Agenda item

The Democratic Services Manager will announce any submissions received. The Council will be invited to decide what action it wishes to take, if any, on the matters raised in these submissions. As the questions received and the answers given will be circulated in written form there is no requirement for them to be read out at the meeting. The questions and answers will be published with the draft minutes.

Statements were made by the following people:

Fiona Powell made a statement concerning the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride and urging Councillors not to develop the site on the Bathampton Meadows within a World Heritage site. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  In response to a reference in Fiona’s statement about the need for decision makers to be educated, Councillor Eleanor Jackson asked if Fiona was aware that Development Management Committee Members had received training on world heritage site status and implications.  Fiona responded that she had not been aware, and was just checking. The Chairman thanked Fiona for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Annie Kilvington made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, outlining the air pollution aspects. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Alison Millar asked Annie to expand on her point regarding bias.  Annie explained the technical aspects of pollution monitoring and that this year B&NES had changed from using the local bias, which it had done for the last 10 years, to the DEFRA bias, leading to depressed figures. The Chairman thanked Annie for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Susanne Hagen made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, calling for evidence to support the proposals. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  In response to a question from Councillor Tony Clarke about whether Susanne was aware that many Councillors had been invited, and taken up the offer, to visit the Batheaston Park & Ride site before, Susanne replied that she was keen to make sure everyone had seen the site.  Councillor Millar asked why Susanne had described a field as a tourist attraction, to which she explained how visitors to her hotel from all over the world seemed to enjoy many aspects of the meadows as much as visiting the city.  In response to a question from Councillor John Bull as to whether Susanne was aware that it would be Cabinet, not Council, making the decision, Susanne replied that she was aware.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked whether Susanne was aware of any update to the suggestion to improving signage to the Lansdown Park & Ride, she responded that she had heard on the previous Tuesday that this was one of their suggestions which would be implemented. The Chairman thanked Susanne for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Tim Williams made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, outlining the air pollution aspects. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  In response to a question from Councillor Alison Millar about the school run, Tim replied that evidence suggested that the school run represented 40% of the traffic in Batheaston and Bathampton, although B&NES had done no formal study of this.  Councillor Eleanor Jackson asked Tim if he felt that, if signage was improved from Midford to the Odd Down Park & Ride, there would still be a need for one at Batheaston; to which he replied that improved signage to Odd Down, and Lansdown Park & Ride sites, would definitely remove the need for an East of Bath Park & Ride, for which he didn’t see a need in any case. The Chairman thanked Tim for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Sian James made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, outlining the air pollution aspects. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Alison Millar asked Sian if she considered that siting a Park & Ride at Bathampton would draw people from other Park & Ride sites, to which Sian replied that she had seen evidence to that effect, resulting in even less take up in other sites.  Councillor Jonathan Bull asked Sian if she was aware of the report from the Communities, Transport & Environment Panel in May suggesting that better signage to the Lansdown site could result in a smaller site being proposed for the east of Bath.  Sian replied that she was aware, and that improved signage and access would benefit Bath. The Chairman thanked Sian for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Christine Boyd made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, and highlighted new emerging evidence for Councillors’ attention. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Alison Millar asked Christine to explain why they could be confident that the figures regarding vacancies at other sites were accurate, to which Christine responded that these were figures drawn up by Andrew Lee, which had now been shown to be spot on.  The Chairman thanked Christine for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Andrew Mercer made a statement against the proposed East of Bath Park & Ride, pointing out that there was still no reliable demand forecast nor business case, and that a decision on the east of Bath Park & Ride should definitely not be made before the Planning Inspector had reported back. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Lin Patterson mentioned the reference to a smaller Park & Ride site and asked whether the campaign was trying to shift focus to the Lambridge site.  Andrew responded that that was not the case, there were simply trying to protect Bathampton Meadows. The Chairman thanked Andrew for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Judy Bailey made a statement against the Bathampton Park & Ride and stressing the importance of the world heritage status.  Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  In response to a question from Councillor Alison Millar about whether Judy had met anyone who supported the proposal for a Park & Ride on the Bathampton Meadows, Judy replied that she had not, and in fact huge concern about it had been expressed.  The Chairman thanked Judy for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Sam Worrall - Gypsy, Traveller and Boater Outreach & Engagement Officer -  made a statement on behalf of the boat community of the river and the Kennet & Avon Canal.  She raised difficulties that had arisen from the new Canal & River Trust guidelines and the need to move every 14 days, and the effect of this on the boating community who were registered with schools, libraries, GP surgeries etc.  She offered to meet Councillors to discuss further how this diverse community could be supported.  Councillor Tim Warren expressed an interest in taking up Sam’s offer.  Councillor Will Sandry asked specifically about the effect on children’s education and Sam explained that the need to move up to 20 miles made school attendance particularly difficult.  Councillor Eleanor Jackson referred to the task & finish review done by the Housing & Major Projects Scrutiny Panel on Boat Dwellers and River Travellers in July 2013 and asked Sam if she’d like to bring an update back to Scrutiny, which Sam was happy to do.  In response to a question from Councillor Sarah Bevan about whether they had made contact with the Council’s Strategic River Group, Sam explained they had, B&NES had been very supportive and they were working together on improving services along the riverbank. The Chairman thanked Sam for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Community Services. 

