Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Jones and Page-Croft.

Name	Item	Interest
Councillor O’Connell	19/18/SAC	Personal - Member of Trumpington Residents Association.
Councillors Dryden and McPherson	19/18/SAC	Personal - Committee Member of Cherry Hinton Residents Association.
Councillor Ashton	19/18/SAC	Personal - Chair of Cherry Hinton Residents Association.

 

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

ACTION	LEAD OFFICER/ MEMBER	TIMESCALE	PROGRESS
Open Forum   Councillor Ashton to liaise with Police concerning residents’ concern about crime and anti-social behaviour in Cherry Hinton.	Councillor Ashton	08/04/19	Councillor Ashton contacted the Police Inspector. He reported that Cherry Hinton was not seen as a priority as too few people had reported issues. Councillor Ashton asked residents to log issues with the police to build up a database.
Open Forum   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.	Councillor Thornburrow	08/04/19	Councillor Thornburrow is in contact with residents and John Richards to collect information prior to action being taken. This was an on-going issue.
Open Forum   Councillor Thornburrow to organise a briefing between Ward Councillors and City Planning Officers about the Nightingale Park Pavilion planning application.	Councillor Thornburrow	08/04/19	08/04/19 Councillor Thornburrow said she had asked officers to liaise with residents and was informed this would happen on a personal basis (as opposed to a group briefing). Action Point: Councillor Thornburrow undertook to forward an email setting out details to Councillor McGerty in response to his question at SAC.   17/04/19 Councillor Thornburrow emailed Councillor McGerty on 08/04/19 to report “The community has been updated at the recent mingle networking lunch organised by the Queen Edith’s Forum held on 26th March and was attended by Mac McDonald to update those that attended, on the final design and we were still in the planning process for a decision at committee on the 24th April.”
Environmental Report   Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement to inform Councillor O’Connell if needle find figures (report P10) have increased or decreased in Trumpington.	Wendy Johnston	08/04/19	Action Point: Councillor O’Connell to follow up with Wendy Johnston.

 

The Committee noted the briefing paper from the Anderson Group Communications Officer regarding Burnside Lakes (formerly known as Cambridge Lakes).

 

Councillor Ashton drew people’s attention to the change in name for the lakes and suggested residents may wish to respond to Anderson’s scoping exercise.

 

Councillor McPherson said monitoring of security around the Lakes would be particularly important when better weather attracted people to the area.

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

 

1.    A member of the public asked if the committee could revisit inviting Netherhall School to host a meeting with councilors now that circumstances had changed:

                 i.          A new management team was in place.

               ii.          The wider political picture had changed due to Brexit and climate change.

 

Councillor Thornburrow said she had approached schools in Trumpington to arrange visits and received positive initial responses. Children had also visited the Guildhall.

 

Councillor McGerty said he and Councillor Taylor were recently invited to Long Road College. Councillor McGerty had visited a neighbouring college with Councillor Scutt, Heidi Allen MP plus UKIP and Green Party representatives to discuss politics with 16 year olds.

 

Councillor Dryden said he visited Netherhall School in 2018.

 

2.    A member of the public asked if anything had changed in response to councillor discussions with children.

 

Councillors said there was no quantifiable change as councillors had attended discussions to hear childrens’ views.

 

3.    A member of the public said the lack of news about the move of Trumpington Medical Practice to Clay Farm was still a concern to residents. Councillors were asked to keep this issue on the agenda.

 

Councillor Thornburrow said there were no further details at present to those listed on the (agenda) committee action sheet. She had informed the Head of Community Services that the lack of information was causing a lot of rumours and concern.

 

4.    A member of the public said there was general concern that the levels along Cherry Hinton Brook had fallen. He queried if Cam Water had increased its extraction.

 

Councillor Dryden said there were various reasons why water levels were dropping in the wider area.

 

Action Point: Ward Councillors to respond to local resident about concerns over worryingly low water levels in Cherry Hinton Brook.

 

5.    A member of the public said that Cherry Hinton Brook and Hobson’s Conduit were not meeting the standards required for watercourses according to Cam Water. Councillors were asked to help residents find out what was happening.

