North Area Panel

	NORTH AREA PANEL


	Meeting held 18th June, 2003 at St. Mary's Church Hall, High Green

			PRESENT:			Councillors David Baker (Chair) and Arthur Dunworth.

			Representatives of Panel Partners:-
			Kath Grainger				-	Ecclesfield Parish Council
			Alan Hooper
			John Fox
			Ruth Saffrey				-	Sheffield West Primary Care Trust
			Sgt. Alan Hinchcliffe				-	South Yorkshire Police

			City Council Officers:-
			Anne Blantern				-	North Area Co-ordinator
			Mike Doherty				-	Environment and Regulatory Services
			Graham Broadhurst				-	Street Force
			Andy Bennett				-	Planning, Transport and Highways
			Daniel Swaine				-	Committee Secretariat

			12 members of the public attended the meeting.
		……………

1.		APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
		Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Maureen Brelsford, Victoria Bowden, Kathleen Chadwick, Martin Davis, Patricia Fox and Graham Oxley.

2.		MINUTES
		The Panel received and approved the minutes of the meeting held on 21st May, 2003, and arising from consideration of the Action Check List from this meeting it was noted that (a) Paul Walton, Housing Area Manager, Housing Services, had provided a written response to the questioners concerns regarding an alleged nuisance tenant, (b) Graham Broadhurst, Street Force, had investigated the concerns regarding the obstruction of the pavement in Market Square, Chapeltown, and had established that, due to the width of the pavement, the obstruction was not hazardous to pedestrians, (c) the Area Co-ordinator, on behalf of the Panel, had written to the Chief Constable, South Yorkshire Police, outlining the concerns expressed regarding the intended operational changes to policing in the North district and its potential impact on local communities in the area, (d) with regard to the concerns expressed regarding benches in the Ecclesfield area, the Lead Manager had investigated this issue and confirmed that there was no specific budget for the replacement of these benches, however, action would be taken to repair minor damage and (e) the Lead Manager had provided a response to the questioners concerns regarding the litterbins in Nether Ley Avenue.


3.		TRADE WASTE - BRADFIELD AND DUNGWORTH
		Mike Doherty reported on the collection of trade waste from the Bradfield and Dungworth areas. He referred to the contract between the City Council and the contractor, Onyx, for the removal of domestic waste and retail waste. With regard to retail waste, he explained that the Council did not provide a service for the removal of waste of this nature, however, the contractor, Onyx UK, were responsible for the removal of trade waste. He stated that retailers did not have a statutory requirement to use Onyx UK for the removal of their trade waste and the use of this facility was done so on a voluntary basis.
		With regard to the letter recently circulated by Onyx UK, stating that they would no longer be providing a trade waste collection service in the Bradfield and Dungworth Area, Mike Doherty confirmed that this service would continue and that trade waste would continue to be removed from the area. He stated that a meeting had been arranged with the managing director of Onyx UK in order to clarify the working arrangements for the collection of trade waste in the Bradfield and Dungworth areas and this process would ensure that the service provided met with the needs of local retailers. He also stated that a letter had been sent to the 8 retailers in the Bradfield and Dungworth areas to notify them that Onyx UK would be continuing their trade waste removal service and that arrangements would be made with these retailers for the removal of trade waste.
		Arising from the information now reported the following issues were raised:-

		(a)		Concerns were expressed that as a result of the letter from Onyx UK stating that the trade waste removal service in Bradfield and Dungworth would no longer be available a number of local retailers had made alternative arrangements for the collection of their trade waste. Mike Doherty acknowledged these concerns and stated that discussions between Onyx UK and retailers in the Bradfield and Dungworth areas would continue and it was anticipated that Onyx UK would offer the trade waste removal service to retailers who had made alternative arrangements.

		(b)		In response to concerns expressed regarding the removal of waste from Parish Halls, Mike Doherty outlined the procedure for the removal of refuse from facilities of this nature.

		(c)		A number of local people had experienced problems when visiting the High Green Dumpit Site, in particular that long queues of traffic to the facilities were creating hazards for drivers and a number of people had waited in the queue only to be told the facility would be closing as it had no capacity to receive any more waste. It was noted that the process of refurbishing Dumpit Sites in the North area could create operational problems for a number of sites due to the closure of some facilities whilst they were being refurbished. Councillor Arthur Dunworth commented that the issue of waste disposal, in particular the provision of Dumpit Sites, would be given consideration at the meeting of the Development, Environment and Leisure Scrutiny Board to be held on 19th June, 2003.

