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Venue: Meeting Room - Cherry Trees Day Centre
Contact: Claire Tunnicliffe Committee Manager
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Welcome, Introduction and Apologies for Absence Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor Hart. |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: No declarations were declared. |
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Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2017 were signed as a correct record by the Chair. |
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Matters and Actions Arising from the Minutes PDF 134 KB Minutes: The Action Sheet was noted and an updated copy could be viewed at the following link under ‘Committee Action Sheet’. https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=147&MId=3361&Ver=4 |
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East Area Committee Dates 2018/19 The Committee is asked to agree the following meeting dates for the municipal year 2018/19; the venue will be the Cherry Trees Day Centre: · 12/07/18 · 11/10/18 · 10/01/19 · 04/04/19 Members are asked to contact the Committee Manager in advance of the meeting with any comments regarding the above dates. Minutes: The following dates were agreed
unanimously: ·
12/07/18 ·
11/10/18 ·
10/01/19 ·
04/04/19* *The date was agreed if it did not fall in the school holidays;
Cambridgeshire County Website shows that the Easter break starts on Monday 8
April 2019. |
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Policing and Safer Neighbourhoods PDF 144 KB Minutes: The Committee received a report from Sergeant Jim Stevenson regarding the policing and safer neighbourhoods’ trends. The report outlined actions taken since the East Area Committee on 20 July 2017. 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. County lines issues ii. Responding to street life ASB issues in Mill Road; and iii. Road safety in known hot spot areas There were six recommendations which the Committee had been asked to make their recommendations for focus over the coming months: i. Coleridge Rec. ASB ii. Dwelling burglary iii. County line drug dealing iv. Road safety v. Safeguarding young people vi. Mill Road ASB Lynda Kilkelly, Safer Communities Section Manager informed the Committee that a number of injunctions had been served on those individuals who had been identified as causing difficulties; the street life working team would in the first instance offer continued support and only when the behaviour did not change, enforcement action would be taken. In response to the questions and comments from members of the public and the committee, Sergeant Stevenson, Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Rogerson and the Safer Communities Section Manager said the following: i. Would advise members of the public to feed information concerning illegal activity onto the Police web portal. The information was then assessed / graded on a weekly basis with the Prevent Team who identified problem areas geographically and action to be undertaken. This could be arranging high visibility patrols to deter illegal activities such as drug dealing. ii. While it may be perceived there was a gap in communication between reporting illegal activity (such as drug dealing), and the Police taking action; the information delivered to the central intelligence unit or the prevent team was anonymous. Therefore the individual would not receive any update as Officers simply did not know who had supplied the information. This was to negate the risk to the individual to be identified by those carrying out the criminal activity. iii. Agreed to speak with the ICT team to add an additional category of ‘pavement parking’ underneath the vehicle heading of the web portal and enquire if photographs could be submitted by the public. iv. Publicity of the Cambridge Street Aid Initiative was constantly being expanded but there was a resource issue; to contact every retail unit to request if they would put up a poster in the window was very time consuming. A plan was in place to continue to publicise the Initiative and have locations across the City which would allow an electronic donation to be made. There were also plans for an App to be developed. To date a total of £23,000 had been donated with £17,000 of grants allocated. v. Would be happy for Councillors to distribute fliers providing advice about Cambridge Street Aid. vi. Street Aid was promoted by the Police when visiting universities, residential schools and at the language schools as part of the Community Safety Crime Prevention presentation. vii. Noted the comments that Mill Road should not be seen as two separate areas regarding the proposal to reduce the Cumulative Impact Area (removal of Romsey Road). However this had been instigated by the results of new data analysis of what had been taking place in the area. It would be the decision of the Cambridge City Council Licensing Committee to determine if the proposal should be approved or rejected. viii. Could not comment on the two tragic deaths of cyclists which occurred in November and December 2017 as these were on-going investigations; one was at a junction and the preliminary investigation would indicate that speed was not a factor for the second accident. ix. Partnership working was required to look at speed enforcement, road and cycle safety and education; a separate meeting with East Area Committee members would take place to discuss this further. x. Would look at the work of the County Wide Road Safety Partnership and how this could be enhanced locally by the Police. xi. The Police would not ignore those people smoking cannabis in public as this was an illegal activity. However by the time the Police arrived after an incidence had been reported it was more than likely that the activity had ceased. xii. Shop lifting was a national problem often seen as a victimless crime and career criminals had realised that they were given a shorter prison sentence for this crime. The Committee: Resolved unanimously to approve the following four priorities: i. Coleridge Rec: Anti-Social Behaviour ii. County line drug dealing – focusing on Godesdone Road and Stanley Road in the Riverside Area. iii. Road Safety iv. Mill Road: Anti-Social Behaviour. |
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Open Forum Minutes: Tony Eva: On 29 November 2012 the East Area Committee (EAC)
agreed that "where there exists a civic or community interest, EAC would
strive to ensure that all such buildings are made cycle friendly by providing
adequate free and safe cycle parking by December 2013. Five
years on from that agreement, I think it's fair to say that progress has been disappointingly
slow. Yet I was told recently by the Cambridge Cycling Campaign Officer that
there is progress being made in the background. So could councillors share with
us what could be a good news story? Councillor Johnson advised that a review of cycling parking
at community centres and other public buildings had carried out by the former
City Council Cycle and Walking Officer; the findings had been made available to
the Cycle and Walking Steering Group and the information would assist in
determining the future spending and where that funding would come from. Of the
107 community facilities in Cambridge, only 8 were owned by the City
Council. Councillor Baigent advised work was being done with the
County Council to look at the possibility of placing cycle racks on double
yellow lines at the end of side roads which ran into Mill Road at the Romsey end. Councillor Blencowe acknowledged that progress was slow but
the communities’ facilities study referenced by Councillor Johnson, had
produced a phased programme of works. The position of the City Council Cycle
and Walking Officer was vacant and needed to be filled in order to take any
work forward. Georgie Deards: At an
area meeting in 2016, a group of councillors attend a walk around Tiverton Close
to look at the area; they saw gardens not attended to, bins not taken in and
left on the foot paths and dumped rubbish. No action has been taken and the
area has rough sleepers and drug use as the large overgrown shrubs make for
good hiding places. Could Councillors meet on site to take a look.
