Minutes - Newtown and Parkstone Area Committee - 3 September 2008

BOROUGH OF POOLE

NEWTOWN AND PARKSTONE AREA COMMITTEE

3 SEPTEMBER 2008

PARKSTONE EVANGELICAL CHURCH HALL, RINGWOOD ROAD, NEWTOWN

The meeting commenced at 7.05pm and concluded at 9.00pm

Members of the Committee present:

Councillor Plummer (Chairman)

Councillors Clements and Wilson

Members of the public in attendance: 10

NPA10.08APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs Stribley and Woodcock.

NPA11.08DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr Wilson declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 6 (i) Transportation

Issues – Maureen Close (response to consultation) as he was a resident of Maureen Close. Cllr Wilson left the room during consideration of this item and took no part in the debate or vote.

NPA12.08MINUTES

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 June 2008, having

been previously circulated, be taken as read, confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising

NPA6.08 (vii) Ringwood Road – Trent Yard Site (pg 10)

The Chairman reported that Planning Enforcement Officers had conducted a site

visit on 1 September 2008 and had concluded that the reversing of vehicles on to the highway from the entrance to Trent Yard was not a planning matter and that no breach of planning control was apparent in relation to the site’s parking spaces and vehicle corridors.

Cllr Wilson expressed the opinion that Transportation Services should investigate the site as a safety issue and it was agreed that a request would be put to Transportation Services accordingly.

NPA13.08DRAFT WASTE STRATEGY CONSULTATION

The Chairman introduced Ian Poultney, Contracts and Performance Manager and Rachel Davies, Principal Officer Environmental and Consumer Protection, who gave a brief introduction to the Borough of Poole’s draft Waste Strategy Consultation.

The Borough’s current service performance was outlined, including Poole’s waste minimisation services, which formed a key element of Poole’s overall current Strategy in meeting EU and Government targets.

The new waste strategy, which had been drafted by a cross-party working Group, was designed to build on the success of the previous initiative. Key targets for the new strategy included an ambition to ensure that at least half of the Borough’s household waste would be recycled by 2020 and a commitment to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

As part of the consultation, members of the public were encouraged to access the draft strategy online at and send in their feedback by the consultation deadline of 21 November 2008. Waste Strategy Review Roadshows, commencing 11 September 2008, were also planned throughout the Borough and copies of the strategy document and questionnaire were available from libraries and Council Offices.

In response to questions, the following issues were considered:

Members of the public could contact Dorset Reclaim to arrange collection of reusable household items by telephoning 01202 261700 or through the Borough of Poole’s website.
Whilst Dorset Reclaim did not charge for the removal of reusable items from households, a charge was levied for removal of non-reusable items;
In response to a query from Cllr Clements on provision of green recycling Bins, the Contracts and Performance Manager encouraged members of the public to influence the Borough’s environmental strategy by taking part in the public consultation exercise.

NPA14.08TRINIDAD MULTI-USE GAMES ARENA

Richard Nicholson, Technical Development Team Leader (Leisure Services) read aloud the Head of Leisure Services’ statement on progress on the proposed Trinidad Multi-Use Games Arena (MUGA) as follows:

‘The Head of Leisure Services advises that the proposed MUGA (multi use games area) at the Trinidad site has been welcomed as a positive and achievable facility. However when it was learned that there may be proposals for other community benefit development at this site, Officers have temporarily held the MUGA scheme in order to investigate and ensure that the proposals do not conflict in any way.

We are not aware of any proposals, we only have a suggestion that our scheme could prejudice the development of the whole site and the former Youth Club. So to put a MUGA by the building before consideration of the development of the whole site, does not seem sensible. As a result we have only temporarily delayed the scheme subject to finding out more but progress has been delayed because of holidays’.

The Chairman invited questions from members of the public, commenting that it was unfortunate that the Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Supporting Children and Young People, was unable to attend the meeting to take questions in person.

Comments and questions were recorded as follows:

In response to a resident’s question over who was responsible for authorising installation of the MUGA, Richard Nicholson clarified that at this stage Officers had only been authorised to conduct a feasibility study for the MUGA. Proposals for a MUGA had been discussed by Ward Members, Local Authority Officers and local Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and the proposal had also been raised with the local community.

A resident of Rossmore Road living opposite the Harford Road Open Space protested that since the Local Authority had installed the rebound wall, his property had been subject to repeated damage from local young people attracted to the area;

Local police had logged five reports of nuisance behaviour relating to the Harford Road Open Space site since the rebound wall had been opened in July 2008. On investigation it was found that on each occasion, no offence had been committed but mindful of some residents concerns, the PCSOs had established regular patrols of the area to discourage nuisance behaviour;

Cllr Wilson felt that proposals to install a MUGA in the Trinidad Estate had been widely consulted upon and expressed his concern that in his opinion one Elected Member could block a decision to progress the project;

Cllr Wilson explained that the overall concept of play equipment in the area was that the Trinidad MUGA would cater for older children and teenagers and that the Harford Road Open Space Rebound Wall would cater for younger children; the two schemes were inter-connected and in his opinion, both were integral to the community;

Cllr Wilson stated that he would not support the development of any open space in the locality for housing and emphasised that land at Worbarrow Gardens should be retained as open space;

Cllr Clements stated that no Newtown Ward Members had been consulted on alternative plans for the site;

Cllr Wilson stated his opinion that it was most inappropriate that a project, which had grown holistically from partnership working in the community, could be ‘put on a backburner’ by the Portfolio Holder;

Cllr Clements requested that Leisure Services provide an update report on progress on the Trinidad MUGA at a future meeting of the Area Committee;

Linda Moore stated that Martin Whitchurch, Leisure Services Officer, had agreed to look at protective planting and removal of graffiti at Harford Road Open Space at a recent informal meeting with residents. In response, Cllr Wilson made a formal request that in future Ward Councillors and representatives of the Safer Neighbourhood Team be invited to attend such meetings;

RESOLVED that Leisure Services be asked to provide an update report on progress on the Trinidad Multi-Use Games Arena (MUGA) at a future meeting of the Newtown and Parkstone Area Committee Meeting.

