in their everyday lives and on return visits to the destination and elsewhere.
Councillor Le Poidevin asked a supplementary question, explaining that there was a perception that the future good of the area was being made subservient to the economy and asked for concrete proposals in response to her question. The Leader of the Council reported that the Council, having declared a climate emergency, was guardian of our environment and also the economy and it was not a binary choice and he made no apology for talking about the economic impact alongside the environmental impact. He indicated that as community leaders that we should look to educate people and our partners in such events and move to a more sustainable solution. He referred to the sustainable events management policy and the tangible action that he had outlined in his earlier response.
Question from Councillor Felicity Rice
I understand that there has been requests for a safe pedestrian crossing on Wimborne Road, near Bailey Crescent, for 7 years now. This was following a horrific incident when a person walking along the pavement was severely injured after a driver drove into the refuge and then drove onto the pavement, driving into the pedestrian.
We also know that speeding on Wimborne Road is an issue. The road danger team installed a temporary speed camera which recorded 6 activations in just 50 minutes, at a mid-morning time of 11.50am, in October 2020. They then set up another camera for 6 weeks, which recorded 119 activations.
Additionally, there is clearly a severance issue to the community, caused by the design of this road, and there is clearly speeding, and I acknowledge that there are many roads in BCP that have a speeding issue.
Therefore, please can you tell me how long the BCP list of requests for new pedestrian crossings is? Please can you tell me where on the priority list this specific pedestrian crossing is? (Replacing the refuge that is currently in place on Wimborne Road, near Bailey Crescent, in Oakdale). And can you tell me, with the current levels of funding, an estimate of how long it will be before this crossing reaches a fundable section of the list?
Reply from Cllr Mike Greene, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability
I was sorry to hear about the accident that Cllr Rice mentions and made further enquiries. I understand that it was the result of an intoxicated driver striking the refuge and subsequently hitting a pedestrian further down the road some distance from the refuge.
This section of highway was renewed in 2017/18 as part of the legacy Poole Challenge Fund programme and the replacement of the refuge was considered in light of the aforementioned accident. However, the particular circumstances of the incident and the fact there have been no accidents involving users of the pedestrian refuge meant that other locations were determined to be of higher priority for road safety spend. The lining and lighting were, however, refreshed as part of the works.
In response to Cllr Rice’s specific questions….
2. The request for the upgrade of the existing pedestrian refuge to a controlled crossing is considered to rank at the lower end of the list. This is primarily because:
3. As it stands it is unlikely that the replacement of this pedestrian refuge with a controlled crossing will be funded for road safety reasons for some time. Nevertheless, officers are fully aware of the request and will consider delivery if a suitable funding opportunity were to present itself through, for example, developer contributions in a very local application which would affect that location.
It is clear that the number of requests for crossings and other road safety measures will always outstrip supply by a considerable margin. I am currently working with officers in taking another look at the way we classify and prioritize these and hope this project will lead to swifter initial indications of likelihood and timing. Once that review is complete, I shall make sure I update Cllr Rice with respect to this particular request.
Councillor Rice asked whether the cycle lane that goes through that section of Wimborne Road was painted on and not protected. She asked for commitment for transforming travel to work because it was a major route for children travelling to Poole High and other secondary schools and it was necessary to make the crossing safer. The Cabinet Member reported that he did not feel this was a supplementary question. He pointed out that as Councillor Rice was aware there had just been a briefing on the Local Cycling Infrastructure Plan which refers to the plans for the next 20 years and he would expect Wimborne Road to be included however as to priority that would be determined following consultation and further discussions.
Question from Councillor L-J Evans
It is pleasing to see the Administration continuing the Transforming Travel initiative, using the Department for Transport grant that the Unity Alliance secured last year to create a greener, healthier and better-connected region. We welcome implementation of the Transforming Cities Fund and the development of sustainable travel routes North / South across the conurbation, following full public consultation.
However, the majority of travel in BCP is East / West and further solutions are desperately needed to address the congestion on these roads, by providing our residents with safe, quick and environmentally friendly alternatives to driving. The reorganisation of care at Poole and Bournemouth Hospitals following the Clinical Services Review is particularly reliant on enabling efficient journeys between the 2 sites for patients, staff and visitors.
Can the Portfolio Holder please advise whether this can be progressed as a priority?
