minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 June 2013 (Minute Nos. 56 - 72) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

declarations of interest

No interests were declared.

public session

The Chairman welcomed the members of the public who had registered to speak at the meeting. He advised that those items further down on the agenda, where members of the public had registered to speak, would be brought forward.

Mr Smith, Swale Seniors' Forum, addressed the Board and tabled the Forum's Constitution for Members' information. He spoke on the proposed closure of the High Street, Sittingbourne to vehicles on Fridays (Minute No. 230). Mr Smith questioned what the bus operators thought about the proposed closure and he highlighted the potential disruption that the closure could bring. He hoped that both bus operators and bus users would be consulted on the proposals.

Mr Barrow, local resident, addressed the Board. He spoke on the proposal to open a bus link at Crossways, Eden Village, Sittingbourne (Minute No. 231). Mr Barrow spoke in objection to the proposals. His house was the nearest property to the proposed bus gate. Mr Barrow raised the following issues: the plan in the report attached to the agenda was incorrect, the garage had been re-positioned, and there was no footpath on the opposite side of the road. If Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) was introduced to enforce the bus gate, visitors to his home were likely to be caught on camera and this would be an intrusion on their private lives and contrary to their human rights. Mr Barrow stated that the option to have an electronic gate was too expensive, and the option for CCTV was too intrusive. He suggested a third option, to leave it as it was, as a cul-de-sac and not to have through traffic. Mr Barrow questioned whether letting buses through was necessary and who would really benefit.

part a minutes for recommendation to cabinet

swale seniors' forum

Mr Spurling, Swale Seniors' Forum spoke on the concept of having a Transport Hub for Sittingbourne. He explained that the Forum was keen to share their experience and provide feedback on the facilities and access for taxis, buses and pedestrians which he considered were not good at the moment. He also suggested that the Forum could provide information and feedback on access for the disabled. Mr Spurling also highlighted the issues of poor air quality in Swale and road safety.

The Chairman stated that this topic would be considered as part of the regeneration of Sittingbourne and the Transport Hub could be considered as an item on the Joint Transportation Board agenda in the future, to include inclusion of access for disabled users; addressing air quality issues; and the improvements that a Transport Hub could bring to the accessibility of the town centre.

Kent County Councillor Bowles advised that he intended to speak with the Swale Seniors' Forum about the concept of a Transport Hub in Sittingbourne.

The Chairman thanked Mr Spurling for addressing the Board.

proposed closure of sittingbourne high street to vehicles on fridays

This report provided information on the proposed closure of Sittingbourne High Street to vehicles on Fridays, to accommodate the re-location of the existing Market, currently located in The Forum Car Park.

The Economy and Community Services Manager advised that it had been an ambition to relocate the market as part of the regeneration plans. The proposals had previously been discussed informally, so were not a completely new idea. The rationale behind the proposal was to create an opportunity to increase the market footfall and create new life into the High Street. The proposal would have the potential to create jobs and provide growth opportunities and bring benefit to the community. The Economy and Community Services Manager explained that there would be intensive consultation to include bus and taxi operators, market co-operatives, traders and users of the facilities.

Members raised the following points: support the proposal; a trial Christmas market would help to 'iron out' any potential problems; this was the right way forward; bus passenger numbers might decline; buses could use St Michael's Road instead; would increase footfall on that part of the High Street; consider closure from 6am to be too early because of loading/unloading issues; disabled groups needed to be consulted as well, they would need access to car park facilities nearby; bus routes cannot change just for one day, it would be confusing; and free parking should be allowed in the town centre on Fridays; closure was a good idea and should be extended to include Sundays as well.

Members were advised that the results of the informal consultation would be reported back to the Swale JTB in December 2013.

crossways, sittingbourne - proposed bus gate

This report provided an update following consultation that had been undertaken on a proposal to open a bus link in Eden Village to facilitate a bus route.

Discussion ensued on how the bus link would be enforced, especially in light of Kent Police's comments in the report opposing the proposal. Members queried the status of the full decision that was required as there were no evident plans to add a physical bus gate. A Member reminded the Board that it had been known when the estate was built that there would be a bus route and considered that this should go ahead as it was unfair to both the residents and the bus company if it did not go ahead. Members considered that as it was part of the planning process that there would be a bus link, then the decision had already been made.

Kent County Councillor Mike Baldock proposed a motion: “that a decision could not be made without knowing what physical enforcement means would be in place.” This was seconded by Councillor Prescott.

The Chairman proposed an amendment to the motion: “that KCC make the decision, after looking at the relevant planning conditions.” This was seconded but on being put to the vote, the amendment was lost.

Upon being put to the vote, the motion above was won.

formal objections to traffic regulation order amendment 7b

This report provided a summary of formal objections received to the recently advertised Traffic Regulation Order Amendment 7B, covering various proposals on the Isle of Sheppey and Sittingbourne.