Councillor Moore advised that she would be happy to meet
with both Mrs Deards and Mrs Griffiths to arrange a
Ward Walk About to look at the issues raised and would organise this at the end
of the meeting. Councillor Herbert advised of the Community Clear Up Day which was taking place on 24th March and
would make sure the problem area of Tiverton Close would be included. Janet Griffiths:
Could the Committee advise when the public toilets on
Silver Street will be refurbished. The project had been going on for a number
of years? Councillor Smith stated a budget proposal had been forward
for 2018/19 and architectural drawings were currently being drawn up. Margaret Cranmer:
Last July another Tenison Road resident told this
Committee that vans and other vehicles had been driving onto the extended
pavement outside No’s 102-108 Tenison Road. This is a
continued problem. Please can we have bollards, a bench or a planter to stop
those vehicles parking on the pavement? Councillor Jones replied that she would investigate what
appropriate action could be taken (ACTION). Richard Wood: At previous East Area Committees, namely 6
April and 20 July 2017, it is minuted that Al Storer and Margaret Cranmer raised the problem of footway
and cycle-path obstruction by vehicles outside Perne
Road Co-op and along Mill Road. The police
representative(s) correctly pointed out that, with de-criminalised
(civil-penalty) parking enforcement in Cambridge this was a matter for the
civil authorities – in this instance the Cambridgeshire County Council’s
highway department. Will members of this
committee commit to pressing the Highways Department to use their power to
introduce a traffic regulation order banning all pavement and verge parking,
other than in authorised marked bays (eg in Romsey side streets). This would enable
civil penalty tickets to be issued by the County’s civil enforcement officers
(traffic wardens) and be self-financing under the principle that the offender pays
the cost of enforcement. Will members please
seek advice from Councillor Ed Murphy, Labour and Co-op councillor for Ravensthorpe, Peterborough who successfully achieved
cross-party support for the implementation of a similar traffic regulation
order in the Peterborough unitary authority where fortunately, the
Cambridgeshire County Council’s remit does not run. Councillor Barnett advised that this question had been
addressed at the start of the meeting when Councillor Jones provided an update
on the Traffic Regulation Order. Mr James Wood: Whilst
there has been some activity on the derelict land and buildings (47-59 Perowne Street), recently this has ceased. Some clearance
of undergrowth, and of vegetation on the exterior, has taken place. Despite the
new gates, the site would remain vulnerable to unauthorised access via the
adjacent crumbling low fences. There remain a number
of undressed hazards associated with this site, including: ·
Loose
clay tiles on the roof of the former premises of AC Bloye,
Tuff Accountant, which – if they do not, felicitously, collapse inwardly to the
site, may slide onto passing pedestrians; ·
The
potential fire hazard of a 3-4 meters-high stack of used motor tyres in a
collapsed roofless building close to the Ditchburn Place
boundary wall; and ·
Derelict
garages which are unsafe to enter and my well contact other flammable items; ·
Deteriorating
brick piers in the Perowne Street boundary wall. Could the Councillors
advise what improvements, cosmetic, public safety-related or otherwise the
owners have agreed to undertake, and in what timescale? Councillor Robertson stated that a S215 Untidy Land Notice
had been served upon the owners in July 2017, which came into effect of August
2017 which the owners had six months to comply. A site visit would be
undertaken by Officers next month (February 2018). To date the required works
had not been carried out and further enforcement action would be undertaken
after the six months had expired if required. James Woodburn: It
would appear that the Coroner Court had relocated from Cambridge to Huntingdon.
