Councillor Michael Edwards and Councillor Tim Spencer were nominated for the position of Chair. When put to the vote, Councillor Edwards received 5 votes and Councillor Spencer received 3 votes.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Edwards as Chair of the Committee for the 2014-15 municipal year.

Councillor Pat Ferguson and Councillor Tim Spencer were nominated for the position of Vice-Chair. When put to the vote, Councillor Ferguson received 5 votes and Councillor Spencer received 3 votes.

RESOLVED to appoint Councillor Pat Ferguson as Vice-Chair of the Committee for the 2014-15 municipal year.

Reverend Sarah Clarke – Churches Together in Clifton

Mary Daly – Meadows Dance and Social Group

Richard Gutteridge – 26^th Nottingham Scout Group

Councillor Chris Gibson did not formally declare an interest in agenda item 9 ‘Rewetting Fairham Brook Nature Reserve’. However, he informed the Committee that he was Chair of Planning Committee. If this item was to come to a future Planning Committee meeting he wanted to avoid pre-determination and keep an open mind. Councillor Gibson remained in the meeting during consideration of the item, but took no part in any decision-making.

Last meeting held on 12 February 2014 (for confirmation)

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting on 12 February 2014 as a correct record, subject to the following changes:

(a)  minute 31 to be revised to read ‘Councillor Chris Gibson declared a personal interest in agenda item  ‘Area Based Grants’ as a Council-nominated representative on the Committee of Highbank Community Association, and remained in the meeting while this item was discussed;

(b)  minute 36(2) to be revised to include the approval of a £25,000 contribution to the car park at the rear of Clifton Village Hall.

The Committee received a verbal update from Councillor Alan Clark, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability on the Greener HousiNG11 home insulation scheme. Councillor Clark made the following points:

(a)  the external wall insulation scheme was originally planned as a city-wide scheme. However, changes to the national rules on funding led to a key partner, British Gas, withdrawing from the scheme and putting its future at risk;

(b)  the City Council has now successfully bid for funding from the national Community Energy Fund to deliver ‘Phase 2’ of a very similar scheme in Clifton;

(c)  under the revised scheme, private owners will be invited to be involved. Each property will also have a defined specification to avoid issues arising during Phase 1, where a single standard specification was applied to each property;

(d)  the new funding also ensured that the original scheme’s Apprenticeship Programme was back on track.

The Committee welcomed the reinstatement of the home insulation scheme in Clifton, which was especially good news for citizens affected by the sudden halt to the previous scheme. Councillors and colleagues raised several points:

(e)  Councillor Clark confirmed that the Apprenticeship programme will be similar in scale to the original scheme;

(f)  involvement in the scheme depended on having a Green Deal assessment, and on properties being suitable for the insulation work. Lessons had been learnt from the delivery of Phase 1, and Phase 2 will be delivered to tighter, less disruptive timescales;

(g)  in addition to savings on energy bills, councillors and community representatives welcomed the longer term health and wellbeing benefits of the scheme.

RESOLVED to note the Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability’s update.

Steve Tough, Nottingham Express Transit Team Leader, gave a verbal update on progress with the implementation of Lines 2 and 3 of Nottingham Express Transit (NET). Mr tough acknowledged the ongoing disruption experienced by Area 8 residents and made the following points:

(a)  the section of track between Station Street and Wilford Lane will shortly undergo track testing with new trams, and whole route testing (through the centre of Clifton and as far as Larkhill Park and Ride) was expected to take place from September 2014;

(b)  planned work will require the closure of the Arkwright Street junction for 2-3 months;

(c)  overhead cabling is about to be installed between Station Street and Sheriff’s Way, and as the project moved forward there will be a shift from track laying to cabling and landscape works.

