Agenda item

The ‘World Café’ style session will involve officers from key services grouped into the tables below, along with a table for any Cabinet members attending.  The parish representatives will each be given a number for their starting table, then circulate the tables every 15 minutes over the course of an hour.

Table 1:  Highways (to include the Police and Fix My Street)

Table 2:  Planning and Transport (with Place Team representatives)

Table 3:  Waste and Cleansing

Table 4:  Senior Officers and Cabinet

Summary of Issues

Group discussion - Highways and Transport and Fix My Street

Officer attendance: Chris Major, Gary Peacock, Craig Jackson, Stephen Burrell, Daniel Parr

B&NES Reporting Structure:

Will Godfrey

Mandy Bishop

Chris Major

Gary Peacock

Craig Jackson

Stephen and Daniel report to Craig.

What has worked well

·  Almost an immediate response - very impressed with Fix My Street. 

·  General Feeling that Fix My Street is excellent.

Areas for Improvement

·  Issue is getting the job completed.  We are now reporting back last on Fix My Street, once it has been completed, to ask for an update. 

·  Street signs have disappeared - could there be regular updates if particular jobs take longer like signage.

·  Audit of signage (including street name plates) and getting rid of unnecessary street clutter and cleansing.

·  Parishes need to be more involved in planning of white lining at a particular junctions.  There have been issues where it has been done and it shouldn’t have been prioritised.

·  Unannounced repairs to a pedestrian crossing in Bathford.  We are looking for support from the Council to help reduce traffic speeds with the addition of painted roundels in the road and signs. 

·  How do you report removal of roadside debris?

·  Lots of issues around worn and faded white lines.

·  Street lighting and Volker issues of Parish Council owned running and repairing of street lights.  1 x street light at bus stop at Dunkerton.

·  Issue of stolen gully covers in North East Somerset.

·  Issue of yellow lines being redone in Chew Magna - need to go through “Fix my street” and get recorded.

·  Tree came down in Hinton Blewett - tried to report the issue on Fix my Street.  Issue was, they said it was closed 20 mins later.  Issue in rural areas where sometimes it’s difficult to find a postcode.  The whole issue of saying a problem is resolved when it actually isn’t.  Also an issue with footpaths and how they are repaired.

·  Issue about the gully at Compton Dando.

·  Issue about pot holes and length of time it takes to resolve.  Also, sometimes the length of time to get repairs done in rural areas.  (The roads in rural areas are used as footpaths) so need keeping up to spec to encourage people to walk and cycle.  Information given to parishes about gully maintenance programme.

·  Temporary traffic lights left out and working after job was done.  Same with diversion signs.  Can this try to be looked at when the diversion is not needed.

Group discussion – Planning and Transportation

Officer attendance: Simon de Beer, Richard Daone, Paula Freeland

B&NES Reporting Structure:

Will Godfrey

Sophie Broadfield – Director of Sustainable Communities

Simon de Beer

Richard and Paula report to Simon

What is working well?

·  The officers are responsive and helpful.  We often have to request a delay on responding with our comments to allow for parish meetings to take place and they are amenable to this.

What areas require improvement?

·  Paperless is good but the quality of some of the drawings creates issues when projecting them at Parish Council meetings, particularly pencil drawn plans and lines.  It seems to be worse now than previously.

·  Planning Applications sent for comment sometimes have missing information that would be really helpful eg dimensions.  A message was left for a Planning Officer but no response to date.

·  We are not always given the background on why something has been put to us which would be helpful.  Also, we are not always notified about non-material changes which could be something such as brick colour.  This means that new buildings sometimes don’t fit in with the rest of the village. 

·  There seem to be communication failures – we didn’t get notified about a couple of applications.  It was recorded that Stanton Drew and Chew Magna had not given a response but we had not received the application to consider.

·  Information can be vague.  Most of the applications we receive relate to conversions of farm buildings – one has changed their plans five times but no work on the building has been undertaken.  We wonder whether the vagaries are deliberate on the part of those developing.

·  When there are resubmissions, residents’ comments disappear.  They then complain that they put in objections but they are no longer there.  It doesn’t happen all the time – mainly on the complex ones.

·  The attachment for the formal notice seems laborious ie having to send an attachment which has to then be opened.  All we are looking for is approved or not.  Could there be better use of digital for this?

·  We’re seeing applications that relate to agriculture with a bit of housing thrown in and then changes taking place which move them more towards residential ie building residential on the sly. 

·  We raised an enforcement issue in May and while various officers have replied, we still have nothing substantive.

·  What is the relationship between B&NES and WECA?  How does that work in terms of strategic planning and transport?  WECA did a consultation on the A4 corridor and did not consult the parish council on it.  We have approached WECA about this and have not had a satisfactory response.  Is it just an extra layer of bureaucracy?

·  There is a B2 development – a cement mixing works – alongside housing.  This brings a good deal of lorry movement and other disturbance for residents.  Can we ensure in future that industrial next to residential is not classified as B2 as the category is too broad.

·  It is the same with Withies Green in Keynsham.  It is on the A4, next to an Esso garage classified as B2 but on the Local Plan the site is allocated for residential – there could be a similar issue here in future.  We have challenged this through the Town Council.

