Agenda and minutes

All items were considered in public.

PETITION ASKING FOR THE ADOPTED PUBLIC FOOTPATH BETWEEN AIRDRIE CLOSE AND WEST QUAY DRIVE, YEADING TO BE KEPT CLOSED(Agenda item 3)

At the beginning of the meeting and before the petitioner spoke, Cllr Keith Burrows explained that as a result of Legal advice he had received, the decision whether or not to keep the footpath closed was not his to take and was an officer decision only.

Councillor Janet Duncan attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor. She stated that she supported the petitioners’ desire to ensure the footpath remained closed as this would protect residents’ privacy and enhance the security of the local area. In addition to echoing the concerns of the petitioner, Cllr Duncan explained that an additional petition had been prepared (in objection to the opening up of the footpath) and requested that this be considered at the meeting.

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the

meeting included the following:

• Petitioners had visited Hinkley Close and Sedley Close and both these pathways had been gated up.
• The pathway was notorious for anti-social activity.
• The consultation results mentioned in the officer report which suggested the majority of residents wished the footpath to remain open for use, did not reflect the feelings of local residents.
• Of the 400 questionnaires which had been delivered locally as part of the consultation exercise, none of the residents which purported to support the opening of the footpath had chosen to attend the meeting.
• A further petition had been prepared  (and through the Ward Councillor) a request was made that this be included as part of the consultation exercise
• If the decision whether or not to keep the footpath closed was not the Cabinet Members’ to take, the petitioners asked which officer would take the final decision and when this would be taken?

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and

responded to the points raised.  Cllr Burrows stated that as petition hearings were scheduled months in advance to hear a specific petition and an officer report had been written in response to it, it was inappropriate for an additional petition to be tabled and considered at the meeting. Cllr Burrows requested that the new petition be passed to Democratic Services and for this to be retained on file until a decision had been made. At which point he requested officers to then write to the petitioner to explain what would happen next.

In relation to the concerns expressed about the consultation exercise, Cllr Burrows explained that a consultation exercise which included 400 questionnaires had been conducted in the usual way and the results from this had formed the basis of the officer report before him at the meeting.

In response to concerns about the consultation process, Cllr Burrows enquired whether or not the views of the Police had been sought. Officers confirmed that they had not had any contact from the Police about the footway and so Cllr Burrows requested that before any final decision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

CARDINAL ROAD, EASTCOTE – PETITION REQUESTING FOR THE CARRIAGEWAY TO BE REPAIRED (Agenda Item 3)

Concerns and suggestions raised by the petitioners included the following:

• The petitioner felt that apart from rubbish collection and recycling, the Council had provided little assistance to the residents of Cardinal Road
• The road was in a poor state and required urgent repair

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He advised that the Council was faced with hundreds of miles of road to maintain throughout the borough which was supported through a combination of Transport for London and Council funding.

He explained that especially poor weather in the last few years had meant that the Council had needed to put additional funding aside to ensure the Council met its legal responsibility to ensure the highway was not dangerous. Furthermore, as there were finite resources to do this, the Council had to exercise its judgement and prioritise where the funding was spent which meant that roads were added to a rolling programme of roads maintenance.

Referring to the officer reports, Cllr Burrows stated that the supporting photographs clearly showed that the roads identified by petitioners required attention and he asked officers to inspect these and determine whether immediate intervention was required. Cllr Burrows concluded his remarks by confirming that Cardinal Road would be added to the works programme.

Resolved –

That the Cabinet Member:

1.            Considers the petitioners’ request and discusses with them in detail their concerns regarding the condition of the carriageway surface.

2.            Subject to the outcome of (1), instruct officers to place Cardinal Road on to the list for roads being considered for treatment in a future resurfacing programme.

Reason for recommendation:

To give the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss in detail the petitioners’ concerns.

Alternative options considered:

Officers consider that resurfacing is the only option available to restore a watertight smooth surface.

Concerns and suggestions raised by the petitioners included the following:

·        The petitioner explained that there had been numerous complaints from local residents in the past two years about the state of the road surface.

·        There were more than 50 potholes on a road which only contained 32 homes.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He advised that the Council was faced with hundreds of miles of road to maintain throughout the borough which was supported through a combination of Transport for London and Council funding.

