Agenda and minutes

The Committee had before it a report (including a revised version) by the Interim Director of Corporate Governance reviewing the working groups and sub-committees within the remit of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee.  

The Committee resolved:-

to retain all the working groups and sub-committees outlined in the report, with the following adjustments:-

            (1)       Aberdeen City Development Company Shadow Board to shift from five members to six (2, 2, 1 + 1), the Convener having suggested that the members of the Leadership Board might consider putting themselves forward to fill these positions, as she and Councillor McCaig would intend doing;

            (2)       to replace Councillor Cassie with Councillor John Stewart on the Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Planning Committee;

            (3)       to replace Councillor Clark with Councillor McCaig on the Controlled Zones Working Group; 

            (4)       to replace Councillor Cassie with Councillor John Stewart on the Development Plan Sub-Committee;  and

            (5)       to note that, although the Administration had put forward some replacement names at this juncture, other political groups would be able to consider the matter and submit names to the Head of Democratic Services in due course.

The Committee had before it a Statement of Committee Business and a Motions List prepared by the Head of Democratic Services.   These had been compiled from the Outstanding Business and Motions Lists held by the Council’s former Committees.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the new Statement of Committee Business, and the list of Outstanding Motions; 

(ii)        to delete item 11 (Peterculter Recycling Point – Relocation of Facilities to Allow Additional Parking Spaces in Village Centre) from the statement;

(iii)       to delete items 2 (Traffic Management Proposals Associated with the Green Townscape Heritage Initiative), 8 (Cults Academy and Airyhall Primary School (New Schools on Existing Sites) – Traffic Management), and 16 (Eligibility for Bus Passes); and

(iv)       regarding the motions list, to refer the motion from Councillor Allan (on footways at St. Fitticks Road) to the budget process and to delete from the list.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure intimating that measures and targets for the functions of his service were under review and being finalised, and recommending that these measures be recorded within the Council’s electronic performance management system (“Covalent”) and reports brought forward accordingly.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the position and to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure drawing attention to the achievements of the Aberdeen City and Shire Film Office, and seeking financial support for the office in 2009/2010.

It was recalled that the role of the office was to encourage film and television activity in the area by making these possibilities as simple and efficient as possible.   To date, the office had supported a wide range of activities, the most frequent requests being from the producers of television commercials.   The report went into detail on these activities and provided a tabulated presentation of individual projects.  

The Committee resolved:-

to approve funding at a reduced amount of £10,000 (formerly £20,000), this to be vired from a vacancy in Economic Development, and to request that a full business case for the work of the office be submitted in relation to future proposals for its financial support.  

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure seeking approval for continuing attendance and exhibition space at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, USA, in May, 2010.   The Offshore Technology Conference was the foremost global event for the offshore industry and was attended by a high number of businesses located in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.   The event was also a key priority for economic development activity, and would be included as part of the International Trade Development report for 2010/2011.   The Council was required to reserve space for any exhibition within the Scottish Pavilion by the start of October 2009.  

The report recommended:-

attendance at the conference (and at the associated Association World Energy Cities Partnership meetings) by three officers and two elected members (the Lord Provost and the Leader of the Council), entailing approval of £30,000 to cover travel and accommodation for two officers and one elected member, along with exhibition space, and (2) approval of £5,000 to cover travel and accommodation for one officer and the Lord Provost to attend the World Energy Cities Partnership meetings and events, again subject to the budget process.

Councillor Dean, seconded by Councillor Kevin Stewart, moved that the recommendations be approved.

As an amendment, Councillor Young, seconded by Councillor Adam, moved that the recommendations be approved except that the Leader of the Council should not attend, and that the consequent financial savings be made.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (12) – the Convener, the Vice-Convener, and Councillors Boulton, Clark, Corall, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, Milne, Penny, Robertson and Kevin Stewart;  for the amendment (3) – Councillors Adam, Hunter and Young.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the motion.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure presenting an account of developments on the Build with CaRe project and seeking representation at two conferences - one elected member at the Build with CaRe (Carbon Reduction) Annual Conference in Bremen and Oldenburg, Germany on 12 November, 2009, and one elected member at the Sustainable Scotland Network Annual Conference in Edinburgh on 29October, 2009.  

