Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Cantrill, Gehring and Hipkin.

 

Members of the committee are asked to declare any interests in the items on the agenda. In the case of any doubt, the advice of the Monitoring Officer should be sought before the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2016

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2016 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendments (in bold):

 

16/42/WAC Open Forum

 

6. A member of the public said cyclists rode the wrong way down John Street, Market Street and Downing Street.

 

Councillor Cantrill said signage was too general to have any impact. The Police briefed students on safer cycling.

 

Post meeting note: Anti-social cycling was perpetrated by various groups, not just students.

 

Action Point: Market Ward Councillors to follow up with Police about resident’s concern that students were cycling the wrong way down St John Street / Market St / Downing Street / Trinity St / Sidney St

Committee Action Sheet from last meeting attached.

Committee Action Sheet

 

 

Committee	West/Central Area Committee
Date	29/09/16
Circulated on	30/09/16
Updated on	06/12/16

 

 

ACTION	LEAD OFFICER/MEMBER	TIMESCALE	PROGRESS
Open Forum   Chair to invite representatives to next WCAC to discuss streetscape: ·       (City Council) Leader, Executive Councillor for Planning Policy & Transport, Head of Planning (post no longer exists) Director of Planning and Economic Development. ·       County Council representatives. ·       Officers: Green space, heritage. ·       Chair of Cambridge Past, Present & Future. ·       Cambridge BID.	Councillor Cantrill   Head of Property Services (as WCAC Lead Officer)	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	The intention was to invite contacts to 29/09/16, but item deferred to a future WCAC due to number of items on the agenda.   Cllr Cantrill to follow up in New Year.
Open Forum   Councillor Holland asked for clarification of the Safer Communities email address that concerns about touting could be reported to.	Committee Manager	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	Safer.Communities@cambridge.gov.uk
Open Forum   WCAC to follow up residents’ concerns about late night deliveries, rat running, traffic flow concerns and selling of items in a residential area: King St, Paradise St / East Rd.	City: Cllr Cantrill, Ward Councillors and Enforcement Officers.   County Council: Cllr Cearns, Graham Hughes, Local Highways Manager and Parking Services.	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	Police to follow up.
Open Forum   Market Ward Councillors to follow up with Police about resident’s concern that students are cycling the wrong way down St John Street / Market St / Downing Street / Trinity St / Sidney St.	Cllrs Bick, Gillespie and Ratcliffe	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	Post Meeting Note: Downing Street is two-way for bike users due to the contraflow lane.   Councillor Cearns spoke to the Police at the City Centre Working Group. They were stopping people without lights and those cycling the wrong way down one-way streets as part of the autumn check up. The Police were in continual discussions with the City and County Councils to make signage clearer for one-way streets. An update was pending from Mike Davies (County Council).     Chief Inspector Ormerod said that clear signage was desirable before enforcement action was taken.
Street Lighting on Burrell's Walk   Clarify if new lighting posts on Queen’s Road painted white on the advice of City Council Heritage Officer. Another colour would be preferred by residents.	Cllr Cantrill	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	Cllr Cantrill contacted the Urban Design & Conservation Manager  who said the colour painted was the closest match Officers could find to the previous one, though it does look a bit white.
Environmental Report   Officer to clarify with Waste Team if agenda P39 / addendum Waste and Recycling Data figures are increasing.	Nick Kester / Wendy Young	Feedback at next WCAC 07/12/16	The question on waste is covered by the Q2 figures that are included in the report and show an increase.

 

Refer to the ‘Information for the Public’ section for rules on speaking.

Members of the public asked a number of questions, as set out below.

 

1.       Mrs Glasberg raised the following issues:

                i.          Expressed concern about the Canoe Club containers.

              ii.          Took issue with the planning process where permission was granted for the siting of the containers.

           iii.          Queried if councillors had been given sufficient information on which to make a decision about the impact of the containers.

 

Councillor Nethsingha said she and other councillors were aware of residents’ concerns. They were not aware of the proposal to locate the containers at the front of the site.

 

Councillor Holt said she had been advised of the following details:

·       Various Ward Councillors were involved in the issue.

·       Councillor Cantrill was liaising with City Council Officers (Ian Ross and Debbie Kaye) regarding a proposal to move the containers. They were also looking at the planning process.

o   City Council is the land owner.

o   The Canoe Club is the Applicant who rents the land.

