WEST LUTON AREA COMMITTEE 29th March 2006 at 7.30 p.m. PRESENT: Councillor Shaw (Chair); Councillors Bailey, Mead, Patten, Roden, Rutstein, Simmons, Stewart and Strange 14 MINUTES (REF: 2.1) Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 19th January 2006 be taken as read, approved as a true record and signed by the Chair. 15 FEEDBACK FROM MINI WARD FORUMS (REF: 6) The Committee were informed of the main issues raised at the Mini Ward Forums:- Challney Ward • Atherstone Road problems with dumped cars being set on fire. • More information needed on the widening of the M1. • Lorries turning doing 3 point turns outside the hospital, signs were required as manoeuvre was dangerous. • Vandalism damage, broken glass and litter in Dunstable Road. • Nuisance motorcycles • Cars using bus lane in Dunstable Road • Litter signs to be placed on all bins in area. Leagrave Ward • Car parking problems outside Moorlands and Pirton Hill Schools. • Parking meters Toddington Road • Untidy condition of former petrol filling station in Oakley Road • Nuisance mini-motorcycles • White lines not completed • Not enough room in cycle lane • Problems with parking at Beechwood Road School • No crossing patrol at Pirton Hill School. Lewsey • Burnt out vehicles in Ravenhill Way • Lamps vandalised in Cedar Close • Oil tanks seeping oil – cleaning needed. • Why can’t the 24 hour Bylaw (as in Houghton Regis) for travellers not be enforced • Posts on access road from swimming pool were down. All the issues raised would be followed up and reported back to the next meeting of the Area Committee. Resolved: (i) That the report on the Feedback From Mini Ward Forums be noted. (ii) The Committee expressed the view that the provision of a School Crossing Patrol at Pirton Hill School was very essential. The School Crossing Patrol at Pirton Hill School to be discussed at the next meeting of the West Luton Area Committee. 16 SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS – COMMUNITY SAFETY UPDATE (REF: 8.1) The Area Community Safety Co-ordinator reported that following on from the Community Safety Plan of the 45 tasks identified, 38 were completed, 7 pending and 2 had failed. The Area Community Safety Co-ordinator reported that the promotion of Street Scene had failed due to the late appointment of the Officer. It was expected that promotion of Street Scene should be in operation in West Luton by December 2006. Resolved: That the report be noted. 17 SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS – COMMUNITY SAFETY POLICE QUESTIONS (REF: 8.2) Members of the Public raised the following questions with the Police Officers present at the meeting. Public Questions Responses from Police Officers Could Police Community Safety The Police Community Safety Officers Officers be given more authority? Can (PCSO’s) role was to work within the these Officers make a “citizens arrest”. Community. They do not have the same powers to enforce the law or level authority as Police Officers, as that was not their role. The PCSO’s can make a “citizens arrest” in the same way as a member of the public. More Police Officers were needed. Can the Police do anything to stop the It can be a problem catching these on-going problem with nuisance moped cyclists, under Section 59 the Police cyclists? had authority to confiscate the mopeds. Has the law changed regarding Parking on the pavement is against the vehicles parking on the pavement? law. Why do the Police not respond to The Police cannot respond to every house burglar alarms? enquiry, as there could be only 16 Police officers available at one time. All 999 telephone calls were passed through to the main switchboard at Kempston. The Officer suggested that members of the public should report any suspicious incidents. A Police Officer informed the West Luton Area Committee that Leagrave Police Station was staffed by volunteers from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm from Monday to Friday. A member of the public stated that incidents that were passed through to Leagrave Police Station were dealt with promptly. 18 PUBLIC QUESTION TIME (REF: 9) A member of the public enquired why the new concessionary bus fare scheme was only available for the Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis area. It was stated that South Bedfordshire District Council’s scheme was more generous. The Portfolio Holder for the Environment explained that all Council’s had to implement off peak free concessionary travel within the local area and that Luton Borough Council was offering residents more than the statutory requirement, but the Government had not given Council’s sufficient funding to pay for the scheme or to extend it further. On some routes outside of the free travel zone a discount would be available. It was the Government’s intention to implement a national scheme for free concessionary travel but this would not be introduced until 2008. Another Member explained to