The report outlined that the likely cost for each person attending the German event was £650, while the conference in Edinburgh would mean expenditure of £150 for the conference fee and for travel.  

The Convener, seconded by Councillor McCaig, moved that the recommendations be approved. 

As an amendment, Councillor Young, seconded by Councillor Adam, moved that no elected member should attend the German conference but that approval be given for an elected member to attend in Edinburgh.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (12) – the Convener, the Vice-Convener, and Councillors Boulton, Clark, Corall, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, Milne, Penny, Robertson and Kevin Stewart;  for the amendment (3) – Councillors Adam, Hunter and Young.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the motion.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure recommending the approval of a three-year Council-wide service level agreement with the North East Scotland Biological Record Centre.  The centre provided a wide range of biological information considered to be of importance in developing the Local Plan, the Structure Plan, the Community Plan and Single Outcome Agreement, the Nature Conservation Strategy and the intended Open Space Strategy and Audit, Council commitments under the North East of Scotland Local Biodiversity Action Plan, the draft Local Development Plan, and Strategic Environmental Assessments.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommended three-year service level agreement at a cost of £10,000 per annum.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure seeking approval for the Lord Provost to sign a Climate Change Accord at the World Energy Cities Partnership Annual General Meeting in Calgary in October, 2009.   The cost would be met from existing budgets.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve this recommendation.

There had been circulated a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure outlining four applications for financial assistance from the 2009/2010 International Twinning Budget.  

The report recommended:-

approval of contributions as follows:-

            (1)       £2,200 towards the cost of bringing five delegates from Clermont-Ferrand to the Rowett/INRA Joint Conference on Gut Microbiology in Aberdeen in June 2010;

            (2)       £390 towards the cost of travel and accommodation for South Aberdeenshire’s Head Coach to enable that group to participate in a swimming competition in Stavanger in November 2009;

            (3)       £450 towards the cost of sending a city-based specialist with the River Dee Trust to Stavanger to deliver an angling tourism workshop to Scandinavian anglers, tourism writers and river owners;  and

            (4)       £2,500 towards the cost of sending seven pupils and three teachers from Kincorth Academy to visit their partner school, School 71 in Gomel, in October 2009.  

The Committee resolved:-

to approve these contributions.

MATTER OF URGENCY

            The Convener intimated that she had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the following item of business be considered as a matter of urgency as the Communities in Bloom award ceremony in Ontario, Canada, would be held prior to the next meeting of the Committee.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure intimating that Aberdeen had entered the international section of Communities in Bloom 2009, and recommending that a delegation - the Lord Provost, or the Chair of the Aberdeen in Bloom Working Group, and an appropriate officer to be determined by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure – be sent to Ontario in Canada to represent the city at the symposium and award ceremony, at an estimated cost of £2,000 per person.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor McCaig, moved that the recommendation be approved.

As an amendment, Councillor Hunter, seconded by Councillor Adam, moved that Aberdeen need not represented at this event.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (12) – the Convener, the Vice-Convener, and Councillors Boulton, Clark, Corall, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, Milne, Penny, Robertson and Kevin Stewart;  for the amendment (3) – Councillors Adam, Hunter and Young.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the motion.

There had been circulated a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure recommending approval of the final draft of the Nature Conservation Strategy (2010 – 2015).  This would be for the purposes of public consultation (including consultation with community planning partners) following which the document would be brought back to the Committee for final adoption.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the release of the strategy for public consultation and to look forward to its subsequent resubmission in the light of that process.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure providing an account of traffic management measures considered necessary at the above locations.   At Guild Street, in the light of the Union Square development, a series of prohibitions of right turns was being proposed.   New waiting restrictions were intended for Church Street (Woodside), Urquhart Place, Craigshaw Road and Shepherd Place.   Minor revisions to the Zone W on-street controlled parking area were intended at Powis Place, and a further prohibition of right turns was considered necessary at Wellington Road.   Finally, a 20mph zone with associated traffic calming had been part of the planning application for a development at Maberly Street.

