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Venue: Meeting Room - Wesley Methodist Church, Christ's Pieces, CB1 1LG. View directions
Contact: James Goddard Committee Manager
No. | Item |
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Welcome, Introduction and Apologies for Absence Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor Gehring. |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: No declarations of interest were made. |
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Minutes: Councillor Scutt referenced the minute to the request for West Central
Committee’s support for a Local Highway Improvement (LHI) bid for double yellow
lines on Carisbrooke Road. She had advised that this had been requested under
LHI by the North Area Committee. The minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2017 were then approved as a
correct record and signed by the Chair. |
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Matters and Actions Arising From the Minutes PDF 107 KB Minutes: Councillor Gillespie reminded the Committee that at the last meeting Councillors had asked the police to prioritise the issue of drug dealing (and also drug use in the street) in the Maids Causeway area; there had since been a number of new incidents reported with the situation getting worse. The Anti-Social Behaviour team had sent a letter to Auckland Road residents advising on how to contact the police and also provided the contact details of Sarah Steggles' (Street based Anti-Social Behavior Project Co-ordinator). However this issue also concerned James Street; Parsonage Street; Brunswick Terrace; Brunswick Gardens and Midsummer Common, but Police resources were limited. Lynda Kilkelly, Safer Communities Section Manager, confirmed to the Committee there had been a number of complaints from a variety of addresses. Due to the high number of complaints it has been decided to hold a residents meeting on this matter on 18 October, the Conference Room, Grafton Centre, 6.00pm. Information discussed would be collated and a plan formulated in conjunction with Police representatives who would also be present at the meeting. Leaflets were available which provided more information on the meeting. Councillor Bick stated that he had attended a meeting with the Divisional Police Commander that morning who had confirmed that this matter was very much an active Police priority. The Action Sheet was then noted and an updated copy could be viewed at the following link under ‘Updated Action Sheet from meeting held on 28/09/17: https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=117&MId=3341&Ver=4 |
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Open Forum Minutes: Members of the public asked the following questions, as set out below. Bev Nicolson: The
pedestrian crossing on Albion Row had looked like it was at long last taking
shape earlier this year. Since then, hardly anything has happened except two Belisha Beacons being installed. Those beacons are not yet
working and there was no markings painted on the road. The barrier would still
be across it if it hadn't been moved. What is going on? Both Councillors Richards and Nethsingha advised UK Power Networks were scheduled to return to the crossing to connect
the new power supply to the Belisha Beacons on 17th
October. The lining work would then be completed to enable the crossing to be
commissioned and subsequently would become operational in early November at the
latest. There had been numerous attempts to connect the power to the beacons
with issues experienced with the location of ducting and existing utility
equipment. This had led to work to be rescheduled by UK Power Networks. The importance of completing this crossing as soon as possible had been
expressed by the County Council and sent to all parties involved. Susan Stobbs,
Chair of the Friends of Midsummer Common: Local residents were very concerned
about the significant increase over the last six months in drug dealing and
drug use around Midsummer Common and particularly in the Community Orchard in
broad daylight. Recent publicity has led to a reduction of incidents, but this
just means that they will have gone elsewhere. I would like to ask whether the
Council is reviewing its strategy for dealing with homelessness and drug use in
the city, particularly in the light of the reduction in funding for mental
health services and the chronic shortage of affordable housing. Councillor Nethsingtha stated part of this
question had been covered under the previous item of ‘Matters Arising from the
Minutes’ with the notification of the planned residents meeting, to discuss the
visual increase of drug use in and around Maids Causeway. Councillor Harrison directed that she would undertake to look into the
matter of mental health issues highlighted in the question. This would link
into a study currently being undertaken by her and Councillor Bick on street
life issues in the west area of Cambridge. The Committee would be updated at
the next meeting. (ACTION) Councillor Hipkin:
Could it be recorded that 9 members of the public were present at this meeting
and this information is shown in the minutes of each meeting. The cost of
running the area committee meeting could have been better allocated to the
Council’s anti-poverty strategy. Councillor Nethsingha noted Councillor Hipkin’s comments. Bev Nicolson:
Could the Chair establish if question(s) submitted by the public had to be
present in person in order for their question(s) to be discussed. Councillor Nethsingha confirmed a member of the public did not have to
be present in order for their question to be put forward to the Committee. |
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Managing Tourism in the City Centre Minutes: The Chair welcomed Emma Thornton, CEO of Visit Cambridge and Beyond to
the meeting; Sonia Hanson, Traffic Manager and Campbell Ross-Bain, Bus Operation & Facilities Manager, both from Cambridgeshire
County Council. Emma Thornton detailed the following points:
i.
