Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were none.

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.

There were none.

There was none.

David Redgewell – Transport South West - will make a statement

David Redgewell, Transport South West, made a statement to the panel regarding transport issues and the effects of Covid.

Councillor Karen Walker stated that the WECA Travel Plan will be discussed at the next agenda briefing meeting.

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

A report is attached. There will also be a presentation at the meeting.

Phil Mansfield, Head of Building Control and Public Protectionintroduced the report to the Panel. The following officers were present – Cathryn Brown Team Manager (Licensing and Environmental Protection); Aled Williams, Environmental Protection Manager; Rob Spalding, Senior Environmental Monitoring Officer and Tiago Roque, Public Protection Technical Officer. The officers gave a presentation which covered the following:

·  Update

·  Monitoring data – Temple Cloud

·  Monitoring data – Farrington Gurney

·  Public Consultation

·  How much the public supports the following measures regarding Air Quality in Temple Cloud

·  How much the public supports the following measures regarding Air Quality in Farrington Gurney

·  Criteria and Attribute Weighting

·  Temple Cloud overall preference against maximum possible score

·  Farrington Gurney overall preference against maximum possible score

·  Measures Proposed from the Consultation

·  Progress so far (Molly Close Footpath, Width Restriction in Temple Cloud)

·  Progress so far (Innovative Technologies)

·  Progress so far (Tree cutting and Speed restrictions)

·  Next Steps

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions. Officer responses are shown in italics.

Councillor Wood, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods thanked the officers for the report and presentation. An officer explained that as environmental monitoring officers, they are consultees on planning developments over a certain size, this means we can comment and ensure developments are as sustainable as possible.

Councillor Walker asked about the shuttle scheme in Temple Cloud. The officer explained that north bound vehicles come into the village at speed and so

work would need to be done to see what it would look like.

Councillor Craig raised the following points. Officer responses shown in italics:

·  Regarding both locations – monitoring in August went in the opposite direction. A number of things can affect this such as temperature and wind conditions. There are also changes and renewal of vehicles over time. The solid line is a 3-year trend and can be a better indicator than short term data.

·  210 responses – how many homes are currently in the two areas? Temple Cloud – 550 houses. Farrington Gurney – 450 houses.

·  Both locations – there was a high response asking for influence over planning decisions. Unless there is planning policy around this, the Committee cannot give comments much weight. We work closely with planning officers and have the same Director now. Regarding an Air Quality Action plan – we are looking into an enhanced pool of planning conditions.

Councillor Born raised the following points. Officer response shown in italics:

·  The new Molly Lane footpath is a quick win and would allow people to walk away from the main road.

·  Regarding the innovative technology – what size area would a device cover? Innovative technology is not widely used and mainly used inside. The market is not flooded with options at the moment. The efficiency is 2/2.5 metres. This is for one type of technology only. We would need a certain amount of surface area for each unit – there are space and maintenance considerations.

·  Cutting the tree canopy – how do you balance with the positive effect trees have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

A report is attached. There will also be a presentation at the meeting.

Jane Wildblood, Corporate & Community Sustainability Manager (Renewal Vision Workstream Lead Partnerships & Corporate Services) introduced the report to the Panel and gave a presentation which covered the following:

·  Renewal Vision Update

·  Corporate Strategy and vision

·  Renewal Vision purpose

·  Workstream includes

·  Vision – Phase 1: evidence & context

·  Questions and themes

·  The four emerging ‘stories’ or themes

·  ‘Green recovery’ study

·  Vision – Phase 2: widening engagement and developing the vision

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions. Officer responses are shown in italics.

Councillor Sarah Warren (Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency) thanked the officers in the team for their work. She commented that there have been dramatic changes due to Covid which reduced carbon footprint and that this has provided the opportunity to rebuild in a way that is kinder to the environment.

Councillor Bromley stated that the 20 minute neighbourhood sounds like a good idea that would certainly be helpful to some small businesses in Weston ward. She asked how we will make the scheme successful. The officer explained that this could mean developing local hubs (for working) in villages that will be like landing stations for employees that may not want to work from home every day. This means there would be more local footfall.