The Committee resolved:-

to request the officials to carry out preliminary statutory consultation on legislation to provide for these schemes, to move straight to substantive statutory advertisement if there were no significant preliminary responses, and thereinafter to report back.

There had been circulated a report by the Interim Director of Corporate Governance confirming that no statutory objections had been received as a result of the public advertisement of the above-named traffic order, which provided for various restrictions in the vicinity of Airyhall School.   

The Committee resolved:-

that the order be made and implemented as originally envisaged.

There had been circulated a report by the Interim Director of Corporate Governance providing an account of statutory objections to speed cushions advertised in association with a traffic order providing for various restrictions in the vicinity of Cults Academy.

The objections had been circulated as an appendix to the report along with commentary in the authorship of the roads officials.   The general thrust of the objections was that regulatory speed limits were supported but that the traffic calming was inappropriate.  

The speeds at the location were, in a sense, not too bad, but they were clearly higher than the 20mph limit which the Council was committed to establishing.   Central government guidance had always been clear:  regulatory signs alone would not change driving behaviour and a speed limit aimed at reducing speeds to 20mph where at present they were closer to 30mph was a speed limit that needed some sort of help, which was where the speed cushions came in.

Many of the objections expressed scepticism about traffic calming, and the report conceded that there was a lot of merit in being able to defend a public policy in terms of the concrete conviction of the public that it was sensible.   Nevertheless, notwithstanding varying degrees of scepticism - scepticism expressed in many ways over the years - elected members had usually been struck by the prospect of actually getting speeds down to around 20mph in streets surrounding schools.   However it was also true that, from time to time, speed cushions had been abandoned at locations where there was considerable resistance.  

The Committee then heard from Councillors Boulton and Milne who, along with Councillor Malone, were the local members for the area.   The Senior Committee Services Officer dealing with roads legislation (Mr. David Wemyss) indicated that it had been agreed informally between officials and local members that a recommendation could be made to the Committee to drop two sets of speed cushions on Netherby Road, which Councillor Boulton and Councillor Milne welcomed.   Councillor Boulton then asked whether the first set of cushions on Earlswells Road might also be discarded, which, after a brief adjournment, Mr. Ewen Kay (Principal Engineer, Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure) confirmed would be possible in terms of the statutory specifications, etc.  

The Committee resolved:-

to abandon the three sets of speed cushions outlined above but otherwise to approve the establishment of the other proposed cushions and to make and implement the associated traffic order.

The Committee had before it a report by the Interim Director of Corporate Governance intimating two statutory objections received as a result of the statutory advertisement of traffic calming associated with a traffic order providing for restrictions in the vicinity of Bucksburn Academy.

Both objections concentrated on the traffic calming rather than the traffic order.   As in the case of the proposals for Cults Academy (see previous Article), the report was inclined towards the view that there was nothing in the objections to outweigh the virtues of the intended scheme, which would reduce speeds in the vicinity of a school to something around 20mph.  

The Committee resolved:-

to overrule the objections, to make and implement the traffic order, and to establish the associated speed cushions, all as originally envisaged.

The Committee considered a report by the Interim Director of Corporate Governance dealing with objections received as a result of the statutory advertisement of a traffic order providing for the new streetscape project in The Green and the streets immediately surrounding it.   The order did not provide for the streetscape plan in itself but for the associated traffic management measures.   However, the plan did necessitate some of the measures.   The report went into some detail on the background to the project before offering commentary on the objections.   These were from Soprano Hotels and the Carmelite Hotel, Ruth Gibson and Steven Ormston (residents at 9 Carmelite Street), Aberdeen Civic Forum and Guide Dogs.   These submissions had been circulated as an appendix to the report along with the observations of the roads officials.  