The role of
Visit Cambridge and Beyond was to grow the value of the visitor economy by
promoting Cambridge and the surrounding area and providing the best possible
visitor experience. It was a non-profit organisation with no political or geographical boundaries. ii.
The main
objective was to develop strategic alliances with partners in and outside of
Cambridge to change the perception of the city as a key day trip destination. iii.
The organisation was 96% reliant on earned income with only 4% of
its funding now coming from public funding. Compared to similar bodies nationally the organisation was unique with only Oxford operating a similar
model but with higher public funding. iv.
The organisation
also run the Visitor Information
Centre which dealt with around 350,000 face to face enquires; 500,000 telephone
/ e-mail queries and were responsible for the private and public guided walking
tour service used by 80,000 visitors a year. v.
Between
2013-2015 there had been a significant increase in visitors’ numbers with a
slight increase in 2015-2016 which were as follows: 5.4million visitors in
2013 7.4 million visitors in
2015 7.6 million visitors in
2016 vi.
Tourism was
responsible for 20% of employment in the city. vii.
There had
never been a joint strategy for managing tourism in the greater Cambridge area.
This new initiative now brought the opportunity to spread the economic value
gained from tourism to the surrounding area, encouraging visitors to stay
longer and explore further. viii.
The aim is to
change the perception of Cambridge as a day trip destination, but this is
deeply engrained and would take some time.
Comments from the Committee
and members of the public on Queen’s Road: i.
The number of
coaches parking to bring in day tourists to the City had increased considerably
over the years. The road was not built for this volume of coaches. ii.
At weekends
in the summer the area was intolerable with an overflow of coaches breaking
various traffic codes: parking on double yellow lines; double parking; parking
on grass verges and parking beyond the city boundary. iii.
Over the
summer the Police had been called out to deal with dangerous parking. iv.
Little or no
enforcement was undertaken to send a message to the coach tourist companies. v.
One
enforcement officer should be allocated to permanently patrol the road in the
height of the tourist season. vi.
A review was
urgently needed with alternative options investigated. vii.
Would not be
surprised if a fatality occurred. viii.
Coach parking
in the park and rides sites across the city were not being used. ix.
The park and
ride sites were crucial to negate the problem and suggested that coaches should
be forced to terminate at these sites. x.
The road was
a major trunk road into the city; when the road was blocked with coaches this
created major traffic jams into the city and impacted on slowing down the flow
of traffic elsewhere while drivers searched for alternative routes. xi.
Asked if the
coach companies were aware of the alternative coach parking on Chesterton and Trumpington Road but also questioned if Chesterton Road was
the right location. xii.
Large amounts of litter were left
behind. xiii.
Residents of Newham would be able
to advise officers when the peak parking time of coaches occurred. xiv.
Some coach companies offered a 45
minute visit to the city as part of a day tour and questioned what financial
benefits this would bring to the Cambridge economy. xv.
Did not believe that the County
Highways department were aware of the scale of the problem. xvi.
A complete ban was required on
Queen’s Road rather than providing increased parking capacity. xvii.
Suggested the installation of CCTV
to prevent the dangerous parking. Other issues raised from the Committee and members of the public. i.
