Agenda item

The report of the Leader of the Council was submitted setting out the details of the business undertaken by the Executive.

 

The Leader and the Cabinet made statements and responded to questions.

 

The following questions were then submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1

 

1.  Sailing of the Mayflower

 

Question from Councillor Claisse to Councillor Kaur

 

As we all know, August 5^th 2020 will be the 400^th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from Southampton, one of the most influential journeys in maritime history.

 

What plans are being made to celebrate this historic occasion?

 

Answer

 

There are several other locations that have a connection with the ship involved in Mayflower 400, including Southampton. Collectively, these locations have been given the name ‘The Mayflower Trail’. Plymouth have taken the lead in co-ordinating the Mayflower 400 celebrations. Meetings are held quarterly to discuss progress and share ideas.

As well as linking in with the Mayflower Trail, activities at a local level have been discussed with Southampton Connect partners who agreed that the Southampton Cultural Development Trust would lead a working group to co-ordinate activities in the city.

Provisional themes and events to mark the occasion in Southampton include:

 

·  Development of cycle and walking trails across Southampton to link the city to its waterfront

·  Southampton Football Club to host international pre-season football tournament

·  A new arts and education programme in all secondary schools exploring major themes of migration, religion and the cities relationship with the USA

·  New Mayflower play commissioned and led by Mayflower Theatre

·  Re-animation of Southampton Heritage sites including God House Tower, the Pilgrim’s Gate the 1920 Mayflower Memorial

·  Walks, tours and talks exploring the Southampton of 1620 and changes to the city

·  A Hampshire-wide celebration of arts and cultural projects including transatlantic co-commissions

·  Key exhibition in Southampton’s Sea City Museum

·  A celebration of the Southampton docks.

 

The Council will continue to work with the Mayflower Trail and Southampton Cultural Development Trust to develop these ideas and explore new opportunities to celebrate this historic occasion.  

 

2.  Grass Cutting

 

Question from Councillor Painton to Councillor Rayment

 

The grasses in cemeteries are very high once again, what is the cutting procedure, once a year, twice a year? I have received reports of elderly tripping on unseen grave stones when attending loved ones graves. This applies to South Stoneham Extra and Hollybrook cemetery. Also the war graves in South Stoneham Extra (54) have deteriorated to a poor state. Can the war graves commission be notified of their poor state?

 

Answer

 

Maintaining the cemeteries across the city and in particular cutting the grass at this time of year is no easy task, particularly when council resources are reducing but a programme is in place to cut the grass in our five cemeteries - Hollybrook, St Mary’s Extra, South Stoneham, Millbrook and Southampton (Old) Cemetery.  This is particularly challenging as the Council is responsible for over 100 acres of cemetery grounds (equivalent to over 50 football pitches) and wet weather has been a contributing factor to delaying some grass cutting within the cemeteries this season.  Additionally the spell of wet and warm weather we are currently experiencing is causing a flush of growth as the grass is seeding.

Hollybrook Cemetery has already received two full cuts this season; the first starting on 25 April and finishing on 12 May and the second starting on 14 June and finishing on 1 July.  South Stoneham Cemetery has also received two full cuts; the first cut started on 8 April and finished on 18 April, the second started on 13 May and finished on 22 May, the third cut started on 4 July and is due to be completed early next week.

All sections within the cemetery are cut in rotation and work will continue throughout the grass cutting season, however, grass cutting around headstones and other obstructions placed around the graves is extremely labour intensive and it takes several weeks to complete one full cut of each cemetery. 

We recognise that the grass is longer than we would like and we have brought in additional seasonal staff to assist with the grass cutting programme; every effort is being made to prioritise and make best use of limited resources to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

 

There are maintenance agreements in place for the War Graves within Hollybrook Cemetery and Southampton (Old) Cemetery, however, none exists for those within South Stoneham Cemetery, I will arrange for this to be raised with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

 

3.  Pitch and Putt

 

Question from Councillor Painton to Councillor Rayment

 

After asking you in the car park about the Pitch and Putt facility at Riverside Park, you curtly told me to check February’s Council papers.  Nowhere does it state the closure of this amenity just seeking a third party to that extent just that a third party was being sought.  Has a third party been actively sort, if not why not?  I was then promised the Pitch and Putt course would be kept in a sellable condition i.e. the grass kept cut.  Can you explain why it has been left to return to mother nature?