·       The Learner Pool would be unaffected as this is covered by a separate contract.

 

Action Point: Dave Prinsep to liaise with Mrs Glasberg regarding concerns about Canoe Club containers.

 

2.       Mr Carpen asked if the City Council had any legal powers to compel the disused cinema on Hobson Street to be put back into use community use.

 

Action Point: Councillor Bick to feedback at next West/Central Area Committee (WCAC) regarding powers the City Council may exercise to bring the disused cinema on Hobson Street back into use.

 

3.       Ms Nicolson asked why new signage had been implemented on the shared pedestrian/cycleway in the Garret Hostel Lane area and what consultation had taken place about it.

 

Councillor Nethsingha said signage had been implemented as a result of her Local Highways Bid in 2015. Signage was in place due to the frequent number of near misses between cyclists and pedestrians. The intention was to highlight it was a shared path like on Lammas Land.

 

4.       Mr Taylor queried sources of funding for the new Garret Hostel Lane area signage and whether its impact would be monitored.

 

Councillor Nethsingha said:

                           i.          The scheme was partially complete. Markings would be implemented on the other side of the bridge once the surface had been upgraded.

                         ii.          County Council Local Highways Bids were equally match funded by the City Council.

                       iii.          It was hard to monitor the impact of the signage given the high number of pathway users, the number of whom was expected to increase.

 

5.       Ms Heath raised concerns regarding:

                i.          Safe capacity for city streets, specifically in the Garret Hostel Lane area.

              ii.          Levels of lighting in Burrell’s Walk.

 

Councillor Nethsingha said Balfour Beatty had not implemented correct lighting levels and there was no clause in the County Council’s contract through which enforcement action could be taken.

 

Action Point: Councillor Holt to liaise with Penny Heath regarding policies (or lack of) regarding safe capacity for city streets, specifically in the Garret Hostel Lane area.

 

6.       Mr Taylor asked if WCAC could encourage the installation of defibrillators in all community buildings and that a comprehensive list be given to emergency services.

 

Another member of the public said their community organisation had investigated this and found the cost/responsibility a disincentive.

 

Action Point: Councillor Gillespie to liaise with Ambulance Service to ensure Emergency Services have a comprehensive list of defibrillators stored in community buildings across the city.

 

7.       Mr Footitt raised the following issues regarding Airbnb:

                i.          This was a housing, planning, infrastructure and community issue.

              ii.          Whole properties could be let out as houses in multiple occupation. This conflicted with property use planning permission.

           iii.          Some landlords were putting out tenants in favour of Airbnb clients.

 

Various residents said they were aware of properties being used as houses in multiple occupation due to Airbnb. WCAC and residents agreed this was a national issue as well as a local one. It directly affected neighbours’ properties eg commuting by Airbnb guests.

 

Councillor Holland said that Building Control Officers could undertake enforcement action against properties being used as houses in multiple occupation without appropriate planning permission. Local intelligence supplied by neighbours would assist this.

 

Action Point: Councillor Bick to feedback at next WAC regarding implications for the city from Airbnb.

The Committee received a report from Sergeant Misik regarding the policing and safer neighbourhoods trends.

 

The report outlined actions taken since the last reporting period. The current emerging issues/neighbourhood trends for each ward were also highlighted (see report for full details). Previous priorities and engagement activity noted in the report were:

       i.          Continuation with licensed premises enforcement visits.

     ii.          Violent crime in the city centre.

   iii.          Traffic junction enforcement and general road safety (all road users).

   iv.          Cycle theft.

    v.          Tackling rough sleeping in the city centre.

   vi.          Tackling drug dealing in the city centre, Arbury and Castle wards.

 vii.          Theft from vehicles (Newnham).

 

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

       i.          A general increase in crime figure trends as a result of changes to how they are recorded.

     ii.          The number of dumped used/new needles.

   iii.          Enforcement of the 20MPH speed limit.

a.    Sergeant Misik referred to Association of Chief Police Officers guidance stated that enforcement should be proportional to speed. The police were focussing on education rather than enforcement at present.

b.    Residents noted that the 20MPH speed limit was often broken, particularly in Maids Causeway.

   iv.          Road speed collection data was no longer publically available.