Suggested a tourism tax supporting
culture and community in the city. ii.
Day tourist should be discouraged
making it harder to visit the city for a few hours whilst encouraging tourists
to stay longer. iii.
Tourists should be encouraged to
disperse outside of the City iv.
Inspire tourists to stay longer
by providing a ‘Cambridge Pass’ which
would give free or discounted entry to places of interest; discounted or free
bus / train travel. v.
Important that the city remained
inclusive and open to everyone which was something to be proud of. vi.
An integrated approach to the
matter was required. vii.
The University should take a more
proactive and joined up approach to encourage visitors to stay longer. viii.
Queried if it was possible to
extend the tourist season in the city by offering discounts and incentives off
peak season. ix.
Suggested joint funding between
the County and the City Council to finance the increased capacity of one
permanent enforcement officer to deal with the issue of tourist coach parking. In response Emma Thornton and County officers made the following statements:
i.
Funding from the Greater Cambridge
Partnership had been allocated to expand coach parking at the Trumpington park
and ride site with an additional five spaces. This site was also used as a
collection point for local schools as a pick up and drop off point for local
pupils; this would remove a large volume of cars from the city’s road.
Therefore the expansion was much needed as the coaches could use this site
in-between drop off and pickups. ii.
Data showed that the Madingley
Road park and ride site was used by coaches. The site could hold up to 25
coaches if required and had done so in the past. iii.
A bid had been submitted to the
Greater Cambridge Partnership for funding to canvas the tourist coach industry
to determine how often and when they visited the city, and to promote
alternative parking on Trumpington Road and Chesterton Road. iv.
Investigation had determined that
it was not clear to the coach tourist companies and the independent day tourist
that the city centre could be accessed from other parts of the inner ring road;
signage needed to be improved. v.
Suggested coach parking spaces
could be increased in the short term on Queen’s Road while an alternative
solution was found. vi.
67% of international visitors
believed that England stopped at London. Visit Cambridge and Beyond were
working with other organisations to change visitor’s behaviour by building
itineraries to outside destinations which were accessible from and around
Cambridge. This was a key issue in changing visitor’s behaviour. vii.
Other heritage cities such as
Bath, Oxford and York all had confirmed they experienced the same problem with
tourist coach parking and had found no fixed solution. viii.
The problem of tourist coach
parking was magnified by the city’s compact narrow street scene. ix.
Most of the attractions in
Cambridge were free so it would be difficult to promote a ‘Cambridge Pass’. x.
Visit Cambridge and Beyond were
currently supporting the development of a new initiative called ‘ The Cambs
Pass’. This was a promotional
pass that saved money across
family attractions, restaurants and many other different businesses in Cambridgeshire. xi.
Proposed that
the decision of tour operators to drop off on Queens Road was the easier
position, because the directions to the city centre was short and direct. To be dropped off on Chesterton
Road would be a ‘voyage of discovery’. xii.
Cambridge was
a city for all seasons, with the peak times for tourism in July and August. xiii.
Not aware
there was the legislation nationally to introduce a tourist tax. xiv.
Important
that the city did not isolate itself from visitors. xv.
The visitor economy was vital to
Cambridge. xvi.
Due to the lack of resources it
was not possible to have an enforcement officer to permanently patrol Queen’s
Road. xvii.
There were three permanent coach
parking spaces on Queens Road with an additional three opened in the summer.
There were a further three on Trumpington Road and on Chesterton Road. xviii.
Communication with tourist coach
companies was critical in reducing this problem. |
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Greater Cambridge Partnership Greenway Projects Minutes: The Committee
received a verbal presentation from the Greenways Project Manager, Simon
Manville, regarding the Cambridge Greenways Project. The presentation outlined the 12 proposed routes. The project was designed to connect the villages surrounding Cambridge through a cohesive network for pedestrians, cyclists and equine riders. The project was currently going through its pre consultation stage; this involved holding meetings in various locations to gain public input and feedback. Once completed, the designs would be drawn up and a public consultation on the preferred options would be undertaken. The Greenways Project Manager highlighted that the whole aim of the scheme was to reduce vehicle congestion so the key focus was on cycle provision. The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:
i.