 

6.    A member of the public said draining Cherry Hinton Lake to remove plants led to problems (eg silt) and asked what was being done to address issues.

 

A representative of Cherry Hinton Hall said:

                 i.          Foliage had been cleared twice as it was choking the water around the Hall and nearby area.

               ii.          Fine mesh nets were put across the water to let it flow but trap weeds and other detritus. This appeared to be working.

             iii.          Silt had not come from the Hall.

 

7.    A member of the public raised the following issues:

       i.          Expressed concern that ‘Cambridge Lakes’ had been renamed ‘Burnside Lakes without prior notification to residents.

     ii.          Asked why the name had been selected.

   iii.          Residents expected lake visitors to mistakenly come to the Burnside area of Cambridge (thinking this was where the lakes were) due to the name change. Traffic numbers in the area would therefore increase.

 

The Anderson Group representative said the lakes had been renamed at the request of the local golf club who had trademarked the name ‘Cambridge Lakes’. A temporary name of ‘Burnside Lakes’ had been chosen by the developer and city council, which could be changed later. A scoping exercise was currently being undertaken and residents were encouraged to respond. The Anderson Group representative would attend a future Cherry Hinton Residents Association meeting to give a presentation on the lakes. He apologised if residents were unaware of this.

 

8.    A member of the public suggested Burnside Lakes could be named after famous local people. Another person asked for details on how the lakes would be named.

 

Councillor Dryden said permission had to be sought from the families of famous people before buildings/lakes could be named after them.

 

Action Point: Councillor McPherson to find out details of how Burnside Lakes (formerly known as Cambridge Lakes) could be named after (locally) well known / influential people.

 

9.    A member of the public raised the following issues:

       i.          Expressed concern about cycling in Queen Edith’s Way.

     ii.          Cycle lanes were pending.

   iii.          People did not adhere to the 20mph speed limit.

 

Councillor Taylor said cycle lanes were proposed some years ago. Two consultation exercises had been undertaken, including with Queen Edith’s School. Cycle lanes were expected after the roundabout project had been completed.

 

The County Council had applied for speed activated cameras. Funding had been obtained to install one outside Queen Edith’s School. The County Council were waiting for the City Council to install the camera.

 

Councillor McGerty said councillors expected officers to give them further details on cycleway projects after the roundabout was completed. The city needed a joined up cycleway network to address safety issues as collisions had occurred between cyclists and drivers/pedestrians. Cycleways needed to join roundabouts in an appropriate way, not just “dump bikes” straight onto the road.

 

Action Point: Councillor McGerty to seek update report on Queen Edith’s Way cycleway.

Verbal update from Cambridgeshire County Council Cycling Projects Team on:

                    i.          Fendon Road/Queen Edith’s Way roundabout project

                  ii.          Fulbourn Road, Robin Hood and Cherry Hinton Road projects

The Committee received a presentation from the Cambridgeshire County Council Cycling Projects Team about roundabout projects.

 

Fendon Road/Queen Edith’s Way Roundabout Project

The Committee and members of the public made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Expressed concern the design was bad, unintuitive and would lead to accidents.

     ii.          The roundabout was implemented so people could access local schools and Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The design gives priority to cyclists over pedestrians. This was the wrong order of priority, it should be pedestrians, cyclists then drivers.

   iii.          Queried if pedestrians would be safe on the roundabout if they were meant to have priority over drivers and cyclists. Would others stop to give way to pedestrians?

   iv.          The roundabout was located near the local hospital. Queried if the impact on emergency vehicles through the deliberate slowing of traffic (due to the new roundabout layout) had been considered.

    v.          Queried how officers would measure if the design was successful or not.

   vi.          Roundabouts were more dangerous to cyclists than intersections. The overall number of accidents had declined, but segmenting the statistical data showed the number of cycling accidents had increased.

 vii.          The Perne Road roundabout was not fit for purpose as it did not have a clearly marked cycle lane. If the Fendon Road roundabout had one, would the Perne Road roundabout be upgraded?

viii.          The Perne Road roundabout did not work in practice as it caused gridlock with cars in the cycle lane.

   ix.          Residents had been told that Dutch style roundabouts were being removed in Holland due to safety concerns ie not fit for purpose. Was this true or false?

    x.          A new roundabout was not enough to address issues. Cycling and bus services also needed to be reviewed in the area.

