Agenda and minutes

Councillor Jim Armstrong – leave

David Allen – North Wollaton Residents Association

Gary Beavan – Wollaton Park Residents Association

Alan Hall – Wollaton Historical and Conservation Society

Rob Kirkwood – Friends of Wollaton Park

Sam Peake – University of Nottingham

Anthony Swannell – Wollaton Vale Residents Association

Angharad Smith – University of Nottingham

None.

Last meeting held on 21 September 2015

Subject to amending resolution 24(2) to refer to ‘decommissioned schemes’ rather than ‘withdrawn schemes’, the Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2015 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Report of Chief Executive, Nottingham City Homes

The Committee received a brief presentation from Dan Lucas, Research and Strategy Manager, Nottingham City Homes, and Chris Matthews, local historian and author, on the publication of a history of council housing in Nottingham, titled ‘Homes and Places’. The book is available from the Five Leaves Bookshop and copies can be ordered from the bookshop on 0115 8373097.

During a brief Question and Answer session, Mr Mathews explained that the generous plots provided for Clifton housing stock were a response to the extreme density of housing stock being replaced. There was also a ‘Garden City’ mentality prevalent at the time, with land considered a cheap and plentiful resource.

Paul Howard, Tenancy and Estates Manager, introduced a report of the Chief Executive, Nottingham City Homes, updating the Committee on key issues and themes linking back to local priorities and strategic themes for Nottingham City Homes.

Mr Howard explained that there were no requests for funding on this occasion. The main issue to note was that work has started on external wall insulation under the Nottingham Green HousiNG scheme is starting in Lenton Abbey.

The Chair expressed the view that the short amount of time between the September and November Area Committee meetings meant that there was little progress to report on this and on other standing items, and undertook to raise the issue of scheduling Area Committee meetings at Area Chair’s Panel.

RESOLVED to note the report, and to thank Mr Mathews and Mr Lucas for their presentation.

The Committee to consider ‘From your experience, what is stopping citizens from living happier, healthier lives’?

James Rhodes, Strategic Insight Manager, introduced a report of the Corporate Director for Children and Adults on engagement activities to inform the development of the next Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Mr Rhodes advised that 3 key public events had already taken place, provided information on a toolkit to permit community groups to run their own engagement sessions, and distributed survey details to inform the process.

The following points were made in the discussion which followed:

(a)  compiling information on activities already available to citizens in a single accessible community resource was seen as vital, and several Committee members highlighted consistent use of Facebook as a way forward;

(b)  a community representative recommended providing gentle exercise activities for senior citizens in community centres rather than in leisure centres;

(c)  as well as physical activity, ‘silver surfer’ training to help senior citizens become more IT-literate was seen as an important intervention to prevent social isolation;

(d)  outdoor developments in the Area at Sutton Passeys Crescent and in Lenton Abbey will help contribute to the Strategy.

RESOLVED to thank Mr Rhodes for his presentation, and to note the report.

Presentation on behalf of Deputy Chief Executive/Corporate Director for Development and Growth

The Committee received a presentation from Keith Morgan, Transport Strategy Planner, and Thomas Humphries, Transport Planner, on the Nottingham Western Cycle Corridor, highlighting the following points:

(a)  The cycling and roadspace transformation initiative formed part of an integrated programme of transport infrastructure investment in Nottingham, including the Nottingham Express Transit lines 2 and 3 extension, improvements to the A453, the Nottingham station hub and the electrification of the bus fleet;

(b)  Nottingham’s Cycle City Vision had as its key target having 10% of all trips to work taken by bicycle by 2025 – the current figure was 3%;

(c)  Significant funding was being available via the ‘D2N2’ Local Enterprise Partnership, and construction on a series of upgrading, widening, resurfacing and creating of shared space was expected in 2016 – formal consultation, with details of changes ‘on the ground’, will take place in early 2016;

(d)  Work on the Western Cycle corridor element of Nottingham’s cycle network will focus on University Boulevard, Woodside Road and the Ring Road;

(e)  It was not proposed to remove any tree, and every effort will be made to minimise root damage to trees lining the cycle corridor.

