Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from members unable to attend the meeting

No apologies for absence were received.

At this point Members must declare whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest, or other interest, in any of the items on the agenda, unless it is already entered in the register of members’ interests or is a “pending notification “ that has been disclosed to the Solicitor to the Council.

Members must also declare if they are subject to their party group whip in relation to any items under consideration.

None

To agree the minutes of the last meeting and matters arising (including update from Neighbourhood Manager)

The minutes from the meeting held on 2 July 2012 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

The Neighbourhood Manager and Assistant Neighbourhood Manager provided an update on the issues raised at the previous meeting and which were shown on a rolling presentation. 

·        The funding allocation for the Whitecross underpass had been received and was being transferred to the relevant team.

·        A review of all trees in the city was about to be undertaken and Bretton would be the first ward to reviewed.  The outcomes of the review would be brought to a future meeting of the Neighbourhood Committee and ward councillors would be kept informed. 

·        The outcome of the consultation for the Atherstone Avenue, Walcott Walk and Buckland Road area was shown on the presentation.

·        Peter Davis, Partnership Manager at the Council and who was responsible for the the Enterprise Peterborough contract was present at tonight’s meeting.

·        Options for verge parking improvements would be considered later on the agenda.

An opportunity for any member of the public, elected and co-opted members of the Neighbourhood Committee to 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 whey they lived.  These included:

·        Councillor Murphy stated that it was regrettable that green space, a lower density of housing and an entrance to the railway station were not now included in the plans for the proposed development in Midland Road.  A representative from the Longhurst Group advised that the proposed density for the development was believed to be viable and that they were open for discussion on what green space should be included in the area.  The proposed footbridge to the station had to be removed from the plans due to its lack of viability as it could not be delivered within a 90 dwellings development and would need to be considered as part of the wider regeneration of the area.

·        Steve Lee advised that by the riverbank street lighting was being left on for large parts of the day which was not efficient.  Andy Tatt advised that he would take this back to the relevant team at the council.

·        Councillor Murphy advised that there had been a number of issues with dogs in the Ravensthorpe area.  There was a need for education for dog owners alongside enforcement of powers.  A dog had been destroyed but responsible ownership was needed.

·        Mr Dent asked who was responsible for the removal debris from a house during building work, was it the owner or builder?  Mick Robb from Enterprise Peterborough confirmed that it would be the resident’s responsibility.

A number of issues were also raised concerning the performance of Enterprise Peterborough, including:

·        Councillor Fletcher stated that in South Bretton there were a number of areas where the trees and shrubs were very overgrown, including streetlamps being hidden by trees.  Did Enterprise have a programme in place for cutting back trees and shrubs?  Mick Robb from Enterprise Peterborough advised that there was a programme in place which had started in mid-September and would run until February.  There had been issues around the bird nesting season and with the unseasonable summer weather.  He gave an assurance that Enterprise Peterborough were already planning for a similar summer next year. 

·        Glennis Bentley stated that Enterprise Peterborough had attended a meeting of the Ravensthorpe Residents Association in June but nothing had been done since.  A resident had been told that they could be prosecuted for cutting back a shrub which was blocking a sight line.  She also asked to see a copy of the contract.  Peter Davis, Partnership Manager advised that he would look again at the area and would let Glennis have some information on the contract but not all of it could be released.

·        Enterprise Peterborough was performing badly across all parts of the city and it was getting worse.

·        In response to a question by John Green on how much was Enterprise Peterborough being paid for the contract, Peter Davis advised that some financial information should be available but some of it would be commercially sensitive  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Proposals and voting for the allocation of the capital budget of £25,000

Capital Allocation for 2012/13

The Neighbourhood Committee considered a report on the proposals for allocating the committee’s capital budget of £25,000 for 2012/13.

