Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillors Brett and Nicol had sent their apologies to the Panel. Councillor David Martin acted as Vice-Chair for the duration of the meeting on behalf of Councillor Brett and Councillor Ian Gilchrist was present as her substitute on the Panel.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Robin Kerr, Federation of Bath Residents Association has requested to address the Panel relating to Agenda Item 10.

Councillor Nathan Hartley has requested to address the Panel relating to Agenda Item 11.

David Redgewell has requested to address the Panel.

David Redgewell addressed the Panel regarding Agenda Items 9 & 10. A copy of his statements can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book and online as an appendix to these minutes.

He spoke of the need for further frequency of buses across the region and reliability. He also urged the Council embark on fleet enhancement and to use Government funding to achieve this. He stated that he believed the public expected at the very least now comfortable seating and on board Wi-Fi.

He raised the matter of gaining access to the rail network to the Panel. He said that the ramp at Keynsham Station was near to completion, but that there were a range of equalities issues at other stations. He suggested that the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) be approached to help with this matter.

He also wished to draw to the attention of the Panel the problem of graffiti at train stations and the lack of CCTV at Keynsham & Oldfield Park.

He stated that low floor buses were currently not being used some routes in the Chew Valley area and that this must be addressed as soon as possible.

He said that with Keynsham about to grow in many ways it was important that its bus network be addressed and that more services should stop at the rail station.

He stated that he felt Bath would always be congested in some way and that the Council needed to address solutions in the East of Bath. He highlighted the modal shift success of Oxford.

He said that potential funds would be lost if Ministers are unsure of our plans locally and regionally.

The Chair suggested that the Panel look at buses more generally in January.

Councillor Liz Richardson asked if it was it dependent on the Council or First to apply for funding to improve buses.

David Redgwell replied that Bristol City Council applied to the Better Bus Partnership and received funding to upgrade 400 vehicles.

Councillor Les Kew asked if an officer was available to comment on the non-compliance of low floor vehicles and graffiti at rail stations.

The Divisional Director for Environmental Services replied that he was not able to answer the question, but would source the information for the Panel.

David Redgewell commented that he would be happy to meet with the Transport Police, Network Rail and First Great Western to resolve the matter of CCTV at stations.

Councillor Nathan Hartley addressed the Panel relating to Agenda Item 11.

He said that prior to the meeting he had issued the Panel with his latest press release regarding parking in Peasedown and information on the survey that had been carried out.

He informed the Panel that a huge amount of growth had recently taken place in Peasedown, but that had not been matched by the increase in amenities and services. He highlighted that parking in the centre of the village was a particular problem.

He explained that around 12 months ago a Community Conversation event was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Councillor Liz Richardson asked that as the matter of flood protection had been raised at this meeting could the Panel receive an update at its January meeting.

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions.

There were no Cabinet Members present at the time of this item. Councillor Caroline Roberts had sent her apologies to the Panel and was present at the meeting from the conclusion of Agenda Item 9 onwards.

The Panel will receive a presentation relating to this item.

Nick Richardson, Mott MacDonald gave a presentation to the Panel on the Keynsham Transport Strategy. A copy is available online as an appendix to these minutes and on the Panel’s Minute Book. A summary is set out below.

Vision

To minimise the negative effects of traffic congestion in and around Keynsham and ensuring it retains its independence and its separate identity within an attractive rural setting by becoming a more sustainable, desirable and well-connected place in which to live and work.

Objectives

·  Minimising the future increase in traffic congestion

·  Supporting and enabling the local economy

·  Promoting sustainable mobility

·  Improving connections, particularly to improved rail services and the town centre

·  Improving the quality of life for residents

·  Ensuring that all traffic management and pedestrian schemes are designed to take mobility needs in to account

Traffic Demand

·  Congestion is predicted to worsen with large increases in journey times through Keynsham if nothing is done

·  Capacity of the High Street and its junctions is a key constraint

Rail Improvements

Continued co-operation between local authorities will help maximise the benefits of the service improvements:

·  Improved accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, nearby bus stop

·  Increased car and cycle parking

·  Improved security

Bus Services

·  Better multi-media service information (joint initiative between operators, the Council and users)

·  Improved links between bus and rail services

·  Revised fare structure, especially for inter-urban services

·  Measures to reduce delays to buses e.g. as part of capacity improvements at key junctions.

Walking & Access for All

Improved walking network will support a shift from motorised modes - ‘more people, more active, more often’ in line with the council’s ‘Fit for Life’ Strategy

·  Needs of mobility impaired people to take into account age structure: 23% of residents over age 65

·  Improvements to benefit people with impairments
e.g. crossings, surfacing, lighting, access to bus stops

Cycling

·  Short term - improve access to schools through consultation with local cycle groups and schools;

·  Medium to long term – new routes taking into account the recent Sustrans review

·  More secure cycle parking at the rail station, workplaces, residential developments, leisure facilities and town centre

·  Promotion of the new cycle routes through leaflets, route maps, school liaison etc.

Town Centre & Junction Improvements

·  Improvements to key junctions will reduce the level of delays

·  Two potential layouts were considered with the High Street as one-way southbound

·  Traffic modelling showed a better performance with Ashton Way retained as two-way

·  Long delays were predicted for westbound traffic in the PM peak due to the constraint of High Street / Ashton Way junctions

·  A one-way scheme should be possible with existing traffic levels or for off-peak hours only with future traffic demand

Councillor Liz Richardson commented that rural links to Keynsham should also be addressed.

The Chair sought assurances that the strategies for Keynsham and Bath were linked.

The Strategic Director for Place replied that there was a need to look widely at public transport with the emphasis on a West of England approach. She added that the WoE were reviewing the Joint Local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

A new Transport Strategy for Bath was approved by Cabinet for consultation in May 2014.  The Strategy has been well received and supported by the majority of those who responded and is now recommended for approval by Cabinet. 