·  We have around 5,000 more residents due to development (Keynsham).  There seems to be no overview with no new roads built since the 1960s, apart from those within the new estates.  The new residents want to go to the town centre or to Bristol and Bath.  The town and main roads around it are congested.

·  The developments in Keynsham recently and those planned puts pressure on the A4 which is excessive.  Withies Green, if approved, will add to this.  Where is the strategic view?  Cycling is not an option for very many people.  Our desire to have a railway station in Saltford is not prioritised in the same way as cycling.

·  The housing is around the edge of the town of Keynsham but the residents all want to come into it.  I’m sure we had this conversation at the time – there is development with no infrastructure – no new GP surgery for example.  Is traffic being looked at?

·  What is the relationship between B&NES and Wessex Water on sewerage.  It seems at capacity in certain areas.

·  What happened with WECA and the Spatial Development Strategy?

·  It all seems a bit top down in terms of numbers of housing.

·  Are we getting any funds back from WECA for undertaking our own plan?

·  When will B&NES hear about the Local Plan Partial Update?

·  There was a discussion on infill boundaries and the Green Belt with officers confirming that the Inspector is reflecting on this – we should have his view early next month.  B&NES had to change the infill policy to align with national policy.

·  There is development in Mendip but on our boundary (Midsomer Norton).  The residents are using B&NES services but their Council Tax goes to Mendip.  Do we have a financial arrangement with them around this?

·  B&NES seems inconsistent on certain planning applications with one resident in the village getting approval yet another being refused for very similar proposals.  It would be very helpful to receive a communication, maybe two or three times a year, to explain why certain cases met approval but others didn’t, so residents understand the guidance before they appoint an architect.

·  Councillors find it difficult to look at elevations as lines get compressed.  Freehand elevations are not true to scale.  A presentation/explanation would make life easier.

·  There was a discussion around the desire to preserve stone built buildings on farms so permission may be granted for an Air BnB for example so that the building is saved/used.  Further Air BnBs are then refused on lack of public transport grounds.  Yet, modern barns which look less attractive, get permission.

·  Residents seem to have had a bit of a spree during Covid and we have a long list of potential enforcement issues.  Some go back to 2019 – are we out of time?

Table 3 – Waste and Cleansing and parks

Officer attendance: Carol McClellan, Sarah Alder, Sheryl Marsh

B&NES Reporting Structure:

Will Godfrey

Mandy Bishop

Chris Major

Carol Maclellan

Sarah Alder

Sheryl Marsh

What has worked well

·  The booking system for the recycling centre is very good.

·  Please pass on our thanks to the team in relation to the gully cleaning, they came out very quickly (Chew Magna).

·  The recycling teams that come to Hinton Blewett are an example of how it should be done.  The teams are excellent, they pick up and sweep up any rubbish.  They are a real credit to the Council.  I wonder whether there is evidence that more recycling is done because the staff care about the collection?

·  Recycling teams are very fast.

Areas for improvement

·  Priority for the Waste Team is food recycling but 30% of rubbish in black bags is food waste.  Parishes are interested to find out more about the statistics and data so that they can help target and promote positive messages in their areas.  Keynsham’s newsletter is going out shortly - happy to include details within this.

·  Difficulty in getting rubbish bags.  The Parish Sweeper scheme had to end so we now go to the Wombles to get them.  (The Council is working with the Wombles as a distributor for the community litter picks.)

·  Litter bins in Midford are often overlooked. 

·  The three bins by Warleigh Manor are well serviced.  The only issue which has arisen lately is that food trucks are down at the Weir again and the rubbish is being collected by the teams. 

·  Can we request the mechanical sweeper?  There are Health and Safety issues for the parish sweeper working on A roads.  It would be helpful to have a copy of the schedule.

·  Leaves are a big problem.  If people put them in bags can you collect them?  (Some parishes are given large green bins for communal areas and this could be offered in specific areas).  Cost of bins is expensive so a green bin is a good idea.

·  Please can we have the schedule for cutting overgrowth on footpaths.  Parishes get a lot of complaints about this. 

·  Is the Parish Council responsible for some of the public rights of way and clearance?

·  Do we get back the compost from our waste?

·  Parishes would be really interested to hear more about the local nature reserves scheme (not those that are formally designated but smaller parcels of land that could be identified).

·  Is there space in the new Keynsham Recycling centre for the Repair Café?

·  Keynsham Town Council manages the cemetery.  Would it be possible to borrow some equipment from B&NES for a day?

·  In some parishes most of the verges are cut by parishes.

·  In Keynsham, Manor Road woodland and the wildflower meadow were cut before the In Bloom judging.  This was on the route for the judges.

·  Can we give trees to B&NES - we have some available? 

·  Are there details of the number of trees available per area?  (Parish tree planting programme).

·  How much information do you give to individuals about planting trees in appropriate places?

·  Community Action days parishes were very interested and requested more information.  Details of Community Action days to be sent to all parishes and Ward councillors.

·  Are we able to identify signs and redundant posts that are no longer in use?

·  Are we able to put up new signs if needed?

·  The recycling teams do not pick up items that fall out and there is often a lot of debris along the route after they have been.

·  In Saltford we had planted wildflowers they were supposed to leave in swathes.  They have cut the area and not picked up the grass.  This is detrimental to the planting. 

More information is needed for clerks to help manage resident expectation – particularly around planned grass cutting, gully cleaning etc.