 

The Project Manager and Senior Project Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          The Dutch style roundabout would be the first of its kind in this country. A publicity campaign on how to use it would begin once the project start date was known. National news interest was expected.

     ii.          The Highway Code would be updated and should include details on how to approach a Dutch style roundabout.

   iii.          Various design elements were already in place in Cambridge eg the parallel crossing on Huntingdon Road. These were being monitored.

   iv.          Vehicles would be forced to slow down by the layout of the roundabout. Warning/instruction signs would be erected.

    v.          Officers were engaging with different bodies such as the Ambulance Service and Road Haulage Association to get comments on the roundabout.

   vi.          Once the Dutch style roundabout was completed, it would be monitored to see if it was working as planned. The data on this would be released. Officers would seek feedback from the community.

 vii.          Cycleways would link onto the road or shared pavement(s) in an appropriate way.

viii.          Officers were aware that prioritising pedestrians over cyclists (right of way) was building as an issue. The design of floating bus stops had been incorporated into the Dutch style roundabout as they had a good safety record. Zebra crossings were also planned if pedestrian/cyclist conflict issues arose.

   ix.          Dutch style roundabouts were not being removed from Holland. This was a false rumour. In fact more are being installed. The number of accidents at junctions with signals is higher than at roundabouts in Holland.

    x.          Cyclists in Holland are given priority over motorists at these roundabouts in urban areas where speeds were lower. Motorists had priority outside of urban areas where they could travel faster.

   xi.          The Perne Road roundabout had been in place since 2014. It had improved safety and there had only been one recorded accident. Roundabout designs had evolved since then.

 xii.          The roundabout project was part of the options package to improve transport in the area.

 

Fulbourn Road, Robin Hood and Cherry Hinton Road Projects

The Committee and members of the public made the following comments in response to the report:

       i.          Ward Councillors met engineers after two schemes had been rejected. Ward Councillors expected a further update before the design was finalised but had found out this occurred without Ward Councillor input.

     ii.          Queried if projects could be sequenced to cause minimum disruption to traffic flow.

   iii.          Cyclists were forced off the road and onto the pavement at the Robin Hood junction.

   iv.          People did not want to lose verges near the Robin Hood junction.

 

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

       i.          There was a stark choice between keeping trees and verges near the Robin Hood junction or losing a lane of traffic. Consultation responses may give a steer on which option was preferred.

     ii.          Officers were modelling the impact of work at the junction so they could report back to councillors.

   iii.          Work was expected to start on the Fendon Road roundabout in September. The timetable needed to be finalised with the contractor and County Council Street Works Team. Exhibitions would also be set up for residents.

   iv.          The intention was not to implement two major projects at once.

    v.          Officers were modelling the impact of the Fendon Road roundabout. A report was expected mid-April 2019 so the scheme could start in September.

   vi.          Designated lanes for cars and bikes were desirable to prevent bikes being forced onto pavements.

 vii.          A public consultation on the Sawston Greenway was expected sometime after May. A report would be presented to the Greater Cambridge Partnership Board in December 2019 once all the Greenways schemes had been consulted upon. The Board would then consider whether or not to take forward those schemes prioritized in the report.

The Committee received a report from Sergeant Mišík (on behalf of Sergeant Stevenson) regarding policing and safer neighbourhood 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.          ASB on Guided Bus Way and public areas in Trumpington village.

     ii.          Street begging – Cherry Hinton.

   iii.          Cherry Hinton High Street – pavement cycling.

