Minutes 2nd December 2003

DARNALL AREA PANEL


Meeting held 2nd December, 2003 at Acres Hill School, Mather Road


PRESENT:		Councillors Mary Lea (Chair) and Mohammad Altaf.

		Officers in attendance:-
		Paul Cooper	-	Street Force
		Nick Hetherington	-	Street Force
		Debbie Merrill	-	Development Services
		Andy Shallice	-	Area Co-ordinator
		Dick Skelton	-	Development Services
		Daniel Swaine	-	Committee Secretariat
		Mark Swancott	-	Area Support Officer

		Also in attendance:-
		Insp Tony Dobson	)	South Yorkshire Police
		PC Paul Sykes	)

		Chris Crake	-	Sheffield Futures

		There were approximately 20 members of the public and representatives from local community groups in attendance.

…………………..

1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Terry Barrow and Harry Harpham and the Lead Manager, John Mothersole and Rosie Trainer, South East Primary Care Trust.

2.	APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR
	In the absence of the Chair, Councillor Terry Barrow it was agreed that Mary Lea would act as Chair.

3.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
	The following questions were raised by members of the public and responses were provided as follows:-

	Q. A local resident expressed concern that the signage on the slip road from the Parkway to the B6220 was insufficient and did not provide a clear indication of which lanes motorists should use.

	R. Dick Skelton, Highways Link Officer, Development Services, stated that Asda had submitted an application for planning permission that included the provision of an alternative route thus alleviating the current problem.

	Q. The steps at the rear of the shops on Clifton Crescent had deteriorated and were in a dangerous condition and could action be taken to improve these steps?

	R. The Area Co-ordinator acknowledged the concerns now expressed and stated that this issue should be referred to the appropriate Council Officer.

	Q. A local resident expressed further concern regarding the problems motorists encountered when turning right from the slip road off the Parkway to the B6220 and then trying to merge from the offside to the nearside lanes approaching the junction with Richmond Park Road.

	R. Dick Skelton stated that he would notify the appropriate Highways Engineer of the concerns now expressed and its was noted that the Area Co-ordinator, on behalf of the Panel, would write to the appropriate Officer within the Council's Highways Services in order that this issue be investigated.

	Q. Could a progress report be provided with regard to the future use of the site of the former Morrisons Store in Darnall?

	R. The Chair referred to discussions which had taken place between Councillor Terry Barrow, the Executive Director, Development, Environment and Leisure and representatives of the Co-operative Ltd regarding this issue and she confirmed that enquiries would continue in respect of the future use of the site and it was anticipated that a progress report would be provided on this issue at a future meeting of the Panel.

	Q. A local resident expressed concern that it was very dangerous for motorists turning left at the junction of Mather Road and Prince of Wales Road, particularly as this manoeuvre meant vehicles entered the fast lane of a dual carriage way. Many local residents were opposed to this road junction as it created dangers for motorists and although the problems had brought been to the attention of the City Council on numerous occasions, however no action had been taken.

	R. Members of the Panel acknowledged the concerns now expressed and Dick Skelton provided a brief summary of the design process for junctions of this nature. He stated that he would report the questioners concerns to the appropriate Road Safety Engineer within the Council and if the questioner provided further information he could make arrangements for a response to be provided in writing. He recognised that this junction had only been implemented for a short period of time, however initial statistics indicated a reduction in the number of accidents at this location.

	Q. Could a one way system be introduced along Mather Road as this would make it easier to access and exit the housing estate particularly at times of heavy traffic.

	R. Dick Skelton referred to the process for assessing requests for schemes and stated that a request for a scheme of this type could be made, however such a request would be assessed and he anticipated that consultation would indicate that the scheme was not well supported by residents.

	In conclusion a local resident stated that Members of the Darnall Forum would be holding a demonstration on the highway outside the former Morrisons store in Darnall to protest at the stores closure and she welcomed the attendance of any local residents to this event. Members of the Panel recognised that the closure of the store could be detrimental to the regeneration of Darnall Centre and acknowledged the concerns of local residents at the loss of retail provision in the area.