 

Answer

 

Following Invitation to Tender, the Council is now in the process of evaluating the business plans of prospective partners for the future management and development of the Riverside Pitch and Putt facility. This includes assessing the deliverability of any new development proposals that prospective partners might see as essential to successfully re-launch the facility in 2017 and sustain it as a viable business into the longer term. This dialogue is expected to be concluded by the end of August, at which point further detail will be published.

In the interim, the sports turf at the facility is being cut on a fortnightly frequency. This means that it can be readily returned to more intensive management in the future, but is not subject to drought stress while no artificial irrigation is available.

 

4.  Pedestrian Link Guildhall Square

 

Question from Councillor Hecks to Councillor Rayment

 

Why has the pedestrian link from Guildhall Square to the parks not yet been opened?  What is the delay and what steps have been taken to expedite the matter?

 

Answer

 

In order to carry through the design concepts delivered in Guildhall Square it has been necessary to source and purchase stone from outside of the UK. This has been on order for some time and we are in regular conversation with our paving contractor and they in turn with the supplier to get this delivered as soon as possible. The Council is unable to speed this process up as the stone is being shipped to the UK. The paving contractor has given their promise to undertake the works as soon as the stone is delivered to them.

The stone has reached the UK and is awaiting customer’s clearance. It is expected to be delivered this week and the contractors will start either this next week or early week beginning 25^th July. They expect to take no longer than 2 weeks to complete the job.

 

5.  Road Resurfacing

 

Question from Councillor Hecks to Councillor Rayment

 

On 16^th March you confirmed that the section of Kathleen Road between Burseldon Road and Cleethorpes Road was to be resurfaced beginning on 3^rd May.  Residents were informed as such by letter.  It now transpires that only a small section of the promised scheme has been carried out.  Why have you broken your promise to residents?  Will you undertake that the completion of the scheme to Cleethorpes Road will be undertaken without further delay?  Or will you again break your promise?

 

Answer

 

The problem of the condition of Southampton’s roads is long-standing. This Administration is committed to improving the city’s roads and has doubled the spend on residential roads.

The top part of Kathleen Road is in poor condition and the Administration has allocated a significant budget to address this.

The original intention was to split works to Kathleen Road into two parts:

 

1.  The worst section - Bursledon Road to Cleethorpes Road (2016-17).

2.  The less urgent section - Cleethorpes Road to Alfriston Gardens (2018-19).

 

A detailed site survey identified that there was an underlying drainage issue to the section of Kathleen Road between Burlesdon and High Firs Roads. The Administration was unwilling to put a ‘sticking plaster’ over the issue by just re-surfacing and has committed to undertake a complete scheme to also deal with the drainage issue. Of course, this is far more complex and costly than originally envisaged and so we cannot continue as far as Cleethorpes Road this year. I am, however, investigating how alternative funding can be brought forward to ensure that the remaining work down to Alriston Gardens is completed as part of the 2018-19 scheme. This has been explained to residents.

 

6.  Wheelie Bins

 

Question from Councillor O’Neill to Councillor Rayment

 

Why is the Council not interested in keeping our streets accessible to the elderly and disabled by enforcing the proper keeping of wheelie bins on residents’ properties and not on public pavements?

 

Answer

 

As per the Council’s waste management policy, it is the responsibility of residents to take their bins back in after collection. This should be undertaken by the end of the collection day.

If it is reported that a bin has been left on the pavement and is causing an obstruction, a service request is received by waste and recycling.

The resident causing the obstruction will be written to.  If the problem continues and is deemed a high priority, then door knocking is undertaken.  Ultimately the bin can be removed and the resident issued with sacks.  However, this is the last resort and not common practice.

The current policy requires reviewing, due to changes made to waste collection offences and fixed penalty notices under the Deregulation Act 2015 and revised regulations.

Since 1 April 2016, there have been 34 requests received regarding bins on pavements. 

The Council does undertake education work relating to bins on pavements, but is not undertaking enforcement.