 

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

       i.          Street begging in Cherry Hinton.

a.    Queried why footage from CCTV camera installed in High Street (following contributions by residents) was not used as evidence of issues.

     ii.          Anti-social behaviour in Queen Edith’s area.

a.    Gunhild Close Recreation Ground

b.    Needles in Rock Road.

   iii.          Anti-social behaviour in Nightingale Park eg damage by cars.

   iv.          Anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in Trumpington public areas.

    v.          Requested a new Community Liaison Officer be set up in Trumpington like in Orchard Park.

   vi.          The wooded area of Teversham Drift was attracting drug dealers.

 vii.          General issues in open spaces could be addressed by police patrols. Particularly as open spaces seemed to attract drug dealers.

viii.          Residents were becoming disillusioned that the Police were taking no action when information was reported to them as evidence for their database.

   ix.          CORA data missing from reports for some months.

 

Action Point: Councillor McPherson to liaise with other Area Committee Chairs and write to City Police Commander to request CORA data in area committee reports.

 

Members of the public raised the following policing issues:

       i.          Vandalism of new play equipment in Gunhild Way Recreation Ground.

     ii.          Drug paraphernalia left in bushes in Gunhild Way Recreation Ground.

   iii.          Drug dealing in Coleridge area.

 

Sergeant Mišík said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          CORA data was missing from reports for some months due to ICT issues but had now been addressed.

     ii.          Three police teams covered the city. They daily reviewed trends and hot spots separately then met jointly every two weeks to look at emerging issues.

   iii.          Requested councillors and residents reported issues to the police to build up a database of information on where to focus police resources. This could be through ringing 101 or the live webchat facility available via https://www.cambs.police.uk/information-and-services/contact/contact Analysts compiled reports based on details passed to the police.

   iv.          Drug dealing was being addressed at various levels locally and nationally.

    v.          The Council cleaned up needles, not the Police. Please report details to the Environmental Health Team, who would aim to respond within two hours and pass on information to the police.

   vi.          Police in plain clothes monitored junctions and passed information to uniformed officers to follow up and take action against dangerous drivers etc.

 vii.          The police needed actionable information in order to put resources into action straight away, otherwise details were considered to be background information.

 

Constable Harris said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          The police had tried to obtain Cherry Hinton CCTV data for some time, but had now got access.

     ii.          Patrols were occurring in the area of Wulfstan Way and Gunhild Way.

   iii.          People with dash cams were encouraged to give footage to the police as evidence when reporting crimes. This was particularly helpful when motion activated cameras could provide evidence of criminal activity (eg vandalism) when cars were parked.

 

The Committee suggested two local matters could be followed up as items of interest, but not Area Committee priorities:

       i.          Security at Burnside Lakes.

     ii.          PCSOs attending Councillors’ Ward Surgeries in Cherry Hinton.

 

The Committee unanimously nominated the following three issues for Police Focus over the coming months:

       i.          Drug dealing in the South Area, specifically in parks and open spaces.

     ii.          Anti-Social Behaviour in public areas in Trumpington village.

   iii.          Begging on streets in Cherry Hinton.

Report to follow

The Chair ruled that under 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 the late item from the Public Realm Engineering & Project Delivery Team Leader be considered despite not being made publicly available for this committee five clear days prior to the meeting.

 

The reason that this document could not be deferred was that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the next committee.  

 

The Committee received a report from the Public Realm Engineering & Project Delivery Team Leader. It was introduced by Councillor Thornburrow (Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces).

 

The report was in response to South Area Committee’s request for an update on the Council’s investigation work to better manage damage to highways verges, in particular through vehicular parking.

 

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

       i.          Suggested that wild flowers would not deter people from parking on verges. Particularly as verges that looked unkept were more likely to be parked on (as happened in Trumpington some time ago).

     ii.          People who parked on verges should be fined, particularly construction companies (due to the frequency of them parking on verges and causing damage).

   iii.          Putting boulders on verges would create obstacles to prevent parking, but councillors were advised this was illegal.

   iv.          Verges should have something on them that prevented car parking but could also be a wildlife habitat.

    v.          Consultation on verge parking led to mix responses. It would be better to focus consultation on those affected by verge parking control issues to understand what they wanted in their area.

   vi.          People who parked on verges were also likely to block pavements.

 vii.          The Transport Select Committee were starting enquiries into pavement parking. The City Council were encouraged to respond to this.

viii.          Welcomed the stoppage of pesticide use on verges.