Reply from Cllr Mike Greene, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability
Cllr Evans’ opening sentence suggests she is possibly not aware of the history of the Transforming Cities Fund Bid. It was put together by Conservative-run Bournemouth Council, Conservative-run Borough of Poole and Conservative-run Dorset Council. Largely through the good efforts of the Conservative MPs representing the areas of Bournemouth, Poole and Mid-Dorset, it was supported, and funding was granted by our Conservative Government. Nevertheless, putting Party politics aside, I share Cllr Evan’s pleasure at the good progress we are making.
I agree with Cllr Evans about the necessity to improve east-west connectivity across the conurbation.
The original Expression of Interest submitted by the predecessor Councils as part of the Transforming Cities Fund bid did include the East-West route. However, during the development of the Strategic Outline Business Case and specifically the Early Assessment Sifting Tool appraisal, which we were obliged to use, it became clear that the North/South corridors offered higher benefit cost ratios. Crucially they were also more deliverable in the required timeframes and therefore were chosen as the routes for inclusion in the successful bid to the Department for Transport.
Additionally, the East-West route was previously improved as part of the Large Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) programme which oversaw £18million of investment between 2012-15.
With regards to the Hospitals, officers have been working closely with them to mitigate and minimise the impact of the reorganisation and associated developments. This has included the securing of funding for sustainable transport infrastructure and services as part of legal agreements within planning approvals.
I will be continuing to work with officers to improve transport for all modes east/west across the conurbation.
Question from Councillor George Farquhar
What plans does this administration have to deliver on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for the Boscombe Overcliff Drive which runs the entire length of the Southern Boundary of the Ward I represent, Boscombe East & Pokesdown?
This road is part of the National Cycle Network Route but does not benefit from either a cycle lane, or suitable road surface and maintenance to improve the safety for Cyclists and those with accessibility needs.
This particular stretch of the NCNR was considered by the Highway Officers to be suitable to be part of the successful bid for the 1st phase of the Emergency Active Travel Plan (£312k). An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order was drawn up to fulfil the criteria of seven working days to develop and submit a programme with proposals to be installed on the ground within twelve weeks.
This same ETRO, which followed Central Government guidance exactly, would have allowed residents the opportunity to comment on its effectiveness based on empirical evidence gathered by its operation to prevent ‘through motor vehicle traffic’ over a consultation period of a minimum of 6months. This empirical evidence could then have been used to Keep, Remove or Modify the ETRO and if the consultation was positive then this road could have benefited from a share of the possible £1.1million in the 2nd phase of the EAT funding.
Reply from Cllr Mike Greene, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability
I have discussed progress on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan with Members over the last couple of weeks and it will go out for public engagement in the next few days, providing the public with an opportunity to provide their views on the plan. Once feedback from the engagement has been considered, officers will prepare a final plan for consultation and Council approval. The LCWIP will provide a list of strategic cycling and walking desires as well as an element of ranking within that list.
The LCWIP is a roadmap for the next 20 to 30 years and it would be premature for me to commit to any particular scheme at this stage. Where proposals do come forward in the future, then the impacts on traffic levels, health benefits, air quality, road safety and so on will be fully considered; and unlike our predecessors, this Administration will ensure the proposals are consulted upon BEFORE any physical measures are implemented.
As Cllr Farquhar notes, this particular stretch of road was planned for inclusion within the ETRO read closure programme implemented last summer by the previous Administration. However, even at that stage, its unpopularity among both residents and businesses was extremely clear and I am pleased that my predecessor agreed to scrap the proposal. I would fully expect any proposal to resurrect this idea would be met with the same vociferous and well-reasoned animosity as before.
I do not share Cllr Farquhar’s regret that part of the £1.1m Active Travel 2 pot is unavailable for the making permanent of such an ill-thought-out scheme; and am pleased that we have the opportunity to spend it on much more worthwhile projects as we strive to improve walking and cycling provision in the BCP area.
Councillor Farquhar asked since it was highways officers that drew up the ETRO would it be the same officers looking at the consultation referred to by Councillor Greene. The Cabinet Member indicated that the officers work as a team so he could not guarantee that it would be the same officers but would expect some crossover between them. He reported on the clear political direction given on the ETRO process towards the closure of the roads but that this political directive does not exist anymore and therefore the Council would be looking at all the schemes that come forward in a fair and equitable way looking at the economy, local residents views and active travel and taking all of them into consideration.