Agenda and minutes

Marie Hemphill – Nottingham City Homes Tenant Representative

Heidi May – Neighbourhood Management

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None.

Last meeting held on 27 November 2013 (for confirmation)

The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2013 as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

Susan Thorpe, Traffic and Safety, to report

Susan Thorpe, Traffic Management, informed the Committee of a project, arising from the findings of a steering group, consisting of the County and City Councils and Nottinghamshire Police, to address complaints from residents about parking during school drop off and pick up times and stated the following:

(a)  a toolkit has been designed, and sent to all 110 maintained schools within the City Boundary, containing a guide to writing a School Travel Plan, Walking Bus guidelines, a parking support leaflet, a ‘keep me safe’ poster, a full Road Safety Education delivery toolkit, a home to school template letter and information on parking in a responsible manner;

(b)  the Parking Enforcement Team will be visiting each school in the area for a Week of Action and their presence should deter some people from irresponsible/illegal parking. The visits would be on a rolling schedule, which will be varied so as not to follow a set pattern;

(c)  the CPOs will first speak to those parking, highlighting the dangers of irresponsible parking, then advise them that they should not be parking where they are and, finally, if the parking continues, enforce via a fixed penalty notice (FPN);

(d)  unfortunately it was not possible to work out if there were ‘persistent offenders’ as records of FPNs issued was not kept on a name basis;

(e)  the work being undertaken will also involve educating people on driving and parking safely outside schools, although Nottingham has the best road safety record in the country for school journeys, with child casualties dropping from 100 in 1990 to less than 20 in 2012.

RESOLVED that the project was noted and welcomed.

Navid Arif, Highway Design, and Sarah Cooke, Accident Investigation and Road Safety, updated the Committee on the proposed road safety scheme for Beckhampton Road and stated the following improvements were planned:

(a)  Southglade School area

  (i)  new zebra crossing (on existing raised plateau outside school);

  (ii)  additional double-yellow lines from the beginning of the zebra crossing,   starting outside 180 Beckhampton Road:

o    to just before 172 Beckhampton Road and down Belsay Road (stopping just before numbers 4 and 7);

o    to the playing field past Bala Drive and down Bala Drive (stopping just before number 1);

(iii)  removal of the bus stop outside 221 Beckhampton Road;

(iv)  installation of a new bus stop next to the playing field, past Bala Drive;

(v)  installation of Zebrites at various locations outside the school entrance.

(b)  Robin Hood Infant/Junior Schools’ area

  (i)  installation of a new humped zebra crossing (to replace existing   pedestrian refuge outside 117/119 Beckhampton Road):

  (ii)  introduction of a zig-zag ‘School – keep clear’ road marking outside the   Infant School;

  (iii)  introduction of double-yellow lines on both sides of the road from just   before the junction with Eastglade Road (outside 84 Beckhampton   Road) to just past the Junior School boundary;

  (iv)  existing bus stop outside the school grounds to be relocated (further   down Beckhampton Road, away from the school entrance) and improved to allow easier access for passengers;

  (v)  installation of Zebrites at various locations outside both school   entrances and installation of a flashing ‘school’ sign on the bend outside   81 Beckhampton Road.

RESOLVED to note the proposals and that the Committee welcomed the proposed works to improve safety outside the schools concerned.

Kevin Hornsby, Regional Housing Manager, to report

Kevin Hornsby, Regional Housing Manager North, Nottingham City Homes, updated the Committee on the Bestwood Housing Office refurbishment and stated the following:

(a)  the office is currently closed and is being stripped out and re-fitted to allow for better ways of working;

(b)  the staff are working out of Bulwell Riverside and from locally-based surgeries/drop-in centres;

(c)  the Tenancy Estate Team will be split between the refurbished office and Loxley House to allow for easier access by citizens;

(d)  NCH have done a leaflet drop in the local area to inform citizens where they need to go while the office is closed and what the new offices will include i.e. a publicly accessible IT suite;

(e)  the current car park will be reconfigured to include an additional 5 parking spaces, and there were ongoing discussions with a local landowner to try to buy extra land to use for more spaces;

(f)  as the furniture will be replaced, the existing furniture is to be given to local charities and community groups for free;

(g)  it is proposed that the new office will open in mid-June 2014.

RESOLVED to note and welcome the progress on the Bestwood Housing Office refurbishment.

Inspector James Woolley to report

Inspector James Woolley updated the Committee on Police activity, crime trends and anti-social behaviour in the wards since the November 2013 meeting.

RESOLVED to note the update.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Further to minute 25 dated 27 November 2013, the Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, which included a summary report, covering both wards, and more detailed individual ward reports, informing the Committee of performance in the wards, during the period October to December 2013, against key performance indicators.

It was reported that:

(a)  the wards were performing excellently against the ‘cleanliness’ indicator and are the cleanest they have ever been;

(b)  the planned ‘Days of Action’ in the wards included a football day for local youngsters and Council staff and citizens cleaning local areas (litter picking, graffiti removal etc) and offering to trim hedges for those unable to do so.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Further to minute 26 dated 27 November 2013, the Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, updating Councillors and local representatives on ‘in progress’, completed and proposed highways, footpath and environmental schemes in Basford and Bestwood wards.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the available remaining balances of £64, 039 (Basford) and £81, 462 (Bestwood);

(2)  approve the following schemes for the Basford ward:

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services

Further to minute 27 dated 27 November 2013, the Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, detailing completed and ongoing projects and schemes in the Basford and Bestwood areas funded from Councillors’ individual delegated ward allocations.

RESOLVED to note the projects and schemes, funded from ward Councillor delegated budgets, as follows: