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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Exeter EX2 4QD

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

Items
Note No. Item

*

29.

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:

It was MOVED by Councillor Connett and SECONDED by Councillor Dewhirst            and

 

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

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Connett and SECONDED by Councillor Dewhirst            and

 

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

*

30.

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:

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Connett            and

 

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

 

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Connett            and

 

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

 

*

31.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 219 KB

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2022, attached.

Decision:

It was MOVED by Councillor Wrigley and SECONDED by Councillor Brook    and

 

RESOLVED:  that the minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2022 be signed as a correct record, subject to the Devon County Council attendance section to be amended to read as follows:-

 

Councillors M Wrigley (Chair), J Bradford, J Brook, P Bullivant,

A Connett, A Dewhirst, G Gribble and R Peart.

Minutes:

It was MOVED by Councillor Wrigley and SECONDED by Councillor Brook    and

 

RESOLVED:  that the minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2022 be signed as a correct record, subject to the Devon County Council attendance section to be amended to read as follows:-

 

Councillors M Wrigley (Chair), J Bradford, J Brook, P Bullivant,

A Connett, A Dewhirst, G Gribble and R Peart.

*

32.

CIHT Awards

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

 

Minutes:

The Chair and Members congratulated Mr Joshua Manning, Transportation Planning Officer, for his success at the CIHT South West Awards, which recognised outstanding contributions in highways and transportation.

33.

Newton Abbot, Queen Street - Pedestrian Enhancements Public Consultation Outcomes and Next Steps pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/34), attached.

 

Decision:

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Hook 

and

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that the proposals shown in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 of Report (CET/22/34) be noted and supported by this Committee, prior to approval for construction at Cabinet in due course;

 

*(b) that following consultation, the Traffic Regulation Orders shown in Appendix 2 of Report (CET/22/34) be advertised; and

 

(c) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated powers, in consultation with the Chair of HATOC and the local County Councillor to make amendments to the scheme details for a preferred scheme for approval at a future meeting of Cabinet.

Minutes:

(With the consent of the Committee, Ms Skinner, Teignbridge District Council Green Infrastructure Officer spoke to this item)

 

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/34) on a package of proposals for pedestrian and public realm enhancements alongside traffic management changes on Queen Street, Newton Abbot. This followed extensive public consultation (May/June 2022) and sought support for the scheme proposals so that the associated Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) could be advertised. Due to the cost of the scheme, any final approval of decisions for its construction were required to be taken at Cabinet, subject to the TROs being advertised and approved.

 

The proposals were designed to make Queen Street a more attractive, safe and healthy place for visitors and businesses, with a positive public health and wellbeing impact. The improvements to the pedestrian environment, with reduced dominance of vehicles, aimed to be safe and welcoming, with more spaces for pedestrians to enjoy and access shops and services, with improved accessibility for all, cleaner air and less pollution.

 

Since the Committee’s last meeting March 2022, the project had been amended with enhanced greening, as well as the extent of the scheme had been reduced to focus on the western end of Queen Street due to updated scheme costs. 

 

The report also summarised the public consultation outcomes demonstrating support for public realm enhancement of the area, notwithstanding a mixed response to vehicle access changes and opposition to parking changes (caveated by respondents’ use of parking).  Whilst there was not enough highway width to retain all on-street parking and existing vehicle access, the transport assessment suggested the parking reduction could be accommodated.

 

Teignbridge District Council’s Green Infrastructure Officer reported on Teignbridge’s support and close partnership working with the County Council on this project, since securing government Future High Street Fund (FHSF) allocations in May 2021.

 

The local County Councillor referred to the extensive consultation and individual discussions with Queen Street businesses. Whilst for example wider pavements and enhanced greening/seating would result in some loss of on street parking, enhancement and investment in the town centre was to be encouraged to make Newton Abbot a more welcoming place, adapting to change and future needs.        

 

Members supported the scheme overall to benefit Newton Abbot, whilst acknowledging the vehicle access/changes section of the consultation responses. The DALC Member suggested that the detailed consultation responses could indicate more of a neutral/mixed response than indicated in the Report, however Officers assured Members of the consultation objectivity and transparency. 