4.	MINUTES
	The minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 25th September, 2003, were approved as a correct record and arising therefrom it was noted that (a) a number of the issues raised by local residents with regard to road safety would be covered within the presentation to be provided by Dick Skelton, Highways Link Officer and (b) Chris Crake, Sheffield Futures, had circulated a leaflet providing further information on the work of the Connexions Service in the Darnall, Tinsley and Handsworth area for the period 2003 to 2004.

5.	POLICING IN THE DARNALL AREA
	Inspector Tony Dobson, South Yorkshire Police, provided further information with regard to crime levels and policing in the Panels area. He stated that prevention and detection of burglary was a key priority for the Police and partnership working with the Council, local community groups and residents had helped to significantly reduce incidents of burglary in the area. This was reflected in the crime figures for the period July to October, 2003, which indicated three burglaries in the area as compared with the figure for 2002 which indicated eight offences. With regard to robberies, statistics indicated that no robberies had taken place between the period July to October, 2003, in the Darnall area and this compared with only one incident in the same period in 2002. This indicated that Darnall was an area where there was a very low incidence of street robberies. Vehicle crime in the area had increased with 16 incidences in the period July to October, 2003, compared with nine in 2002, however this increase was consistent with other areas across the City. Local residents could help to combat vehicle crime, particularly problems of theft from vehicles, by being extra vigilant and not leaving valuables in their vehicles. This was particularly the case during the Christmas period as thieves were aware that people could leave valuables, particularly Christmas shopping, in their unattended cars. In conclusion, Inspector Tony Dobson stated that crime in the area had reduced by 15% since the previous year with 79 crimes being reported in 2003 as compared to 93 incidents in 2002. Commenting on road safety issues, Inspector Dobson introduced PC Paul Sykes and referred to the Road Safety Scheme, which had been developed in partnership with the Council's Education Directorate. PC Sykes stated that the Scheme related to the problems of speeding traffic on Bawtry Road and concerns, which had been expressed by children at Tinsley Junior School via the School Council. As a result of these concerns the Police, in partnership with the Education Directorate had developed an exercise, involving local school children, specifically targeting the problems of speeding vehicles on Bawtry Road. This exercise had included children from Tinsley Junior School and Officers from the Police Traffic Division and radar equipment had been used to monitor the speed of traffic on Bawtry Road. As part of this exercise 32 vehicles travelling over 35 miles per hour had been stopped during a two and a half hour period and the children from Tinsley Junior School had spoken to the drivers to outline the dangers of speeding. This exercise had proven very effective by making drivers aware of the dangers of speeding. A competition had also been arranged in which children involved in the Scheme were requested to produce a poster to raise awareness of speed reduction and prizes ranged from book tokens to a ride in the Police helicopter. Inspector Dobson stated that this exercise had been a very effective method of raising the awareness of the dangers of speeding, particularly as it had involved children from a local school.

	Arising from the information now reported a number of questions were asked and responses provided as follows:-

	Q. A local resident expressed concern that when they had tried to contact the Police on telephone number 2202020 they had been kept waiting for a significant amount of time and on a number of occasions they had terminated the call.

	R. Inspector Tony Dobson referred to the changes that had been made to the system by which the Police received telephone calls and he stated that measures had been introduced to accommodate an increase in the number of calls. A single Call Centre had been developed which incorporated state of the art facilities and it was anticipated that this new Centre would ensure that calls were answered as quickly as possible. Commenting on the delays experienced by the questioner he stated that the transitionary period during the development of this new Call Centre could have contributed to these delays. These problems had not affected emergency calls made on the 999 number and every phone call made to the Police was monitored and thus ensuring that the Police were aware of any problems being faced by potential callers.

	Q. A local resident stated that when he had telephoned the Police to report a crime he had found it difficult to explain the location of the incident to the member of staff who had answered the telephone call.