Discussion ensued on the proposals for waiting restrictions on East Street, Sittingbourne. Issues raised included: further consultation was needed on the need for two separate waiting zones along the street; 20 minutes was adequate, there was a car park nearby if more time was required; uniform waiting restriction was preferred as it enabled consistency along the street and clarity of waiting restrictions in that area.

various waiting restrictions - results of informal consultations

This report provided a summary of recent consultations carried out for proposed waiting restrictions in the Borough. Members were advised that the restrictions on Key Street, Sittingbourne had been deferred to the December JTB to allow for further consultation to take place.

Members discussed the feedback to the consultation that had resulted in four in support of the proposals and four in objection. The Engineer reported that two further notifications of objection had been received but these had not been included in the report as they had missed the consultation deadline. Kent County Councillor Mike Baldock proposed a motion that further consultation be carried out to see if a more decisive response could be achieved. This was seconded by Mr Macdonald. On being put to the motion, the motion was won.

eveas drive, sittingbourne - proposed access restrictions

This report provided an update following consultation that had been undertaken on a Traffic Order to reinforce the bus-only restriction in Eveas Drive, Sittingbourne.

Members raised the following points: this link should be made accessible to all vehicles, not just buses, to enable communities to become more linked; local residents were against general access; a lot of work was needed to make the area safe, it was a sub-standard access route; and a resolution would be to open up other access routes instead, i.e. the Northern Relief Road.

The Board agreed that the Chairman writes to the Chairman of Swale's Planning Committee and to the Chairman of the Local Development Framework Panel to express concern about decisions at planning stage that restricted road access to new developments, thereby creating artificial barriers between new communities and established ones. Also, that Planning Policy should work to create cohesion between the old and the new and avoid including schemes such as the Eveas Drive and Crossways schemes in future planning applications for large developments which divided rather than joined communities.

Chairman

a2 / a251 junction, faversham

This report considered proposals that had been developed for the A2/A251 junction to tackle congestion and improve safety.

Members raised the following points: this was a difficult situation to resolve; the proposed roundabout was quite big and would impact on adjoining property; the roundabout would not would have an effect on traffic going towards Brenley Corner; traffic lights were a better option; crossing was a good idea in respect of safety; concern re paragraph 5 in the report, that there was no proposed development for the area between Ashford Road and Salters Lane; concern with backing up along the Mall; access from the Mall will be difficult; roundabout option would not work; concern that neither option will make a difference; traffic would not get out of Mall unless there were hatched areas; danger of spoiling first impression of entrance into Faversham; neither options were perfect, but something needed to be done; and the traffic light option seemed easier to implement.

The Chairman proposed a motion to consult on both options (Annex 1 and 2 in the report) and to include in the consultation consideration of the junction of The Mall and the A2, to get people's views on that issue as well. This was seconded by Councillor Bryan Mulhern. Kent County Councillor Mike Baldock moved an amendment to include: “or keep the junctions as they currently were, i.e. no change.” This was seconded by the Chairman and on being put to the vote the motion and amendment were won.

highway works programme

This report provided an update on the identified schemes approved for consultation in 2013/14.

Members' comments on the report included: would have liked reference made to state of Sittingbourne High Street footpaths; and Ward Members needed to be kept informed of progress/dates etc.

The Chairman brought Members' attention to the tabled update on the Mill Way junction in Sittingbourne. The District Manager was thanked for work carried out on addressing pot holes on the Isle of Sheppey.

pedestrian and cycle improvements sittingbourne

This report outlined the highway improvements that had been designed to improve accessibility and links between Great Easthall and Sittingbourne.

highway improvements minster

This report set out highway improvements designed to improve accessibility and links between Thistle Hill and Minster.

grovehurst road, sittingbourne - proposed 30mph speed limit

This report set out proposals to reduce the speed limit in Grovehurst Road from 40mph to 30mph.

pothole find and fix update

This report provided an update on the progress with the Find and Fix programme which was tackling the pothole damage caused by the severe winter weather.

Officers were thanked for the speed that the work was carried out.

winter service plan

A Member advised that the second listing of 'Eastchurch CEP School' under the Isle of Sheppey section should be a Leysdown address.

progress update report

Members considered the report that gave an update on the progress made regarding various schemes in the Borough.

254/09/12 - the Head of Service Delivery brought Members' attention to the tabled paper which reported that a consultation paper had recently been received from Southeastern trains regarding a new contract for the operation of the train service from November 2014 to June 2018. The deadline for comments was 4 October 2013. The Head of Service Delivery advised that he would compile a response.

Head of Service Delivery

With reference to part 2.1 (b) in the report, a Member requested that there be a direct service from Sheerness to London.

A Member queried why there were no responses from KCC on the Progress Update Report from March 2012. The Chairman agreed to write to the Cabinet Member (Mr Brazier) regarding this.

Chairman

The Chairman also agreed to find out whether Southeastern trains thought it was acceptable to remove a train stop to increase performance targets.

Chairman

exclusion of the press and public

part a minutes for recommendation to cabinet

disabled bay installations