Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Adey, Dryden and McPherson.

No declarations of interest were made.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2018 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

ACTION	LEAD OFFICER/ MEMBER	TIMESCALE	PROGRESS
Matters Arising   Members requested a briefing note on possible action to address verge parking.	John Richards	08/04/19	Historic action point re-instated on committee action sheet as it is an on-going issue.
Environmental Report   Nick Kester and Tree Officers to visit green on Fisher’s Lane to inspect damage to grass and trees caused by cars parking on the grass.	John Richards	08/04/19	Nick Kester visited site on 05/06/18.   Verge parking remains an issue across the city. Councillors still want a briefing note.
Matters Arising   Concerns raised about cyclist and pedestrian conflict around the entrance to the Cambridge Assessment Centre. Cllr Adey to investigate.	Councillor Taylor	10/09/18	Councillor Thornburrow advised a solid white line is in place along the guided busway maintenance track from the railway station to Trumpington Park and Ride.   There was also a new reduction in speed to 30mph between Hills Road Bridge and Cambridge Assessment Centre.   Councillor Taylor said the County Council were aware of safety concerns and a solid barrier was expected on the guided busway in the near future.
Open Forum   Councillor McPherson to write to ARM and request an electric bus is used instead of a diesel one as a shuttle bus.	Councillor McPherson	10/09/18	Councillor McPherson has written to ARM. A response may be sent in due course.
Open Forum   Tree branches to be pruned as they obscure traffic lights near the Robin Hood pub on the Cherry Hinton Road junction.	Councillor Crawford	10/09/18	Councillor Crawford confirmed traffic lights were no longer obscured.

 

South Area City and County Councillors commented that they were picking up ward issues on behalf of Councillor Adey since his move to Scotland in 2018. This was an increasing issue as his absence meant that ward issues were not being addressed by him so colleagues had to pick them up.

Start time 19:15

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

 

1.    Raised the following issues:

                 i.          Queried if the County Council were aware in advance of the closure of Hinton Grange Care Home (for elderly people).

               ii.          Queried what consultations were held or assurances given about existing inhabitants.

 

Councillor Crawford said she heard nothing in advance. She first became aware of the issue through Twitter. Councillor Crawford then wrote to the Chair of the Adults Committee asking for the issue to be discussed. Complaints were made by City Councillor Herbert and Daniel Zeichner MP as no-one knew about the closure. The Chief Executive said to Councillor Crawford in a private meeting that residents would not have to move unless they had somewhere to go to. Councillor Crawford asked the Adults Committee to keep her informed of developments. An update was expected at the next Adults Committee meeting.

 

The member of the public said Hinton Grange had closed.

 

City and County Councillors said that County Council communication procedures were poor as they were not being kept abreast of issues. This particularly affected Ward Councillors.

 

Councillors expressed concern about the closure of care homes. A petition calling for The Haven in Cambridge to be kept open would be handed into the County Council. Councillor McGerty hoped that tenancy agreements would stop people being moved on unless they chose to.

 

2.    Asked for an update on the move of Trumpington Medical Practice to Clay Farm.

 

Councillor O’Connell said the medical practice should be in place by March 2019. Some information was embargoed and could not be made public at present. Councillor O’Connell would find out what she could pass on.

 

Action Point: Councillor O’Connell to liaise with member of public about move of Trumpington Surgery to Clay Farm.

 

3.    Asked for an update on the Fendon Road Roundabout.

 

Councillor Taylor said construction was expected to start in Spring 2019 after consultation with residents. Some consultation had already been undertaken with schools and the community. The intention was that the roundabout would be ready for the summer so people could get used to the new layout in daylight.

 

Councillors thanked residents for the comments they had given to Officers about the roundabout to ensure the design was robust.

 

A member of the public expressed concern about the proposed layout. Referred to scientific data listing collisions occurred on identical (design) ones in Holland. Asked for reassurance that the design would be fit for purpose.

 

Councillors said the Fendon Road Roundabout was a notorious accident blackspot and hoped the new design improved the situation. The Chair suggested that Councillor McGerty may wish to further liaise with residents about the design.

 

4.    Queried how cycleway projects were sequenced to ensure they were co-ordinated. There was a risk that projects would be done independently instead of joined up.

 

Action Point: Councillor Taylor to seek update report for future South Area Committee on Fendon Road roundabout and how this and similar projects are being co-ordinated by the County Council.

 

5.    Raised the following issues:

                 i.          Queried how people would access their properties off Fendon Road before/after work on the new style roundabout.

               ii.          Queried how homes would be affected by the roundabout.

             iii.          There had been poor communication/consultation to date. This needed to improve.

 

Councillor O’Connell said this was the second example of poor communication by the County Council. (Care homes being the first.) Asked County Councillors to follow up with Officers.

 

Action Point: Councillor Taylor to put local resident in contact with County Council Officer responsible for Fendon Road roundabout. Officer to discuss and respond to issues raised in resident’s letter.