 

Action Point: Police to publish monitoring data (eg average speed) as collected pre-speed watch introduction. Also to publicise where historic data is available.

 

    v.          Contact details for officers responsible for undertaking speed enforcement action in the combined Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

a.    WCAC and residents desired more speed enforcement.

b.    Chief Inspector Ormerod said that enforcement on its own was not enough. Education and enforcement were both needed. Also inappropriate speed limits led to a lack of compliance. He wished to avoid this in the city.

 

Action Point: Police to undertake education/enforcement work where drivers did not leave enough space for cyclists on the road.

 

   vi.          People driving illegally modified cars late at night through Emmanuel Street.

 vii.          Rough sleeping in the city:

a.    How the Police could work with other agencies to address this and (illegal) begging.

b.    Fire risks from people sleeping in doorways.

c.    It was better to give money to ‘Cambridge Street Aid’ rather than directly to (apparently) homeless people. Money given to ‘Cambridge Street Aid’ (by text or on-line) funded support services for the homeless community. There were a number of fraudulent tactics used for begging eg claiming to need money for a hostel when these were free.

d.    People could register for homeless support services through Outreach Workers and the City Council Customer Access Centre. An A5 handout was available from the Guildhall and Customer Access Centre.

viii.          Persistent parking in the cycle bay near the Revolution Bar.

   ix.          Theft from vehicles.

    x.          More detailed figures/information regarding violent crime in future police reports to the committee.

 

Councillors Nethsingha and Cearns, with agreement of WCAC requested changes to the recommendations. Councillor Holt formally proposed to add the following:

 

Delete: Original Recommendations

-        Anti-social behaviour associated with rough sleeping.

-        Alcohol-related violence within the night-time economy.

 

Replace with Revised Recommendations

Police priorities:

-        Issues (eg anti-social behaviour) relating to rough sleeping and working in partnership with other agencies to address these.

-        Violence within the city centre.

-        Anti-social behaviour of road users.

 

The changes to priorities was unanimously agreed.

 

The following priorities were unanimously agreed:

       i.          Issues (eg anti-social behaviour) relating to rough sleeping and working in partnership with other agencies to address these.

     ii.          Violence within the city centre.

   iii.          Anti-social behaviour of road users.

The Committee received a report and also a presentation from the Managing Director, Operations Director, the Head of Sales and Marketing and Press and Marketing Manager providing an overview of Cambridge Live’s performance and achievements since taking over the responsibility for the management of the majority of the City Council’s cultural services from April 2015. This was the starting point for an engagement process to inform the future plans for the City Events programme run on behalf of the City Council, with the Committee asked to support and promote the wide ranging engagement process, including engagement with community groups and residents which would feed into the discussions for the programme arrangements 2010 to 2025.

 

Members of the public asked a number of questions, as set out below.

 

1.       Mr Carpen asked if:

·       Cambridge Live could use the old Cambridge Assessment site as a venue as the city population was expanding so more people could be attracted to events. He asked if Cambridge Assessment, Cambridge Live and the City Council could liaise on this.

·       Donations could be invited from members of the public to improve Guildhall and Corn Exchange facilities (as per the Central Library) donation box).

 

Sara Garnham said that the Guildhall and Corn Exchange buildings were the responsibility of the City Council, so they were responsible for long term maintenance planning. This could be considered as part of a long term project after Cambridge Live’s 5 year initial set up period.

 

2.       A member of the public raised concerns about acoustics in the Corn Exchange.

 

Steve Bagnall said there had been historic issues, but these had been addressed. The building was due a refurbishment in the near future.

 

3.       Councillor Gillespie queried Cambridge Live’s recycling policy.

 

Steve Bagnall said Cambridge Live/Folk Festival had won the Greener Festival Award in the last few weeks. ‘Environmental credentials’ ie good practice was built into standard actions, rather than explicitly set out in Cambridge Live strategies, so that environmental actions could be taken across different sites.

 

4.       Councillor Cearns asked for participation, health and well-being to be explicitly set out in Cambridge Live priorities.

 

Steve Bagnall said health and well-being should be a continuing theme in future.

 

5.       Councillor Bick asked Cambridge Live to liaise with open space Friends Groups when organizing future events to mitigate impact eg car parking.

