STATE OF THE AREA DEBATE
REPORT of the State of the Area Debate held on
13th June, 2007 at The Paget Rooms, Penarth.
Present:
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Councillor A.C. Williams
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(Mayor) - Vale of Glamorgan Council
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Councillor Ms. M.E. Alexander
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(Leader) - Vale of Glamorgan Council
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Councillor N. Moore
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(Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member Finance, ICT
and Property) - Vale of Glamorgan Council
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Councillor R.F. Curtis
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(Cabinet Member Visible and Building
Services)
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Councillor N.J. Gibbs
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(Cabinet Member Education and Lifelong
Learning)
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Councillor G. John
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(Cabinet Member Leisure and Tourism)
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Councillor C.J. Williams
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Councillor Mrs. V.M. Hartrey
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(Cabinet Member Legal and Public
Protection)
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Councillor Mrs M. Randall
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(Cabinet Member Human Resources)
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Councillors Mrs. M.E.J. Birch, Mrs R.M.
Birch, A.M. Ernest, Mrs. M. Kelly Owen, C.L. Osborne,
S.T. Wiliam, and M.R. Wilson
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The Mayor welcomed all present, and noted that
the audience numbers were less than the previous year, but thanked
all those for coming. Councillor N. Moore, Deputy
Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, also welcomed those
present and advised on the format for the evening. He stated
that the composition of the Cabinet of the Council had, in December
2006, changed and it had been decided to adopt a fresh approach to
the conduct of the State of the Area Debates with local residents
being instrumental in drawing up the agenda. He advised that
the public had been circulated with a questionnaire in which they
were asked “what would you like to talk about at the State of
the Area Debate”. The responses had been compiled and the top three
topics identified for Penarth had been : Roads and Traffic, Waste
and Recycling, School and Education. He advised that a period
of 30 minutes would be devoted to each of the three topics
following which a general question and answer session would then be
held. Should there be insufficient time for all questions to
be answered, members of the audience would be requested to complete
questionnaires and deposit them in a box at the rear of the room
whereupon written answers would be provided in due course.
Roads and Traffic
Survey responses had indicated the following
topics to be of particular interest to the people of Penarth:
·
overgrown road verge in Redlands Road
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bad state of roads and pavements - potholes
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more road sweepers and street cleaning required
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lane clearance
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footpaths
·
parking and speed restrictions
·
cycle routes in general and specifically routes into Cardiff
·
bridge cyclists and pedestrians to International Sports Village
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traffic calming measures
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the new crossroads at Barons Court.
Councillor Curtis referred to a £300m backlog
of repairs in Wales, £15m had been allocated by the Welsh Assembly
Government throughout Wales and the Vale would receive £582k.
The audience was advised that a recent survey by WAG had classed
the Vale of Glamorgan Council as being one of the best in Wales for
the state of the highways in the area. He further advised that the
budget to be allocated by the Vale for repairs would be £660k. as
opposed to £430k. in the previous year. In respect of
overgrown verges he advised that there was a working cycle in order
to deal with the issue and that there were 8 cuts in the rural area
per year and 8 cuts in Barry and Penarth per year. For road
sweeping and street cleaning Councillor Curtis referred to the fact
that it was about education to ensure that those who drop the
litter are aware of the problems it causes. For lane
clearances, these were cleared on a reactive basis but he urged the
public to advise officers if there were any problem areas. In
respect of parking and speed restrictions the Vale of Glamorgan did
not receive funding from the Welsh Assembly for parking and
speed controls only funding for Safe Routes to Schools and Stations
plus in light of recent changes by WAG they would received funding
under safer routes for the Community.
Cycle Routes and Cycle Bridge
The Cabinet fully informed those present that
they were behind the development of the cycle bridge and were
confident that money would be available for the design stage.