 

6.    Residents in Cherry Hinton were worried about a spate of crime which included burglary and intimidating behaviour by beggars in the High Street.

 

Councillor Ashton said Police Sergeant Stevenson had recently emailed him to say a fifteen year old had been arrested and given bail for the church burglary. The police were monitoring the situation in Cherry Hinton, an update would be given at the April South Area Committee. The Vicar added that the same person was linked to anti-social behavior in Cherry Hinton.

 

Action Point: Councillor Ashton to liaise with Police concerning residents’ concern about crime and anti-social behaviour in Cherry Hinton.

 

7.    Raised the following issues:

                 i.          Damage to verges was a citywide issue.

               ii.          Queried if this could be controlled through planning conditions.

             iii.          People (eg contractors) who damaged verges by parking on them should pay to repair the damage.

 

Councillor Taylor said the Local Highways Officer was following up with contractors on Queen Edith’s Way to make good damage to verges there.

 

Councillor Thornburrow said that Traffic Management Plans covered verge damage. Verge parking remained an issue across the city. Councillors wanted a briefing note that covered all issues on the committee action sheet (including historic ones that were outstanding).

 

Action Point: Briefing note to be supplied by Public Realm & Project Delivery Team Leader concerning:

·       Can verge parking be controlled through planning conditions?

·       Enforcement action that could be taken against residents, visitors, contractors etc.

·       Ensuring damage to verges is repaired.

 

Councillor Page-Croft said her understanding from Planning Committee training was that planning conditions required damage to verges to be made good. This was a County Council issue.

 

8.    Queried when the footpaths and cycleways around Clay Farm would be completed.

 

9.    Raised concern about the footpath that runs alongside the stretch of Hobson's Conduit from Brooklands Avenue to the entrance of Clare College playing fields/eastern end of Bentley Road.

                 i.          Over recent years the footpath has experienced an increase in cycle traffic which led to an increase in rutting and general deterioration of a designated public footpath.

               ii.          Previous efforts to request the installing of kissing gates (as a deterrence to cyclists)  at the north and south ends of this stretch of footpath had been passed between the City & County Council officers despite the stretch of green space being designated as an important amenity for residents.

 

Action Point: Councillor Thornburrow to liaise with City Planning Officer to get a progress report on foot/cycle paths around Clay Farm and alongside the stretch of Hobson's Conduit from Brooklands Avenue to the entrance of Clare College playing fields/eastern end of Bentley Road. Councillor Thornburrow to check if local residents can attend this meeting.

 

10.          Raised the following issues about rat running on Addenbrooke’s Road:

                 i.          There appeared to be no enforcement to prevent it.

               ii.          The resident had received no response to his questions from the Director of Planning.

             iii.          The situation would be exacerbated by new organisations moving onto the Addenbrooke’s site in future.

 

Councillor O’Connell said the police monitored cameras covering Addenbrooke’s Road. They reported no issues. Only people accessing the hospital should use the road.

 

The resident said the police website stated no action was being taken regarding Addenbrooke’s Road. Therefore the cameras were not working as a deterrent against rat running.

 

Action Point: Councillor O’Connell to liaise with Police about residents’ concerns that speed cameras are not deterring rat running on Addenbrooke’s Road.

 

Action Point: Councillor Moore undertook to follow up as a Coleridge Ward Councillor.

 

11.          Requested an update on the Nightingale Park Pavilion planning application.

 

Councillor Thornburrow said the application had been submitted in the last few days (pre South Area Committee) but not yet registered.

 

Action Point: Councillor Thornburrow to organise a briefing between Ward Councillors and City Planning Officers about the Nightingale Park Pavilion planning application.

Start time 19:45

 

Discussion item with representative from Anderson Group

The Committee received a verbal report from the Communications Officer (Anderson Group).

 

The report gave an update on Cambridge Lakes security and actions taken to address anti-social behaviour on-site:

       i.          Anderson continued to invest in security for the site.

     ii.          Contractors visited the site to investigate issues and tidy up litter after vandalism of the fence. Visits used to occur twice a week but had now increased to four.

   iii.          The Anderson Group held a Community Planning Weekend in November where residents were asked to build a masterplan for the area of major change. This is with the City Council planning team for review but would alleviate traffic and open lakes for public access. Anderson Group would continue to manage Cambridge Lakes. They were engaging with City Council Officers on how to do so.

   iv.          The Communications Officer was happy to follow up with South and East Area Committees in future if desired.

    v.          Local media portrayed the site as somewhere to visit now. It was not safe to do so. Referring to the site as “Romsey Beach” continued this incorrect impression.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Queried if the site was contaminated. Asked for the site to be cleaned up and made safe before it was opened to the public.

     ii.          Thanked Anderson Group for replacing fencing that was continuously damaged. Access via neighbouring sites needed to be stopped too.

   iii.          Land adjoining the Lakes site was owned by Peterhouse College. This is not as secure. People accessed the Lakes site through Peterhouse land, then broke down Anderson Group’s fences to access the site.

   iv.          People also accessed the lake site via the railway track and cutting down large sections of fencing.

    v.          Trespass may continue as an issue once the site was opened up to the public. This was an issue to monitor.

   vi.          Anderson Group were doing a lot of positive public engagement.

 vii.          Hoped the media would pick up on the change of site name from “Romsey Beach” to “Cambridge Lakes”.