 

7.  Student Landlords

 

Question from Councillor O’Neill to Councillor Rayment

 

At the end of this term over 40 tons of student rubbish was collected in 2 days during Southampton University's "Shift Your Stuff campaign". Evidence suggests student landlords also use the end of term as an excuse to dump unwanted furniture and household items on to our streets. What is being done to regulate the behaviour of those rogue landlords who have no regard for local residents?

 

Answer

 

Shift Your Stuff collections were undertaken on 10^th and 30^th June, during which time the student union at the University of Southampton funded a refuse lorry and driver to collect bulky items put out for collection by students.  The university and Council worked in partnership over these 2 days, and 2.45 tonnes of bulky items were collected and taken to the university for reuse. 

It is usual to collect 11 – 14 tonnes of household waste on a weekly collection in Portswood and Polygon, where students live in Houses of Multiple Occupation that are usually rented from landlords.

At the end of June, we were averaging approx. 22 tonnes of household waste collected.  Side waste was included in this.

70 letting agents/landlords were emailed letters reminding them of their responsibilities. These letters included information on the council bulky waste collection service and information for new students moving into properties. Hard copies of the letters were also delivered to those agents that requested them.  HMO wardens have undertaken follow up work with landlords.

 

8.  St Denys Priory

 

Question from Councillor O’Neill to Councillor Kaur

 

A visitor to Southampton has recently written about the state of repair of the Priory of St Denys in Priory Road. This is a Listed Building, and as such, should be maintained by the owner. At present there is ivy growing up, over and through the old masonry which will, if action is not taken urgently, result in the Priory walls collapsing.

 

The Priory is a visible symbol of medieval life in Southampton and as so much of the city was destroyed during the last World War, what little remains is of particular interest and historical value.

 

Can the Cabinet Member please provide an update on what steps are being taken to preserve this part of our heritage?

 

Answer

 

Because the building is a Scheduled Ancient Monument the Council does not have the jurisdiction to intervene. The Secretary of State is the arbiter.

Therefore the Historic Environment Group leader has referred the building to Historic England (who act on behalf of the Secretary of State) requesting that the building is placed on the ‘At Risk Register’ due to the importance of the building and the poor state of repair. However Historic England have declined to place it on the register because they have stated the ivy is protecting the building from frost damage and if it is removed the wall may collapse.

The Council will continue to monitor the state of the building.

 

9.  Weekly Bin Collection

 

Question from Councillor Fitzhenry to Councillor Rayment

 

Please can the Cabinet Member update Council if she will be proposing reducing the weekly bin collection to fortnightly?

 

Answer

 

There is no decision yet but when there is I will inform Members. Contact has been made with the Department of Communities and Local Government with a number of questions asking clarification on matters such as timescales, financing and grant conditions and a reply is still awaited.

 

10.Guildhall Square

 

Question from Councillor Fitzhenry to Councillor Letts

 

Please can the Leader advise on proposals to help support business in Guildhall Square i.e. What is the Council doing to promote the space?

 

Answer

 

We want Guildhall Square to become a vibrant city centre destination and gain a reputation for being a hub of cultural activities and events.

It has hosted many successful events while it has been undergoing redevelopment such as Sky Ride, the ABP Half Marathon 10k, Music in the City, Rainbow Run, The Nuffield Playing Fields, Commonwealth Games and more. These events have attracted thousands of visitors to the area.

The Council has also attracted the prestigious Hampshire Farmers Market which will be operating on four occasions this year and is working closely with the organiser to increase this to monthly in the future. It is also contacting other quality specialist market operators.

We are offering free use of the area for non-commercial events for the next two years to increase its attractiveness as an event location. This will be complemented by an upgraded power supply which will cut the cost for event organisers while minimising the impact upon the environment.

A contribution is being made by the Council to the role of Cultural Director managed by the Southampton Cultural Trust. This new director will be working closely with organisations within Studio 144 and across the city which will result in new events and activities to the area.

The Council will also proactively work with the recently established retailers association which consists of all of the businesses in the area. A Facebook page has been created along with using the hashtag #GuildhallSquare on Twitter. A domain name for Guildhall Square has also been registered. The retailers association are in discussions to try and animate Guildhall Square at Christmas and the Council will once again contribute to festive lights in the area.

