Agenda Item 2 North Coast Area Committee 2 November 2011

LARGS, 2 November 2011 - At a Meeting of the North Coast Area Committee of North Council at 2.00 p.m.

Present Alan Hill, Alex Gallagher.

In Attendance O. Clayton, Head of Community Care and Housing and M. Harkis, Senior Manager Community Care Strategy and C. Forsyth, Assistant Transportation Manager (Finance and Infrastructure); B. Anderson, Performance/Grants Information Officer (Community Development) (Education and Skills); K. Dyson, Communications Officer and A. Little, Committee Services Officer (Chief Executive's Service). Also In Attendance P. Roach, Site Manager and R. Foxhall (Hunterston 'A'); Inspector A. Clark and Sgt A. McGrath (Strathclyde Police); J. Trench, (WRVS). Chair Councillor Hill in the Chair. Apologies for Absence Elisabethe Marshall and Robert Rae.

1. Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations of interest by Members in terms of Standing Order 16.

2. Minutes

The Minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee held on 21 September 2011 were signed in accordance with Paragraph 7 (1) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government () Act 1973.

3. Strathclyde Police

Submitted report by Strathclyde Police on activities in the Committee's area in September 2011.

Inspector Clark provided information in relation to:-

Page 1  an increase in the number of assaults overall, and in particular in and Cumbrae as a result of major local events during the reporting period;  a recent change in legislation that has affected the categorisation of offences such as Breach of the Peace and Threatening/Abusive Behaviour offences, and influenced the statistical information.

Noted.

4. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue

Submitted report by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue on activities and incidents in the Committee's area.

Noted.

5. Community Development Grant Scheme and Local Youth Action Fund: Applications for Financial Assistance

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Education and Skills) on applications for financial assistance received with regard to the Community Development Grant Scheme and Local Youth Action Fund.

The Committee agreed to make the following awards:-

Community Development Grant Scheme Organisation Amount Fairlie Community Association £800 (from the Local Youth Action Fund) Gaelic Choir £900 Largs Club for the Visually Impaired £763.70

Local Youth Action Fund Organisation Amount Helter Skelter Teenage Cafe/Club £1,539

6. Corporate Grants to Elderly Groups

Submitted report by the Chief Executive on the distribution of Corporate Grants for Elderly Groups within its area in 2011/12.

The Committee agreed (a) to approve the award of the second instalment of the Elderly Grants; and (b) that Skelmorlie Senior Citizen's Group be awarded the funds of £1,020, previously allocated to the disbanded Skelmorlie Darby and Joan Club, on the receipt of a satisfactory application for Christmas activities for the elderly in Skelmorlie.

Page 2 7. Traffic Management

Submitted report by the Corporate Director (Finance and Infrastructure) on:-

7.1 Flooding Event in Fairlie: 10 August 2011

At the North Coast Area Committee meeting held on 21 September 2011 the Committee requested that Infrastructure and Design Services prepare a report on the flooding event that occurred in Fairlie.

The report provided details of the localised flooding that created significant problems on the A78 Trunk Road, main Glasgow-Largs rail line, Keppenburn and the Kelburn Avenue area of Fairlie on 10 August 2011. An illustration of the site locations was provided at Appendix 1 to the report. Appendix 2 to the report provided photographs depicting the flooding.

Flooding at the A78 trunk road and rail line was due to silt which was dislodged from already vulnerable watercourse beds higher up in the Kelburn Estate which were scoured during a previous flooding event in September 2010. The silt blocked the culvert under the rail line and Network Raid operatives cleared the culvert. The flood at the culvert at Keppenburn was again caused by silt which got blocked within the pipe due to the fact that Scottish Gas had previously installed a gas main through the culvert which reduced the capacity of the pipe to carry water. This fault has since been repaired.

North Ayrshire Council chaired a technical meeting with representatives from RES-Ltd., Network Rail, Amey Highways, Transport Scotland, Kelburn Estate, SEPA to discuss the possible causes of the flooding and potential solutions. The meeting considered that in respect of the A78, a visual survey and CCTV survey should be carried out from the east side of the A78 culvert to the discharge point in the . Based on the findings of this study, a hydraulic check should then be carried out to assess the capacity of the culvert under the A78 Trunk Road, Network Rail track and small private housing estate. Where necessary, work to upgrade sections of the culvert should be carried out. This work should be funded proportionately between all parties involved. The Council will write to all parties with this recommendation but it would be for others to take the lead to carry out this work as the flooding event at this location predominantly affects assets that are not owned or maintained by the Council.

At Keppenburn, Scottish Gas has subsequently diverted the gas pipe from the culverted watercourse, and all debris and mud has been cleared from the culvert, watercourse and road drainage systems in order to maximise the system capacity. No further actions are considered necessary.