The Panel are asked to discuss the report prior to the meetings of Cabinet & Council.

The Cabinet are asked to recommend the Strategy to Council for Adoption at their meeting on 13th November.

Robin Kerr, Chairman of the Federation of Bath Residents' Associations addressed the Panel. A copy of his statement is available online as an appendix to these minutes and on the Panel’s Minute Book. A summary is set out below.

Traffic congestion and air pollution have consistently been our members' top concerns. Residents are especially worried about the high levels of pollution in the city, which are seriously harmful to health - as well as unlawful. You will have read in the report that traffic levels have reduced somewhat since 2008 but this is not true of pollution, which has remained at the same high level for at least ten years. Bath is a great place to live but is blighted by traffic, and has been for too long.

We support the vision of reducing intrusion of vehicles into the city, especially in the historic core. We should like to see a largely traffic-free city centre. However, as the strategy recognises, traffic also impacts on key arterial routes and this must be tackled too.

FOBRA strongly supports the development of a Park and Ride (or Rail) to the east of Bath. 77% of respondents to the consultation agreed with this. However, none of the P&Rs is actually fulfilling its potential.

We support more pedestrian access, more cycling, better public transport and improved freight delivery arrangements; but these will have a limited impact if motorists remain able to drive into Bath and park at will. Therefore we strongly support proposals to reduce visitor parking in the centre as the P&Rs are expanded, and to develop a traffic management plan.

We welcome a Low Emission Zone to improve air quality. This should cover the entire Central Area, not just round the bus station proposed so far, and should include the Great Pulteney Street/Henrietta Park area.

Nick Richardson, Mott MacDonald gave a presentation to the Panel on the Bath Transport Strategy. A copy is available online as an appendix to these minutes and on the Panel’s Minute Book. A summary is set out below.

Consultation

·  Two public exhibitions held – BRSLI 30 June and Guildhall 11 July (60 attendees)

·  Stakeholder presentation –  26 June (60 attendees)

·  Meetings with individuals/groups –

FoBRA, First Bus. First Great Western, Royal United Hospital, Bath Tourism Plus, Bath Spa University, Bath Cycle Group, Bus Users Group, BID, Bath Initiative

·  B&NES questionnaire generated 208 responses (158 online, 52 hard copy). Additional written submissions received

Key Findings

·  Two thirds of respondents (67%) agreed with the vision underpinning the Draft Transport Strategy

·  Strong support for increasing sustainable transport options including walking (93%), train (91%), bus (89%) and cycling (81%)

·  Reducing congestion – support for more Park and Ride capacity

·  Reducing the impact of heavy vehicles e.g. new road link

·  Strong support for rail improvements, promoting walking and cycling

·  Air quality is a prime concern

·  Some support for more bus priority and better services

Comments received

·  More emphasis on air quality

·  Strategy needs to be city-wide

·  Neighbourhood hub principle  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

The draft Place Medium Term Service & Resource Plan (MTSRP) update is presented for consideration by the Panel to ensure all members of the Panel are aware of the context and enabled to comment.

The Strategic Director for Place introduced this item to the Panel, she highlighted some key points from within the report.

·  The Core Strategy has now been adopted. This provides a platform to progress the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and complete the Placemaking Plan.

·  The adoption of the Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area masterplan and its incorporation within the Placemaking process will ensure that grants and other forms of external funding can be effectively targeted as well as provide developer confidence.

·  The production of the Getting Around Bath and Keynsham Transport Strategies is an important aspect of the growth agenda identified within both the Core Strategy and the Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area masterplan.

·  Rail electrification and the proposed Metrowest project will have a positive impact on Bath and North East Somerset in terms of future connectivity opportunities. The Place Directorate will continue to work with key partners including Network Rail and First Great Western to ensure that these opportunities are built upon.

She explained that the Place Directorate had gone through a fundamental restructuring process and that the implementation of the new senior management structure had enabled the Directorate to:

·  Meet the challenging management savings target as set out in the MTSRP for 2013/14 and 2014/15 (£600k);

·  Review values and priorities through the development of a Directorate Business Plan;

·  Ensure that key services are linked together to provide value for money and a One Council/One Place approach; 

She stated that the Place Directorate had made good progress on the £2.4m 2014/15 savings target.

·  Management savings for 14/15 are on track as well as service level efficiencies through restructuring.

·  Heritage Service and Destination Management have successfully achieved their targets with additional income and reductions in expenditure.

·  Improvements in parking management, enabled by significant investment in systems and technologies have resulted in increased deployment of staff on the ground, increasing parking availability and resulting in more income being recovered.

She stated that the Place Directorate had been instrumental in implementing the Council’s significant Capital Programme allocation, with a forecast spend of c£45m in 2014/15, in order to meet the Councils’ priorities such as increased capital maintenance to the highways infrastructure including surfacing work to the 683 miles of road network that BANES maintains, implementing Rossiter Road and Radstock regeneration schemes, Bath Transportation Package and Bath Western Riverside. She added that other elements of the 2014/15 programme would also bring improvements to public transport infrastructure, open spaces and walking/cycling schemes.

She spoke of the significant efficiency targets in the plan and those arising from the changes in management and service restructures. She said that the need to increase income opportunities was very challenging to achieve, especially when the call on many services is increasing.

She explained that future financial plans include an aspiration to provide further management savings whilst also delivering a large programme of capital projects, the impact of this and emerging new priorities will have to be considered as part of the restructuring process.

She stated that the majority of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel.

The Chair introduced this item to the Panel. She said that the following items would be added to January on the workplan.

Rail Station CCTV / Graffiti

Bus Contracts (Equalities)