The Neighbourhood Committee were asked to consider and approve the following:

1.      The proposals for allocation of the capital budget of £25,000 for 2012/13;

2.      The proposals which would receive an allocation of the budget;

3.       A reduction in the individual allocations should the approved proposals exceed the £25,000 budget, to be determined by the Neighbourhood Manager; and

4.      The Neighbourhood Manager would be responsible for determining the final detail of the project in consultation with Ward Councillors and other relevant parties.

Proposals which sought approval from Members were as follows:

·        Bretton North - Contribution towards providing additional parking in Heltwate – proposed by Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald – approximately £10,000

·        Bretton North - Additional Water features for Bretton Water Park – Proposed by Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald - approximately £7000

·        Bretton North - Contribution towards equipment to reinstate a park at Mewburn – proposed by Cllr Ann Sylvester – approximately £2000

·        Bretton South - Contribution towards upgrading the Ringwood Pavilion and Car Park – proposed by Cllr Michael Fletcher – approximately £6000

Comments and responses to questions were as follows:

·        In response to a question by Councillor Murphy as to whether the money could be used for projects other than capital for example keeping play centres open, Julie Rivett advised that it could not.  Community Action Plans were currently being developed and this was the way of getting those issues identified as they would drive how budgets  in the area would be spent.

·        Councillor Fletcher advised that the activity centre next to this Centre now had only a limited opening.  A group of volunteers were willing to run it but they needed funding.

·        At the request of Councillor Maqbool, Julie Rivett confirmed the process for people feeding into the development of the Community Action Plans.  The plans were currently in draft would shortly be sent to councillors and partners for consultation.  It would then come to the next meeting of the Neighbourhood Committee for consideration.

·        Councillor Arculus encouraged everybody to think how next year’s budget could be spent and to start feeding ideas through to their ward councillors.

The Committee unanimously agreed:

1.      the proposals for allocation of the capital budget of £25,000 for 2012/13;

2.      the proposals which would receive an allocation of the budget would be:

·         Bretton North - Contribution towards providing additional parking in Heltwate – approximately £10,000

·         Bretton North - Additional Water features for Bretton Water Park – approximately £7000

·         Bretton North - Contribution towards equipment to reinstate a park at Mewburn – approximately £2000

·         Bretton South - Contribution towards upgrading the Ringwood Pavilion and Car Park – approximately £6000

3.      to a reduction in the individual allocations should the approved proposals exceed the £25,000 budget, to be determined by the Neighbourhood Manager; and

4.      that the Neighbourhood Manager would be responsible for determining the final detail of the project in consultation with ward  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

a) Verge Parking Improvements

The Neighbourhood Committee received a presentation on proposed verge parking improvements from the Transport Group Manager.  Plans were circulated on the tables for a number of options for Hartwell Way, which had been identified as the priority for this area.

Option 1 was to build another bund feature to protect the verge. 

Option 2 was to consider allowing parking on Hartwell Way by putting in a number of areas for parking.  This would require a Traffic Regulation Order to be put in place as there was currently a clearway in place.  This option would also help to address issues with speeding vehicles.

Comments and responses to questions were as follows:

·        Andy Tatt advised that consultation has been undertaken and whilst there had been a low response all had supported option 1.

·        Sandra Wilson stated that she believed that there was a poor response because people did not understand what the options were.  Residents had not been consulted about option 2. 

·        A comment was made that there was a good example of grasscrete at the East Community Complex.  On Hartwell Way people could not park near their homes but would be able to if grasscrete was put in place.  In response Andy Tatt advised that grasscrete would be an expensive option.  The £10,000 which had been allocated for the project would enable a traffic regulation order and bunds but not grasscrete.

·        Councillor Murphy asked if the council could just talk to the residents involved to get them to move their vehicles or use enforcement if necessary.

Agreed Actions

To support, in principle, the proposals subject to further consultation with the Ravensthorpe Residents Association.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 15 January 2013, venue to be confirmed

The next meeting of the Neighbourhood Committee was due to be held on Tuesday 15 January 2013, venue to be confirmed.