He explained that especially poor weather in the last few years had meant that the Council had needed to put additional funding aside to ensure the Council met its legal responsibility to ensure the highway was not dangerous. Furthermore, as there were finite resources to do this, the Council had to exercise its judgement and prioritise where the funding was spent which meant that roads were added to a rolling programme of roads maintenance.

Referring to the officer reports, Cllr Burrows stated that the supporting photographs clearly showed that the roads identified by petitioners required attention and he asked officers to inspect these and determine whether immediate intervention was required. Cllr Burrows concluded his remarks by confirming that Boleyn Drive would be added to the works programme.

Resolved -

1.            Considers the petitioners’ request and discusses with them in detail their concerns regarding the condition of the carriageway surface.

2.            Subject to the outcome of (1), instruct officers to place Boleyn Drive on to the list for roads being considered for treatment in a future resurfacing programme.

Reason for recommendation:

To give the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss in detail the petitioners’ concerns.

Alternative options considered:

Officers consider that resurfacing is the only option available to restore a water tight smooth surface.

Concerns and suggestions raised by the petitioners included the following:

·        The petitioner explained that there had been numerous complaints from local residents in the past two years about the state of the road surface.

·        The road surface in Castleton Road was especially poor and patching the road would not be sufficient in this case

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He advised that the Council was faced with hundreds of miles of road to maintain throughout the borough which was supported through a combination of Transport for London and Council funding.

He explained that especially poor weather in the last few years had meant that the Council had needed to put additional funding aside to ensure the Council met its legal responsibility to ensure the highway was not dangerous. Furthermore, as there were finite resources to do this, the Council had to exercise its judgement and prioritise where the funding was spent which meant that roads were added to a rolling programme of roads maintenance.

Referring to the officer reports, Cllr Burrows stated that the supporting photographs clearly showed that the roads identified by petitioners required attention and he asked officers to inspect these and determine whether immediate intervention was required. Cllr Burrows concluded his remarks by confirming that Castleton Road would be added to the works programme.

Resolved-

1.            Considers the petitioners’ request and discusses with them in detail their concerns regarding the condition of the carriageway surface.

2.            Subject to the outcome of (1), instruct officers to place Castleton Road on to the list for roads being considered for treatment in a future resurfacing programme.

Reason for recommendation:

To give the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss in detail the petitioners’ concerns.

Alternative options considered:

Officers consider that resurfacing is the only option available to restore a water tight smooth surface.

Concerns and suggestions raised by petitioners included the following:

·        Chiltern Road was a small road and the majority of the residents were in attendance to support the petition

·        The petitioners noted that a Rhino Patch machine had been publicised in the Hillingdon People magazine and enquired whether or not this might be used to repair the road

·        As there had been several bad winters, the petitioners highlighted that reactive maintenance would be a more costly approach in the long term than wholescale resurfacing work

·        The petitioner highlighted that the pavements in Chiltern Road also required attention and enquired whether or not these could be included in future works

·        Cllr Payne and Cllr Dann would be writing a letter in support of the petition. All three Ward Councillors supported the petition

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. He advised that the Council was faced with hundreds of miles of road to maintain throughout the borough which was supported through a combination of Transport for London and Council funding.

He explained that especially poor weather in the last few years had meant that the Council had needed to put additional funding aside to ensure the Council met its legal responsibility to ensure the highway was not dangerous. Furthermore, as there were finite resources to do this, the Council had to exercise its judgement and prioritise where the funding was spent which meant that roads were added to a rolling programme of roads maintenance.

Referring to the officer reports, Cllr Burrows stated that the supporting photographs clearly showed that the roads identified by petitioners required attention and he asked officers to inspect these and determine whether immediate intervention was required. Cllr Burrows concluded his remarks by confirming that Chiltern Road would be added to the works programme and instructed officers to also inspect the footways in Chiltern Road and report back to him any required works.

Resolved-

1.            Considers the petitioners’ request and discusses with them in detail their concerns regarding the condition of the carriageway surface.

2.            Subject to the outcome of (1), instruct officers to place Chiltern Road on to the list for roads being considered for treatment in a future resurfacing programme.

3.            Instructs officers to inspect the footways within Chiltern Road and report back to the Cabinet Member any required works.

Reason for recommendation:

To give the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss in detail the petitioners’ concerns.

Alternative options considered:

Officers consider that resurfacing is the only option available to restore a water tight smooth surface.