	R. Inspector Tony Dobson stated that it was anticipated that the new Call Centre would provide a more efficient method of answering telephone calls. However, he acknowledged that difficulties could be encountered by callers when trying to describe the location of particular incidents. He added that it was anticipated that as the new Call Centre developed the topographical knowledge of staff would improve and this would assist callers when trying to describe the location of a particular incident.

	Q. Could other schools in the area participate in the Road Safety Scheme as developed by PC Paul Sykes?

	R. Inspector Dobson stated that the participation of Police Officers in a Scheme of this nature related to the available resources and this was dependent on the level of policing in particular parts of the Panel's area. He stated that the Police would consider any request for a Scheme of this type as it was considered to be a valuable exercise, which helped to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding.

	Q. Could the posters designed by children involved the scheme be shown in prominent places throughout the Panel's area to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding.

	R. Inspector Dobson stated that this issue would require further consideration by the Council and Dick Skelton provided a brief summary of the process for determining where signs were implemented and as signs of this nature were a non-standard sign then special permission from the Department of Transport would be required.

	Members of the Panel thanked Inspector Tony Dobson and PC Paul Sykes for attending the meeting and noted the information now reported.

6.	SIGNAGE IN TINSLEY - CHILD SAFETY ZONES
	The Area Co-ordinator reported on the Child Safety Zones Project, which was a Council Initiative aimed at reducing child accidents in residential areas. The Project would replace the existing "Tinsley" signs at the entrance to the area with signs containing the words "Child Safety Zone" and it was anticipated that signs in the Tinsley area would be refurbished early in the New Year in order to help reduce child accidents.
	Having considered the information now reported Members of the Panel agreed to the proposal that a "Child Safety Zone" sign would replace the existing "Tinsley" area sign.

7.	HIGHWAYS PROGRAMMES IN DARNALL, TINSLEY AND HANDSWORTH
	The Panel received a progress report from Dick Skelton, Planning, Transport and Highways, in his capacity as the Highways and Transport Link Officer for the Area Panel. Commenting on the Scheme assessment procedure he stated that a review had been undertaken which had given consideration to the scoring process within the priority assessment mechanism and as a result of this a new strategy for road safety in Sheffield had been developed by agreeing headings for various types of City-wide road safety work. The use of additional road safety resources would be focused upon the most deprived communities in the City and this would be compliant with the guidance from the Department of Transport that Local Authorities should aim to reduce casualties in deprived areas at a greater rate than that across the City as a whole. As a result of the review of the assessment process six core themes had been developed for assessing new requests and these were consistent with the key objectives within the Local Transport Plan and the six core themes were as follows:-

	· Impact on total number of accidents;
	· Impact on total accidents involving children;
	· Impact on control of inappropriate traffic speeds;
	· Location with reference to areas of deprivation;
	· Impact on conditions for walking or cycling;
	· Impact on conditions for public transport operations.

	This new criteria would not be used to assess Accident Saving Schemes and Safe Routes to Schools as these would be prioritised by a different mechanism.
	Dick Skelton referred to a list providing details of the Schemes requested in the Darnall area and how these Schemes had progressed. This list did not include requests deferred by the Council's Cabinet and those which had already been completed.
	Having considered the information now reported the following questions were asked and responses given:-

	Q. Councillor Mohammad Altaf asked how was the Darnall Road, Danger Reduction Scheme, had progressed.

	R. Dick Skelton confirmed that a Stage 2 Road Safety Audit was in progress and Traffic Regulation Orders had been advertised, however objections had been made to these Orders and consultation would continue on this Scheme and a progress report could be provided at a future meeting of the Panel. Councillor Mohammad Altaf expressed concern that delays to this Scheme had meant that measures to improve road safety on Darnall Road had been delayed and it was necessary to ensure that any such measures were implemented as soon as possible. He stated that many local residents felt that the implementation of the Scheme had been unnecessarily delayed and Dick Skelton said that he would notify the appropriate Officer within the Council's Highways Service of the concerns now expressed.

