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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Suite - County Hall. View directions

Contact: Fiona Rutley 01392 382305  Email: fiona.rutley@devon.gov.uk

Note: Note: Due to Covid restrictions and social distancing measures, members of the press and public must contact the Clerk to book a place should they wish to attend this meeting in person 

Items
Note No. Item

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1.

Election of Chair

(NB: In accordance with the County Council’s Constitution, The Chair and Vice Chair must be County Councillors. County and District Councillors may vote)

Decision:

RESOLVED: that Councillor Croad be elected Chair for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Gilbert and SECONDED by Councillor Hawkins            and

 

RESOLVED: that Councillor Croad be elected Chair for the ensuing year.

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2.

Election of Vice-Chair

(NB: In accordance with the County Council’s Constitution, The Chair and Vice Chair must be County Councillors. County and District Councillors may vote).

Decision:

RESOLVED: that Councillor Hawkins be elected Vice-Chair for the ensuing year.

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Gilbert and SECONDED by Councillor Hart            and

 

RESOLVED: that Councillor Hawkins be elected Vice-Chair for the ensuing year.

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3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 191 KB

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2021, attached.

Decision:

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2021 be signed as a correct record.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2021 be signed as a correct record.

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4.

Member Training/Induction

Presentation by the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste.

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from the Head of Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste on the workings of the Committee This covered the Committee’s Constitution; its Terms of Reference; and Scheme of Delegation (to be circulated to members).

 

Regarding reporting processes for Members where highways issues had been identified, the designated local Neighbourhood Highways Officers were a good point of contact and/or issues could also be reported via the County Council’s website: www.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/Parking enforcement matters could also be directed to the parking link on that page.

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5.

Totnes, Residential Parking (Council minute 368, 29 April 2021)

Presentation by the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development

and Waste, following a question to Council by Councillor Hodgson.

 

. (Electoral Division:  Totnes & Dartington)

 

Minutes:

The Committee received a verbal presentation from the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste, outlining the process for responding to residents’ parking requests, following a question to Council on 29 April 2021 by Councillor Hodgson.

 

The annual programme was subject to approval and funding from the Council each year (currently £25,000).  The list was reviewed at the beginning of each financial year and requests prioritised at that point (determined by various criteria e.g. less than 75% off street parking, self-supporting, demonstrable/scale of problem, community support, best use of time and resources and technical reasons -not the length of time on the list).  The viability of schemes was not known until they were reviewed towards the end of the financial year. Some schemes on the list could be rejected either at the review stage because they did not conform to policy, or later if residents dropped their support once the operational impacts of a scheme become clear. Subject to resources, approximately two requests on average per financial year were selected and added to the next annual programme, to undergo investigation and consultation procedures. Depending on the size of the area and the outcomes from the consultation process this could take one to two years before implementation.

 

Currently there were around six schemes on the request list and about eight or nine in progress at different stages, with Officers completing schemes and progressing new ones throughout the year as part of the rolling annual programme. 

 

Councillor Hodgson referred to some requests within Totnes, particularly the situation for the residents of Swallowfields near to the river Dart, which had grown into an increasingly popular residential road with the public, who parked to access the river for leisure, causing year round parking issues, including obstruction, nuisance to residents and on occasions intimidating behaviour.   There were also instances of vehicles being left at Swallowfields for several days.  There was a concern that this was now a difficult and dangerous situation and eergency vehicles would not be able to access the river at this point if required. 

 

Officers acknowledged the situation at Swallowfields and confirmed the scheme was on the request list.  Various representations and evidence had been received by the County Council, including representations sent direct to the Committee on 20 June 2021. 

 

In response to questions, Members noted:-

 

-that pending progression of Swallowfields on the priority list and, temporary solutions to ease the situation (e.g. identification and signage of any appropriate alternative river parking) could be considered; and

 

-that schemes where local communities or developers were full or part funding could be considered but these would not necessarily enable earlier progression of schemes, as it was dependent upon any higher priority schemes requiring Officer time.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6.

Totnes, Western Bypass Crossing at Plymouth Road pdf icon PDF 364 KB

Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/21/23)

(Electoral Division:  Totnes & Dartington)

 

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that a Members’ site visit be held prior to the end of the summer term 2021 to consider all options suggested;

 

(b) that a full report be brought to the next meeting, to include the feasibility and costings of a staggered junction option on the north side; and

 

(c) that Officers liaise with South Hams District Council to establish whether there was any air quality developer contribution funding that may be utilised.

Minutes:

The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste (HIW/21/33) regarding investigation into the addition of a straight through crossing on both Western Way arms of the junction to enable pedestrians to cross in one movement, as requested by HATOC on 5 April 2019, following HATOC’s earlier receipt of a letter and 64 signature petition following a collision on 1 October 2018 involving a child.

 

The Report advised of current crossing arrangements including signal controls and the existing central island.   There had been no other collision recorded at or near the junction in the past five years.  The County Council’s Casualty Severity Reduction Programme prioritised sites with greatest need. There were currently 68 sites across Devon on the Casualty Severity Reduction (CSR) list with five or more injury collisions in the last five years.

 

The Report suggested two options:-

 

(a) replace existing signals as they were during planned maintenance now due (£30,000); or

 

(b) pursue the design developed with single straight across crossings and implement when funding became available (additional £138,000 over option (a)).

 

The Report advised that the casualty record did not meet the criteria for funding of a scheme to be considered from the Casualty Reduction Programme.  Funding could come from a mixture of s106 funding and signal maintenance budgets, although this may not be sufficient to fund the whole of the scheme and would mean that the s106 funding was not available for other schemes in the community.  Given the substantial impact on traffic flows and increased traffic congestion and emissions from stationary traffic impacting on air quality, Officers could not recommend on balance that a scheme be developed.

 

However further to the Report, Officers also advised:-

 

-that a third option for a staggered signal-controlled crossing on the north side (similar to that on the south side) had also been raised very recently.  This option would have a lesser impact on traffic congestion, but would mean that pedestrians would have to cross in two stages on the northern side of the junction, as they currently did on the southern side.  Detailed traffic modelling and an estimate of costs could be undertaken if Members wished to consider this option.     

 

The local County Councillor advised that this junction was heavily used by families and school children at school times and the planned maintenance was the opportunity to consider and make improvements. She wondered if any developer contribution could be made available for air quality work.  She also advised there was a narrow pavement adjoining this junction, improvements had local support and would support more sustainable school journeys.  

 

In view of the pending traffic signal maintenance costs, Members supported a site visit and a full report back to the next meeting to consider all the options suggested.

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Hart and SECONDED by Councillor Hawkins and

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that a Members’ site visit be held prior to the end of the summer term 2021 to consider all options suggested;

 

(b)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

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7.

Dates for Future HATOC Meetings

Please use link below for County Council Calendar of Meetings

http://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1

 

Please check link regarding meeting arrangements/venue in the current situation:-

  

15 October 2021 at 10.30am and

18 February 2022 at 10.30am.

 

Minutes:

Members noted the dates of future meetings, in line with the Council’s Calendar;

http://democracy.devon.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1

 

Please check link regarding meeting arrangements/venue in the current situation:-

 

15 October 2021 at 10.30am and

18 February 2022 at 10.30am.


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