The city centre retailers are due to vote in October on whether to set up a Business Improvement District, which would include Guildhall Square and if accepted this is likely to bring further enhancements to the area in terms of image, perception and marketing, promotion and further improving the excellent transport networks and encouraging the traders and stakeholders to collaborate in delivering improved experiences for visitors to the City.

 

11.First Quarter Overspends

 

Question from Councillor Fitzhenry to Councillor Chaloner

 

Can the Cabinet Member advise on what the first quarter overspends are and how these are to be mitigated across the next quarters or will further in year savings be required to meet these?

 

Answer

 

The Quarter 1 position by Portfolio is shown in the following table:-

 

QUARTER 1 POSITION	Forecast Variance
Portfolio	£M
Communities, Culture & Leisure	0.09 A
Education & Children's Social Care	0.68 A
Environment & Transport	0.01 A
Finance	0.07 F
Health & Sustainable Living	0.04 A
Housing & Adult Care	3.63 A
Leader's Portfolio	0.92 A
Transformation	3.39 A
Total Portfolios	8.70 A
Release of risk fund to offset Service overspends	3.57 F
Net Council Expenditure	5.13 A

 

There is a forecast Portfolio overspend of £8.70M, which is partly offset by the release of the risk fund to give a net adverse position of £5.13M.

This is the forecast year-end position, based on current verified information, and action plans are currently being developed to bring the position back in line.

These include accelerated 2017/18 savings and transformation activity, the identification of one-off expenditure reductions in year, as well as the potential use of reserves and balances.

 

12.Civil Service Sports Ground

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Dr Paffey

 

What is the latest as regards the former Civil Service Sports Ground and when might schools and the public be able to properly access the field?

 

Answer

 

Local schools have been aware for some time that they can use the field. A number of schools were canvassed seeking their views on matters such as:

·  Do they wish to use the field

·  Type and range of pitches to be marked out

·  Advising them that storage and wet weather shelter would be available

·  Their views on renaming the field.

 

St Marks Primary School uses it on a weekly basis and other schools by arrangement. Some schools are planning to hold their summer ‘sports day’.

 

Discussions are ongoing with the Southampton Co-Operative Learning Trust to partner with them in developing the use of the field. SCLT is a group of 8 (and growing) local schools. Some public access will be catered for in this proposal, care will be taken to safe guard SCC’s position with regard compliance with the restrictions contained in the acquisition CPO.

 

It is intended to allow dog walking to be continued on an informal basis, but segregated from the areas used for sports activities.

 

13.Estate Regeneration

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Letts

 

What is the Executive’s vision for future Estate Regeneration?

 

Answer

 

The Leader gave a verbal response at the meeting setting out the history of the estate regeneration and how previous National policies had affected housing policy. He indicated that as funding streams had reduced it was now necessary to have a review of the various housing blocks and draw up analysis of which blocks on the basis of lifetime costs needed to be demolished and replaced. When the review had been carried out, the programme of work would shift to work systematically through the identified blocks.

 

14.Hollybrook Cemetery

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Rayment

 

What consultation was done before the bollards were erected at the entrances to Hollybrook Cemetery which are now preventing disabled people visiting the graves of their families?

 

Answer

 

The footpaths in Hollybrook Cemetery have no legal highway status and are not defined as a public right of way. The Council therefore was not required to consult on the installation of bollards to prevent vehicle access. Due to their narrow width, the surface treatment and the close proximity of some gravesides, the footpaths are unsuitable for regular and sustained vehicle use, which is why this measure has been implemented. However, in recognition that some disabled users had become accustomed to having vehicle access, the Council has made arrangements to accommodate them. These individuals have been contacted directly.

We would highlight that there are many cemeteries, parks and open spaces within Southampton where vehicle access is prevented by use of barriers, gates and bollards (e.g. Southampton Cemetery, South Stoneham Cemetery, The Common, and Riverside Park).”

 

15.Historic Stables on Shirley Depot Site

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Letts

 

What efforts are being made to ensure that the historic stables on the Shirley Depot Site are protected in any future redevelopment?

 

Answer

 

These are Victorian stables, which are attractive buildings, but are unlikely to be listed by Heritage England due to the fact that there are many surviving examples of similar buildings. Given this perspective, it would not be appropriate to limit the development potential of the site to offer the buildings protection.

 

16.HMO Additional Licensing Scheme

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Shields

 

With the HMO additional licensing? scheme extended to 4 more wards last year, can the Cabinet Member ensure that the funds this generates are used to employ additional HMO wardens to cover these wards?

 

Answer

 

HMO Additional Licensing was successfully introduced in October 2015 to Millbrook, Shirley, Freemantle and Bassett wards. To date there have been applications submitted from almost a quarter of the estimated HMOs in these wards.

The HMO Warden role has been an important element in delivering the scheme; working with landlords and tenants as well as community and resident groups to resolve very practical issues. These have included ‘to let’ boards, working with letting agents and landlords to improve the street scene through effective management of the boards; working together with partners to tackle issues around waste including bins left on pavements and co-ordinating clean up sessions with Community Payback resources; assisting in identifying properties let as an HMO to ensure all are licensed.

The HMO Licensing team have developed to be a flexible and adaptable resource whereby the team delivers the surveyor and warden roles collaboratively and as such are able to work with the differing demands and needs of the different neighbourhoods and localities in both designated areas.

 

17.Residential Lettings Boards

 

Question from Councillor Moulton to Councillor Letts

 

What progress has been made to ban residential lettings boards in the City?

 

Answer

 

Residential letting boards are permitted by the Town Planning Advertisement Regulations. Where there is a proliferation of them the Planning Enforcement Team do check whether they are permitted and liaise with residential letting agents to ensure they comply. There are also good links with the HMO licencing team, who are able to allocate resource to addressing the issue. There are currently no plans to seek to remove the permitted development rights for these due to capacity and workloads.

 

18.Townhill Park Phase 1

 

Question from Councillor P. Baillie to Councillor Letts

 

Why have Barratts pulled out of building Townhill Park Phase 1 and what delay is that going to cause?

 

Answer

 

Several contractors have been approached via a range of procurement frameworks regarding the delivery of the first plot at Townhill Park.

Some of these, for various reasons, have indicated that they are not interested in bidding at this time.

This is not uncommon and hence why we do not put all of our eggs in one basket. We have discussions ongoing with other contractors and the project will not be delayed as a consequence.

 

19.Southampton Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service

 

Question from Councillor P. Baillie to Councillor Shields

 

Following the recent inspection of the Southampton drug & Alcohol Recovery Service, what are you doing to ensure improvements to the service?

 

Answer

 

Southampton Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services (SDARS) became operational on 1.12 14. following a recommissioning exercise which saw new services and new providers for drug and alcohol treatment pathways commissioned across all age ranges. Implementation of this new structure has been problematic in places and there have been concerns over some performance indicators but in other areas the service performs at or above national average.

The recent CQC inspection focussed solely on the services delivered by Solent NHS and is still ongoing. Commissioners will not receive formal notification from CQC some time. Early indications are that there will be a small number  of areas for improvement including:

·  Ensuring service users receive regular and effective health reviews

·  Ensuring the safe storage of prescribed medication in service user homes.

In order to improve performance the Integrated commissioning Unit have required and received improvement plans from service providers and implemented a robust monitoring framework to drive improvement. Views from frontline staff and service users have been incorporated into the improvement plans which include the recruitment of additional clinical staff.

Safety and effectiveness are also being monitored via Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) CQRM (quality) processes. Commissioners are receiving weekly monitoring reports which now show steady improvements.

 

20.Paving Slabs across QE2 Mile and Oxford Street

 

Question from Councillor Fitzhenry to Councillor Rayment

 

Please can the Cabinet Member update on the appalling state of paving slabs across the QE2 Mile and Oxford Street and what is being done to sort this?

 

Answer

 

Our policy is to repair paving where there is a trip hazard greater specified depths and we will continue to undertake these repairs at both locations.

There are some poor quality repairs along QE2 mile. My understanding is that these have been undertaken by utility companies. The Council has agreed a voluntary Code of Practice (CoP) with utility companies, which involved investing a stock of high quality materials for them to use to undertake first-time quality repairs. This CoP is not being consistently followed and our highways partner Balfour Beatty will meet with the utility companies to re-launch, and emphasise the requirements of, the CoP and ensure that the necessary repairs are completed quickly.
The Administration is aware of the issues regarding the condition of paving in Oxford Street. This area was originally designed to be clutter free, enabling traders and their customers to enjoy large outside seating areas as a result but it is apparent that delivery vehicles are damaging the surface. A scheme (see Q22) is being considered to keep vehicles off the pavements, preventing the need for frequent repair. Subject to funding constraints, this scheme would be completed later this year and encompass repairing the existing issues.

 

21.Extra Primary Places

 

Question from Councillor Fuller to Councillor Dr Paffey

 

What is the Council doing to support schools to deal with the demand for extra primary places?

 

Answer

 

Southampton City Council has expanded a number of primary schools in recent years.  Some schools have been completely rebuilt with a higher capacity (e.g. Wordsworth, Banister), whilst others have had their capacity increased by building extensions (e.g. Valentine).

 

In total around 4,000 places have been added which equates to about 20% of the total capacity.  Last September’s Reception intake was the highest ever at 3,189.  Forecasts indicate that future intakes will plateau at a slightly lower level than this, meaning that numbers in primary schools will stabilise in around 6 years’ time.

 

Some schools have had their capacities increased by the use of ‘bulge’ classes – where only one year group in the school has had its size increased by one class.  This is to ensure that, as far as possible, ‘over-capacity’ is not built in to the system, and to avoid having a significant surplus of places in future years.

 

There is also a proposal to build a new ‘Free school’ in Southampton City Centre for September 2017, which, if successful, would eventually add a further 420 primary places.

 

22.Small Businesses

 

Question from Councillor Fuller to Councillor Rayment

 

Will the Council commit to pedestrianising elements of Oxford Street to help support the small businesses there and ensure the safety of their clientele and others using the street?

 

Answer

 

A study has investigated the options for pedestrianising the eastern end of Oxford Street from the Junction of St. Johns Street eastwards.  This was to further enhance the existing public realm in this section of Oxford Street, address issues with vehicle access, pedestrian conflict and damage to footways and support the local businesses in the area.

There has been detailed discussions with local residents, businesses and other users of Oxford Street to understand the issues and consider the options.  A final report will be predated to the Cabinet Member in August 2016, which will include an option to physically restrict general vehicle access to the eastern end of Oxford St. from the St. Johns Junction.  This will include an analysis and the budget costs and impacts of any scheme.  A decision on the proposal will be made at this point.

 

23.Public Spaces Protection Order

 

Question from Councillor Fuller to Councillor Letts

 

What progress has been made bringing the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) into action?

 

Answer

 

The PSPO’s restricting begging and street drinking were made in May 2016.
The Council’s community safety team is currently working with the neighbourhood police teams to raise awareness of the requirements of the PSPO before formal enforcement activity commences.
Awareness of the requirements is being raised by engaging directly with street drinkers and beggar to highlight the restrictions created by the PSPO; the potential for a fixed penalty notice to be issued in the event of future non-compliance; and to ensure that people drinking in public or begging have access to appropriate support services regarding homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction etc.
Public awareness of the issue has also been raised through a poster campaign encouraging donations directly to charities working in the city instead of giving directly to people who are begging.
Formal enforcement will follow this engagement work in the coming weeks.

 

24.Sholing Technology College

 

Question from Councillor J. Baillie to Councillor Dr Paffey

 

Like? many, I was disappointed and concerned to read the latest OFSTED report on The Sholing Technology College. What support is the Council offering the school in order to ensure the education of the pupils is secure?

 

Answer

 

I appreciate that the whole school community will be concerned by the Ofsted judgement. Taking action to address the issues of safeguarding and standards that the report raises is now the priority.

Officers have already been into the school to analyse the Single Central Record as well as incident log to review their safeguarding procedures and confirm this is as it should be. In addition, officers have met with the governing body to discuss priority activity linked to the Action Plan that has been developed for the LA to lead on during the transition period, whilst a sponsor is identified by the Regional Schools Commissioner.

We have written to all parents to set out how the Council’s school improvement team will be working closely with TSTC to provide challenge and monitor improvements over the coming months and have arranged a series of meetings with parents this week.

Over 85% of our city’s schools are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, and I am confident that by working together with TSTC, the school can improve and return to the ‘Good’ status that will deliver the best outcomes for its students.

 

25.Traffic Accidents

 

Question from Councillor J. Baillie to Councillor Rayment

 

There have recently been several serious traffic incidents around the crossing of Spring Road and Station ?Road. What will the Council be doing to prevent these incidents from happening?

 

Answer

 

This site was the number one injury accident cluster site in 2011-12 based upon the 3 previous years data records.  The resulting engineering works were to widen the footway along the western side of Spring Road to improve visibility for drivers existing Station Road. Prior to these works there were 18 accidents in 3 years (6, 7, and 5 respectively). Since the works injury accidents have dropped significantly with 7 for the most recent three year period 2013-2015.

Given these improvements, there is no scheme on the safety programme again and no further works are planned at this time.  Naturally this site will remain to be monitored and should the three year rolling average highlight this site again it will be looked at.

 

26.Public Access

 

Question from Councillor Houghton to Councillor Letts

 

Waterfront access in Southampton has always been limited and the benefit of increasing public access has long been recognised as a very good thing. With this in mind, does the Executive consider more should be done to ensure that where we have opportunities to increase public access this should be a non-negotiable aspect of significant new developments?

 

Answer

 

Improving waterfront access where possible is an important component of new development schemes and this continues to be sought from developers. The guiding principle for this is set out in the Council’s adopted planning policy. Specifically Core Strategy Policy CS12 promotes public waterside access across the city by saying:

 

“As a maritime city, links with the waterfront help to define the relationship between the city, its rivers and the sea and safeguard the city’s seaport character.

Development on waterfront sites should, where appropriate, achieve greater integration between the city and its waterfront through

1.  Improving the physical connections to and from the waterfront including provision of well designed, attractive and safe public access to the waterfront; and

2.  Preserving key views of the water and maritime activity from the city and re-providing key views which have been lost.

Incorporation of additional public access might be considered inappropriate where it would damage the business interests of the occupiers of waterfront employment sites, would compromise safety or where additional public access might conflict with nature conservation objectives …”

This policy reconciles the balance needed to help make decisions regarding waterfront access and the need to take a range of statutory consultees views into account. For these reasons it would therefore not be appropriate to make it non-negotiable but the Council is taking a robust stance in ensuring compliance with the policy.

 

27.Flower Beds and Planters

 

Question from Councillor Houghton to Councillor Rayment

 

In most public realm improvement schemes across the city we look to enhance areas with the creation of flower beds and planters. Unfortunately, once these are in place, they can quickly look neglected due to the level of maintenance required. As such, would the executive consider looking at the concept stage more carefully for schemes like this to ensure the maintenance required is minimal and the council have the resources to maintain additional planting?

 

Answer

 

Although early concept designs for public realm do include collaboration with the Parks and Street Cleansing teams and other interested parties to ensure the maintenance implications of any new landscaping are carefully considered, we are always looking to improve our processes and are happy to revisit our consultation stage to ensure that the best schemes can be designed for the future. This has already been demonstrated in areas such as Station Quarter North, where a focus has been on a mix of quality tree species and low level planting in the form of grasses and box hedging.

 

 

28.Bitterne Precinct

 

Question from Councillor Laurent to Councillor Rayment

 

With regard to Bitterne Precinct, I am aware that there is a grant for a feasibility study for the precinct.  However, in the meantime residents complain about:- the paving slabs; the toilets in a dreadful state; the amount of litter and rats as a result, especially near bins and drinking alcohol in the precinct. 

 

Please can the Member tell me what plans or action are in place to rectify this?  Also is the CCTV live, as a resident was mugged in 2015?

 

Answer

 

The Administration recognises the importance of Bitterne Precinct as a key district shopping centre and a hub for the community. We are funding a significant investment in a scheme to remove the poor quality paving and fully re-surface the whole of Bitterne Precinct. Improvements to ‘street furniture’, which may include works to items such as bins, benches and planters, may be included but final decisions on the exact details are yet to be made.

This scheme is being designed at present with the works anticipated to start in this calendar year. In parallel, we are also considering longer term options and strategies to help revitalise the precinct to ensure that it thrives in future.

The CCTV in the area is working and is actively monitored.