	Q. A local resident welcomed the Danger Reduction Scheme implemented at the junction of Richmond Road and Laverack Street to assist pedestrians crossing the Road. However he stated that the configuration of the buildings along one side of the road had significantly narrowed the carriageway and asked if a Traffic Regulation Order could be introduced to resolve the problems caused by inconsiderate parking at this location?

	R. Dick Skelton stated that he would report this issue to the appropriate Officer within the Council's Highways Service so that the matter could be investigated.

	Q. A local resident sought clarification of what the Danger Reduction Scheme at St. Josephs Road, Handsworth, would incorporate.

	R. Dick Skelton stated that the Scheme related to the school entrance, however the Scheme was on hold pending reassessment as the initial proposals were not feasible.

	In conclusion Dick Skelton referred to the £10,000 allocated to each Area Panel to fund small highway schemes within the Panel's area to a maximum of £1,000 per Scheme. He stated that a proposal had been developed for the resurfacing of a section of pavement between Fisher Lane and Staniforth Road and it was anticipated that this work would cost approximately £6,000. Having considered this issue Members of Panel agreed that the resources remaining in the Panel's small highways improvement schemes budget be used to finance this work.
	Dick Skelton referred to an enquiry he had received relating to the parking of vehicles on grassed verges and he provided a brief summary of the Council's policy with regar, d to this issue. He stated that the Council was committed to maintaining grass verges and was anxious to deter people from parking on these verges. The Council was also anxious to prevent people from driving over grass verges when accessing their driveways and would, in appropriate cases, consider the implementation of dropped kerbs to prevent such a practice. With regard to the issue of vehicles parking on grass verges Mr. Skelton referred to a by-law, which had been adopted by the Council and it was anticipated that this by-law would help to resolve this problem by enabling the Council to take appropriate enforcement action. Signage had been introduced in areas where this by-law was in force and these signs would assist in deterring this practice and help to educate people on the problems associated with parking on grass verges. The law with regards to parking on grass verges was very difficult to enforce and it was anticipated that the introduction of the by-law by the Council would help to significantly improve problems encountered throughout the City.
	Members of the Panel thanked Dick Skelton for his report and noted the information contained therein.

8.	STREET FORCE
	Nick Hetherington, Street Force, reported on the progress of the Street Maintenance Programme in the Darnall area and stated that Street Force was formed to bring together into one Service, all of the work that the Council did to care for the City streets. The Service was anxious to ensure that local residents and community groups could be involved in improving the overall streetscene such as the roads, pavements, lighting, litter removal, street sweeping and verges in each area of the City. The service maintained the roads, footways and street lights, street furniture and public toilets and provided winter maintenance, as well as grass cutting, street sweeping and litter picking and the removal of dumped rubbish and abandoned vehicles in the City with a number of services being delivered in partnership with other key agencies. Street Force carried out inspections of roads and footways on a regular basis with all roads being inspected annually and the main roads, such as "A" roads, being inspected on a six monthly basis. City Centre footways were inspected monthly and street lights were inspected at night every two weeks during the winter months and every four weeks in the summer months. The service was also reliant on customers notifying them of problems and problems relating to roads and footways that needed repair, litter clearing, graffiti removing and street light replacement should be reported to the Street Force call centre on telephone number 2734567.
	Commenting on the Street Force Customer Charter, Nick Hetherington stated that the service was dedicated to providing the best possible service that resources would permit in partnership with the people throughout the City and he stated that the Customer Charter listed the specific service delivery promises. Residents could expect dangerous defects to be remedied within 24 hours and the service had ensured that 98% of streetlights throughout the City were in working order. The service was committed to working in partnership with communities throughout the City and would assist in the provision of activities, which would help to improve the overall standard of cleanliness across the City.
	Commenting on the street cleaning strategy, Nick Hetherington stated that the objective of phase 1 of the strategy was to improve the overall standard of cleanliness throughout the City particularly in the targeted Wards of Hillsborough, Walkley, Netherthorpe, Firth Park, Brightside, Burngreave and parts of Darnall. By referring to a map he outlined the area of Darnall, which would be targeted within the strategy. On a City-wide basis the strategy had reorganised street cleaning provision into cleaning zones which were linked to the 12 Area Panel areas and this had provided a more flexible approach to street cleaning by the provision of dedicated resources for each area. This would enable resources to target hot spots within the area, particularly those relating to retail provision, food take-aways and routes to schools. The strategy enabled the frequency of street cleaning maintenance to be modified so that it was more reflective of the level of need and would also enable resources to be increased in targeted areas. The strategy would increase the frequency of street cleaning and had facilitated the development of a rapid response team and the provision of additional litter bins. Partnership working would continue with the Park, Woodlands and Countryside Service and the Neighbourhoods Directorate in order to ensure a co-ordinated multi-agency approach to problems within the area. The strategy had enabled a number of improvements to be made on a City-wide basis particularly the provision of a rapid response team to flyposting, the development of environmental education in partnership with schools throughout the City, the provision of advertising campaigns to deter litter, the increase of enforcement and the development of activities, in partnership with the local community to assist in the reduction of litter and associated problems.
	Nick Hetherington acknowledged that monitoring would be required to ensure that the service remained effective and he referred to the customer survey and the customer satisfaction questionnaire, which would help to gauge local people's opinions on the services provided.
	Arising from the information now reported the following questions were asked and responses given:-

