Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:

That Mr. T. Gillard CC be appointed Chairman for the period ending with the date of the Annual Meeting of the County Council in 2024.

Mr T. Gillard CC in the Chair

RESOLVED:

That Mr. K. Merrie MBE CC be elected Deputy Chairman for the period ending with the date of the Annual Meeting of the County Council in 2024.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 March were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

The Chief Executive reported that 3 questions had been received under Standing Order 35.

Question asked by Ms Rachael Wigginton (Better Biking for Blaby District):

I write on behalf of Better Biking for Blaby District, a Cycling UK partner group that represents the interests of those in Blaby and many throughout Leicestershire who wish to travel short distances by active means - cycling, walking or using mobility chairs.

We are very worried about the lack of concern for safety in the infrastructure being designed and developed in Leicestershire. We do not yet see safety being at the top of the agenda for the increasing numbers of those wishing to walk, wheel or cycle local journeys being fully addressed in new developments.

I recently visited the new marketplace development in Shepshed and was shocked to see how safety for those on bicycles or eBikes has been completely overlooked. I struggle to understand how this can have happened when these are local shops for local people who mostly live within an easy short walking or cycling distance.

There is zero provision for those shoppers using a bike to access the new marketplace, apart from a few token cycle stands, and no provision for a safe route through the marketplace.

Whilst I was there for a few minutes only, I observed a number of people using their bicycles. I talked to a father and son who highlighted the safety issues for those choosing to ride a bike there. Another cyclist had to use the pedestrian crossing.

This was a fantastic opportunity to create an environment that encourages more local active travel, so why have those people riding bikes been overlooked? It's a huge disappointment and frankly, dangerous.

This is a question for scrutiny regarding how we develop highways infrastructure in Leicestershire. This was a Charnwood led development, but this will have had Leicestershire Highways oversight and therefore the responsibility falls to Leicestershire County Council to scrutinize these developments effectively.

How will you ensure overlooking a key group of highways users never happens again in our county? What measures do you have in place to ensure the safety of all road users is considered and that we do not continue to consider car users as the only people that travel?

In this era of high vehicle transport costs, congestion, air quality, environmental and health concerns, Leicestershire should be doing everything it can to help people switch local journeys to active ones. I'm afraid this development has fallen far short of what is required in 2024 and beyond.

Reply by the Chairman:

The project was designed and implemented by Charnwood Borough Council, working alongside Shepshed Town Council, using funding obtained from various external sources.

The main driver for such projects is town centre regeneration as set out in Charnwood Borough Council’s Shepshed Town Centre masterplan -

https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/files/documents/shepshed_master_plan_and_delivery_framework/Shepshed%20Master%20Plan%20and%20Delivery%20Framework.pdf

In order to proceed with the project, Charnwood Borough Council was required to submit its design proposals to Leicestershire County Council for approval as all third parties looking to make amendments to the public highway are required to.

These designs were assessed against the relevant policies and designs principles in place at the time the submissions were made. This scheme was developed prior to the LTN 1/20 guidance and was not contrary to the Council’s adopted Highways Design Guide at the time of submission. In light of this it was not within the scope of the Leicestershire County Council’s role to request additional cycle infrastructure. The proposal was supplemented by independent stage 1 and 2 road safety audits which are required to be provided as part of a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5).

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations were made.

There were no declarations of the party whip.

The Chief Executive reported that no petitions had been received under Standing Order 35.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport which provided a refresh on the Leicestershire Highways Design Guide. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed Mr Boulter CC and Mr Harrison CC, Members of the Environment and Climate Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee to the meeting for this item.

Arising from discussion the following points were raised:

(i)             Members of the Committee welcomed the report and looked forward to the response from the industry.

(ii)           In response to a query raised around the responsibility for air quality, it was noted that climate adaptation had been considered as part of the Guide and a flexible approach to the use of materials was the general ethos to drive better outcomes overall to decarbonise the highways operation. The materials used in constructing and maintaining highways also now could have a positive impact on air quality.

(iii)          It was noted that whilst the Highways Department could not control the specification for the garages being built, however the department would only count a garage as a parking space where it meets the minimum criteria.

(iv)          In response to a query about how Section 106 developer contributions could be leveraged, it was noted that this was governed by the National Planning Policy Framework and the need for compliance with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which requires that contributions are directly related to the impact of the development.  It was suggested that the potential local transport funding could provide scope for bridging the funding gap for infrastructure between the cost of what is required and what development can viably stand should this funding be confirmed after the national elections.

(v)           It was noted that pavement parking was mainly a behavioural issue. New developments provided adequate off road parking which encouraged appropriate parking and was part of the design considerations. Speed tables were installed for safety and speed reduction and there was continual learning to improve layouts and designs over time.

(vi)          It was noted that new public rights of way were a concern to communities and consideration had been given to where links needed to be made to and from new developments to the existing network. The equalities impact assessments carried out informed the Highways Design Guide with greater emphasis towards sustainable modes of transport and it was noted that the Design Guide provided guidance around laybys and clearways to ensure that developments did not severely impact the existing network.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and the comments now made be presented to the Cabinet for consideration at its meeting on 13 September.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport which provided an update on the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Strategy. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 11’ is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman again welcomed Mr Boulter and CC Mr Harrison CC, Members of the Environment and Climate Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee to the meeting for this item.

Arising from discussion the following points were raised:

(i)      It was noted that the EV Charging Strategy was one element of the Council’s wider approach to become a net zero County by 2050 and would be reviewed in two years to take on the learning from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funded pilot which would launch in the autumn of 2024. The pilot which the Council had been allocated funding, would see up to 100 public chargepoints consisting of a mix of standard and rapid chargepoints for Leicestershire.

(ii)    It was suggested that capacity on the grid should be sufficient and that all pilot chargepoints would be subject to grid capacity checks with Distribution Network Operators and engagement with local communities during summer 2024. However, there would be a number of challenges as this was an entirely new area of work for local authorities and it would be dependent in part on changes in public behaviour.  There would be a lot of learning to facilitate and manage delivery of the pilot, but there was an extensive data base that allowed for planning and prioritising of options.

(iii)   It was suggested that the home charging points policy was suitable and appropriate for the geographic area but that this should be kept under review to take in learning from other similar areas.

(iv)   It was noted that the standards for the length of driveway had been reduced and the stance for 90-degree parking from the road was there for safety reasons and to avoid manoeuvring on footways to get parallel to the home on the drive. The Strategy was open to review at regular periods to take on learning from Pilots on various aspects. The dropped kerb policy was generous and for modern, larger vehicles this would be reviewed on a case by case basis.

(v)    It was noted that although hydrogen power was being used in some HGV’s and buses, the technology was not in place for cars. However, it was suggested that there was scope for a potential market which could be considered in the future.

(vi)   It was suggested that there were growing needs for charging facilities in rural areas and that the prospect of village community powerpoint charging bases were options that would be welcomed to address the needs of those in rural areas where alternative options may not be appropriate.

(vii)     In response to a query around trailing cables, it was noted that local authorities had been pressing the DfT who were expected to provide further guidance. 

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and the comments now made be presented to the Cabinet for consideration at its meeting on 13 September.

Future meetings of the Committee are scheduled to take place on the following dates all at 2.00pm:

5 September 2024

7 November 2024

16 January 2025

6 March 2025

5 June 2025

4 September 2025

6 November 2025

RESOLVED:

That the dates of future meeting of the Committee would be held on the following dates starting at 2.00pm:

5 September 2024

7 November 2024

16 January 2025

6 March 2025

5 June 2025

4 September 2025

6 November 2025

There were no other items which the Chairman decided that was of an urgent nature.