 

Councillor Thornburrow said the following in response to Members’ questions:

       i.          The council aimed to stop using pesticides on its land in future. Pesticides would only be used on request.

     ii.          Verges were owned by the County Council so proposals would be trialled with them to see the effect on verges and if verge parking was stopped through the proposed interventions.

   iii.          Various projects were coming to Area Committees in future through the £70,000 s106 funding pot.

   iv.          Areas where interventions would be trialled would be identified in future.

 

Following discussion, Members resolved (unanimously) to:

       i.          Note the findings from the investigation undertaken, and the potential options available to limit damage to, and improve, verges.

     ii.          Consider the value of highways verges as a public realm amenity.

   iii.          Note the need for a shared approach working with residents and other organisations with a vested interest.

   iv.          Support the proposal to trial further interventions during 2019/20 with a view to establishing a preferred approach.

The Committee received a report from the Community Funding & Development Manager.

 

The report outlined details of applications received to date for 2019-20 funding of projects in the South area and made recommendations for awards. It also provided information on the eligibility and funding criteria.

 

The Committee considered the grant applications received, and proposed awards, detailed in Appendix 1 of the Officer’s report; in line with the Area Committee Community Grants criteria, detailed in paragraph 3.4 of the Officer’s report.

 

Following discussion, Members resolved (unanimously) to agree the proposed awards detailed in Appendix 1 of the Officer’s report (summarised in the table below):

 

Ref	Organisation	Project	Award £
S1	Branded Rebound	5 x 1:1 trampoline sessions for children and adults with disabilities	0
S2	Cambridge Community Church	7 week Shine empowerment course at Clay Farm Centre	900
S3	Cambridge Pickleball Club	21 sessions of 'Pickle in the Park' at Nightingale Recreation Ground	1,300
S4	Cambridge Royal Albert Benevolent Society	Trip  to Brick Lane Christmas show in London	500
S5	Cambridgeshire Older People's Enterprise	Monthly older people's club at Queen Edith's Chapel	650
S6	Cherry Hinton Residents’ Association	Extend opening hours of Last Sunday Café at Cherry Hinton Library	600
S7	Cherry Hinton Residents’ Association	Weekly craft activity for children and adults at Cherry Hinton Library	100
S8	Cherry Hinton Residents’ Association	Community family fun day at Cherry Hinton Rec on 16 August  2019	375
S9	Cherry Hinton Residents’ Association	Christmas lights switch-on and  Christmas Fair	550
S10	Denis Wilson Court Social Club	Summer coach trip to Sandringham estate for residents	450
S11	Empty Common Community Garden	Opening event, landscaping around meeting space and insurance	300
S12	Families living on Accordia (care of Accordia Residents Association)	Sports and music event for Accordia families on 15 June 2019
S13	Forever Active Forum Ltd	50 weekly strength and balance exercise classes for older people at Queen Edith Chapel	750
S14	Hanover and Princes Court Residents’ Association	Summer seaside outing, September barbecue, Christmas event, monthly craft sessions for residents	900
S15	Home-Start Cambridgeshire	36 weekly Family Connections Support Group families	3,000
S16	Queen Edith's Community Forum	Quarterly newsletter delivered to all households in Queen Edith's	1,000
S17	Queen Edith's Community Forum	Community Family Fun and Sports Day at Gunhild Rec on 29 May 2019	375
S18	Romsey Mill Trust	40  Friday after school sessions for 13-18 years olds at Trumpington Pavilion	2,750
S19	St Paul's Church	Thursday lunch club boat trip and coach trip to Great Yarmouth	400
S20	Trumpington Community Drama Group	40 weekly rehearsals, 2 performances and pantomime trip	700
S21	Trumpington Meadows Community	4 community meetings at Trumpington Meadows School + Christmas event	200
S22	Trumpington Residents' Association	10th anniversary celebration of the Pavilion on 21 September 2019	700
S23	Trumpington Residents' Association	Monthly Saturday and fortnightly Wednesday soft play sessions at Trumpington Pavilion	300
S24	Trumpington Residents' Association	Annual day trip to Hunstanton 20 July 2019	500
Total			£17,670