Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Reid and Scott.

Minutes of the meeting of the Petitions Committee, held on 27 October 2022, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Petitions Committee held on Wednesday, 27 October 2022, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

4.1      Petition Against On-Going Planning Issues of Pedestrian Safety and Access to Local Services at Arcot Manor/The Fairways, Cramlington

To receive an update on the agreed outcomes from the meeting on 27 October 2022 which considered the petition from residents of Arcot Manor / The Fairways in respect of ongoing planning issues.

The Petitions Committee received an update on the petition received from residents of Arcot Manor/The Fairways in respect of on-going planning issues.  (A copy of the report is enclosed with the signed minutes).

Judith Murphy, Development Management Area Manager (South East) provided a brief summary of the petition which related to the lack of pedestrian or cycle access to local services with no safe crossing point across Fisher Lane, which residents felt was dangerous and poorly designed.

Under the terms of the Section 106 agreement, the developers were obliged to undertake certain actions when trigger points were reached.  With regard to the pedestrian link between the development and Beacon Lane, this was not required until 800 houses were occupied, and they were therefore not in breach of the Section 106 agreement.

She provided the following update on actions since the meeting on 27 October 2022:

·        Discussions had been held with Persimmon and had been positive although access for residents could not be given on the site where construction was ongoing.

·        Stage 1 and 2 road safety audits had been undertaken in May 2014, April 2015, October 2015 with a stage 3 audit in July 2019.  These had resulted in amendments to the road network in that area including an extension of the 50mph to the south of the access roundabout to the development.

·        It was reported that there had been a minor collision recorded in January 2019 to the north of the roundabout but outside of the scope of the roundabout works and no collisions at the roundabout since July 2019.

·        Highways did not have any safety concern as the requirements of the road safety audits had been met and the engineers considered that the signage for the area was appropriate.  However, they would reassess whether additional signage was required, including pedestrian crossing lights and signage.  Chevrons had also been added to deter overtaking on the roundabout.  All of the issues raised by residents had been considered as part of the previous road safety audits and construction of the roundabout and pedestrian access to the bus stops which were in accordance with highways regulations and deemed to be safe.

·        Options had been explored to create a footpath link to the north of the estate which would come out near to Azure Garden Centre on land owned by the council.  This would be explored further if Members supported the proposal, although clarification of how this would be funded was being sought from the Interim Director of Planning and Local Services and Strategic Estates Manager.

The following comments were made by members:

·        A temporary footpath on council land should be created as soon as possible so residents could more easily access the town centre with connections to established routes.

·        There were legacy issues with a number of developments around the county.

·        If there were any ‘heras type’ fencing on council land, it should be removed so the residents could cross the field if they wanted.  The local member commented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday, 27 April 2023 at 2.00 p.m.

The next meeting would be held on Thursday 27 April 2023 at 2.00 p.m.