NPA15.08TRANSPORTATION ISSUES

(i)MAUREEN CLOSE – RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION

Cllr Wilson, having declared a personal interest in this item as a resident

of Maureen Close, left the room during consideration of this item and took no part in the debate or vote.

Members considered the recommendation of the Head of Transportation Services that no action be taken to relax the current parking restrictions in Maureen Close to allow more flexible parking arrangements for residents and their visitors.

The recommendation had been arrived at following a consultation amongst local residents over options to amend the current restrictions. Whilst a small majority of residents were in favour of relaxing the restrictions, a significant minority of residents did not want any changes. In addition, the cost of amending the restriction was felt to be prohibitive and hard to justify in view of the small number of residents who favoured the option to change.

On being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED that no action be taken to relax the current parking restrictions in Maureen Close.

NPA16.08OPEN FORUM

(i)Newtown and Branksome Safer Neighbourhood Team

PC Paul Sargeant gave an update on the work of the Newtown and Branksome Safer Neighbourhood Team, an initiative which was designed to bring the police closer together to the community it served and which comprised four Dorset Police Officers and three Police Community Support Officers split into two teams covering the two Wards. It was the intention that the Safer Neighbourhood Team would link closely to its local community and work with it to gather intelligence on, monitor and combat a variety of offences from burglary to speeding and vandalism.

The Team intended to hold regular public meetings, details of which were available online at . Alternatively, the Team could be contacted on 01202 222 222 / mobile: 07887 633384 / email: n&. Handouts containing contact details were distributed to the meeting for information.

Initiatives with which the Team was currently involved included:

Youth Initiatives (football teams, school visits etc)
Free security advice to local residents
Suggestion boxes – sent to the local community in order to help the team establish local priorities

In response to a question from Mr Bill Wise, PC Sargeant confirmed that the Safer Neighbourhood Team would be targeting Uppleby Road due to ongoing concerns that motorists were using excessive speed in the area. In addition, it was clarified that motorists parking on pavements in the area could not be fined unless it could be demonstrated that their vehicles were causing an obstruction. Mobile traffic wardens were employed to check parking throughout the area and the rest of the Borough.

Cllr Wilson stated that it was important that neighbourhood meetings ‘fed into’ the work of the Safer Neighbourhood Team so that the local police and Council could establish local priorities. Such priorities could include a community need for a 20 mph zone in areas like Uppleby Road and residents could lobby the Local Authority’s Transportation Advisory Group and Council on issues such as these which it considered to be a priority.

(ii)Advertising of Planning Applications

Linda Moore expressed her concern at plans to review the advertising of local planning applications, which could include applications no longer being advertised in the local press.

In response, Cllr Wilson stated that the subject was very complicated and that no decision had been reached on even a national level. Any proposals to review the advertising of planning applications would be subject to rigorous scrutiny at a local level and as yet, no options had been finalised for consideration.

(iii)St Georges Avenue

Ward members agreed to follow up a resident’s request that St George’s Avenue be cleaned as a priority and that street lighting be repaired by the Council.

(iv)Electoral Register

In response to a resident’s query, Cllr Clements clarified that the Local Authority was legally obliged to sell a version of the Borough’s Electoral register to advertising agencies which requested this information. He urged residents who did not wish to have their personal information passed on in this way to tick the relevant box on the electoral registration form when making their declaration to Electoral Services.

(v)Blue Recycling Bins – St George’s Avenue

Cllr Wilson agreed to investigate whether blue recycling bins serving the new set of flats on St George’s Avenue were being regularly used for landfill waste.

(vi)Turners Field / Sylvan Green

Ward Members agreed to investigate the possibility of having a public consultation process to formally name the open land known variously as ‘Turner’s Field or ‘Sylvan Green’.

(vii)Council Allotments

Ward Members agreed to investigate whether the local authority was legally obliged to provide land for use as allotments.

(viii)Balham Close Open Space

Following complaints from residents of the new block of flats at Balham Close, it was agreed that Leisure Services would investigate the need to prune overhanging branches and install 2m boundary fencing on the adjacent open space.

(ix)Phyldon Close – request for double yellow lines

The Committee supported a request that the funds previously allocated to Maureen Close be re-allocated to allow double yellow lines to be imposed at Phyldon Close.

NPA17.08DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

RESOLVED that the next Meeting will take place on Wednesday 12 November 2008 at 7.00 pm in the Committee Suite, Civic Centre.

The meeting will be chaired by a Parkstone Councillor.

NPA18.08UPDATE ON CORE STRATEGY AND SITE SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS CONSULTATION

This Item was taken for information only.

CHAIRMAN