Noted the
importance of circular routes and queried if these types of routes could be
incorporated as part of the project.
ii.
Queried why
the routes/paths would not be completely segregated from roads?
iii.
Stated that
it may be difficult for cyclists and pedestrians to both use the routes
together. Asked whether the routes would be lit up?
iv.
Expressed
disappointment that in funding terms the promotion of leisure, such as walking
and cycling were low down on the list of priorities.
v.
Stated there
should be an adjustment to the objectives to the suggested links. The Greenways Project Manager said the following in response to Members’ questions:
i.
There was an
opportunity to make the routes as pleasant and as easy to use for leisure users
and would be sensitive to the local concerns.
ii.
Routes in
and out of the city had only been looked at in the first instance. There was a
possibility that orbital routes would be looked at a later date.
iii.
The route
would encompass small roads, making entirely separate routes/ paths would be
incredibly costly.
iv.
Confirmed
that the paths would be wide and could potentially include white separation
lines to stop collisions between cyclists and pedestrians. Lighting would be
costly to have along all the routes so it would be strategically placed in
areas where it was most beneficial.
v.
Currently
there was no budget to deliver this project as this was only at pre
consultation stage with £480,000 for development funds.
vi.
Estimated
cost to deliver the scheme was between £10,000,000 million to £20,000,000.
Funding would be secured from the Greater Cambridge Partnership, in 2020. Councillor Scutt stressed the important of signage to assist with a unified network of links. The Greenways Project Manager stated that Cambridge Regional College had been approached asking students to design a logo for the project which would be placed on all the signage. |
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Environmental Report - WCAC PDF 2 MB Minutes: The Committee
received a report from the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and
Enforcement. 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/Central 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. In response to Members’ and the public comments and questions the
Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement, said the following:
i.
Comments
on the ‘temporary bins’ which had been on Lamas Land for approximately 18
months needed to be reconsidered for design and permanent location. As such,
they would be taken back to the Parks Team for action.
ii.
Agreed
to include regular clearing of leaves along the highways as a priority going
forward if the Committee approved.
iii.
Would enquire if a bin could be installed on
Chesterton Lane.
iv.
Welcomed the positive comments from Members on the
work that had been undertaken on Paradise Nature Reserve.
v.
Noted the comments regarding the increase of litter
in Fitzroy Street and Burleigh Street; Enforcement
Officers had increased the number of fixed penalty notices for littering in the
last quarter. Numerous fines had been issued to local business regarding their
breach of statutory waste notices, as well as business being issued notices
regarding their waste duty of care.
vi.
A number of businesses within the city had been
issued with the higher range fixed penalties for fly tipping commercial waste
where large quantities of waste had been dumped. vii.
Meetings had been held with the Police and
representatives from County Council’s drugs and alcohol team where an increase
in needles had been reported. This information was also e-mailed on a regular
basis in-between those meetings with the Police and County Council. viii.
Unfortunately due to the narrow design of Hobson
Passage there was little that could be done regarding the storing of trade bins
on the highway. The area was checked on a regular basis by Officers with a
number of businesses fined for not taking the correct responsibility of
storage.
ix.
Noted the comment regarding the protractible
needles which were safer to regular needles, although the level of rubbish
would remain the same. The Committee discussed the following as additional and revised
recommendations for action: i. Enforcement and City Ranger patrols in the
City Centre to address issues of
illegally deposited trade waste on Fitzroy and Burleigh
Street. ii. Streets and Open Spaces regular clearing of
leaves along the highways iii. Dog warden patrols to target irresponsible
dog owners on Midsummer Common iv. Enforcement patrols to address abandoned
vehicles in the Castle Ward Following
discussion, Members unanimously resolved to approve priorities for action as amended above. |