Agenda and minutes

Helen Hemstock

John Rhodes

Steve Rhodes

Ken Weiss

Hilary Yates

Councillor Linda Woodings

Of the meeting held on 10 July 2019 (for confirmation)

Subject to correcting the spelling of Laura in minute 86 and removal of the e from St Ann’s in paragraph (i) of minute 90 the minutes were agreed as true record.

As an addition to the published agenda Councillor Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder for Adults Care and Local Transport, was introduced to the Forum as the new Portfolio Holder with a responsibility for transport. She gave a brief introduction to herself and the portfolio she holds highlighting the following points:

(a)  Much of the work within the Adults Care part of the portfolio crosses over into the transport part of the portfolio. Both parts aim to get adults involved in their community, making active travel choices and engaging in local activities;

(b)  By making Nottingham better to travel around it opens up options for improving engagement and the lives of members of the community who otherwise my become isolated and feel a disconnect socially;

(c)  Nottingham has a world class public transport system and 40% of all journeys are made using public transport within the City. The active travel agenda is being pushed forward including programmes for improved cycling and walking routes, all of which also contributes to physical and mental wellbeing;

(d)  There are clear links between the Portfolio and the role of the Forum;

The Forum thanked Councillor Williams for attending and for her introduction.

June Perry, Friends of the Forest, updated the Forum on the Inclosure Land town trail.  The following points were raised during discussions:

(a)  The route has been finalised and includes 11 stops and each stop will have a sign detailing the next stop in either direction;

(b)  The route has been designed so that the walker can do as much or as little as they want;

(c)  The signage will cost around £11,000. The Forum made a number of suggestions for funding, including Ward Councillor Budget contributions, Lottery Funding as well as a Crowd Funding type campaign;

(d)  An online app could be created, subject to funding and if successful, other walking routes could be included in the future;

The forum thanked June for her presentation and for the work done on the Inclosure walk trail. They asked that the sign designs be circulated as soon as they were available.

Due to technical problems, Peter Woodward was unable to connect to the IT system in the meeting room, so John Lee introduced the Assessing Development Proposals and Modelling item to the Forum. He ran a short graphic that details the current, proposed and agreed development across the City Centre. The 3D modelling tool is used by the planning authority and could also be used for mapping out strategic public routes.

The Forum agreed that this is a useful tool for assessing the impact of development and planning applications, and that it would be beneficial for members of the Planning Sub Group reviewing planning applications.

The Forum asked John Lee to liaise with Peter Woodward, Senior Cartography and Design Officer, around access to the modelling graphics.

John Lee introduced the item reviewing the Council’s Policy on the use of barriers on rights of way. During discussions, the following points were made:

(a)  The current policy was adopted in 2013 in response to increased use of off-road motorbikes and quad bikes that caused a nuisance and safety issue on the rights of way network, and the impact barriers have on lawful users;

(b)  The A frame barrier was the most popular barrier but reduced access for mobility aid users and scooters, users of double buggies, pushchairs, cyclists and pedestrians;

(c)  It is important to find a balance between restricting use by motorcycles / quad bikes while maintaining safe access for all legitimate rights of way users;

(d)  To inform the current policy, different barrier designs were assessed by a range of users and the staggered barrier were the least restrictive and the A frame the most restrictive;

(e)  A recent case was highlighted where a barrier was installed incorrectly and a mobility scooter user became trapped due to an insufficient turning circle. Concerns were raised that the policy is not being followed correctly;

(f)  Due to changes in enforcement law, design standards and good practice, the policy is being reviewed.

John Lee agreed to distribute the current policy to forum members and asked for comments, whether it includes everything it should, what it lacks etc. Where appropriate, comments will be incorporated into a new Consultation Draft and then published for further comments before adoption by Councillor Williams, Portfolio Holder for Local Transport.

Liz Cordle introduced the update from the walking subgroup. She highlighted the following points:

(a)  The Bestwood walk is largely complete, the final route has been walked and information is being compiled for the walk leaflet. Parts of the route are steep  but do provide some excellent views across the city and surrounding areas, and a less steep alternative route is available for less able walkers;

(b)  The potential launch date for the walk is early January. Local Councillors will be approached to join in the launch as will Friends of Sunrise Hill;

(c)  There are a number of other Ward walks under development, including Basford, Bulwell and Bulwell Forest (although this is a long walk and the route needs careful consideration), Mapperley and St Ann’s and Arboretum;

(d)  The possibility of adding one walk to the Nottinghamshire Guided Walks booklet is being investigated which could lead to increased awareness of the LAF and their walks;

(e)  There could also be an opportunity to create an app detailing the different walks around Nottingham City, subject to costs and funding availability.

John Lee reminded the forum about the Walking Audit project that Keith Morgan highlighted at the last meeting, and members are welcome to get involved. John agreed to circulate information to members about how to get involved.

Margaret Knowles gave a brief update on the work the Planning subgroup has been doing. She gave the following information to the Forum:

(a)  The Inspectors final report for the Local Plan part 2 document is still outstanding, it was expected at the end of the summer;

(b)  Thanks were passed to Dave, Edmund and Giselle who all submitted comments on planning applications, work continues to screen applications as they are submitted;

(c)  It was proposed to meet as a subgroup to discuss objections to Bramcote Unity Park as members have a number of differeing views;

John Lee agreed to facilitate the meeting of the Subgroup. It was agreed that it should meet prior to the next forum meeting.

The update from the Definitive Map subgroup contained the following information:

(a)  A number of historic routes are being investigated and evidence collated to support applications for modification orders. These include Wilkinson Street to Church Street, Gauntly Street through the old Cousins factory site, a route into Woodthorpe Park and one adjacent to Colville Terrace;

(b)  Further evidence is being researched for the Park Tunnel application;

(c)  The suggestion was made that if forum members are participating in the walking route audit previously mentioned it may be useful to speak to a member of the Definitive Map sub group about what information is held;

Thanks were extended to all members of the Neighbourhood and Environment subgroup for their continued hard work. Ruth Thurgood supported the suggestion that a led walk would be a good way to engage the community and to promote rights of way maintenance.

The suggestion was made to invite Councillor Longford, Portfolio Holder for Environment, to a future meeting to explore how the forum can support the Council around wider environmental issues.

Hugh McClintock gave an update on activity around the foot / cycle bridge proposals from Trent Basin to Lady Bay.  The original location for the bridge has moved further west and a small amount of funding is in place for further design work.

All members of the forum agreed that the bridge should be a new landmark for Nottingham. There was discussion around funding and the use of the Bridge estate funds, however it is unlikely that this will be possible. Other funding options such as transforming cities funding were discussed.

The following suggestions were made for future agenda items:

·  Public Transport - getting people moving and the transport network. Councillor Williams to arrange.

·  Pavement Parking – exploring the extent of powers to tackle the problem. John Lee to arrange.

·  Air pollution / air quality. John Lee to arrange

Hugh McClintock informed the meeting about the Environment Agency Trent Gateway project. He informed the forum that Connectivity was one of the themed delivery programmes and is looking at improving connections across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. He will be attending meeting and will feed back to this forum on the pertinent points.

In addition to the published agenda the Forum discussed the next meeting date.

RESOLVED to move the next meeting date to Wednesday 15 January 2020 6.30pm Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham