Agenda and minutes

Venue: New Covenant Church, 506-510 Old Kent Rd, London SE1 5BA

Contact: Gerald Gohler, Constitutional Officer 

Items
Note No. Item

1.

Preliminary business

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1.1

Welcome and introductions

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    Minutes:

    The chair welcomed councillors, members of the public and officers to the meeting.

1.2

Apologies

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    Minutes:

    There were apologies for absence from Councillor Samantha Jury-Dada.

1.3

Disclosure of members' interests and dispensations

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    Minutes:

    There were none.

1.4

Minutes

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    The minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2016 to be agreed as a correct record of the meeting, and signed by the chair.

     

    (Feedback about the health workshops by Councillor Maisie Anderson)

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2016 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the chair.

     

    The chair gave an update about the Crampton Street sorting office, which was going to be moving. Councillors and the Walworth Society were keen to talk to Royal Mail about this further and would be providing another update. In terms of the franchising of the post office in Walworth Road, Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for business, employment and culture, had written to the chief executive of the Post Office to relay the concerns expressed by the community at the community council meeting in June and had requested for her to send someone to a community meeting.

     

    Councillor Maisie Anderson, cabinet member for public health, parks and leisure, thanked people for the feedback they had given at the last meeting. This had been very useful and had been fed into the healthy weight strategy for which there was a big organisational stakeholder event about to be held. There would be a lot of work happening at community level over the coming year.

1.5

Items of business that the Chair deems urgent

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    Minutes:

    The chair informed the meeting that a supplemental agenda had been circulated in advance of the meeting which contained updated figures for agenda item 4.2.

     

     

7.05pm

2.

Community Engagement Items

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2.1

Community announcements

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    ·  Cleaner Greener Safer Fund 2017/18 launch 

     

    ·  Neighbourhoods Fund 2017/18 Launch 

     

    ·  Connect UK – Sally McVicker

     

    ·  Robert Browning Primary School letter

    Minutes:

    Connect UK

    Sally McVicker and Jane Stokes from the organisation informed the meeting about Jane’s personal story and the services offered by Connect to people with communication disabilities in Southwark and beyond.In terms of transport many people with aphasia had problems with uneven pavements, escalators, crowded tubes with nowhere to sit, and with getting on and off buses.The organization is based in St Alphege Hall, King’s Bench Street, Southwark, London SE1 0QX. For further information, see: www.facebook.com/connectwithfriendsuk 

     

    Robert Browning Primary School

    Pupils from Robert Browning Primary School had written an open letter to councillors complaining about pedestrian crossing times at Newington Butts. These were only 5 seconds, making it impossible for a class of 30 to cross on their way to the swimming pool. This made the crossing unsafe. The pupils said that the crossing time should be increased to 20 seconds. A teacher from the school explained that the pupils normally went to their swimming classes around 11am, so an extension of the crossing period during non-peak hours should be sufficient. The meeting heard that older people had also complained. 

     

    Tom Holmes from TfL said he would take this issue away and provide an answer for the next meeting. Generally, junctions were timed to provide a good balance between all modes of transport and pedestrians. Florence Eshalomi, the local GLA Assembly member said that she would also look into this and get in touch with a response, and would shortly be testing some of the local crossings with a group of disabled pedestrians.

     

    42 Bus

    The meeting also heard that after reporting many problems with overcrowding on the number 42 bus to Transport for London (TfL) and a motion passed by Council Assembly, the 42 bus was now operated by double-decker buses and the route had been extended to the Sainsbury’s on Dog Kennel Hill. 

     

    Cleaner Greener Safer (CGS) Fund 2017-18 launch

    The chair informed the meeting that the CGS capital programme, which funds projects that help to make Southwark cleaner, greener, safer and healthier, was looking for new ideas (application deadline: Monday 31 October 2016). Successful projects would be agreed at the community council meeting in January or February 2017. The money allocated for Borough, Bankside and Walworth Community Council was approximately £450,000. For further information see:

    http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200256/cleaner_greener_safer

     

    Neighbourhoods Fund 2017-18 launch

    The chair said that the Neighbourhoods Fund 2017-18 would be launched in early November and that applications would be open for a six-week period, closing before Christmas. The fund was for events and projects that brought together communities. Funding of £1,000 and £5,000 could be applied for. Contact: Pauline Bonner, Community Council Development Officer, pauline.bonner@southwark.gov.uk, 020 7525 1019. 

     

    Old Kent Road area action plan consultation

    The meeting heard that the council was preparing an area action plan for the Old Kent Road which would guide and coordinate development in the area over the next 20 years. The changes to the area were driven by the expansion of central London south of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.1

2.2

South Bank and Waterloo Neighbourhood Plan (SOWN)

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    Ben Stephenson, Secretary of SOWN  

    Minutes:

    Councillor David Noakes said that this neighbourhood area was mostly in Lambeth with a smaller part being in Southwark, along Waterloo Road. The plan would allow local residents and business to be involved in the future plans for the area, for example creating a new park. The plans were getting close to the consultation phase for the proposals worked up so far. 

2.3

Petitions and Deputations

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    Deputation request received from residents and stakeholders in Harper Road.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The chair informed the meeting that she had received a request for a deputation from residents and stakeholders in Harper Road.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the deputation from the residents and stakeholders in Harper Road be heard.

     

    Ian Smith, the spokesperson of the deputation said that TfL had to accept responsibility for the present use of Harper Road as a “rat run” for traffic generated by their red routes around the Elephant and Castle, and had to restore safety along that residential street. Immediate action needed to be taken, including:

     

    1. Confirmation of Harper Road as a residential street, not a commercial thoroughfare

     

    1. Rigorous enforcement of the 20mph speed limit through a camera system and/or speed control ramps

     

    1. Improved directional signs diverting Old Kent Road traffic away from Harper Road at St George’s circus

     

    1. Implementation of a traffic management order prohibiting large vehicles from using Harper Road

     

    1. Rephasing the traffic lights at the A3202/A300 and the A3202/A3 and the A3/A2 to facilitate free movement of southbound A2 traffic, together with a left turn filter at the A3202/A3 lights

     

    1. Improved parking/stopping/resting enforcement to prevent coaches and other HGVs parking up for long periods with their engines running

     

    1. Making Harper Road an unclassified road to better monitor its “Quietway” designation and its future as part of the Southwark Southern Spine Cycleway.

     

    Ian said that there was a big problem with coaches thundering down this quiet road. Residents wanted to reduce traffic speeds and volumes. Since January, the road had become dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians - especially children - because of HGVs and coaches speeding through and parking illegally. 

     

    Councillors asked what TfL were going to do in light of the evidence presented, and said that one of the parking amendments under 4.3 dealt with the issue of double yellow lines in Harper Road. Ward councillors agreed with the residents’ assessment, and said that this had been flagged up with TfL before and that action was needed.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the community council note the deputation, and recommends further investigation and an urgent meeting of the council with TfL. 

2.4

Public Question Time

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    This is an opportunity for public questions to be addressed to the chair.

     

    Residents or persons working in the borough may ask questions on any matter in relation to which the council has powers or duties.

     

    Responses may be supplied in writing following the meeting.

     

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

     

    The following public questions were put to the meeting:

     

    1. How long will the 42 bus run as a double-decker? Wouldn’t it be better to run it as a double decker in peak times only?

    The chair said that this would be answered by TfL during one of the following items.

     

    1. Can a pedestrian light be installed at the junction of the Old Kent Road and East Street, as that crossing is dangerous?

     

    1. There are still problems in East Street regarding shops using the pavement.
      The chair responded that someone from the team responsible for East Street would be attending the next meeting to feed back on this, and a response to the question about East Street put at the last meeting was in the agenda pack.

     

    1. Could there be a full road closure on Harper Road?

     

    1. Who gives out permits for out-of-hours work to developers, like putting up hoardings? Residents should be able to double-check the genuineness of the letters they are sometimes presented with.

     

    1. What is being done to stop John Ruskin Street being used as a thoroughfare? Can the street be narrowed to only let through cars?

    The chair said a similar question had been received to which there was a response below. This, however, was not sufficient and she would be asking for a fuller response. 

     

    1. John Ruskin Street has uneven pavements, and only the school end of the road has been repaved.

    The chair said the repaving of a section of John Ruskin Street had recently been agreed, with more to follow as funding became available.

     

    The following public questions were submitted in writing:

     

    1. I have concerns about spitting in the streets.

     

    1. What information are Southwark using to understand current cycling and how are they estimating increased cycling activity? We would like to understand the assumptions and how this affects parks and especially Burgess Park.

     

    1. The amount of rubbish being left by the shops after the rubbish men have been is outrageous, [it is] causing rats and is constantly set alight. What is being done about this? 

     

    The following public questions were submitted in writing and a response was received before the meeting:

     

    1. Concerns about dog faeces on the pavements around Faraday Ward

     

    Officer response:

    In common with all wards throughout Southwark the cleaning service deploys both street sweepers and litter pickers to remove dog mess from the streets in Faraday ward. The primary responsibility falls on the litter pickers as they visit each street on alternate days Monday to Saturday with some streets scheduled for a Mon/Weds/Friday visit and the remainder with a Tue/Thurs/Saturday visit, litter pickers are issued with specialist kit that allows them to pick up dog waste in a hygienic and safe manner.

     

    The council’s street sweeping teams also remove dog waste when they undertake their four weekly manual sweep of the streets.

     

    Primary retail areas such as Walworth road receive a heightened level of cleansing which entails a continual daily cleaning presence from 06:00 to 18:00 (Monday to Saturday) and 06:00  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.4

7.40pm

3.

Theme: Transport

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3.1

Transport: Mind the gaps

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    ·  Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly Member

    ·  Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for environment and the public realm

     

    Minutes:

    Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly Member, said that she was keen to go out and about and experience the transport and traffic issues residents complained about for herself, and would like to come back to a future meeting of the community council. She went on to outline the important issues the new Mayor of London was addressing and which would be a boost to the people of Southwark:

     

    • Introduction of the hopper fare – to decrease the cost of bus journeys
    • Introduction of night tube services on the Jubilee and Northern Lines 
    • The Rotherhithe - Canary Wharf crossing
    • Measures to improve air quality and pollution levels (including buses)
    • Making cycling a more attractive option for people
    • Increased focus on pedestrians.

     

    Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for environment and the public realm, said the council’s approach to traffic and transport was guided by the twin aims of accessibility and safety. In the north of the borough, there were many transport developments that impacted on people’s lives, but the council was not the sole master of this domain. TfL was responsible for major roads, while Network Rail for example was responsible for the works around London Bridge. With the changes to Elephant and Castle and the Tower Bridge closure the council had lobbied on behalf of residents, but also had its own plans for encouraging cycling and decreasing air pollution. He encouraged the community council and other groups to also feed into the Mayor’s strategy consultation. He had visited Harper Road with some of the ward councillors and was aware of the problem. Traffic was likely to increase in the future and the council was reviewing the number of heavy goods vehicles using local roads. The recommendations by residents were helpful in that regard. He said he had some sympathy for the calls to declassify Harper Road, which could only happen, however, after the effects on surrounding streets had been assessed. The GLA members were working on helping TfL and the council to liaise more effectively.

     

    Responding to questions from the floor, Florence Eshalomi said that the Silvertown river crossing, which was already agreed, would help lower congestion and pollution in Southwark, especially in Jamaica Road. The river crossings were going to be greener and have cyclist facilities. She went on to say that she was keen to walk with residents and check the traffic lights at Elephant and Castle, and get TfL to act on the complaints, especially where pedestrians did not feel safe. One of TfL’s objectives was to get people out of their cars, however the number of delivery vehicles had gone up substantially. This may be tackled in form of a road charge, and more polluting vehicles should pay more. Keeping pollution in check was another major area for TfL.

     

    Councillor Ian Wingfield said that the new Rotherhithe crossing was a mixed blessing as it might attract more commuters, which is why further crossings downstream were important in order to ease congestion in Southwark. The council was trying to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.1

3.2

Break and WORKSHOP ABOUT BUS ROUTES

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    Minutes:

    The meeting then went into a break to give residents a chance to provide their feedback to TfL officers.

3.3

Elephant and Castle and general TfL updates

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    Steve Kearns and Tom Holmes (TfL)

    Minutes:

    Steve Kearns from TfL provided a general overview of some of the key policies and initiatives like: fares freeze, bus hopper, Oxford Street “pedestrianisation”, rail devolution, air quality focus and “healthy streets”. London’s population was growing and the city now had a bigger population than in the previous peak in 1939.

     

    A large project in the area was going to be the Bakerloo Line extension, with TfL’s  preferred route going from Elephant and Caste to Lewisham via the Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. This would help people living in the area who suffer from bus reliability and capacity issues, providing a fast and frequent alternative. TfL were developing more detailed proposals for the extension. By early next year they plan to be able to consult on more details including where the proposed stations should be located. The council’s Area Action Plan consultation included questions on the Bakerloo line extension. 

     

    Buses in Elephant and Castle

    Steve Kearns said that there were 29 routes and over 100 buses per hour running from Elephant and Castle. There was also an interchange to mainline rail and underground. A new two-way traffic system had been introduced, which had led to an increase in journey times and reduction in bus reliability. TfL had widened headways and increased resources to maintain reliability on routes. A possible package of bus priority measures was to extend operation of bus lane hours, and a scheme to assist buses moving from Walworth Road to Newington Butts was being considered. Sensors were to be built into the road at Elephant and Castle in order to help with the bus delays. Steve also informed the meeting that the bus operating grant from central government would fall away in 2018 which would create financial pressures. The new bus 42 double-decker service to Sainsbury’s was contracted for 5 years.

     

    Tom Holmes from TfL spoke to the meeting about the changes to the Elephant and Castle roundabouts. It was a strategic junction guaranteeing traffic movement around South London. It was also one of the busiest bus interchanges in Europe. The junction had sadly also seen the highest number of collisions in London before the changes, so the main objective had been to make the junction safer, especially for vulnerable road users. The subways had been replaced by seven level crossings, and the junction was being monitored for the next three years, in order to ensure that safety was increased. TfL was working with Southwark to install a new accessible space in front of Metro Centre Heights and a new underground station next to the shopping centre. Tom reiterated that he would look into the issue raised by the pupils from Robert Browning School.

     

    In answer to questions from the floor, Tom responded that they were working with Southwark officers to monitor construction traffic, primarily to improve safety and secondly to make the area more attractive. The “scoot” sensor system which would be introduced from the end of October would increase traffic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.3

3.4

Closure of Tower Bridge

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    Lauren Barton (TfL), Alex Pocklington (TfL), Grace Manning-Marsh (Temple Group)

     

    Minutes:

    Paul Monaghan (City of London) and Mufu Durowuju (TfL) addressed the meeting, explaining that the bridge’s waterproofing, decking and internal wood and metal areas, as well as the road surface and joints needed to be repaired and that this required the temporary closure of the bridge. Officers were aware that the changes at Tooley Street caused by the construction works at London Bridge Station would exacerbate the disruption, but this was still preferable to the bridge becoming inoperable which would take even more time and disruption to fix. A targeted communications and engagement campaign had been put in place.

     

    In answer to questions from the floor, they responded that Southwark Bridge and London Bridge had been made one-way with these alternative routes having been taken out of the congestion charging zone. However, drivers would be charged if they deviated from the route. The bridge was scheduled to reopen in the new year, hopefully before Christmas.

8.30pm

4.

Official council business

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4.1

Devolved Highways Budget 2014-15 - East Walworth Allocations

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    NOTE: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

     

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    Note: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

     

    Councillors considered the information contained in the report.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the following scheme outlined in Appendix 1 of the report be agreed, subject to sufficient funding being available:

     

    East Walworth ward

     

    Morecambe Street – carriageway  £41,278

     

4.2

Community Council Highways Capital Investment for 2015-16 and 2016-17

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    NOTE: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    Note: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

     

    Councillors considered the information contained in the report.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the following schemes outlined in Appendix 1 of the report be agreed:

     

    Cathedrals ward 

    Dodson Street – carriageway  £23,850

    Dodson Street – footway  £19,850

    Burrell Street – carriageway  £24,862

     

    Note: Councillors specified that the above allocations were subject to the costings being confirmed. The funding for Burrell Street is also subject to it being spent on the residential end of the street.

     

    Chaucer ward

    Cole Street – footway  £22,870

    Cole Street – carriageway   £19,578

    Bowling Green Place – carriageway  £30,891

     

    East Walworth ward

    Funding decisions deferred awaiting costings from officers. 

     

    Faraday ward

    Blackwood Street – carriageway   £7,483

    Walworth Place – carriageway  £17,235

     

    Note: Councillors were minded to allocate funding to Liverpool Grove – footway (in the conservation area only), but are awaiting details about which materials will be used for the repaving. 

     

    Newington ward

    Funding decision deferred to allow for the residents’ survey around traffic management and road quality in the Kennington area to be completed.

4.3

Local traffic and parking amendments

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    NOTE: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    Note: This is an executive function for decision by the community council.

     

    Councillors considered the information contained in the report.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.  That the following local traffic and parking amendments, as detailed in the appendices to the report, be approved for implementation, subject to the outcome of any necessary statutory consultation and procedures:

     

    1.1  Harper Road – install new double yellow lines and shared (permit and pay by phone) parking bay outside Ellington House to include newly adopted highway in Newington (D) controlled parking zone.

     

    1.2  Rodney Road – reduce existing permit holders (M1) parking bay to increase the length of existing bus stop to provide better access for London Buses.

     

    1.3  Walworth Road junction with Heygate Street – installation of yellow box junction.

     

    2.  That the objections against the non-strategic traffic management order in Rockingham Street outlined in Appendix 3 of the report be rejected, and that agreement be given to:

     

    a.  the installation of double yellow lines to prevent inconsiderate parking and maintain traffic flow

     

    b.  the installation of a new permit holder bay and

     

    c.  the extension of the existing shared use bay. 

     

    3.  That the objections received in relation to the Harper Road proposal outlined in Appendix 4 of the reports be upheld and that the scheme not be implemented for road safety reasons.

     

4.4

Review of parking controls in the existing C2 parking zone

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    Councillors to consider the recommendation in the report.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    Councillors considered the information contained in the report. Councillor David Noakes thanked officers for conducting the review on this scheme. 

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the following official feedback be recorded:

     

    1.  The community council is happy with the officer recommendation of making no changes to the existing operational times (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm) of the Borough (C2) parking zone.

     

    2.  The community council asks for officers to create new parking bays within the zone, as detailed in the consultation feedback listed in the appendices to the report.

     

4.5

Community Council Question to Council Assembly

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    Each community council may submit one question to a council assembly meeting that has previously been considered and noted by the community council.

     

    Any question to be submitted from a community council to council assembly should first be the subject of discussion at a community council meeting. The subject matter and question should be clearly noted in the community council’s minutes and thereafter the agreed question can be referred to the constitutional team.

     

    The community council is invited to consider if it wishes to submit a question to the ordinary meeting of council assembly on 30 November 2016.

     

    Minutes:

    Members discussed which question to send to the council assembly meeting on 30 November 2016.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the community council submit the following question to the council assembly meeting on 30 November 2016:

     

    What measures does the council propose to instigate to change the situation where large HGV vehicles are using residential streets including John Ruskin Street, Webber Street and Harper Road to avoid Elephant and Castle, and will the council now state that Harper Road is recognised as a simple residential street and shall be deregulated from its B and traffic sensitive status, and further that it will pressure TfL to accept responsibility for elevated traffic levels in Harper Road?”