Issue - meetings

(i)       to note that £12,030,000 has been granted by Transport Scotland to Aberdeen City Council to work with partners in the North East Bus Alliance to develop and deliver the bus priority interventions through a series of workstreams and deliverables, as described in paragraph 3.2;

(ii)       to acknowledge that this funding will support public transport in line with the Council’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon plans for Aberdeen;

(iii)      to note the current governance arrangements in place across the North East Bus Alliance, as outlined in paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9, and the comfort this will provide to the Council in the delivery of the approved programme;

(iv)      to instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning and Chief Officer – Capital to continue to work with partners to deliver the projects in accordance with the grant conditions; and

(v)      to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit a report to the November 2021 meeting of the Committee on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

With reference to article 20 of the minute of meeting of 3 February 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided details on the success of the North East Bus Alliance Bid to the Scottish Government Bus Partnership Fund, and the next steps.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that £12,030,000 has been granted by Transport Scotland to Aberdeen City Council to work with partners in the North East Bus Alliance to develop and deliver the bus priority interventions through a series of workstreams and deliverables, as described in paragraph 3.2;

(b)      acknowledge that this funding will support public transport in line with the Council’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon plans for Aberdeen;

(c)      note the current governance arrangements in place across the North East Bus Alliance, as outlined in paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9, and the comfort this will provide to the Council in the delivery of the approved programme;

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning and Chief Officer – Capital to continue to work with partners to deliver the projects in accordance with the grant conditions; and

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to prepare quarterly Service Updates on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant moved:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)    approve recommendations (a) to (d) above; and

(2)    instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit a report to the November 2021 meeting of the Committee on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

Councillor Nicoll, seconded by Councillor Cooke, moved as an amendment:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)        approve the recommendations above;

(2)        note the contents of the reports at items 11.5 and 13.2 on the agenda in respect of the City Centre Masterplan Review and the Berryden Corridor proposals and considers the potential impact of these projects on the Wapping Street and Guild Street traffic management issues as regards connectivity between the Berryden Corridor and South College Street / Market Street;

(3)        instruct the Chief Officers of Strategic Place Planning and Capital to provide an options appraisal to resolve congestion issues in the Wapping Street and Guild Street areas and to improve connectivity between these three major arterial routes, together with an outline business case for potential improvements, both to be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee; and

(4)        instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit a report to the November 2021 meeting of the Committee on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Cooke, McLellan, Nicoll and Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.