Agenda, decisions and minutes

There was no announcement made by the Chair.

Members of the Committee will declare any interests they may have in any item to be considered at this meeting, prior to any discussion taking place on that item.

The registrable interests of Councillors of Devon County Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes. 

For details of District and or Town and Parish Twin Hatters – please see here:

County councillors who are also district, borough, city, parish or town councillors

Members were reminded that they should declare any interests they may have in any item to be considered, prior to any discussion taking place on that item.

The list of Membership of other Authorities can be found here: County councillors who are also district, borough, city, parish or town councillors

Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

There was no item raised as a matter of urgency.

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/25/14), attached.

RESOLVED that

(a) the Clyst Valley and New Communities Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), as amended following consultation, be endorsed by the Committee, prior to formal adoption of the LCWIP at Cabinet in due course; and

(b) the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated powers, in consultation with the Chair of HATOC and the local County Councillors, to make minor alterations to the Plan.

Councillor V Johns declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of having family living in Cranbrook.

Councillor H Gent declared a personal interest specifically regarding the Westclyst to Broadclyst route by virtue of being a tenant of farmland on the route; and a pecuniary interest specifically regarding the Cranbrook to Exeter route by virtue of owning land on the route. He therefore did not comment on the Cranbrook to Exeter route, or vote on the item.

The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/25/14) on the proposed Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Clyst Valley area. The draft LCWIP consultation report, and the final LCWIP, were attached as appendices to the report. It proposed four groups of cycle route improvements as well as proposed walking improvements between Westclyst and Broadclyst and walking facilities as part of proposed multi-use trails. The proposed improvements and facilities were decided based on existing travel patterns and projected development as the most strategically important locations.

Members received a presentation on the LCWIP which covered the types of improvement included in the Plan; the consultation process, including strong public agreement and support; and the planned prioritisation of individual schemes.It was noted specifically to members that a scheme’s inclusion in the LCWIP did not guarantee delivery, as schemes would need to undergo design and consultation, and funding secured, before implementation.

Members present were unanimously supportive of the proposals and intent behind them and thanked officers for their efforts, and detail included in the report and appendices. A number of councillors raised the importance of connectivity between various parts of the county, asking that officers ensured that the plans under this LCWIP formed part of a larger consideration of a pan-Devon improvement plan that cast a wider net, such as improvement of public transport services, noting for instance that there were still relatively low numbers of people using public transport for various reasons, with car usage still high. Officers confirmed that this was the case, with this LCWIP being linked to other LCWIPs, as well as the Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan.

Members also raised concerns that only 104 responses had been received in the consultation process. Officers agreed, commenting that consultation on strategic plans can receive lower engagement than more local issues, and that as individual schemes were developed, further consultation with local residents would take place, meaning there would be further opportunities for engagement by the public.

There were also a number of comments on shared-use pathways and prevention of accidents between pedestrians and cyclists. This included debate between members on the perception of danger posed by cyclists, including electric bike users, versus whether this was borne out by the data.

Other discussion points between the Committee and officers included:

• Clarity on the Westclyst to Broadclyst route proposals, these being improvements to the existing shared-use path; and

• That the LCWIP as presented included fewer links to the Woodbury area than originally proposed in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.