Issue - meetings

The General Licensing Committee, at its meeting on 16 November 2017, will consider the report of the interim head of waste, parks, leisure and environmental health on the draft Low Emission Strategy for South Oxfordshire District Council.

The report of the interim head of waste, parks, leisure and environmental health, which the General Licensing Committee will consider, is attached.

The recommendations of the General Licensing Committee will be circulated to all councillors.

Council considered the recommendations of the General Licensing Committee, made at its meeting on 16 November 2017, on the draft Low Emission Strategy for South Oxfordshire District Council. The recommendations of the General Licensing Committee were circulated to all councillors following the meeting and were before councillors at this meeting.

Dr Wyatt and Mr Pannett addressed Council. Both raised concern that the recommendations of the General Licensing Committee did not reflect the committee’s discussion or final decision. In their view the committee discussed at length the need to undertake further modelling and analysis of the proposed transport measures and not the viability of trials. This point is clearly set out in the report of the interim head of waste, parks, leisure and environmental health considered by the General Licensing Committee.

David Dodds, Chairman of the General Licensing Committee, agreed with the views expressed by the speakers and moved the following motion, seconded by Paul Harrison:

1.    To approve the Low Emission Strategy that includes the modelling and analysis of the proposed transport measures identified in Wallingford and Watlington.

2.  To authorise the head of service with responsibility for environmental health to make any minor amendments to the strategy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for environmental health and the Chairman of the General Licensing Committee.

Members of the General Licensing Committee supported the wording of the motion which reflected the sentiment of the meeting held on 16 November. The adoption of the strategy would allow the council to explore the feasibility of the options. After exploring the feasibility, it would be possible to consider viable options and consult further with facts and evidence to support these.

Officers confirmed that before implementation the proposals will be fully evaluated and a report including the results would be presented to the General Licensing Committee for a final decision on any permanent implementation.

A number of councillors expressed concern at the lack of measures to address air quality issues in Henley and were hopeful that the further modelling would bring forward options.

RESOLVED: to

1.    approve the Low Emission Strategy that includes the modelling and analysis of the proposed transport measures identified in Wallingford and Watlington.

2.  authorise the head of service with responsibility for environmental health to make any minor amendments to the strategy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for environmental health and the Chairman of the General Licensing Committee.

To consider the report of the interim head of waste, leisure parks and environmental health (attached).

The committee considered a report by the head of waste, parks, leisure and environmental health, regarding a draft low emission strategy (LES) for South Oxfordshire.  The report stated that the Environment Act 1995 placed a statutory duty on local authorities to review and assess local air quality and included a requirement to prepare and implement an air quality action plan (AQAP) where air quality objectives were not being met.

The committee adopted its AQAP in February 2015. Actions within the plan included the development of a LES and three low emission zone feasibility studies.

The committee had delegated authority to deal with air quality issues.  However, Council on 20 July 2017 considered a petition objecting to one of the proposals in the draft LES, the restriction of traffic to buses only over Wallingford Bridge during peak travel times, and resolved that recommendations from the committee should come back to full Council for further debate and ratification.

Attached, as appendices to the report, were the draft LES and summaries of the public consultation exercises which had been undertaken, together with the text of the relevant minute from the 20 July Council meeting.

Guy Hitchcock, Ricardo-AEA and David Chong-Ping, MEL Research made presentations to the committee on the draft LES and the consultation exercises, respectively.

The report identified two proposals in the draft LES which had attracted a lot of comment. The first was to investigate the restriction of traffic to buses only over Wallingford Bridge during peak travel times; the second was to trial the removal of on-street parking in areas of Watlington. The committee heard registered speakers as part of its consideration of each key issue.

Wallingford

Len Pannett, Diane Wyatt, lead petitioner, Adrian Lloyd and Lee Upcraft, Wallingford Town Councillors and Andrew Wyatt addressed the committee. Their points included:

·         Restricting traffic across Wallingford Bridge would simply divert traffic elsewhere and would not improve air quality significantly;

·         Other areas of Wallingford were also polluted so additional measures were required elsewhere;

·         It was not clear how the effects of the proposal would be monitored; and

·         Further traffic modelling and analysis were required before any measures were trialled.

Lynda Atkins, County Councillor for Wallingford, addressed the committee. Her points included:

·         The 2016 public consultation exercise appeared to be biased as residents in some of the affected Wallingford streets and Crowmarsh residents were not surveyed; and

·         The number of people supporting the proposal to restrict traffic across Wallingford Bridge were greatly outnumbered by the 1806 signatories to the petition objecting to this proposal.

Sue Roberts, representing Sustainable Wallingford, addressed the committee. Her points included:

·         The Council’s efforts to improve air quality should be applauded; and

·         Planning permission had been granted for additional housing in Wallingford with further developments proposed. These would generate additional traffic and would require further measures to reduce pollution.

In response to these comments, Councillors, officers and consultants:

·         Acknowledged that any restriction of vehicular access to the bridge would divert traffic elsewhere;

·         Agreed that, if the draft  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15