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Hook 

and

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that the proposals shown in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 of Report (CET/22/34) be noted and supported by this Committee, prior to approval for construction at Cabinet in due course;

 

*(b) that following consultation, the Traffic Regulation Orders shown in Appendix 2 of Report (CET/22/34) be advertised; and

 

(c) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated powers, in consultation with the Chair of HATOC  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

*

34.

Local Waiting Restriction Programme pdf icon PDF 336 KB

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/35) and Supplementary Plans, attached.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

It was by MOVED Councillor Wrigley and SECONDED by Councillor Connett and

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that work on the local waiting restriction programme be noted; and

 

(b) that the recommendations contained in Appendix 2 to Report (CET/22/35) be approved.

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/35) on the responses received to the statutory consultation on proposals, advertised as part of the local waiting restriction programme to rationalise existing parking arrangements. Proposals that received objections were detailed in Appendix 2 to the Report alongside recommendations for each location.

 

It was by MOVED Councillor Wrigley and SECONDED by Councillor Connett and

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a) that work on the local waiting restriction programme be noted; and

 

(b) that the recommendations contained in Appendix 2 to Report (CET/22/35) be approved.

*

35.

Exminster, Main Road - Zebra Crossing pdf icon PDF 214 KB

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/36), attached.

 

Decision:

It was MOVED by Councillor Connett and SECONDED by Councillor Dewhirst

and

 

RESOLVED:  that the scheme shown on plan C21627/6 included in Appendix 1 to Report (CET/22/36), be approved for construction at an estimated cost of £89,727.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/36) on proposals to construct a dedicated pedestrian crossing facility serving Exminster Community Primary School and the wider community on a vacant School Crossing Patrol (SCP) site.  This was planned to be in place for the September 2022 school term.

 

Consultation had been undertaken with the local County Councillor and the primary school.  The proposal of a new controlled crossing would also be subject to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) public notice and advertisement as modifications to existing waiting restrictions required a change to the TRO.

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Connett and SECONDED by Councillor Dewhirst

and

 

RESOLVED:  that the scheme shown on plan C21627/6 included in Appendix 1 to Report (CET/22/36), be approved for construction at an estimated cost of £89,727.

 

 

 

 

*

36.

Teignmouth, Upper Den Carriageway - Proposal to Re-open over Summer Period pdf icon PDF 274 KB

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/37), attached.

Decision:

It was MOVED by Councillor Connett and SECONDED by Councillor Russell

and

 

RESOLVED:- 

 

(a) that the Upper Den Carriageway, Teignmouth remained closed through the summer period; and

 

(b) that Officers investigate and report back on whether additional disabled parking could be provided on existing highways in the vicinity of the play area.

 

Minutes:

(Councillor Phipps, Teignmouth Town Council spoke in favour of the Carriageway remaining open, with the consent of the Committee).

 

The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/37), recommending against supporting

a request from Teignmouth Town Council that the Upper Den Carriageway remained open through the summer months, due to safety, environmental and policy concerns.

 

Officers advised that the carriageway had been closed to motorised traffic

between 1 May and 10 September for a number of years and was located between the Den open space and the beach, both areas being popular with visitors and family groups. There were a number of uncontrolled crossing points on the road, providing the main route between the town and the beach, which if reopened would create safety conflict, prejudicing against pedestrians walking to the beach including many family groups.

 

Whilst the proposal would increase on street parking revenue for the County Council, it raised significant safety issues which would likely incur road layout changes at substantial extra cost.  If the road was reopened during the summer, it would still have to be closed on a number of dates for events such as the Teignmouth Air Show. It could be confusing for residents and visitors, who had been able to cross this road freely during the summer.

 

Teignbridge District Council officers opposed the reopening for safety, environmental and economic reasons.

 

The request conflicted with County and District Council policies as set out in section 6 of Report (CET/22/37), including the County Council’s Climate Declaration 2019.   Should this Committee be minded to reopen the road during the summer, this would need to be referred to Cabinet as it was against policy. 