the meeting that for some Sunday services that the Council subsidy was being cut to pay for the free concessionary bus travel. She raised the point that people who lived in the Hockwell Ring area had low car ownership, people who relied upon public transport could not access amenities on a Sunday. She asked if other measures could have been examined rather than cutting the subsidy for Sunday bus services. The Portfolio Holder for the Environment had considered the least worse option to balance the Councils funding of free concessionary bus travel would be to cut the subsidy from Sunday bus services. A Member of the public commented that the £25,000 paid for fencing at Lewsey Park could have been saved if the Council had erected mounds of earth. A member of the public expressed concern that Council tenants were being charged for services they were not receiving. For example the 36 pence per week for estate wardens and the £2.00 per week for cable television. Another member of the public pointed out that the ‘free rent’ weeks had been changed. Instead of tenants receiving two ‘rent free’ weeks together, they were receiving one free week in the spring and one in December. 19 PETITIONS – PARKING PROBLEMS ON BEECHWOOD ROAD (REF: 10) The Road Safety Manager explained that a petition had been received regarding inconsiderate parking associated with Beechwood Primary School. She pointed out that problems concerning parking around schools were identified all around Luton and the whole country. She explained to the Committee that a multi-disciplinary group had been set up that examined ways the problems of inconsiderate congestion outside schools were controlled. A Member enquired whether the Council could put yellow or white lines down the roads to deter parents parking. The Road Safety Manager explained that yellow lines would still permit parents dropping children off at school, but residents would not be able to park themselves on double yellow lines. The Chair suggested that the Police Community Safety Officers, Police Officers and Officers of the Council report what action could be taken to solve the inconsiderate parking problems at Beechwood Road School at the next meeting of West Area Committee. Resolved: (i) That the report be noted. (ii) That the Police Community Safety Officers, Police and Officers of the Council report what action could be taken to solve the inconsiderate parking problems at Beechwood Road School at the next meeting of the West Luton Area Committee. 20 M1 WIDENING UPDATE (REF: 11) Members of the public enquired when the M1 widening scheme was commencing within this area and how long the work would take to complete. The Road Safety Manager explained that the scheme had started between Junctions 10 to 8, the work would take up to two years to complete, and the speed limit had been reduced to 40 mile an hour. The next section of widening would continue between junctions 10 to 13, this scheme was currently being designed and would run on from the first scheme. The Area Committee Support Officer had invited the Highways Agency to the meeting they were unable to attend. It was agreed that a representative be invited to the next meeting of West Luton Area Committee. Resolved: That a representative of the Highways Agency be invited to the next meeting of the West Luton Area Committee to update the public on the widening of the M1. 21 HOSPITAL CAR PARK UPDATE (REF: 12) The Area Committee Support Officer had requested that a representative from the Hospital Trust attend the West Luton Area Committee to outline any progress made regarding the hospital car park. He informed the Committee that there were no further changes to report. He would enquire whether a representative from the Hospital Trust could attend the next meeting of the Committee. A member of the public informed the Committee that plans of the new car park were available to view in the canteen of the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Resolved: That a representative of the Hospital Trust be invited to the next meeting of West Luton Area Committee to update members of the public of the plans for the new car park at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. 22 SECTION 106 AGREEMENT – ELECTROLUX SITE UPDATE (REF: 13) The Head of Planning explained that the Section 106 Agreement had been ‘varied’. In the original Agreement the playing field had been transferred to the Council for five years, Electrolux had given £156,000 for a community building, and the Agreement was due to expire in 2007 unless a community facility was placed on the site by that date. The Council would be obliged to hand the money and land back to Electrolux if no community facility was developed. Under the variation it has now been agreed by Development Control Committee that the money should be refunded to Electrolux, and the Council would retain the land in perpetuity and with a wider range of possible uses.