Page 3 Members asked questions and were provided with information in relation to:-

 Insurance liability for residents affected by flooding at Keppenburn;  The preparation of a flood prevention plan for the east part of Gogo Street; and  Responsibility for the maintenance of the Gogo Water and any associated retaining walls/banking etc will likely fall to the individual landowners fronting the watercourse.

Noted.

7.2 Innes Park Road, Skelmorlie: Proposed One-Way Traffic Management Scheme

At its meeting on 21 September 2011, the North Coast Area Committee requested a report on the possible introduction of a one-way traffic management scheme in Innes Park Road, Skelmorlie.

Innes Park Road is a residential road located at the north end of Skelmorlie, serving residential properties, and access to Skelmorlie Primary School and a fire station. There is a regular bus service on the road. The majority of the properties in this street do not have off-street car parking provision, and parking problems have developed both in the vicinity of the primary school and at certain locations within the street. Traffic conflict problems and safety concerns have also been created by the level of on-street parking.

Appendix 1 to the report provided an illustration of the scheme designed to create lay-by parking on Innes Park Road in the vicinity of the primary school and within Toward View, close to the fire station, to help to address congestion problems. Appendix 2 illustrated the one-way traffic operation, incorporating traffic calming measures, within part of Innes Park Road.

Residents were consulted on the proposals and of the 38 returns received by the specified date, 28 were in favour of the proposal while 10 were against the proposal. While there is a large majority in favour of such a proposal, several residents are concerned at the loss of parking caused by the traffic calming measures. Strathclyde Police have been consulted informally on the proposal and advised that physical speed reduction measures within the street would assist in the prevention of speeding.

A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will be required in order to introduce a one-way traffic operation.

Page 4 Members asked questions and were provided with information in relation to the proposed traffic calming measures.

The Committee agreed to instruct the Corporate Director (Finance and Infrastructure) to commence the process to (i) promote a Traffic Regulation Order to introduce a one-way traffic management scheme in Innes Park Road; (ii) re-examine the number of traffic calming measures required; and (iii) if no objections are received, take steps to implement the scheme as funding becomes available from the Roads budget.

8. Hunterston

The Committee received a presentation from the Site Manager on funding and the future plans for Hunterston. The presentation provided information in respect of:-

 The Decommissioning overview;  Safety and Environmental Performance;  HNA 5 major decommissioning projects that includes Solid Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Retrieval Project; Wet ILW Retrieval; Ponds Decommissioning, Periodic Safety Review (PSR) and Graphite Pathfinder Project (GPP);  Strategic Issues Facing Hunterston A Site;  Headlines at October 2011; and  Funding.

Members asked questions and were provided with the undernoted information:-

 The halt of the Graphite Pathfinder Project for a near-surface disposal facility at Hunterston A Site;  The use of the storage facilities by sites other than Hunterston; and  Nuclear Decommissioning Authority funding of £10m across the UK sites for socio-economic projects.

Noted.

9. Meals at Home Service

The Head of Community Care and Housing and the Senior Manager Community Care Strategy provided information in relation to changes in the Meals at Home Service.

Page 5 A review of the meals service was undertaken in 2010 which highlighted a number of issues relating to choice, availability and health and safety. These included that in some areas the current service was not available at weekends or public holidays, that the range of food that could be delivered was limited and the delivery time could only be during the day. A new Meals at Home Service was introduced in Largs and for hospital discharges following a joint tendering exercise with Council. Feedback from service users was positive on the range and quality of the meals provided. On 2 August 2011, the Executive agreed to roll the service out across .

The Meals at Home Service will ensure the availability of meals across the whole of North Ayrshire 365 days a year, providing a choice of meals for service users, and more flexibility around delivery times. Service users are able to choose what they would like to eat from a broad menu range, with provision for vegetarians, accommodate special diets (such as gluten free) and/or ethnic meals service. Allowing service users to have their meal delivered at a time convenient to them is important for health and safety reasons as it prevents service users reheating meals where this may not be advisable. A freezer and microwave is provided in each person's home to ensure that the meals are stored and heated correctly.

Where it is identified that service users need additional support, services will be made available within the scope of the Eligibility Criteria.

Members asked questions and received further information in respect of:-

 Work by the Council and other agencies to prevent social isolation of older people;  Consultation undertaken in January 2012 with service users and focus groups;  The ongoing role of the WRVS in the provision of lunch clubs for older people; and  The provision of a freezer and microwave, and repair service if required, at no charge to the service user.

Noted.

10. North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Board: Minutes of Meeting held on 15 September 2011

Submitted report by the Chief Executive on the Minutes of the Meeting of the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Board held on 15 September 2011.

Noted.

The meeting ended at 4.05 p.m.

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