During discussion, councillors and community representatives made a number of points:

(d)  in response to a community representative comment that a pedestrian crossing on Southchurch Drive had been removed, a councillor indicated that she had information on a revised location and would communicate it via social media;

(e)  Prairie Bryant, Neighbourhood Development Officer, reported that she understood that there would not be a zebra crossing outside Wilkinson’s in Clifton Town Centre because of speed restrictions in place and the location of the tram stop. Ms Bryant also highlighted an issue with the location of bus stops near to Highbank Primary School;

(f)  a community representative was concerned that there is no longer a suitable Taxi drop-off point outside Clifton Cornerstone;

(g)  in response to safety concerns about the quietness of trams, Mr Tough advised that this had not been an issue with Line 1, and that driver training and educating citizens, rather than erecting barriers, were the key to public safety;

(h)  a councillor expressed uncertainty about how the Nottingham City Transport Number 48 bus service might be affected once the tram was fully operational;

(i)  several councillors highlighted the need to raise the profile of Clifton Shopping Centre and to boost local businesses generally once works were completed. Councillors also highlighted the possibility of problems with on-street parking in residential streets in all wards in Area 8;

(j)   a community representative raised the issue of providing benches and planters once works were completed.

RESOLVED to receive a further update, and to invite a Nottingham City Transport representative, to its September 2014 meeting.

Verbal update on progress

Tom Street, Principal Conservation Officer, introduced the item, and tabled a briefing note highlighting the following information:

(a)  the Old Rectory in Clifton Village is a Grade II listing building which has been derelict for a number of years. Its condition has deteriorated as a result of water damage and vandalism;

(b)  planning permission and listed building consent were granted in January 2012 and will expire in January 2015. The Rectory site has a restrictive covenant preventing the construction of additional buildings on the site. The owner has been negotiating with the City Council to remove this restriction, during which time no repair work has been carried out on the building;

(c)  following further negotiations and a site inspection by Mr Street, a phased way forward has been agreed. A Schedule of Principal terms for the staged release of the covenant has been sent to the owner’s agent, and a schedule of essential repairs has been issued and agreed. These include securing the site perimeter and boarding up unsecured window and door openings, and works to clear vegetation and repair the roof structure and drainage;

(d)  Mr Street will conduct a further site visit at the end of May 2014 when he will present a formal Schedule of urgent Works to be completed.

The Committee welcomed the update and the recent significant progress made on this issue. Several councillors and community representatives made the point that it had been very difficult to take enforcement action, and that previously-promised improvements had not been delivered.

RESOLVED to note the update, and to receive a further update at a future Committee meeting.

Report of Corporate Director, Communities

Councillor Chris Gibson did not formally declare an interest in agenda item 9 ‘Rewetting Fairham Brook Nature Reserve’. However, he informed the Committee that he was Chair of Planning Committee. If this item was to come to a future Planning Committee meeting he wanted to avoid pre-determination and keep an open mind. Councillor Gibson remained in the meeting during consideration of the item, but took no part in any decision-making.

Chris Kennedy, Southern Reserves Officer, and Ruth Testa, Wetlands Project Officer from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT), introduced a report summarising the Trust’s proposals for the management of Fairham Brook Nature Reserve, and seeking the Committee’s support for the proposals.

Mr Kennedy and Ms Testa explained that the NWT managed the site on behalf of Nottingham City Council, and made the following points:

(a)  Fairham Brook Nature Reserve is designated a biological Local Wildlife Site and is a ‘valuable area of scrub, grassland, ponds and swamp, with a length of the adjacent Fairham Brook;

(b)  the fen habitat at the northern end of the reserve has dried out considerably, and the rewetting proposals are designed to avoid losing the habitat for good;

(c)  NWT had received 25 written expressions of support for the project, and feedback from the Consultation event held on 29 April 2014 was also positive;

(d)  a map showing revised proposals was tabled at the meeting. A proposal for a stone track has been amended and the revised works will leave a smaller ‘footprint’ on the site.

A councillor made a number of comments on the proposals, summarised below:

(e)  there is no evidence presented showing that the fen habitat drying out – no borehole has been sunk to demonstrate the proposed works are needed;

(f)  the physical works, including trench-digging, pipework, pond-lining and  removal of peat soil are disruptive and damaging to the natural environment, and natural paths have been previously damaged by the use of machinery on site;

(g)  it was unclear why peat soil had to be taken off-site and why mature and semi-mature trees had to be removed;

(h)  the existing water levels in the brook are already quite deep;

(i)  the revised drawings tabled at the meeting did not form part of the current planning application;

(j)  the work already carried out by NWT on the site was not of a high standard;

(k)  in view of these outstanding issues, the councillor requested that the proposals be put on hold until further borehole and surveys of the site were conducted, and that NWT should hold further consultation, including a public meeting.

