Minutes of North Area Panel 29 April 2005

NORTH AREA PANEL

Meeting held 20th April, 2005 at Grenoside Community Centre, Main Street, Grenoside

PRESENT:		Councillors Trevor Bagshaw (Chair), Kathleen Chadwick, Alan Hooper and Graham Oxley.

		Representatives of Panel Partners:-
		Adrian Barnes White - Yorkshire Rural Community Council
		Norman Garratt - Ecclesfield Parish Council
		Malcolm Glover - Bradfield Parish Council
		Tony Gillott - South Yorkshire Constabulary
		Vince Childs
		Mike Andrews Grenoside Village Appraisal Committee
		Richard Godley
		David Rickards

		City Council Officers:-
		John Charlton - North Area Lead Manager
		Anne Blantern - Area Co-ordinator
		Matthew Rush - Area Action
		Vicki Savage - North Area Regeneration Partnership
		Jason Dietsch - Committee Secretariat

		12 members of the public, including representatives from community organisations, attended the meeting.

…………

1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE FROM MEMBERS OF THE PANEL
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors David Baker and Arthur Dunworth.

2.	MINUTES
	The minutes of the meeting held on 16th March, 2005, were agreed as a true record and arising there from, Councillor Alan Hooper clarified that Chapeltown had entered the In Bloom Competition.
	In respect of the skate park at Oxley Park, the Chair, Councillor Trevor Bagshaw, confirmed that Officers from Parks, Woodlands and Countryside had been invited to the May meeting of the Area Panel to report progress on the development of the skate park.
	In relation to the issue of No Entry signs at Low Road, Oughtibridge, Councillor Bagshaw reported that the Police were now dealing with this matter.

3.	POLICING IN THE NORTH AREA
Action	The Chair invited P.C. Tony Gillott, South Yorkshire Constabulary, based at Deepcar Police Station, to outline policing arrangements for the North area. It was agreed that information concerning policing arrangements in the North area and contacts for local Police services be submitted to the Chair and Area Co-ordinator for distribution to Panel Members and subsequent reporting to the next meeting of the Area Panel.

4.	RURAL VILLAGES FORUM
	The Panel received a report from Adrian Barnes White, Yorkshire Rural Community Council (YRCC), concerning the Rural Villages Forum and Rural Target Fund. He explained that the Rural Target Fund, which utilised funds from Objective 1 and DEFRA for 50 Parishes in South Yorkshire, had contributed to a range of initiatives as part of it’s first phase and involved a ‘bottom-up’ process of decision-making, as part of which, Local Action Plans were produced and there had been extensive community consultation to ascertain the needs of rural communities. He pointed out that, if local groups were approaching statutory providers, they were likely to benefit from enhanced support for bidding and negotiations, which might be available from the YRCC. The Rural Villages Forum was designed to bring communities together in order that experiences and ideas could be shared and information and solutions discussed. It was also thought that there was a potential for Parish projects to be linked.
	The Rural Target Fund was in it’s second phase and possible outputs included:-

	· Community building projects.

	· The theme of youth provision.

	· Rural transport - marketing and publicity.

	· Environmental projects.

	· Parish and village plans.

	· Rural heritage and tourism.

	· Information technology.

	· Community recycling projects.

	The Rural Village Forum met quarterly and had, most recently, considered how to consult with young people in rural North Sheffield. A special meeting would be convened to discuss projects for young people and to produce a bid for future funding, working with the North Area Regeneration Partnership.
	Following a question from a member of the public, Adrian Barnes White explained that the widest consideration was being given to the issue of youth provision and consultation involved the City Council, voluntary groups and individuals. The project wished to look beyond the funding period in order that a long term approach could be taken. The Chair stated that the issue of youth provision had been included in the Area Plan for the North area as a major concern and that he welcomed support from the Yorkshire Rural Community Council and organisations such as Sheffield Futures.
	Anne Blantern, Area Co-ordinator, reported that the potential for a mobile youth base, the use of village halls or a dedicated youth facility were under consideration. It was noted that the next meeting of the Village Forum would take place on 19th July, 2005.
	The Panel noted the report.

5.	GRENOSIDE VILLAGE APPRAISAL
	The Panel received a report from Councillor Alan Hooper concerning the Grenoside Village Appraisal. Councillor Hooper introduced members of the Appraisal Group to the Panel and explained that approximately 1,800 questionnaires had been delivered to houses in the Grenoside area and 51% of these had been returned and the data was being collated. There had been a significant amount of public participation in producing and delivering the questionnaire and a Committee of approximately 20 people met each month concerning the appraisal process.
	Vince Childs reported that 911 questionnaires had been returned and that there was a significant amount of work involved in entering data into the dedicated software and help had been received from the local school in providing facilities to process the data. From the questionnaire an understanding had been reached as to what local people thought of various issues and it was hoped that the results could be put into accessible language, that action points could be drawn up as a result of the questionnaire’s findings and that recommendations could be made. It was hoped that the results could be completed and published in May, 2005, on a website, cd rom and a paper version in summary.
	In addition the following issues were raised concerning the appraisal process generally:-

	· That support should have been given from the YRCC to all villages involved in the appraisal process at an earlier stage.

	· The fact that the process was managed by a dedicated team of amateurs and volunteers.

	· That appraisal teams or committees worked most effectively if they included people with appropriate skills such as information technology.

	· That common issues for the reviews undertaken in the appraisal process should be discussed and taken into account through the YRCC so that future support could be provided for groups undertaking appraisals.

