Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from members unable to attend the meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Todd.

None

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2012.

The minutes from the meeting held on 12 September 2012 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

The Neighbourhood Manager advised that updates and details of completed actions were provided on tables and also detailed in the rolling presentation. 

a)                 Peterborough Primary Care Strategy – Update on the East Peterborough Scheme

(Peter Wightman, Interim Director of Primary Care NHS Peterborough and NHS Cambridgeshire)

Peterborough Primary Care Strategy – Update on the East Peterborough Scheme

Peter Wightman, Interim Director of Primary Care at NHS Peterborough gave an update on the proposed East Peterborough Scheme.  The key points were:

·         In March 2012, NHS Peterborough had agreed a strategy on the design of local surgeries as there were too many little surgeries and it was proposed to join some together in a new practice.

·         It was acknowledged that this area did not have a very good provision of surgeries.

·         The preferred site for the new practice was the former Newark Court site on Newark Avenue.

·         The planning process had now started and a solution had been found for the highways concerns which had previously been raised.

·         It was hoped that the new practice would be open at the end of 2013/beginning of 2014.

Comments and responses to questions included:

·         Councillor Peach stated that whilst the plans seemed exciting, there were concerns about the size of the site.

·         Councillor Ash advised that he believed the proposal would be at the detriment of local GPs who provided services.  The costs would be high and he was concerned at the loss of local services.

·         Peter Wightman responded by saying that the list for the new practice would be 10-12,000 patients and there would be five to six doctors.  The scheme would be self-funding as the rental costs of five separate buildings would stop.  Three contracts into one would result in better value.

·         Councillor Kreling stated that Newark Court was a poor site to have chosen as pedestrians would not be able to cross the road.  It would also be difficult for vehicles to exit the site onto Newark Avenue.  Peter advised that the site was a crossover for a number of bus routes and there were design issues for cars and pedestrians.

·         Simon Machen advised that as the planning application had only been submitted all of the issues raised had yet to be formally assessed.  With regard to the location it was difficult to find sites for community use within urban areas.  There would be a number of issues to consider during the planning process including the use of the site and its impact on neighbours, access to the site and the impact on the local network.  Issues had been raised about the level of parking at the site and the applicants had now purchased the adjacent bungalow to create additional parking.  It was expected that the planning application would be considered by the Planning Committee around late January 2013.

·         A member of the public asked whether the new development would be comparable with the Thomas Walker Centre.  Peter advised that it would not be comparable as there were two key differences.  The new practice would not have any dentist or community health services and the Thomas Walker Centre still had three surgeries with separate receptions.

·         Councillor Peach stated that parking was an issue and not everyone would be able to walk especially when they were ill.  He urged  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

An opportunity for any member of the public, elected and co-opted members of the Neighbourhood Committeeto raise anything that affects your area and to suggest items for future meetings. 

Attendees of the meeting were given the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues affecting the areas in which they lived.

These included:

·        Councillor Ash advised that the traffic lights at the Triangle needed to be looked at urgently.

·        Councillor Ash asked for an update on the negotiations on the lease for the John Mansfield Centre.  Cate Harding advised that negotiations were ongoing and the Council was keen for organisations to manage the Centre.  However it was necessary to make sure that the organisations were able to enter into a lease.

·        Councillor Ash asked if the ice cream vans which had parked near Dogsthorpe School had been looked at.  Cate advised that she would take this issue back to the Licensing Team along with the vans parked at Scalford Drive.

·        Councillor Ash asked for an update on the progress on Whetstone Court.  Cate advised that there were ongoing discussions with Enterprise.  Mark Swift advised that pruning was happening at the moment but discussions needed to be had with the client officer about the fencing.

·        Councillor Ash asked what was happening about the toilet block opposite the Bluebell pub.  Cate advised that consultation on demolition was currently underway.

·        Kevin Bell asked about graffiti on private property and why in some cases it was taking up to 26 weeks to remove.  He also asked for clarification as to what was deemed as offensive.  He also stated that calls were often closed without notification if the graffiti was on private land. Cate advised that there were ongoing discussions with Enterprise around private land owners and how that process could be tightened up.

·        Councillor Shearman advised that Mark Denson had been a great help in removing rubbish off land in his ward.  Adam Cliff, Empty Homes Officer, had also undertaken some excellent work on some properties.

·        Councillor Shearman stated that the level of litter in the city was not entirely Enterprise’s fault and was an issue with the contract the Council had negotiated.  The contract needed to be renegotiated.  Cate advised that there ongoing negotiations around the contract.

·        Councillor Miners advised that a resident had received a letter about removing graffiti from his property or action would be taken against him.  If the graffiti was directly on to the footway it should be removed at the expense of the council.  Should we put aside some money to clean up these cases?  Cate advised that there were a number of different view points.  The Neighbourhood Committee had a small allocation of capital funding which could not be used.  However Community Leadership Funding could be used.  She would feed the comment back about houses which faced the public realm or footpaths.  The Council used to clear such graffiti as a case of goodwill.

·        Councillor Shearman asked about using community payback.  Cate advised that it had been used previously and was pursued where possible.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 March 2013 at Parnwell Community Centre

The next meeting was due to be held on Wednesday 13 March 2013 at Parnwell Community Centre.