The following points were made during discussion:

(f)  Mr Humphries and Mr Morgan confirmed that there were no plans to put in additional bus stops or road crossings as part of the scheme. A councillor commented that the placement of bus stops near to road crossings/refuges can cause difficulties for road users and pedestrians, and Mr Morgan and Mr Humphries asked for further details about where this is currently a problem;

(g)   A councillor expressed concern at the proposal to create a shared space for pedestrians and cyclists, while a community representative expressed concern about the effect on emergency services’ response times of reducing the number of lanes on Woodside Road from 2 to 1. In response, Mr Morgan and Mr Humphries explained that all emergency services will be fully consulted, and expressed the view that similar space sharing schemes had worked well elsewhere;

(h)  A councillor commended the proposed changes, expressing the view that they will create a safe, attractive road environment for cyclists, car drivers and pedestrians. The councillor also pointed out that the changes will help reduce speeding, and prevent parking on grass verges, which is a significant problem along the proposed route;

(i)  A resident advised Mr Morgan and Mr Humphries to be mindful about the placing of street furniture when planning improvements to the cycle corridor.

RESOLVED to thank Mr Morgan and Mr Humphries for their presentation, and to note that formal consultation for the Western Cycle Corridor will commence in early 2016.

Report of Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations

RESOLVED to appoint the following community representatives for the remainder of the 2015/16 year:

To submit to Governance Officer by Thursday 12 November 2015

Dorothy Holmes undertook to explore further the issue of using ‘vacuum/blowing’ street cleansing equipment where cars were parked, in response to a query from Pauline Peck.

Councillor Sam Webster explained that there was no funding currently available to clean the exterior of the Council House, given the pressures on local government budgets, in response to a query from Pauline Peck. Councillor Webster also explained that the City Council had already spent significant resources on the internal infrastructure of the building.

Kevin Beswick, Friends of Wollaton Park, reported that the group was currently thriving, with volunteering sessions going well.  

Report of Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations

Lylse-Anne Renwick and Pauline Dorey, Neighbourhood Development Officers, introduced the Corporate Director for Commercial and Operations’ report providing ward performance updates on key issues and themes which link back to local priorities and the strategic themes in the Nottingham Plan to 2020.

Ms Renwick highlighted the following points:

(a)   A series of Deep Cleans around key hotspots and Days of Action have taken place across both wards to address a range of community issues and concerns. A student Week of Action also took place in October 2015 to coincide with the arrival of University students for the Autumn term, addressing personal safety, anti-social behaviour and waste management issues;

(b)  The number of dog-fouling incidents had reduced greatly in both wards, and levels of fouling were the lowest of all Nottingham city wards;

(c)  Youth teams are engaging with young people and looking to provide diversionary activity to address issues of disturbance on Wollaton Drive following complaints by residents. Actions are also being taken at Manton Crescent to address recent localised increases in anti-social behaviour;  

(d)  A decision on securing the required funding for the Sutton Passeys Crescent Play Area is expected in December 2015;

(e)  An innovative local Loyalty Card has been launched to support businesses on Bramcote Lane.

(f)  The Neighbourhood Action Team has been active in helping co-ordinate a number of key actions, including clearing allotment sites and overgrown ‘no man’s land’ sites, and improving joint working with landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs);

(g)  Plans for Christmas light switch-on celebrations were well advanced.

The Committee welcomed the positive report. In the brief discussion which followed, a resident highlighted the need to ensure that gully and drain cleansing on Middleton Boulevard was properly carried out.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Pauline Dorey, Neighbourhood Development Officer, introduced the Corporate Director for Commercial and Operations’ report requesting approval for Area Capital Fund schemes.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note that the following budget remains available:

Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey  £34,758

Wollaton West  £4,468;

(2)  to approve the following Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey Local Transport Plan Scheme:

Verbal update by Inspector Wilson

Inspector Wilson of Nottinghamshire Police circulated a newsletter and provided a verbal update on crime and anti-social issues, making the following points:

(a)  There has been a significant reduction in the levels of burglary in both wards, as a result of successful crime prevention and detection work. However, in October and November 2015 there has been a spike in burglaries, coinciding with the return of university students to Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire Police urge citizens to remain vigilant;

(b)  There has been a massive reduction in the number of burglaries from sheds and garages from 2014, following the arrest of several persistent and prolific offenders;

(c)  Nottinghamshire Police have investigated complaints about anti-social behaviour on Harrow Road, and continue to work with the Co-op supermarket, which remains a hotspot for shop theft in the Area.

The Committee welcomed the update and the following issues were raised during discussion:

(d)  There was consensus that greater engagement with the community was needed, as recent Local Action Group meetings had not been well attended. It was suggested that coinciding future meetings with other community engagement and outreach events involving residents groups;

(e)  Inspector Wilson advised that officers regularly patrolled around the Community Centre, and, while young people did congregate there, they weren’t necessarily doing anything wrong or illegal. A Community representative responded that young people did trespass by clambering over locked gates, and there were reports of drinking and cannabis-smoking taking place. Inspector Wilson undertook to pass comments to front line colleagues.

RESOLVED to note the update.