	· That the Grenoside appraisal should have taken into account the playing surface on the recreation ground and its appropriateness for all sports such as football and cricket, given that it was not level playing surface.

	· That each village should design an individual plan which took account of their community needs.
	In response, it was stated that as part of the appraisal the development of a PFI school for Grenoside had been highlighted and the Chair added that in relation to the recreation ground at Grenoside, dialogue was taking place with the Council’s Parks, Woodlands and Countryside Officers concerning the provision of a secure safe route from the car park to the new school adding that parents of children attending the school had a responsibility to minimise the traffic congestion by not using their cars for short distances.
	With regard to the level of guidance required in drawing up plans arising from the Village Appraisal Process John Charlton stated that there needed to be a balance between guidance provided and a plan which had been developed by the community and therefore guidance should be helpful but not too prescriptive. The Chair added that villages in the area were in a position to support each other and joint approaches would be needed to deal with issues such as youth provision.

6.	PARISH COUNCIL MATTERS
	Naylor Road, Oughtibridge
Action	Parish Councillor, Malcolm Glover expressed concern that had been raised by groups in Oughtibridge over parents dropping their children off outside the school. The Chair responded that if the Village Action Group in Oughtibridge wished to communicate their concerns to him he would request that the Highways Link Officer, Andy Bennett, respond at the next meeting of the Panel at which the highways updates would be considered.

	Condition of Highways in Ecclesfield
	Parish Councillor Norman Garrett reported that potholes highlighted on the carriageway as in need of repair were taking a particularly long time to actually be repaired. John Charlton responded that dangerous potholes should be repaired in 24 hours but acknowledged the problem of yellow markings fading before less urgent carriageway repair work was completed.

	Loundside
Action	Parish Councillor Norman Garrett raised the issue of resurfacing at Loundside and particularly that resurfacing had only been completed on part of the highway. John Charlton responded that Loundside could be considered as part of a future maintenance programme and added that the current programme of planned highway schemes could be shared with Members of the Panel. In addition, he undertook to report back to the Panel concerning the matters raised.

	Nether Lane
	The Chair asked about progress concerning the resurfacing of Nether Lane and John Charlton responded that the road was in a condition where it was being kept safe and that if it was determined that if there was an extraordinary amount of industrial traffic using the road funding could be obtained at no cost to the Council, but he emphasised the point that such funding was very difficult to obtain.

	Cowley Lane
	The issue of turning for traffic from the Cowley Estate on to Cowley/Nether Lane was raised and the question was asked as to whether consideration could be given to installing a roundabout or other traffic control. Concern was expressed that Highways Officers had not responded to an enquiry made by a member of the public in relation to this issue. The Chair responded that he had been in discussion with the member of the public concerned and, in relation to the nearby Smithywood Development, he stated that the detail of the associated highways works were yet to be finalised but would be considered by Members of the Planning and Highways Board who would deliberate on the application for Smithywood Development. He stated that the issues surrounding traffic management in this area would need to be considered in a joined up way as traffic issues were inter-related.
Action	John Charlton responded to a question, which had been raised concerning the frequency of grass cutting, stating that grass should be cut every three weeks but cuttings were not collected due to budgetary constraints. He would request that an Officer visit the member of the public concerned within the next two weeks.
	Councillor Graham Oxley stated that local members were aware of the situation on the Cowley Estate and related highways matters and that there would be several opportunities for members of the public to comment on the Smithywood Scheme as part of the planning application.

	Completion of Crossing on Burncross Road
	In response to a question concerning the crossing on Burncross Road, John Charlton stated that the completion of works by the electricity company was awaited and in response to a further question concerning why there was not a crossing on the roundabout as part of the scheme the Chair responded that the scope of the scheme was based on a number of accidents along the length of Burncross Road and measures were designed to reduce the risk of accidents.

	Buchanan Road
Action	A question was asked as to why Buchanan Road had been resurfaced when in the questioner’s opinion, it had been in been in a reasonable condition. John Charlton stated that he would investigate the matter and report back to the Panel.

7.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
	Britain in Bloom
	A member of the public expressed appreciation for the work of Street Force in carrying out street cleaning as part of the “In Bloom” Competition.

	Improvements to Pedestrian Route between Grenoside and Oughtibridge
	A member of the public raised concern at the condition and camber of the highway between Grenoside and Oughtibridge in the area of the railway bridge. The issue of pedestrian safety was also raised, as was whether consideration had been given to the construction of a separate footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists to improve safety on that stretch of highway.
	The Chair responded that local Members continued to press for some action in relation to this stretch of highway but they had been informed that there was no funding available for improvements. In addition, Members had requested that a traffic survey be carried out in that area.

8.	AREA CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT
	Members of the Panel received a report from Anne Blantern, Area Co-ordinator, concerning the North Area Plan 2005-2008 and the one year Action Plan. The three year plan identified priorities for the North area in relation to such issues as traffic, facilities for young people, regeneration, the environment, and transport. Contributions had been made to a plan by Panel Partners such as the Primary Care Trust, the Yorkshire Rural Community Council and Rural Transport. Other themes included services for older people, community safety and cross cutting issues such as health and physical activity. Copies of the plan were available and the one-year plan would be published towards the end of May, 2005.
	The Chair invited public comment on the document and expressed the wish that, together with the village appraisal process, priorities and actions might be identified for the area.

9.	DATE OF NEXT MEETING
	It was noted that the next meeting of the Area Panel would be held on Wednesday, 25th May, 2005, at Wharncliffe Side, starting at 7.00 p.m..

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