Negotiations would be undertaken between Cardiff County Council and
Cardiff Harbour Authority and all members of the public were
reminded that it was cycle week commending 18th June and
that both himself and Councillor C.J. Williams had cycled to work
that day. The Barons Court crossroads had caused undue
pressure for the Penarth area although it had been a Cardiff scheme
and designed for future traffic flows, the Vale had approached the
Welsh Assembly Government to consider relooking at the problems
which the Barons Court roundabout had caused, however WAG had
declined to look at the matter. The following question and
answer session then ensued.
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Question
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Answer
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Mr. D. Goddard, local businessman, referred to
the fact that the traffic lights at the Barons Court Roundabout had
caused considerable problems. He stated that as far as he was
concerned, the problem was going to get worse, no one could live in
the area and run a business because of the problem. Pollution
was also a major significant factor. He stated that his
suppliers would not visit between the hours of 7 and 10 in the
morning because of the traffic congestion and that the traffic
moving issue should be addressed as soon as possible.
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There was general agreement throughout the
Paget Rooms with Mr. Goddard’s comments. The Council was
considering putting Traffic lights by the Tescoe store as a
roundabout in their opinion would not stand the test of time. The
public were also advised that there were no plans to put a
roundabout at the Merrie Harrier but a bus priority area had been
suggested. The officers further advised that the Barons Court
project had not been a Vale of Glamorgan project and the only
control they had was in relation to a highway agreement which
although not perfect would be better for pedestrians and
cyclists.
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Mention was made of the Penarth Heights
development and the traffic and pollution could be caused.
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The officers responded that they were aware of
the feelings locally and when the application would be
considered by the Planning Committee all the facts would be
presented for Members’ consideration. They were currently
monitoring the pollution levels at Barons Court although the
evidence to date, since the contractors had left, had shown that
pollution levels had dropped rather than increased. However
they were again aware that pollution was going to be a concern in
Cogan, particularly when the Penarth Heights development commenced
but that there were ways that the Vale could use to control any
construction traffic. They were also in negotiations with
Cardiff in relation to improved access over the barrage and a
number of other issues.
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Alwyn Evans, Marina and Hall Residents
Association. Mr. Evans stated that he had identified an
alternative route to avoid the Barons Court area which he had
presented to the Vale of Glamorgan Council Planning Department, but
they had never looked at it. He detailed the route as Tescos
to Lovells under Cogan Spur and the railway and to come out at the
roundabout at Penarth Road.
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The officer responded by stating that the
alternative route had been considered although there had
been local land constraints. There was also a technical
detail that had had to be considered thus the proposal had not been
pursued. Mr Evans was further advised that he could receive a
copy of the technical detail for information if he so wished and
was instructed to leave his name and address with officers in
the hall. Councillor Moore also responded by stating that he
understood what the residents were saying and their concerns but
that the Vale had limitations placed on them, it was the
responsibility of Cardiff to complete the barrage and that they
could rest assured the new Cabinet would be chasing Cardiff and
doing the very best they could. The State of the Area debate
was an opportunity for residents to air their grievances and for
the Cabinet to understand exactly what issues were the peoples
priority.
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Mr. Peter King from Llandough pointed out that
as a result of the Barons Court junction traffic was now going
through Llandough and he urged the Cabinet to address the
pedestrian safety issue at Llandough.
Mr. King urged the Cabinet to “put Llandough
Hill on the list”.
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Officers from the Authority responded by
stating that all routes had been looked at and the implications of
all development upon local routes. Transport grant money had
been made available which was geared up to road safety and with the
new introduction of Safe Routes for Communities the restrictions
had been lifted.
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Sandra Book, local resident, applauded the
support for cyclists but stated that she did not feel any more
confident that the bridge would be erected after listening to the
debate and urged the Cabinet to show real commitment.
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Councillor Neil Moore responded by advising
that there was joint working with Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
in respect of the Ely Bridge and to consider what type of bridge
would be required. The Vale was also asking the Cardiff
Harbour Authority to consider assisting and the Cabinet Member,
Chris Williams, responded by stating that he had that day attended
a meeting and was confident that the money would be forthcoming. He
also reiterated Councillor Moore’s statement that joint working
arrangements existed with Cardiff.