Councillors, colleagues and community representatives made a number of comments in the discussion which followed:

(l)  there has already been a full public consultation, including a consultation event, and no negative written submissions have been received;

(m)  since the consultation, the stone track proposal has been amended, which will reduce site disruption;

(n)  revised plans and detailed survey data will be considered as part of the planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Presentation to circulate for information at meeting

RESOLVED to note the outcomes of the Respect Survey 2013 findings for Area 8 without discussion.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, presented by the relevant Neighbourhood Development Officer (NDO) for each individual ward, detailing performance against strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan 2020 and against local priorities. The main points, and Committee comments, were as follows:

(1)  Clifton North – Parbinder Singh

(a)  crime and anti-social behaviour levels had increased from the same period last year, while fly-tipping had also increased;

(b)  the Cleanliness Index score of 92 was up on last year, and there was also a decrease in the levels of graffiti, and deliberate fires;

(c)  unemployment levels were down slightly;

(d)  key successes included a successful Local Area Group meeting for Silverdale Estate, the re-opening of Southchurch Drive and access to shops on Varney Road, the recent crime prevention event at Clifton Community Centre and consultation and engagement with residents on Eddlestone drive on trees;

(e)  key issues for the ward were ongoing disruption because of tram works and A453 widening, a recent increase in reported crime and anti-social behaviour and external wall insulation;

(2)  Clifton South – Prairie Bryant

(a)  crime and anti-social behaviour levels had increased from the same period last year, while fly-tipping had also increased;

(b)  the Cleanliness Index score of 93 was up on last year, and there was also a decrease in the levels of graffiti and deliberate fires;

(c)  unemployment levels in the ward had decreased;

(d)  key successes included the free ‘Shopping Shuttle’ bus service supporting local businesses, a crime prevention event at Park Gate Community Centre and microchip/responsible dog-ownership event in Central Park, an initial meeting to plan how to market the Clifton offer once tram works had been completed, and the successful removal of travellers from Clifton Village Green within 48 hours;

(e)  key issues for the ward were the ongoing impact of tram works and the A453 widening, and ensuring sustainability of local businesses during the disruption.

(3)  Bridge – Abdul Ghaffar

(a)  crime levels had increased from the same period last year, although levels of anti-social behaviour had not changed;

(b)  the Cleanliness Index score of 93 was up on last year, and there had been a decrease in levels of graffiti and fly-tipping;

(c)  unemployment levels were down;

(d)  key successes included increased Community Protection enforcement action and reporting issues for action, targeted work on fly-tipping and dumping, and actions to make improvements to a House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) on Glapton Road;

(e)  key issues were ongoing disruption caused by tram works and resulting bus diversions, and the increase in reported violent incidents in Bridge ward.

(4)  Inspector Waldram – Nottinghamshire Police

(a)  overall crime has reduced since last year, with particular improvements in levels of burglary from dwellings and robbery. This was due in part to targeted activity against prolific and persistent offenders. However, there had been a significant increase in specific crime categories, including thefts from sheds and out-houses, thefts of bicycles and thefts from works vans and hotel car parks;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to note the actions agreed by the Director of Neighbourhood Services in respect of projects and schemes detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, and to note the Individual Ward Members Budget Revenue allocation of £5,000 for 2014/15.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the monies available to Bridge, Clifton North and Clifton South wards as outlined at Appendices 1 and 2 of the report 

(2)  approve the Area Capital Fund Local Transport Plan and Public Realm schemes for Clifton North and Clifton South as follows:

(3)  note approval under delegated authority for the following Public Realm scheme for Clifton South:

To consider meeting on the following Wednesdays at 7:00pm:

2014        2015

10 September     11 February

12 November

RESOLVED to meet on the following Wednesdays at 7pm:

2014      2015

10 September      11 February

12 November