Issue - meetings

Report to follow

The Committee received a report from the Public Realm & Project Delivery Team Leader regarding the Environmental Improvement Programme (EIP). The report outlined changes to the EIP during 2018/19 and reviewed the latest round of applications within East Area.

 

The Committee were asked to recommend the following:

 

     i.        Note the operating amendments to the programme agreed by the Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces following Environment and Community Scrutiny on 21 March 2019

    ii.        Note the allocation of funding to continue with a programme across all areas for the period 2019-21.

  iii.        Consider the allocation of £10,890 from local area EIP funds in 2019/ 20 towards the provision of 66 summer hanging baskets along Mill Road.

  iv.        Consider new project aspirations received in the latest 2019/ 20 round for funding from new central strategic, and local area, EIP allocations

   v.        Identify those East area priorities to be recommended to the Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces for funding from the central, strategic, EIP allocation.

  vi.        Support those projects selected for implementation, subject to them being viable, obtaining consents as necessary, positive consultation and final approval by the Council’s Place Board, Ward and Executive Councillors, where required.

 

In response to questions and comments the Public Realm Engineering & Project Delivery Team Leader said the following:

 

             i.        There was currently over £28,000 new funding available for area led projects for this year; with a small remainder of funding from the previous year which should take the total to £35,000 approximately.

            ii.        Suggested that only half the projects put forward would be affordable.

          iii.        Confirmed there would be scope for discussion with the County Council regarding the strategic funding for verges and the County funding for footpaths.

          iv.        The project (Romsey Planters) submitted by Councillor Baigent was not on the list in the report as officers did not consider it to be a viable and a deliverable project at this stage. Further work would be required to determine the scale and the cost to ask the Committee to prioritise funding.

           v.        Any schemes not selected might be considered the following year, subject to annual budget setting.

          vi.        Agreed to the Committee’s request for an assessment of those projects that did not make the list which could be circulated at a later date.

         vii.        Noted the request to remove E12 (Petersfield Green planting beds and benches) from the list for consideration.

       viii.        The cost for providing hanging baskets for 2019 had already been incurred funded in 2018, subject to area committee approval the cost could be met by the Environmental Improvement Programme via a recharge if the Committee agreed; this would reduce the funding available for further schemes. 

          ix.        Might be possible to put forward funding for the hanging baskets for 2020 and not a recharge. 

           x.        To install the hanging baskets, the cost of the access platform and licence was considerable. There was also the cost of the servicing, though the cost would fluctuate dependent on the weather. Efforts had been made in recent years to conserve water through the type of baskets that had been purchased.

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved unanimously to:

 

     i.        Support the following from the strategic funding:

·        E6:    Whitehill Road verge protection, £10,000.

·        E9:    Coleridge streets tree and verge protection, £10,000.

 

Resolved unanimously to

 

    ii.        Resolved unanimously to allocate from the local area EIP fund to:

·        E1:    Barnwell Road library beds planting, £2,000

·        E3:    Dudley Road Recreation Ground addition of benches,   £3,000. 

·        E8:    Birdwood Road bus shelter, £10,000.

·        E10: Petersfield ward streets window boxes, reduced from £10,000 to £7,000.

·        E11: North Petersfield noticeboards, £3,000.

·        E14: Romsey ‘insect hotels’, £2,000

 

  iii.        Resolved to allocate from the local area EIP funds:

·        £3000 towards the recharge for the provision of 66 summer hanging baskets along Mill Road in 2019/20.

 

  iv.        Resolved to allocate from the local area EIP funds;

·        £3000 to the suggested Romsey Planters project following further investigation work by officers if financially viable. 

·        E10: Petersfield ward streets window boxes (£3,000 to top the full amount to £10,000 if available).

 

   v.        Resolved to allocate in reserve from the strategic funding:

·        E5:    Wadloes Road verge planting, £8,000

·        E13: Gilsson Road (trees and tree pits (top up existing scheme), £5,000