David Dixon made a statement in support of the Vegmead initiative, outlining the considerable volunteer hours that had been put in to this over the last 5 years.  Councillor Tim Warren asked whether Dave was aware that the decision to continue with Vegmead had been taken some time ago,  to which Dave responded that that hadn’t been clear from a conversation with Councillor Martin Veal earlier in the week.  Councillor Lisa Brett asked whether Dave knew if the community group considered that the communication between them and the Council had been adequate, to which Dave responded that in his view it had been appalling and the group were still unclear of the latest position.  Councillor Eleanor Jackson asked whether the group were working with, or would consider working with Bath in Bloom.  Dave responded that on a business level he had been working with Bath in Bloom for many years.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked whether there had been any comment from Transition Bath and Dave responded that there had been little communication with Transition Bath over what’s happening with Vegmead.  Councillor Lin Patterson asked whether it was now clear that Vegmead could stay in Hedgemead Park to which Dave replied that the Council’s position still wasn’t clear.  The Chairman thanked David for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Community Services.

Rosemary Naish, Chairman of the B&NES group within ALCA, prefaced her statement with a declaration of interest as an applicant in a Judicial Review against the Council regarding neighbourhood planning. She made a statement about the need for the Council to be mindful of neighbourhood plans when making planning decisions. Full details can be read in the statement which has been placed on the Council’s Minute book and attached to the online minutes.  Councillor Liz Richardson thanked Rosemary for her role as national Champion for neighbourhood planning, and asked Rosemary if she thought it would be beneficial to put in place an officer briefing every time there was a new neighbourhood plan; Rosemary responded that she thought it would be very useful.  Councillor Liz Hardman asked for an explanation of the 50% dissatisfaction statistic from Rosemary’s statement, to which Rosemary responded that that was based on the parishes being 52% of the electorate and, at their AGM meeting the previous evening, they had all commented that the process wasn’t working for them.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked whether parish councils found the neighbourhood planning process off-putting; Rosemary responded that they did not, as evidenced by nearly half of them having done it.  The Chairman thanked Rosemary for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Planning.

Susan Charles, Chair of the Warm Water & Inclusive Swimming Exercise Network, updated Councillors on the provision of warm water swimming. She explained that Greenwich Leisure had indicated they would be incorporating provision for warm water swimming, and that the WWISE Network were very grateful for the overwhelming support they had received from the recent round of Council meetings.  Councillor Sarah Bevan asked about the timescale for this to which Susan replied that she hadn’t had an answer for this yet.  Councillor Lin Patterson asked what had been the biggest obstacles in achieving an outcome, to which Susan replied that communication had broken down in 2015 when the Administration changed and that was why the Network had brought the issue back to the Council’s attention.  The Chairman thanked Susan for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Community Services.

Tracey Harding made a statement on behalf of David Redgewell from the South West Transport Network.  She made a case for B&NES to maintain the subsidy to the 267 bus service, and mentioned there had been no consultation about withdrawing this.  In response to a question from Councillor Tim Warren about whether the consultation should be done by the Bus Company, Tracey responded that she understood B&NES were cutting the subsidy so B&NES should consult on that.  Councillor Neil Butters asked if Tracey considered that the B&NES economy profited from those people coming into the area on the 267, to which she responded that the amount of night-time spend per person, compared to the approximate £1.89 per head of subsidy definitely suggested that the city profited from this.  Councillor Liz Hardman asked if Tracey was aware there was no bus service from Paulton to Bristol on a Sunday; Tracey responded that it would be David Redgewell who would be better placed to respond on that point.  Councillor Lin Patterson asked for Tracey’s view on how their campaign work was progressing and whether Councillors were receptive, to which she responded that she hoped so, and they were looking at the possibility of some match funding for evening services.  The Chairman thanked Tracey for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

John James made a statement about the recent changes to the 6 and 7 bus services, the detrimental effect this had had on the community of Fairfield Park, and calling for this service to be reinstated.  He mentioned a petition of over 1000 signatures which had been collected over 3 weeks asking for this.  Councillor Dine Romero asked what had been the response from the Cabinet Member, to which John replied nothing as yet, although he understood that he would be coming to talk to their Planning group.  Councillor Joe Rayment asked if John was aware that the Labour Group had tried unsuccessfully to call for an emergency debate on bus services at this Council, to which John replied that he wasn’t aware.  Councillor Lin Patterson asked about any personal knowledge of people suffering as a direct result of this change, to which John responded that he wasn’t the best person to ask about that.  The Chairman thanked John for his statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

Nora Gee made a statement also concerning the 6 and 7 buses and the difficulty this had caused to her ability to get about.  She expressed concern about how people would manage the steep hill during winter.  Councillor Anthony Clarke responded to Nora that he had asked for a meeting with First Bus to see what could be done.  Councillor Liz Hardman asked about how much consultation had taken place with residents, to which Nora responded that Councillor Lin Patterson had conducted several meetings about the issue.  Councillor Lin Patterson enquired whether the Dial-a-Ride service would be any help and Nora explained that she had looked at that but that with the existing demand for the service (which was only provided between 10am and 12 noon), and the need to book a week in advance, that wouldn’t help a great deal.  The Chairman thanked Nora for her statement which was referred to the Cabinet Member for Transport.