It was important that deaths in Cambridge should be dealt with by
Cambridgeshire County Council or Cambridge City Council. It would not be
unreasonable to ask the Coroner to come to Cambridge and use one of the empty
court buildings. Councillor Barnett thanked Mr Woodburn for his comments butthis matter is outside the gift of the East Area
Committee and therefore no action could be carried forward. The following question was not answered in the meeting but the response
below sent via e-mail. Nicky Massey: Given
that there is continued uncertainty in regards to the football ground with
Cambridge United development plans, can you outline what progress you have made
to help relieve the residents parking problems on match day. Councillor Johnson advised that as ward councillor, I have
put in a request for additional waiting restrictions in the form of double
yellow lines at the Ditton Fields junction with
Newmarket Road and for the existing double yellow lines at the Whitehill Road junction with Newmarket Road to be extended.
These requests will be considered next month by the County Council's panel who assess applications for funding from their Local Highway
Improvement programme. |
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Mill Road Depot To receive an update on the Mill Road Depot development. This will be followed by a question and answer session which members of the public are invited to participate. Minutes: The Chair welcomed Fiona Bryant, Strategic Director, Cambridge City Council, who gave a presentation to the Committee on Mill Road Depot development. The development was a joint venture set up by Cambridge City Council and Hill Investment Partnership. The purpose of the partnership was to help increase the amount of affordable housing within Cambridge. Currently there were plans for 180 to 190 homes on this site, 94 of which would be social rented homes, a further 20 homes at sub market level rents. There would be a mix of housing and apartments on site and the proposal would also include basement car parking for 101 car parking with lift access, 541 cycle spaces (all sheffield stands), new areas of public highway, areas of open space to be maintained by the Council, pump station, accessible dwellings and provision along the entire eastern boundary for the Chisholm Trail in the form of a 6 metre wide strip of land. The garages along Hooper Street would be retained and excluded from the development. The YMCA had proposed to relocate to the front of the site and the Council planned to provide community provision in this area of the development, including a children’s play area. The City Council was working with local community groups to look at the design for the proposed community facilities. In response to questions from members of the public and the committee, the Strategic Director and Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources said the following: i. Some of the houses on the site would have garages alongside; it was possible that in the long term those garages could be converted into living accommodation. ii. The overall percentage of car parking on site had been reduced from 0.8 to 0.65 per dwelling which the Council believed was a good balance. iii. The majority of parking spaces on site were in the basement, a space which was already available and therefore it was felt a good use of the space. This also negated the issue of residents parking in the surrounding areas. iv. The development encouraged the use of the electric cars with the installation of electrical charging points. |
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Environment Improvement Programme PDF 254 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Senior Engineer
(Streets and Open Spaces) regarding the Environmental Improvement Programme
(EIP). The report outlined progress of existing schemes within the east area
and outlined decisions needed around future spending priorities. Existing Schemes: Progress The Senior Engineer referred to progress on approved schemes
as set out in his report. New Schemes That Require Decisions Members considered a number of 2017/18 schemes put forward
for approval. In response to questions and comments the Senior Engineer
(Streets and Open Spaces) said the following: i. The
cost for providing hanging baskets had already been spent in 2017, subject to
area committee approval the cost would be met by the Environmental Improvement
Programme Scheme via a recharge. ii. Between
10-15% of the cost incurred in providing hanging baskets was in the provision
of the basket and the plants; the remainder of the cost was 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. iii. Stated items
11 and 35 were linked. iv. Would
investigate why the highway outside of the Post Office on Mill Road had not
been improved. v. Acknowledged
the Executive Councillor’s for Planning Policy and Transport approval to
undertake a feasibility study to investigate the potential for introducing
screening of the Elizabeth Way Bridge from Abbey Road (E2). The Committee: i. Resolved unanimously to: Note
progress, and delays where experienced, in delivering the identified programme of projects since 2011-12. ii. Resolved unanimously to: iii. Support the
allocation of £10,890 in 2017/18 and 2018/19 towards
the provision of 66 summer hanging baskets along Mill Road, subject to 2018/19 budget approval. iv. Resolved unanimously to: Continue with
the following schemes as outlined in 5.4 of the Officer report which are as follows: (11) – Garlic Row / Stanley Road access restrictions (£4,000)
– formal Road Safety Audit needed
from County Council, in order to inform
further consideration of viability for funding through
EIP. (32) - Mill Road footway grants (£5,300) – continue to offer
opportunity to part-fund selective
improvements to private shop
frontages where supported by traders. (35) - Oyster Row / Garlic Row access restriction (£23,500)
– formal Road Safety Audit needed from
County Council, in order to inform
further consideration of viability for funding through
EIP. v. Resolved unanimously to: Stop the
following scheme as outlined in 5.4 of the Officer’s report which is as follows: (36) - Riverside parking management (£12,500) – no longer needed in light of developing County Council residents’ parking area proposals. iv. Resolved unanimously to: Support the allocation of up to £3,000
funding towards the cost of a feasibility
study to investigate the potential for introducing
screening of the Elizabeth Way Bridge from Abbey
Road (E2). v. Resolved unanimously to: Approve the
allocation of remaining EIP funding available in 2017-18 to projects
E3 – E11 for implementation, subject to them
being viable, obtaining consents as necessary, positive consultation and final approval
by Capital Programme Board and
Ward Councillors where required. vi. Resolved (8 votes to 2) to: Not to
consider a further application invitation round early in 2018. |