	Q. A local resident sought clarification of the area contained within the cleaning zones.

	R. Nick Hetherington, by referring to a map, outlined the area contained within the cleaning zone that was linked to the Darnall Area Panel area.

	Q. A number of the black sacks left outside the Oxfam, Main Road, Darnall, containing items people were donating, had been opened and the contents deposited around the rear of the shop therefore could action be taken to prevent this?

	R. Nick Hetherington acknowledged that this was an unfortunate occurrence as people had deposited these items with the best intention and he suggested that it would be necessary to discuss this issue with the Shop.

	Q. The dog fouling bin on the footpath between Mather Road and Halsall Avenue had recently been moved and this meant that many dog walkers were not using this facility and subsequently their dogs were fouling the footpath.

	R. Nick Hetherington stated that he would notify Officers from the Council's Environmental Protection Service of this issue so that it can be properly investigated.

	Q. Were retailers obliged to keep their shop frontages tidy and clean?

	R. Nick Hetherington stated that the Council was anxious to encourage retailers to keep their shop frontages clean and tidy, particularly retailers who provided take-away food. He added that leaflets would be distributed to retailers of this type in order to raise awareness through the provision of education relating to the problems associated with food waste and litter.

	Q. Many residents were reluctant to pay the high costs for the emptying of a dog fouling bin and this, in some instances, meant that dog waste was deposited in normal refuse bins.

	R. Nick Hetherington stated that the emptying of dog fouling bins was the responsibility of the Council's Environmental Protection Service and concerns regarding the costs of emptying these bins should be referred to that service.

	Q. Could action be taken to introduce measures to restrict access to the former Kettlebridge School site in order to prevent instances of flytipping particularly as the removal of this rubbish must cost the Council a considerable amount of money?

	R. Nick Hetherington stated that Street Force were aware of the problems associated with this site and it was noted that the Area Co-ordinator, on behalf of the Panel would write to the appropriate Officers within the Council's Highways Services in order that the introduction of measures to restrict access to this site be given further consideration.