The report concluded that there appeared to be nothing in the content of the objections to cast doubt on the content of the order, but expressed concern about the letter from Guide Dogs.   The central theme here was that blind and partially sighted people – and their guide dogs – needed kerbs as key navigational cues.   They didn’t need notional kerbs but real kerbs, kerbs that a trained dog could react to.   A guide dog did not recognise a “kerblike treatment” that was actually all on one level.  

At the moment, this was going to be a problem in Carmelite Street and Hadden Street.   In Carmelite Street, the difficulty could only be averted by establishing sub-standard footways, leaving the carriageway undesirably narrow.   It would then have to be one-way, meaning faster traffic – and, essentially, the whole point of the scheme would then be lost.   The Department of Transport had commissioned research into this problematic area of “shared surfaces”, etc., and, also, the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (the Scottish Ministers’ own advisers on the needs of disabled people) had requested a moratorium on shared surfaces until this research had been completed.  

The report drew attention to this negative aspect of what was otherwise a very attractive project.  In particular, David Wemyss referred to a meeting of the Council’s Disability Advisory Group the day before at which it had been concluded that, with the difficulties of the visually impaired in mind, the current proposals for Carmelite Street and Hadden Street were extremely disappointing.

Before considering the report further however, the Committee, having agreed at the beginning of the meeting to accede to a deputation request from Mr. Jonathan Day of Soprano Hotels, now heard from Mr. Day on his concern that the project would cause serious problems as a result of its impact on night-time parking potential in the area.  

After hearing from Mr. Day, and after questions to him and to the officials, Councillor Kevin Stewart suggested that there was potential for the Committee to settle on an adjustment to the scheme in which the footway on one side of Stirling Street would be widened to an acceptable standard, albeit that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

CouncillorsBoulton, Clark, Dean and Stewart declared an interest in the following article by virtue of their membership of NESTRANS, but did not consider it necessary to withdraw from the meeting.   Also, Councillor Fletcher declared a pecuniary interest vis-à-vis his position as an office holder in COSLA, but, again, did not consider it necessary to withdraw from the meeting.

The Interim Director of Corporate Governance and the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure had submitted a joint report dealing with the implications for the Council of the above legislation, which had received Royal Assent on 1 April this year and would come into operation on 1 October.  

The narrative went into a great deal of close analysis, of which the central import was that the new Act contained much that was welcome but other aspects that were of considerable concern.  

First of all, the legislation obliged local authorities to do something which Aberdeen City Council had actually done of its own accord several years ago, namely, inviting the owners of private off-street car parking areas (most obviously supermarkets and large shops) to consider allowing the Council to manage blue badge parking bays in those areas by including them in off-street car parking legislation, with the effect of making them enforceable by the City Wardens.  

The Council had done this with the John Lewis car park, which had been given over exclusively to blue badge holders.   John Lewis had invited the Council to manage the area by putting it into the off-street traffic order.   Unfortunately, the car park had been obliterated subsequently in the course of road realignment. 

Now, under the new Act, every local authority was obliged to approach not only major supermarkets and large shops but any owner of off-street car parking areas in which disabled spaces had been established.

Even if the Council’s invitation was turned down - which was perhaps fairly unlikely in most cases – there was an obligation to go back every two years to try again.   The report enthused over this most positive aspect of the new legislation.  

On the other hand, the on-street aspects were quite troubling.   Here, the fundamental significance was an alteration in the current position vis-à-vis the familiar individualised (but advisory) bays established outside the homes of people with disabilities.   Aberdeen City Council had around 1,300 of these, but they were common in other cities and towns throughout Scotland.   The new legislation would actively outlaw such bays in their current form.

In other words, it would be illegal to continue to have advisory individualised bays;  instead, there would be an obligation to replace them with non-individualised regulatory bays, accessible to any blue badge holder.  

An individual resident would still be the precipitant of the process to establish a bay.   But he or she would not have privileged or individualised access to it once it had been established.