 

The Communications Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          A cement factory used to be on the Cambridge Lakes site. The lakes were deep holes where the cement was excavated.  There were underwater structures present.

     ii.          Anderson Group did erect a wooden fence around the lake some years ago. Within one month the fence was vandalised, removed and set on fire. Rather than replacing the damaged fence, Anderson Group protected the site in other ways. A security/management plan was coming forward on how to protect the site in future.

   iii.          All landowners (Anderson, Peterhouse College and the City Council) would have to protect the site in future. The City Council was engaging with Anderson Group on how to do this. It cost £4,000 per month to protect the site at present.

 

Action Point: Councillors Thornburrow and Ashton to invite representatives from Peterhouse College and Anderson Group to a future meeting in Cherry Hinton to discuss issues about Cambridge Lakes.

 

   iv.          If people trespassed on the site, this caused a safety issue.

    v.          The lake was not contaminated. The land above it was.

   vi.          Anderson Group’s priorities were to secure the site perimeter, clean up the site then develop it. Anderson Group had offered to pay for site clean-up before developing it further.

Start time 20:15

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 incorrectly listed the reporting period as February-July instead of June-November.

 

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 South Area Committee.  The report identifies the reactive and proactive service actions undertaken in the previous year, including the requested priority targets and reports back on the recommended issues and associated actions to be targeted in the following period.  It also includes 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 South Area for the upcoming period.

 

Number	Priority details
1	Enforcement targeted approach to areas where Addenbrookes site joins residential areas such as Hills Road and Red Cross Lane and to work with Addenbrookes to work towards the bus station area being cleaned up.
2	Enforcement to work with the County Council, against utilities and companies that damage the verge on Mowbray and Fendon Road.
3	Enforcement action to deal with bins left on pavements in Anstey Way.

 

The Committee discussed the following issues:

       i.          Needle finds in Trumpington.

 

Action Point: Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to inform Councillor O’Connell if needle find figures (report P10) had increased or decreased in Tumpington.

 

     ii.          The sharp decline in dry recycling and composting figures.

 

Action Point: Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to ask Waste Recycling Manager to liaise with Councillor Taylor concerning decline in dry recycling and composting figures.

 

   iii.          Area between Cherry Hinton Road and Rustat Road required cleaning. As did Hills Road slip road between Queen Edith’s Way and Nightingale Avenue.

 

Action Point: Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to advice Streets and Open Spaces Community Engagement Team of street cleaning issues:

·       Between Cherry Hinton Road and Rustat Road.

·       On Hills Road slip road between Queen Edith’s Way and Nightingale Avenue.

 

   iv.          By-laws may limit possible actions that could be taken against people who parked on verges.

 

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

       i.          There was a new team called the Streets and Open Spaces Community Engagement Team (formerly the City Rangers).  The team would work with residents in future. Issues could be reported:

a.    On-line.

b.    To the Customer Access Centre.

c.    To Rangers directly.

     ii.          There has been no change to Ranger numbers or contact details. The South Area Ranger had experienced problems with his phone, so he had not received some messages from residents.

   iii.          Central Government decriminalised leaving bins on the pavement where they could be obstructions. The City Council now had to go through a complicated process to take enforcement action. This required the Council to review the cost/benefit of taking action.

 

Action Point: Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to advice Councillor Taylor which Public Realm Enforcement Officer will be responsible in future for Anstey Way (when appointed).

 

Councillors queried if priority 3 in the Officer’s report was required.

 

Action Point: Councillors Thornburrow and O’Connell to liaise with Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to determine if priority (iii) was still required: Enforcement action to deal with bins left on pavements in Anstey Way.

 

Following discussion, Members unanimously resolved to approve priorities for action as follows:

       i.          Enforcement targeted approach to areas where Addenbrookes site joins residential areas such as Hills Road and Red Cross Lane and to work with Addenbrookes to work towards the bus station area being cleaned up.

     ii.          Enforcement to work with the County Council, against utilities and companies that damage the verge on Mowbray and Fendon Road.

Start time 20:45

 

Proposed South Area Committee dates for the 2019-20 municipal year:

 

·       22/07/19

·       09/09/19

·       09/12/19

·       09/03/20

 

Venues will be agreed later.

The following dates were agreed unanimously:

·       22/07/19

·       09/09/19 – subject to review and future agreement by committee

·       09/12/19

·       09/03/20

 

Action Point: Committee to confirm if they would meet 9 September 2019 or another date.

 

Post meeting note: Previous query about date has been withdrawn. Councillors raised no objections so South Area Committee to go ahead 9 September 2019 as proposed.