	Paul Cooper, Street Force, in his capacity as the Panel's Street Force Link Officer, gave a brief summary of his duties which included working with local Tenants' and Residents' Associations and a number of community groups. He referred to "walk about" events, which had enabled representatives from these groups to identify particular litter "hot spots" in the area and then, in partnership with Street Force, develop methods to remedy these problem areas.
	Commenting on prioritisation Mr. Cooper referred to the work of the Panel in identifying locations that Street Force could assess for possible inclusion in the City-wide planned Street Maintenance Programmes for the forthcoming year. He referred to a list of suggested sites, which could be included in a street maintenance programme and this list also provided details of the assessment process and any action taken. He added that further suggestions on sites to be included in this list were welcomed and any such suggestions should be referred to him at the end of the meeting.
	The following further questions were asked and responses given:-

	Q. Could the drainage problems on Bramham Road be reinvestigated as they appear to have worsened?

	R. Paul Cooper noted the questioners concerns and stated that he would make arrangements for this problem to be reinvestigated.

	Q. The provision of lighting in Phillimore Park was not sufficient and could better lighting be provided as children used the park and inadequate lighting had lead to an increase in instances of anti-social behaviour.

	R. In response Paul Cooper stated that it would be appropriate for the concerns now expressed to be referred to Officers within the Council's Park, Woodland and Countryside Service in order that the matter was properly investigated.

	Q. Could the inoperative lights in the sub-way under Darnall Station be repaired, particularly as there had been an increase in flytipping at this site.

	R. Paul Cooper noted the questioners concerns and stated that he would make arrangements for this issue to be investigated.

	Q. The problem of excessive surface water on Handsworth Road had recently increased and could this matter be reinvestigated.

	R. Paul Cooper stated that he would make arrangements for this problem to be investigated.

9.	SECTION 106 PLANNING CONDITIONS - RE-INVESTMENT IN PRIORITY SITES IN THE DARNALL AREA
	The Panel considered a report of the Area Co-ordinator which explained that as part of awarding planning consents for residential developments, developers provided an amount of money to improve the provision of children's play space, improve green spaces and make improvements to sports and recreational provision. This resource could be held for up to five years and used as funding to support local investment priorities in the area. The Area Panel had been requested to develop a list of priority sites so that requests for the use of any available Section 106 monies could be made quickly. The Area Co-ordinator confirmed that the Panel had agreed Tinsley Recreation Ground, Handsworth Recreation Ground, High Hazels Park, Kettlebridge and Myton Road, Darnall Community Park and Phillimore Park as priorities as part of the Parks, Woodlands and Countryside Area Service Plans. The Panel had also noted three further sites, which were of City-wide and local importance but did not conform to the conventional understandings of green and open space and these sites were the Bowden Housteads Woods and areas within the proximity of the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal. Arising from the information now reported the following questions were asked and responses given:-

	Q. How is the amount of Section 106 money calculated?

	R. Debbie Merrill, Development Services stated that the calculation process was based on a formula linked to the size and number of the properties being developed.

	Q. If the development already includes proposals for the provision of a childrens play area could the Section 106 money made available from the development be used elsewhere?

	R. Debbie Merrill stated that in instances of this nature consideration would be given to using the available Section 106 resources for the maintenance of facilities.

	Q. Was it anticipated that any Section 106 monies would be made available from the redevelopment of the former Handsworth First School site?

	R. Debbie Merrill stated that she would be unable to provide an answer to this question until planning applications had been submitted by developers proposing to redevelop this site.

	Q. A local resident expressed concern that the wooden hut within the curtilage of the former Handsworth School site had been damaged by vandalism and it had recently been set alight resulting in the Fire Service having to attend. She expressed further concern that skips which had been provided to remove the resulting rubbish had been filled by rubbish from elsewhere and this meant that the site remained dangerous and untidy and she asked if action could be taken to demolish the remaining structure as soon as possible?

	R. The Chair acknowledged the concerns now expressed and it was noted that the Area Co-ordinator, on behalf of the Panel, would write to the appropriate Council Officer requesting that this matter be investigated.

10.	DATE OF NEXT MEETING
	It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on Thursday, 29th January, 2004, at 6.00 p.m. at a venue to be confirmed.

How useful is this page?

[ Comment On This Page? ]

Browsealoud |