Of course this meant that the Council would have to promote traffic orders to provide the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

There had been circulated a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure discussing the background to the controversial changes to the bus network in the Midstocket and Rosemount areas of the city, changes that had occurred over a period of time in April and September 2008 and February 2009.   The report went into great detail but its central import was that the discontinuing of the former 22 service had not only caused initial anger but also continued to be a source of considerable ill-feeling in the area.   Despite the presumed commercial solidity of the former 22 service, First Aberdeen had not shifted on the issue, notwithstanding fierce criticism from local people and Councillors.  

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to express its great concern over the mishandling of this matter and the continuing unsatisfactory attitude of First Aberdeen;

(ii)        to continue discussions with a view to reinstating service 22 or altering the route of service 3 (to resolve the difficulties in Raeden Park Road and provide a frequent service along the length of Midstocket Road); 

(iii)       to continue discussions towards establishing an improved bus service between Midstocket, Rosemount and the Broad Street area of the city centre;

(iv)       to continue to monitor the performance of service 25;  and

(v)        to write to First Aberdeen, Stagecoach Bluebird, and all other operators considered by the Public Transport Unit to be likely to be interested, with a view to drawing attention to the apparent commercial viability of the old 22 route or some variation of it.

With reference to the minute of meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee of 21January, 2009 (article 5(D) refers), there had been circulated a detailed report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure recommending that he be authorised to notify the Scottish Government of Aberdeen City Council’s concern that the National Concession Card Scheme introduced in April 2006 by Transport Scotland (which had superseded all locally-operated concessionary travel schemes) did not serve the interests of people with learning difficulties.  

The Committee resolved:-

to request the Director to notify the Scottish Government of the Council’s concerns and request that these be included in the further stages of their current review.

There had been circulated a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure explaining his Department’s efforts in developing Community Transport Schemes in the city, and also how changes to TaxiCard policy in April 2009 might influence future plans.   The narrative also discussed work with the voluntary and care sector in joint transport co-ordination.  

People encountered many difficulties if they could not get around as well as was ordinarily expected.   If private or public transport was not an option, friends and family usually covered.   Community transport was essentially a pre-organised lift, pre-organised in a variety of ways.  

The Council’s Community Transport Passenger Fleet was currently being rescheduled to provide more cost-effective school transport and social care services, something which would become easier after recent legislative changes allowing salaried driving staff to operate community services (where previously there had been restrictions on such use).  

All of this was in turn being linked with Red Cross and Ambulance Service opportunities for sharing information and improving transport to day centres, nursing homes, respite centres, schools, etc.  

Discussions were at an early stage and, once there were more developments, the Committee would receive a report back.  

Finally, it was also noted that revised eligibility criteria for TaxiCard had resulted in some 1,500 people who received disability living allowance with the high rate mobility component losing their card.   Officers were now developing a model of origin/destination for card holders who had lost their entitlement in this way, with a view to obtaining better understanding of travel patterns, and developing discussions with the Red Cross towards the planning of future community transport options.   People who had lost their entitlement would be surveyed with a view to establishing how community transport might work for them.   Again, a report back was intended.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the position and to look forward to future reports.

The Committee had no further observations on the City Council’s response to the Scottish Government consultation on its Cycling Action Plan for Scotland.   This strategy document – developed in the light of extensive consultation with members of the public, COSLA, and representatives of the cycling, active travel and environmental sectors – had been submitted by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to allow the elected members a final opportunity to suggest minor revisions.

MATTER OF URGENCY

            The Convener intimated that she had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the following item of business be considered as a matter of urgency as the current traffic signal maintenance contract ceased at the end of September, 2009.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure recommending the award of the traffic signal maintenance contract for the period 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2012 (with an option for extension for a further two years until 30 September 2014) to Siemens Traffic Controls, the contract award to include the core items contained in table 1 in the circulated papers, along with optional items in table 2.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure outlining a full business case for the establishment of a fixed term post of Project Manager to lead this high-profile European project, which was considered to have great significance vis-à-vis green space and biodiversity policies.  

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the establishment of the fixed term post of Project Manager as an externally funded post, all as outlined in the business case.

-   COUNCILLOR DEAN, Convener.