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Tom Margraine, cyclist, stated that he was
pleased that the Cabinet was taking their responsibilities for
cyclists seriously and requested that the Council present a
timetable for completion.
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Councillor Moore responded by stating
that the Authority was working with Sustrans, pressure groups
and residents in pursuing the matter and would be pressing
Cardiff County Council to deliver a timetable.
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Waste and Recycling
The particular topics which residents had
wished to discuss under this category were detailed as:
·
litter
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fortnightly rubbish collections
·
information about recycling
·
flytipping.
Councillor Curtis advised that the Council
faced massive challenges in the forthcoming years in respect of
waste collection and recycling. The national target for
recycling was 40% and the Council was completely behind this target
at present. If the Council did not meet the target by the
year 2010 the local authority could be fined by Europe which could
have implications in the long term for the Council tax payer.
He reiterated his comments made at other state of area debates that
the dropping of litter and flytipping were problems for the Vale
and that the department would be focusing on education and
enforcement. He presented the Committee with the
following statistical information for 2006:
litter dropping fixed penalties - 120 had been
issued
warnings for litter dropping - 1,123 had been
made
dog fouling - 11 convictions
warnings for dog fouling - 670.
The survey had also indicated residents
concern with fortnightly waste collections and Councillor Curtis
responded by stating that there were currently no plans at present
for the Vale to introduce fortnightly rubbish collections but that
he was aware that a number of other Councils were considering them.
Councillor Curtis also responded by stating that the Vale was one
of the highest recycling authorities in Wales. He reiterated
that whilst recycling was a national issue and that the public
needed to be fully engaged in the process a number of members of
the public had complained about the fact they had to segregate the
recycling products. It was explained that the current
collection arrangements for recycling were based on the existing
contract. A new contract would run from April 2008 and negotiations
would take place on the terms of that contract which would include
discussions on the introduction of a mixed kerbside recycling
service from that date.
The following question and answer session then
ensued:
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Questions
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Answers
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The Vale of Glamorgan provided a free service
but the publics assistance was also required in order to stop
it. The public were urged to inform the Council when it
happened and we were assured that enforcement action would be
taken.
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Local residents - Is the Council considering
“bring sites” for collecting waste / recycling?
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Bring sites were one of the considerations
that the Council would be looking at. The officer responded
by stating that there was no one solution in dealing with
recycling, the Council needed to encourage more people to
recycle. The Council had recently undertook a survey asking
people for their views on recycling and for example in the
Gibbonsdown area the response was that if there would be a
community benefit they would be prepared to recycle more and
more. The Council had an obligation by 2010 to reach a target
of 40% whereas to date the Council was only reaching a 30%
target. If the target was not met fines from Europe would
result and ultimately that could be a cost to the tax payer in
increasing Council tax.
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Mike Ford, local resident - I understand there
will be fines in the future if the Authority does not meet its
target as indicated by Europe however, for example, we were
informed at one stage that telephone directories were not
acceptable for recycling and not everyone understands what can and
cannot be recycled.
A Local resident also made a plea for more
litter bins in the Penarth Area?
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The Council has information leaflets that
provided details on what was and what was not recyclable that could
be provided to communities.
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Schools and Education
Councillor Gibbs advised that the survey
responses had identified St. Cyres School and education spending as
being of high interest to residents. He further welcomed the
representatives at the meeting from St. Cyres School and advised
that a letter had been set to parents/ guardians which had also
been tabled at the meeting explaining the current situation in
relation to the Council’s School Investment Strategy. He
reaffirmed the priority under the School Investment Strategy with
Cowbridge being first to be built then St. Cyres and then Llantwit
Major. Under current estimates the Council needed £68m in
order to complete the Strategy. Having received consultant
reports advising which schools required to be completed first the
Council confirmed that Cowbridge would be first due to the issues
there. In respect of school funding, the Council had spent
the education spending assessment and under the recent budget
proposals within the Vale schools had been especially protected
whereas other departments had had to realise efficiency savings and
in his opinion the LEA had suffered as a result rather than the
schools themselves.
