Agenda and minutes

Mary Daly

Richard Gutteridge

Colin Mackie

None

Last meeting held 24 June 2015 (for confirmation)

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 24 June 2015 and these were signed by the Chair.

Report of the Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to formally note the appointments of Area Committee Community Representatives from the Bridge, Clifton North and Clifton South wards for the 2015/16 municipal year:

Report of the Corporate Director of Resilience

RESOLVED to:

(1)  agree the appointments to outside bodies listed below:

(2)  agree to the addition of Park Gate Community Centre to the register

Report of the Director of Sports, Culture and Parks

Eddie Curry, Head of Parks and Open Spaces, introduced the report of the Director of Sport, Culture and Parks informing the Committee about the introduction of parking charges at the Victoria Embankment and Meadows Recreation Ground in Bridge Ward. Eddie highlighted the following:

(a)  car parking in the area has become a problem in the area, particularly by those working in West Bridgford, and those parking in the middle of the playing fields and on grass verges. There are currently no powers of control to prevent this;

(b)  consultation is currently at an informal stage with letters having been written out to 750 local residents. Formal consultation will begin on 24^th September and run until 21^st October;

(c)  one parking area will still remain free of charge, whilst some other areas, such as in front of the war memorial, will have parking banned. Parking will remain free for a period of up to one hour though this may expand to 2 hours following consultation. Parking in the evening and at weekends will remain free of charge;

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Committee:

(d)  the RingGo mobile phone payment system will be used. This reduces the need for expensive ticketing machines which are unattractive and vulnerable. 94% of car drivers are mobile users and there has been success with this system in other areas of the city;

(e)  fees can be increased at a later date if it is found that they are not deterring parked cars;

(f)  the parking restrictions will be enforced by PCSOs and the traffic management team, as well as remote cameras to identify unregistered cars;

(g)  a phased approach to implementation would be more difficult and costly to implement;

(h)  there is not an aspiration to turn the Victoria Embankment into a car park. There is a real need to manage parking in the area, as people will continue to park in the middle of playing fields and in restricted areas.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the decision of the Corporate Director for Communities in Delegated Decision 2092 in exercise of his executive power on behalf of the Committee;

(2)  note the steps that have been taken since the above approval toward the implementation of the decision;

(3)  support the principle expressed in the order proposed to control parking on the Victoria Embankment and Meadows Recreation Ground, and to ban parking in front of the war memorial;

(4)  suggest that the scheme should charge £2 for more than 2 hours during a normal working day, between 8am and 5pm, and for more than 3 hours for blue badge holders as this would give park and play area users greater confidence in using those facilities without incurring a charge; whilst retaining the ability to run special schemes for the days or evenings of significant sporting and recreation events;

(5)  support the use of the RingGo system for managing car parking, given the high numbers of existing users and high  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

Verbal report / discussion item

Councillor Steve Young opened a discussion on the proposed closure of the nurses’ action point at Clifton Cornerstone. The following points were highlighted:

(a)  there are currently 3 points in the city, but there is a proposed rationalisation to close the Clifton Cornerstone and Parliament Street sites and move all services to the walk-in centre on London Road;

(b)  there are concerns that the London Road site will be inaccessible from Clifton, particularly for Clifton’s elderly population, and that there will be a n impact on capacity at Clifton doctors’ surgeries;

(c)  Bridge ward residents were also concerned about the closure of the Parliament Street centre as this is more accessible than London Road from the Meadows;

(d)  the Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has explored the possibility of a bus link to London Road, however this may have short running hours and have a high cost;

RESOLVED for Cllr Steve Young and Clare Ashton to meet with Neighbourhood Development Officers to survey local opinions and capture discontent, with a view to presenting evidence to the CCG.

Verbal update from Mark Armstrong, Clifton Town Centre Co-ordinator

Mark Armstrong, Senior Regeneration Office, gave a verbal update on the development of the Clifton Town Plan, highlighting the following:

(a)  a draft action plan has now been approved. Once this has been condensed it will be available for consultation;

(b)  Mark is interested in the development of a Town Team for Clifton and needs volunteers;

(c)  the tram extension already seems to be having a positive impact on Clifton, bringing new people to the area. However there is still finishing work to be completed. Crime figures will be monitored to see if the tram has an impact on these;

(d)  the central shops in Clifton have a 100% occupancy rate, but there are some vacant shops outside the central area.