Councillor O’Brien raised the following points. Officer responses are shown in italics:

·  There is the issue of development retail and tourism to be net zero. Coaches are still parking in the city centre – should we insist on them using the Oddown Coach Park (Councillor Walker agrees). We should utilize the space at Oddown. We want tourists to stay longer in the city.

·  Working from home has been of great benefit regarding carbon emissions but it has not benefitted the high street – only online suppliers which means there are a lot more delivery trucks on the road.

·  20 minute neighbourhood – development of an insularity against the outside world. We do have to be realistic about how much local businesses can support this.

·  We have had housing developments forced on us in North East Somerset, there must be a review of how the city of Bath is laid out and used. Maybe more living accommodation rather than retail.

The officer responded that 20-minute neighbourhoods applies to the whole authority not just Bath. The officer stated that these comments were useful for the next stage and would be fed back.

Councillor Warren (Cabinet Member) added that the hubs could be used as shared space for workers but also for part time retail/hairdressers etc. Reducing mileage per year is crucial.

Councillor Davies asked about economic recovery in terms of existing businesses and asked about having appropriate training in place including  secondary schools. The officer explained that representatives from universities sit on the economic recovery and renewal board. There is a recognition of the need to re skill people. We need people with skills in areas such as retro fitting and EV charge point installation. We need immediate short-term support for businesses and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.

A report is attached.

Paul Garrod, Traffic Management and Network Manager introduced the report and gave a presentation which covered the following:

·  Public Transport

·  Traffic Volumes

·  Parking

·  Emergency Active Travel Fund

Tranche 1 – schemes implemented

Other measures

Tranche 2 bid

·  E-Scooter trial

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions. Officer responses are shown in italics.

Councillor Davies raised the following points. Officer response shown in italics.

·  Have you been able to learn anything with regard to data on cycling. We will be analysing a couple sites shortly and are hoping to put in more cycle counters but at present, we do not have a lot of information on this. We hope to get some before and after data around the permanent schemes.

·  Regarding Liveable Neighbourhoods – when are ward Councillors likely to be asked to submit local schemes. The strategy will be considered by Cabinet before the end of the year so, if it is adopted, ward members will be contacted in the new year.

Councillor Joanna Wright (Cabinet Member Transport) thanked the officers for their work. She explained that WECA has some cycling data based on Bristol. She agreed that we could do more regarding cycling information. Regarding Liveable Neighbourhoods, she explained that this is due to be considered by the Cabinet on 10^th December 2020. If adopted there will be proformas for ward members and we will work, along with others such as the police, emergency services, waste services etc, to find solutions.

Councillor Craig stated that, while she supported the e-scooter scheme, there was an issue with people who are less able bodied, people with blue badges, having access to the city centre. She stated that Shop Mobility is closed at present and that this service is missed. David Trethewey, Director of Partnerships and Corporate Services stated that accessibility is an important issue and that the team have been working on equality impacts. He reported that Shop Mobility has not been allowed to open due to lockdown restrictions and logistic issues. Councillor Craig stated that, now more streets are pedestrianised, demand may rise again. Councillor Joanna Wright (Cabinet Member Transport) explained that the e-scooter scheme was a trial at this stage and would be carefully monitored. She added that there are a variety of models, including a sit-down model.

Councillor Born raised the following points. Officer responses are shown in italics.

·  I am concerned to see that the Park and Ride usage has reduced. Are we considering cycle and scooter hire at Park and Ride sites? There has been a drop in usage, during this second lockdown, we have not stopped parking charges. Regarding cycle and scooter hire in Park and Ride sites, we would need good infrastructure and facilities for this. The Riverside Path from Newbridge Park and Ride is accessible but not ideal for social distancing.

·  Also concerns about the reduction in bus use. The Government is subsidising bus services at present, but I have concerns about what will happen if this is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting senior officers.

Councillor Walker explained that there will be a report on Homelessness and Rough Sleepers to be considered at the January meeting of the Panel.

Panel members noted the future workplan