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My Ref: IG-14698 Your Ref: Contact: Freedom of Information Team Email: [email protected] Freedom of Information Team Information Compliance Legal & Governance 2nd Floor Loxley House Station Street Nottingham Requester NG2 3NG At contact address specified for request number above Tel: 0115 876 4376 Email: [email protected] www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk 26 March 2021 Dear Requester Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) The council has considered your request which was received on 26 February 2021 and our response to your questions is shown below. This week new barriers were installed at Park Road / Lenton Road on the Lenton / Park Estate boundary. I’d like to seek the information you have on how these came to be installed please. The barriers were installed following complaints from the Park Estate, neighbouring residents and other users of this path linking Park Road with Lenton Road. The path is at the boundary of the Castle and Lenton and Wollaton East wards. These complaints have been ongoing since September 2019. Following the initial complaints officers carried out site observations and discussed the proposals with the Council’s Rights of Way Officer. It is also worth bearing in mind that this path is not public highway or a legal cycle route, it is designated a public footpath and is part of the Park Estate. Cyclist have permission to use the path from the owners, The Park Estate Limited. This does not include motorbikes or mopeds. The Council’s primary objective here was to safeguard the legal users of the public footpath, i.e. pedestrians. Section 63 of the Highway Act empowers the Highway Authority to use means such as barriers to protect persons using the highway. In response to the specific questions you raise, please see below: Please could you provide the following or a refusal notice: 1. The formal decision that was made to install the barriers, and any attached reports/annexes/etc. Please find attached copies of the consultation letters posted 100m either side of the path in the Lenton and Wollaton East and Castle wards. These letters were also delivered by hand to local residents, the Lenton Drives Residents Ass (LNDRA) and the Lenton Centre. The formal decision was taken at the Castle, Hyson Green & Arboretum and Radford Area Committee in September 2020. The link to the meetings showing approval for this scheme is available below and can be found under item 10: https://committee.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=963&MId=8665& Ver=4 2. The cost of the installation to the council, if not included in the decision. See response to question 1 which includes the estimated cost for the installation of the barrier rails. 3. Any Equality Impact Assessments or similar reports that have been carried out. No equality impact assessment was needed as the design complies with all Council standards and policies – see point 5 below. 4. Any discussions that were had leading up to the decision, including representations from people outside of the council and internal council discussions. Concerns were raised both with the Council and with Nottingham Park Estate Limited regarding pedestrian safety when using the footpath between Lenton Road and Park Road. Cyclists and takeaway delivery mopeds were using this footpath as a shortcut and did so occasionally at speed. Police enforcement had little effect in deterring speeding mopeds. A bollard was previously installed to little effect on the Park Road side of the path. Railing was also previously installed on the Lenton Road side of the path to ensure pedestrians do not inadvertently walk onto the path, and into the path of speeding cyclists and mopeds. Observations made by an officer which confirmed that these measures had very little effect on cyclist/moped behaviour. The Council’s Rights of Way Officer also had a discussion with Deliveroo with reference to the speeding delivery drivers. ‘No motorcycle’ signs were also erected at the entrance to the path. With agreement from Nottingham Park Estate Limited (landowner for the footpath), the council proposed a scheme to reduce the speed of two wheeled vehicles using this path but which maintained access for disabled users relying on mobility aids. 5. Information that was produced per the requirements in the council’s 2012 Barriers on Rights of Way policy[1], policies BP1-BP8. [1] https://documents.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/download/6004 The design complies with the Council’s 2012 Barriers on Rights of Way policies. This is a document that was widely consulted on with a number of partners including disability groups before being adopted by the Council for the purpose of installing barriers on footpaths. The Council guide complies with the Department of Transport’s 2002 guide on Inclusive Mobility. You are free to use any information supplied for your own personal use. If the information provided is marked as published under an Open Government Licence you are free to reuse it, subject to the licence terms. However, if the information is not published under an Open Government Licence and you wish to reuse it, for example, by publishing the information or issuing copies to the public you are required to request permission for re-use of this information under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 (RPSI). Your RPSI request must be in writing and include your name and address for correspondence, and specify the information you want to re-use and the purpose you intend to use it for. If you are unhappy with the response provided or with the handling of your request, you can ask for an internal review in writing stating the reasons for your dissatisfaction. Your request for an internal review should be made to the council within forty working days of the date of this letter. Please quote reference IG-14698 in all communications. You can contact the Freedom of Information Team either by email: [email protected] or writing to the Freedom of Information Team, Information Compliance, Legal & Governance, 2nd Floor, Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG. If you remain unhappy after receiving the response to your initial complaint you can request an independent review from the Information Commissioner's Office at FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. You may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office by telephone on 01625 545745 or by email at [email protected]. Yours sincerely Freedom of Information Team Legal & Governance Nottingham City Council .