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Questions
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Answers
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In August / September design consultants would
be appointed and required to bring detailed plans and costings
before the Council. The earliest possible date for St. Cyres
will be 2010 or early 2011 dependant on finance being
available.
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Local resident - Please show some loyalty to
your constituents, please rebuild St. Cyres School now.
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The Council was unable to build the school
now, it had many financial issues to consider and had to be
prudent. The Council had prioritised the School Investment
Strategy as follows:
Cowbridge: 2010
St. Cyres: 2010/11
Llantwit Major: 2011/12
“We will build these schools as soon as we
can.”
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Gwyneth Linguard - leader of gymnastics
group. I would like to know if any funding from NOF was ever
given to Cowbridge for a sports hall.
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Councillor Neil Moore responded by saying that
he was unaware that funding had been granted but he would obtain
the up to date position and inform Mrs. Linguard in writing.
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Mike Ford - how can the Council justify the
sponsorship of a private tutorial firm advertising on its
roundabouts and considered that the Authority might have exceeded
its responsibility in advertising a private concern.
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Partnership arrangements for maintenance
provide income to the Authority, Councillor Moore advised that he
would however relook at the policy.and further advised Mr. Ford
that he would receive a formal response in writing in due
course.
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OPEN MIKE SESSION
After dealing with the topic areas an open
mike session then took place as soon as :-
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Questions
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Answers
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Mark McMillan, Chair of Alexander Ward Residents
Association. Section 106 money that will be received in
respect of the Penarth development could that not be used for the
community in particular to run the play area.
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Any money received under the 106 Agreement
would have to be carefully considered. The officer responded
by stating that there was a large wish list from the monies at
Penarth Heights and the Council had to ensure benefits that
are asked for are linked to the development, in particular in
relation to the links for car users, cyclists, pedestrians and any
community issues, open space, infrastructure, rail, etc. and he
assured the public that the opportunity would not pass without the
Council making the most of it.
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Owen Evans resident – There is a general
feeling that Penarth comes last on the list with the Vale of
Glamorgan Council and local residents want to see action in
Penarth?.
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In relation to the Penarth Headland Link
Councillor Neil Moore confirmed that a report would be presented to
Cabinet shortly detailing the cost of the programme and the
recommendation not to pursue with the development. Councillor
Moore advised that this was due to the fact that the Council had
considerable budget priorities and that there was not enough money
in the budget for the Council to develop the Penarth Headland Link,
in particular with its other priority issues e.g. the School
Investment Strategy. However the Council would be requesting
that officers report on a list of schemes that could be developed
in Penarth and these would all be prioritised in relation to the
whole of the Vale.
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A Local resident put two suggestions forward
to the Cabinet .
1) please promote the
excellent rail service from Cogan although in doing that more car
parking facilities would need to be made available
2) Encourage a boat
service from Penarth to Cardiff. It would be a 10 minute
journey and investing and support this service would seem to be a
very sensible idea. Again, car parking would be required.
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These were duly noted.
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Lobbyist St. Cyres School - I consider you are
scared to spend any money.
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Councillor Moore responded by saying that
Cabinet was not afraid to spend money but they would want to spend
it wisely and there were a number of priorities they had to
consider.
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Local resident - This is the best State of the
Area Debate we have had so far, we have been afforded more of an
opportunity to question you tonight than before.
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At the conclusion of the meeting the Chairman
thanked everybody for attending and was pleased with the comments
that they had been satisfied that their concerns had been heard and
hoped that they had found it a productive evening. She also
assured those present that when information was not able to be
given on the night written responses would be forwarded and
requested that any other comments or questions that members of the
public may have that had not been addressed at the debate be
completed on the appropriate pro-formas that were available within
the room.