Meetings

Meeting Details

Environment Committee
12 Sep 2016 - 18:30 to 19:45
Occurred
  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Standard Items
1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
To receive any apologies for absence. 


1

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jones and Weymouth.

 

 

2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

You have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter to be discussed if it relates to something on your Register of Interests form. You must declare the interest and leave the room while the matter is dealt with.

You have a Personal Interest in a matter to be discussed if it affects
•    your well being or financial position
•    that of your family or close friends
•    that of a club or society in which you have a management role
•    that of another public body of which you are a member to a greater extent than others in your ward.
You must declare a personal interest but can speak and vote on the matter.

Whenever you declare an interest you must say why the interest arises, so that it can be included in the minutes. 

2

 

There were no Declarations of Interest.

 

 

3 pdf MINUTES (94Kb)

 

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 20 July 2016.

 

 

3

 

The minutes of the meeting held on the 20 July 2016 were confirmed.

 

 

4 MATTERS ARISING
To consider any matters arising from the above minutes.

4

 

With regard to the item in respect of the Air Quality Status Report, the Group Manager, Environmental Services reported that the diffusion tubes as discussed at the last meeting would be located when the tubes are next changed which should be in about two weeks time.

 

 

5 pdf DOG CONTROLS (241Kb)

 

Report attached.

 

 

5

 

The Committee considered the Senior Environmental Ranger's report which provided Members with details about a review being carried out of dog control measures within the Borough with a view to consolidating existing bylaws and designation orders along with any new requirements under a single Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

 

The Senior Environmental Ranger reported that a review of dog control measures across the Borough had been undertaken with a view to updates bylaws and controls many of which were created in the 1980's. The new controls will be regulated under the recently introduced Anti Social Behaviour, Crime And Policing Act 2014. Initial consultation has been carried out internally with Officers, Management and Councillors and externally with Parish Councils and a number of land owners as to what control measures are felt are required on publicly accessible land across the Borough. These proposals had been collated into a draft PSPO, and as part of the legal process to implement a PSPO public consultation must be carried out to provide the opportunity for comment and views on the proposals. Furthermore, the Senior Environmental Ranger had recently attended a workshop at Barking and Dagenham Council who had carried out a trial of using DNA sampling to help address the issue of dog fouling.

 

In discussing the report Members raised queries on the sites that had been identified which currently have no Borough Council control measures in place but for which Environmental Services had received a proposal. A Member commented that there was a need to advise the public aswell as where dogs should be kept on a lead where dogs can be exercised off the lead. A Member also commented that the Council should not take on the responsibility for enforcement of the provisions on privately owned land.

 

The Committee recorded their thanks and appreciation to the work carried out by the Environmental Rangers throughout the Borough.

 

RESOLVED :

 

(1) That approval be given to the consolidation of dog control legislation within the Borough into a new PSPO as detailed in the Senior Environmental Ranger's report.

 

(2) To agree to the methodology of the public consultation as detailed in the Senior Environmental Ranger's report.

 

(3) To agree that following the public consultation the final draft version of the PSPO will be brought back to the Environment Committee for ratification.

 

(4) To agree that for the present time the Council will not pursue the issue around DNA testing on dog faeces.

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

6

 

The Committee considered the Director of Customer Services report which gave Members an update on the current performance of Environment Committee measures for the first quarter of 2016 / 17 (April to June) where progress has been assessed against targets which had been set at the start of the financial year.

 

RESOLVED :

 

That all measures be monitored during the next quarter.

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

7

 

The Committee considered the Group Manager, Environmental Services report which advised Members of the proposed arrangements to improve the system of collection of the annual renewal of residents subscriptions to the Council's garden waste collection service. The report requested Committee to endorse Executive Management Team's recommendation for the release of £17,400 from the Council's Spend To Save budget to enable the purchase of a software system to handle the proposed arrangements.

 

RESOLVED :

 

That the Group Manager Environmental Services report be noted, and that the Committee endorse the decision made by Executive Management Team that £17,400 be used from the Spend To Save for the initial up front cost to purchase the Bartec System.

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

8

 

The Committee considered the Director of Customer Services report which informed Members of the current position with the A12 Highway England roundabouts and asked Members to consider possible options for their future maintenance provision.

 

The Director of Customer Services reminded the Committee that Highways England currently maintains the roundabouts at Hopton, Gorleston Beacon Park, Middleton Road, Victoria Road and Harfreys industrial Estate. The roundabouts at Gapton Hall Industrial Estate and Vauxhall roundabout are maintained through the joint venture contract with GYB Services. Highways England had acknowledged in September 2015 that the condition of the roundabouts was poor and had agreed a range of works to improve the locations bringing them back up to the Highway England defined standard. This work originally due to be undertaken in November 2015 did not take place until February 2016. Since the work in February minimal works have been undertaken on the five Highway England roundabouts the result being that again all are in poor condition and confirmation has been received that no further work is anticipated to be undertaken on any of these roundabouts until September / October 2016.

 

The Director of Customer Services reported that Highways England had outlined an option for the Council to take over the management and maintenance of the five roundabouts which would be based on a Section 142 Licence Agreement. The Director of Customer Services referred to the work that needed to be undertaken to the roundabouts and on the issue of equipment being able to access the roundabouts to carry out the necessary works.

 

RESOLVED :

 

(1) That approval be given to progress negotiations with Highways England towards a Section 142 Agreement.

 

(2) To identify options to mitigate additional costs through Private Sector funding.

 

 

9 EXTRA WORKS UPDATE

 

An update will be given at the meeting.

 

 

9

 

The Director of Customer Services reminded the Committee that Norse had agreed to provide extra funding for a 4 week period to undertake extra works throughout the Borough. The Director of GYB Services reported that this 4 week period had been extended for a further 2 weeks.

 

The Committee also considered a power point presentation from the Senior Environmental Ranger which identified the monitoring that had been undertaken to the extra works that had been carried out throughout the Borough.

 

The Director of GYB Services reported that the 4 week operation known as "Sparkle" had finished and that GYB Services had now caught up as to where they should be with the level of work to be carried out, and all issues had been brought up to the required standard.

 

A Member stated that there were still some areas in the Borough that required attention and the Chairman suggested that individual Councillors should approach GYB Services direct with any current issues they may have.

 

RESOLVED :

 

That the report with regard to the extra works update be received and that any individual Councillors who have particular issues in their wards should contact GYB Services direct with their issues.

 

 

10 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
To consider any other business as may be determined by the Chairman of the meeting as being of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration.

VISIT TO RECYCLING FACILITY IN NORWICH
10

 

The Group Manager, Environmental Services reported that he had arranged for up to nine Members to visit the recycling facility in Norwich on Tuesday 29 November. The Group Manager would be writing to Members to indicate whether they wished to attend this visit.

 

 

Attendance

Name
No other member attendance information has been recorded for the meeting.
NameReason for Sending ApologySubstituted By
James Bensly  
Rachel Jones Kay Grey
Shirley Weymouth  
NameReason for AbsenceSubstituted By
No absentee information has been recorded for the meeting.

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.

Visitors

PRESENT :

 

Councillor Smith (in the Chair); Councillors Annison, Fairhead, Hacon, Hanton, Grant, Pratt, Walch, Waters-Bunn and Wright

 

Councillor K Grey attended as a substitute for Councillor Jones

 

Mrs J Beck (Director of Customer Services), Mr G Buck (Group Manager, Environmental Services), Mr R Hodds (Corporate Governance Manager), Mr P Shucksmith (Senior Environmental Ranger) and Mrs N Holden (Director GYB Services).

 

 

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