		(d)		The Area Co-ordinator outlined the procedure for the determination of areas to be included in the Bring Out Your Rubbish Days Programme and she provided a brief explanation of the funding process for these events. Concerns were expressed that the North Area Panel area covered a large geographical area which would require more Bring Out Your Rubbish Days events than some of the other smaller Area Panel areas.

		In conclusion, Mike Doherty stated that he had noted the concerns now expressed and confirmed that he would refer these comments to the Regional director of Onyx UK. Members of the Panel thanked Mike Doherty for his report and noted the information contained therein.

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

		Q.			Could action be taken to resolve the problems caused by the alleged illegal motorcycling in the High Green area?

		R.			Sgt. Hinchcliffe, South Yorkshire Police, referred to the additional police powers for dealing with alleged illegal motorcycling, however, he commented that the prosecution of individuals for this type of activity required a strict procedure to be followed. He acknowledged that the police were aware of the problems being caused by the alleged illegal motorcycling and he stated that the Pilot Initiative to target this problem would be undertaken in the near future in the North area.

		Q.			Could traffic wardens be reintroduced into the Chapeltown area to resolve the problems of illegal and inconsiderate parking and could the police take action regarding the potentially illegal plying for hire by private hire vehicles outside Scandals, Chapeltown?

		R.			Sgt. Hinchcliffe noted the questioners concerns and stated that he would refer this issue to the Traffic Division of South Yorkshire Police for consideration.

		Q.			Could the police investigate the problems caused by the illegal and inconsiderate parking at the bus stop in Chapeltown, as this practice was hazardous to pedestrians and bus users?

		R.			Sgt. Hinchcliffe acknowledged the questioners concerns and stated that it would be appropriate to refer this issue to the Traffic Division, South Yorkshire Police, so that it could be properly investigated.

		Q.			Could action be taken by the police regarding the high speed of vehicles on Warren Lane as the speed of traffic made it very dangerous for pedestrians crossing this road and the implementation of a pedestrian refuge in the middle of the carriageway would make it easier for people to cross the road.

		R.			Sgt. Hinchcliffe referred to the police process for determining areas for speed reduction initiatives. He added that the provision of a speed reduction initiative to target speeding vehicles required specialist traffic officers and that resource implications meant that it was difficult for the Traffic Division to provide these types of initiatives throughout the whole of the City. Councillor Arthur Dunworth commented that the implementation of measures to reduce the speed of traffic required enforcement by the police to ensure these measures remained effective.

5.		TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT /CALMING SCHEMES IN THE NORTH AREA
		The Panel received a presentation from Andy Bennett, Planning, Transport and Highways, regarding transport planning in the North area. Mr. Bennett explained that he was the Highways and Transport Link Officer for the Area Panel and that he would be attending Panel meetings 3 times a year to provide progress reports in respect of requests for highway schemes in the area. He stated that these reports would provide details of the programme of work in the area, provide feedback on how the schemes in the area were progressing, provide details on the traffic schemes requested and highlight the proposals for the following year.
		Mr. Bennett informed the Panel that when a request for a scheme was received it would be assessed in order to evaluate it properly so that it could be prioritised and resources allocated appropriately. The Panel were informed that requests, which fulfilled the Council's assessment criteria for approval, would proceed to the design stage, but before implementation of the scheme there would be consultation undertaken with the local community. Requests, which had been assessed, but which not meet all the assessment criteria, would be deferred and possibly considered in future if the problem continued to grow. A list was circulated to the Panel, which detailed traffic management/calming schemes requested in the North area and this list provided an explanation of the nature of the request, the date it was received and the current status of the request.
		With regard to the Wortley Road scheme, Andy Bennett confirmed that extensive public consultation had been undertaken to identify a draft scheme and this draft scheme would be considered by the Design Team to develop design proposals prior to further consultation with the local community to finalise the proposals before the implementation of any measures. By referring to the list circulated, Andy Bennett outlined measures that could be implemented in the Wortley Road area and he stated that these measures incorporated a number of schemes which would give consideration to traffic calming, off street parking facilities, sheltered parking and road narrowing and waiting restrictions. He added that these suggested schemes had been developed in consultation with the local community and the schemes would be given consideration by the Design Team and that further consultation would be undertaken to enable local people to influence the final draft proposals. He also added that this process would ensure that alternative measures were given consideration and that any measures implemented would meet with the local community's needs and help to remedy the problems being experienced in the area.
		Arising from consideration of Mr. Bennett's presentation the following questions were asked and responses provided as follows:-