 

The local County Councillor advised that he supported Teignmouth Town Council’s view that reopening would have a positive impact on trade in the town, providing additional parking over the extended summer period.  This was also supported by the Teignmouth Chamber of Trade.  (Previously the Town Council had favoured closing the road over the summer period and raised issues of camper vans and the emptying of waste into highways drains, which drained directly onto the beach, potentially impacting on Teignmouth’s prestigious Blue Flag Award for bathing water quality).

 

The local County Councillor further advised that with appropriate safeguards, safety concerns could be addressed, including disabled access for the play park and additional signage.  Some motorists currently accessed the road in error.

 

The local District Councillor and other Members however were in favour of the current summer closure remaining in place on safety and environmental grounds and there were a series of summer events in additional to the Air Show which would still require road closure.  Teignmouth is a popular family resort with a constant movement of unaccompanied children at this location as parents and families have become used to the road being closed offering a traffic free, safe environment and increased freedom for children and families.  

 

Member also asked whether any additional disabled parking may be required on existing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

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37.

Shaldon, A379 Bridge Road - Request for Pedestrian Crossing pdf icon PDF 273 KB

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/38), attached.

 

Decision:

(Councillor Cox declared a personal interest and did not vote on this matter by virtue of being a local resident).

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Hook

and

 

RESOLVED:  that the request for a pedestrian crossing on the A379 Bridge Road in Shaldon be not progressed, whilst noting Member comments expressed.

 

 

Minutes:

(Councillor Cox declared a personal interest and did not vote on this matter by virtue of being a local resident).

                

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/22/38) on a number of requests for a pedestrian crossing on the A379 adjacent to the junction with Riverside on the southern side of Shaldon Bridge.  An existing School Crossing Patrol (SCP) operated close by to this site.  A formal crossing would help pedestrians to cross the A379 and may therefore increase pedestrian movements in the village and would be likely to have a greater impact for children, parents with school age children, and those without access to private vehicles.

 

Traffic/pedestrian flow surveys were undertaken in September 2021 and April 2022 to determine demand.  However it was recognised that there were several sites across Devon with higher priority based on their respective data. The estimated cost was approximately £50,000, with currently no funding identified.

 

The local County Councillor advised that this location was busy for pedestrians to cross at times, with instances of some vehicles speeding above the 20 mph limit, but he reluctantly acknowledged that on the data currently available, there were other Devon sites of higher priority to be funded by the County Council.

 

Other Members local to the area also advised that a number of pedestrians attending regular groups and events at St Peter’s Church and Victoria Hall needed to cross the road to access the car park and this was a concern particularly during darker evenings, asking Officers to keep this under review in any future consideration.

 

It was noted that schemes could be considered at sites across Devon if local councils/communities were able to secure alternative funding. 

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Dewhirst and SECONDED by Councillor Hook

and

 

RESOLVED:  that the request for a pedestrian crossing on the A379 Bridge Road in Shaldon be not progressed, whilst noting Member comments expressed.

 

 

*

38.

Items raised by Councillor Wrigley (Dawlish and Cockwood, various)

In accordance with Standing Order 23(2) Councillor Wrigley has requested that the Committee consider traffic matters at:-

 

(a) Dawlish, Shutterton Lane;

 

(b) Dawlish, Carhaix Way junction/north of Sainsbury’s roundabout; and

 

(c) Cockwood Bridge.

Minutes:

Councillor Wrigley had requested the Committee consider this matter in accordance with SO 23(2) and advised that he wished to defer consideration of these traffic matters due to his pending meetings with Officers:-

 

(a) Dawlish, Shutterton Lane;

(b) Dawlish, Carhaix Way junction/north of Sainsbury’s roundabout; and

(c) Cockwood Bridge.  

 

Councillor Wrigley also advised that Officers were considering a more formal process for local Members to raise local highways matters of concern with them.       

*

39.

Calendar of Meetings

Please use link below to check arrangements and venue for meetings:

 

County Council Calendar of Meetings;

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

 

10 November 2022 at 10.30am

2 March 2023 at 10.30am.

 

Minutes:

 

Please use link below for meeting arrangements and venue:

County Council Calendar of Meetings

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

 

10 November 2022 at 10.30am

2 March 2023 at 10.30am.


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