 

Steve Bagnall said car parking was considered as part of event planning in consultation with the City Council. Future needs were being reviewed.

The Committee received a report from the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement. She brought the report up to date by stating a typographical error on agenda P68 incorrectly listed the number of needles collected as 476 instead of 78.

 

The report outlined an overview of City Council Refuse and Environment and Streets and Open Spaces service activity relating to the geographical area served by the West Area Committee.  The report identified the reactive and proactive service actions undertaken in the previous quarter, including the requested priority targets, and reported back on the recommended issues and associated actions. It also included key officer contacts for the reporting of waste and refuse and public realm issues.

 

The following were suggestions for Members on what action could be considered for priority within the West Area for the period of December 2016 to February 2017.

 

Continuing priorities[1]

 

Number	Priority details
1	Enforcement and City Ranger patrols in the City Centre to address issues of illegally deposited trade waste and littering. Justification: Littering and illegal deposited waste if left un-investigated can cause ongoing issues and encourage antisocial behaviour. This priority has been included as a continuation to balance the high standard of trade waste management and litter patrols already existing in the West/Central area and to continue to build upon this work further.
2	Joint working patrols to address the issues of fly tipping at Adam and Eve Street recycling point Justification: Fly tipping at Adam and Eve Street recycling centre continues to be a problem for fly tipping figures across the West area. Enforcement and ranger work to focus on these areas will balance education and enforcement to deter this problem.

 

New suggested priorities

 

Number	Priority details
3	Dog warden patrols to target irresponsible dog owners on Midsummer Common Justification: In November there were three reports of intimidating or uncontrolled dogs on Midsummer Common. Dog warden patrols are planned to focus on this area at key times and to gather intelligence / speak to dog owners about the issues in the area.

 

The Committee discussed the following issues:

       i.          Rationalising of Midsummer Common bins.

     ii.          Need for dog poo bins at the bottom of Chestnut Walk/Huntingdon Road.

   iii.          Need for regular clearance of cigarette bins on rubbish bins in all WCAC wards.

   iv.          Fly tipping was a cross-city issue. Some areas were affected more than others.

    v.          Dog Control Orders would automatically become a Public Space Protection Order in autumn 2017, and  consultation has taken place recently regarding updating restrictions.

   vi.          The Dog Control Orders would cover the Community Orchard.

 

Action Point: Wendy Young to liaise with Open Spaces Team to request regular clearing of cigarette bins on rubbish bins.

 

 vii.          Condition of fence and railings in the Garret Hostel Lane and Christ Pieces area.

 

Action Point: Wendy Young to liaise with Alistair Wilson to request land owner(s) maintain the railings between Queen’s Road and the Garret Hostel Lane bridge.

 

Action Point: Wendy Young to liaise with Alistair Wilson to look into the issue of the white picket fence outside Millworks restaurant by the Mill Pond.  The fence may be the property of the landowner, but whoever owns it please could they be asked to repair it?

 

viii.          Fly tipping in the Adam & Eve Recycling Centre and Kite areas.

 

Members of the public raised the following issues:

       i.          Rationalising of Queen’s Green and Burrell’s Walk bins.

     ii.          Litter in the Garret Hostel Lane area, possibly caused by the night time economy. Suggested tackling this through Ward Walkabouts rather than bins.

   iii.          Carrisbrooke School and local residents thanked Rangers for their clean-up work.

   iv.          Queried if electrical items could be recycled as part of a wider City Council clear up scheme.

 

The Operations Manager said electrical items were recycled once a year by the Waste Team. Also through City Homes general clear up sessions in deprived areas.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement said the following:

       i.          The trial of temporary bins on Fitzroy street had been a success so they would be replaced with permanent ones.

     ii.          Requested suggestions on where bins:

a.    Were needed such as Chestnut Walk, and Garret Hostel Lane area.

b.    Could be rationalised on Midsummer Common.

 

Action Point: Wendy Young to return with comments on bins at the next committee.

 

   iii.          People who asked others to dispose of their waste could be fined if the disposer simply dumped it, (known as duty of care that all waste producers had).

 

The Committee discussed the following as additional and revised recommendations for action:

 

Recommendation 3

         i.          To include the Community Orchard.

 

Following discussion, Members unanimously resolved to approve priorities for action as amended above.