		Q.			Had consideration been given to the fact that the introduction of off street parking facilities on the land adjacent to Jeffcock Road would not be effective?

		R.			Andy Bennett stated that initial consultation with the local community had identified a number of suggestions with regard to the provision of parking facilities in the Wortley Road area. He added that the next stage of the process would be for the Design Team to assess the feasibility of each of these suggestions and provide a draft list of those improvements which would be finalised through further consultation with the local community.

		Q.			If waiting restrictions were introduced would these measures be regularly assessed to ensure they remained effective?

		R.			Andy Bennett commented that the Council was keen to ensure that any waiting restriction measures introduced remained effective and if there was any indication in the future that these measures were not effective then consideration would be given to their removal.

		Q.			Had consideration been given to the introduction of additional car parking bays on Wortley Road?

		R.			Andy Bennett commented that the Design Team would give consideration to a number of the suggestions identified by the consultation process and once finalised these proposals would be subject to further consultation with the local community.

		Q.			Had consideration been given to using the land outside the Post Office on Wortley Road for the provision of additional car parking spaces?

		R.			Andy Bennett stated that he would refer the comments of the questioner to the Design Team so that they could give consideration to this issue in the development of proposals for additional car parking.

		Andy Bennett summarised the intended traffic calming measures to be implemented in the Warren Lane area and, by referring to the list circulated, provided details of each of the schemes requested. Arising from consideration of these schemes the following questions were asked and responses given:-

		Q.			Could accurate and up-to-date information regarding the proposed schemes in the Warren Lane area be provided as the list circulated did not give a clear indication of these measures?

		R.			Andy Bennett acknowledged the questioners concerns and stated that he would refer the comments made to the officers responsible for the production of the list.

		Q.			When would the intended measures in Warren Lane be implemented?

		R.			Andy Bennett stated that it was anticipated that construction would commence on these measures in the forthcoming year. The Chair commented that if the measures had not been implemented it would be possible for the issue to be given further consideration at a future North Area Panel in the Ecclesfield area.

		Q.			Would any Section 106 planning gain money be secured from the industrial development near to Warren Lane?

		R.			The Chair commented that the construction of industrial units did not require the developer to enter into a Section 106 planning gain agreement with the Council as developments of this nature were not classed as residential developments. He referred to the development of the Parks, Woodlands and Countryside Strategy and stated that if the questioner provided further information regarding his enquiry the matter would be referred to the appropriate officers of the Parks, Woodlands and Countryside Service.

		Members of the Panel recognised that the introduction of traffic calming measures throughout the North area required a co-ordinated approach to ensure that these measures did not divert the problems to another area. In conclusion, Andy Bennett commented that members of the public could request a scheme by completing a Scheme Request Form and copies of this form were available from him. He added that any requests submitted would be subject to an assessment process in order to prioritise each application and ensure that the measures requested were consistent with the Local Transport Plan.
		Members of the Panel thanked Andy Bennett for his presentation and noted the information contained therein.

5.		HIGH GREEN COMMUNITY FORUM
		The Area Co-ordinator provided a progress report on the development of High Green Community Forum. She confirmed that the group had been in operation since March, 2003, and had progressed to the stage of developing a memorandum of association and a constitution. The Forum was giving consideration to the development of a Community Plan and was working closely with David Parson, Development Officer, Open Forum for Economic Regeneration, on this issue. She added that she would provide regular progress reports from the Forum to future meetings of the Panel and confirmed that the next meeting of the Forum would be held on 14th July, 2003, at 6.00 p.m. at Angram Bank Primary School. The Panel noted this information.

6.		DATE OF NEXT MEETING
		It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on Wednesday, 16th July, 2003, at 7.00 p.m. at Stocksbridge High School, Stocksbridge.

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