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Committee:

(e)  the alleyway near Morrisons is a popular cut-through and Mark is hoping to speak to private landowners to improve the space there;

(f)  all planned improvements must have full business cases and make a return on investment. Half a million pounds is allocated to the Clifton town centre plan;

(g)  a Clifton town team would be an independent group, and can work in different ways depending on whichever is most suitable.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the verbal update;

(2)  neighbourhood development officers to meet with Mark Armstrong to investigate the development of a town team;

(3)  request that Mark gives regular updates to the Area 8 Committee at future meetings.

Report of the Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

Abdul Ghaffar, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented the performance report for the Bridge Ward, highlighting the following points:

(a)  there has been a reduction of 11 crimes to a total of 356 total reported crimes from the same period 2014-15 in the Bridge ward;

(b)  there is a growing concern around drug crime in some areas of the Meadows;

(c)  there is still tram finishing works to be completed in the area, particularly around Wilford Toll Bridge;

(d)  NCH will be improving fencing around Arkwright Walk with an aim to reduce flytipping;

(e)  the reported increase in hate crimes does not represent any new trends or hotspots, and may be a result of more people coming forward and reporting these crimes;

Parbinder Singh, Neighbourhood Action Officer, presented the performance report for the Clifton North Ward, highlighting the following points:

(f)  there has been a rise in low-level crime in the Clifton North ward;

(g)  the VIP tram event was a success and provided positive media coverage for residents and the local area;

(h)  bins that were stolen from local bus shelters will be replaced;

Prairie Bryant, Neighbourhood Development Officer, presented the performance report for the Clifton South Ward, highlighting the following points:

(i)  CCTV has been installed at bus stops to prevent bins from being stolen from local bus stops;

(j)  the Cleanliness Index score for Clifton South has improved greatly and the ward is now one of the cleanest in the city. However, improvement could still be made.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the report;

(2)  request a ward walk along the A453 route through Clifton;

(3)  request an item at the next meeting on joblessness and low hour contracts in the area.

Verbal update from Nottinghamshire Police

Inspector Clare Rukas and Inspector Donna Busuttil, Nottinghamshire Police, presented an update on crime and policing across the area, highlighting the following points:

(a)  additional funding has been secured for patrols to tackle the local drugs problems. Empty properties in the Meadows will be regularly checked;

(b)  there is no update on the closure of Meadows Police Station, and the Committee will be updated as soon as more is known;

(c)  there has been no discernible increase in crime as a result of tram lines opening, but this will continue to be monitored through the winter as daylight hours reduce. There is CCTV both at tram stops and on the trams themselves;

(d)  there will be a reduction on Police Community Support Officers throughout Nottinghamshire which will result in a reduction in area 8 from 11 to 10.

RESOLVED to note the information

Report of Nottingham City Homes

Will Morritt, Regional Housing Manager South for Nottingham City Homes (NCH) presented a report updating the Committee on NCH’s performance on the following key themes:

·  capital programme and major works;

·  area regeneration and environmental issues;

·  key messages  from the Tenant and Leasehold Congress;

·  Tenant and Residents Associations updates;

·  area performance figures;

·  good news stories and positive publicity.

The following points were highlighted:

(a)  insulation work to properties on Noble Road has now begun;

(b)  properties on Blackstone Walk are currently having asbestos removed prior to demolition;

(c)  a tenants fun-day has been organised for October in Bulwell.  A bus will be available between Clifton and Bulwell.

RESOLVED to note the report

Report of the Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to

(1)  approve the following schemes in Bridge, Clifton North and Clifton South wards:

(2)  note the commitments of funds in Bridge, Clifton North and Clifton South wards:

Report of the Director of Commercial and Neighbourhood Services

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the actions agreed by the Director of Commercial & Neighbourhood Services in respect of projects and schemes within Area 8: