Agenda and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be found at:-

http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=140&MId=1907&Ver=4

The Convener advised that Ms. Bojana Vujanac and Mr. Igor Vavic were both working with the Council as part of the European Integration Scholarships Programme and welcomed Ms. Bojana Vujanac to the meeting.  She also welcomed Becky Christie, Oldmachar Academy pupil, who was shadowing Councillor Jaffrey.

None at present.

The Convener advised the Committee that both of the following requests for deputation which had been received outwith the deadline stated within Standing Order 10(1) had now been withdrawn;

(i)         Mr Mike Shepherd – in relation to item 7.7 (City Centre Development Framework) on the agenda (article 25); and

(ii)        Ms Shirley Henderson, on behalf of Westbank Residents Association – in relation to item 8.3 (Various Traffic Orders – Outcome of Main Statutory Advertisement Stage) on the agenda (article 31 refers).

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 15 March, 2011.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as an accurate record.

The Committee had before it a statement of pending and outstanding Committee business, which had been prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

In relation to item 4 (Peacock Visual Arts/ Northern Light), the Director advised that he had written to the Director of Education, Culture and Sport regarding this matter and was awaiting a response.

In relation to item 28 (General Fund Revenue Budget 2011/2012 and Indicative 2012/2013-2015/2016 Budget), the Director advised that the Services was on target to achieve all 2011/2012 savings and that all savings were monitored monthly at the Senior Management Team.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to remove item 2 (Energy Futures Centre);

(ii)       in relation to item 24 (Update on the Numbers and Impact of Economic Migrants on the City of Aberdeen), to note that a report on this matter would be submitted to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on 13 September, 2011;

(iii)      to note the oral update from the Director in relation to item 4 (Peacock Visual Arts Centre/ Northern Light);

(iv)       to note the oral update from the Director in relation to item 28 (General Fund Revenue Budget 2011/2012 and Indicative 2012/2013 – 2015/2016 Budget); and

(v)        to otherwise note the updates contained within the list.

The Committee had before it a statement of outstanding motions under the Committee’s remit which had been prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to remove motion 2 (Motion by Councillor Boulton – Bus Fares for Pupils), and to request officers to clarify to the Committee, by email, the cost of the 12 week Unilink ticket; and

(ii)        to otherwise note the updates contained therein.

‘That Aberdeen City Council agrees to instruct officers to prepare a report on both the feasibility of developing, in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council, a long distance footpath – The Royal Deeside and Perthshire Way – from Fittie to Perth via Deeside and ways in which this project might be funded’.

With reference to article 7 of the minute of meeting of the Housing and Environment Committee of 10 May, 2011, the Committee had before it the following motion which had been submitted by Councillor Yuill.

‘That Aberdeen City Council agrees to instruct officers to prepare a report on both the feasibility of developing, in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council, a long distance footpath – The Royal Deeside and Perthshire Way – from Fittie to Perth via Deeside, and ways in which this project might be funded’.

The Committee resolved:-

in the absence of Councillor Yuill, to defer consideration of the motion to the next meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee on 13 September, 2011.

            MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener instructed in terms Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and Standing Order 22(9) that the following motion be considered on this day in order that representation on this matter could be made to the Government.

"That the Council responds as a matter of urgency to the Westminster Government's consultation on the possible extension of Air Passenger Duty, strongly urging that helicopter flights to and from North Sea installations be exempted".

The Committee had before it the following emergency motion which has been submitted by the Convener:-

            “That the Council respond as a matter of urgency to the Westminster Government’s consultation on the possible extension of Air Passenger Duty, strongly urging that the helicopter flights to and from the North Sea installations be exempted”.

The Convener spoke to her motion, explaining the rationale behind her request.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the terms of the motion.

With reference to article 7 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 18 January, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an update on the Service’s key performance measures and progress of improvement works against the priorities of the Service, which consisted of 2 sections, namely:  (1)  a highlight report by the Director; and (2)  a summary report detailing the key performance indicators and improvement actions identified to measure the performance and progress of each priority up to 31 March, 2011.

The report advised that the Service was currently undertaking a full review of service risks and working with colleagues in Finance to incorporate full financial data and both these would be included in future reports.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request officers to provide the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee with the results of Aberdeen University’s study which was analysing the impacts of the introduction of the increase in tax on the oil and gas sector once this had been completed;

(ii)        to congratulate all staff for the improvement in sickness absence figures in the Service; and

(iii)       to note the performance of the Service to date.

With reference to article 8 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 18 January, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an update on the progress made in respect of the restructuring of Senior Management within Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure, under delegated authority granted to the Director by the Committee at its meeting on 31 May, 2010.

The Head of Planning and Sustainable Development advised that the restructuring of her team had been completed in September, 2010; she was now carrying out a comprehensive service review and once this had been completed further refinement in the structure would be undertaken.  This process would not have a significant affect below fourth tier.

The Economic/ Business Development Project Director advised that the restructuring of his team was included in the Economic and Business Development 2011-2016 Business Plan to be considered later on the agenda (article 10 refers).

Finally, the Head of Asset Management and Operations advised all general managers had been appointed and a new team responsible for corporate management had been established.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the content of the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the Council’s proposed Economic and Business Development Plan for the period 1 April, 2011 to 31 March, 2016.  The plan was appended to the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the proposed 1 April, 2011 – 31 March 2016 Economic and Business Development Plan and the projects/activities outlined therein – on the understanding that proposed budget allocations were fully compliant with the recent Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure 2011/2012 budget approval process;

(ii)        to note that some projects and activities outlined in the Business Plan Annexes (Annexes 2 to 6) might be subject to further refinement in light of the ongoing reorganisation changes and related budget reallocations within teams; and

(iii)       to note that all budget and staffing issues relating to the Business Plan’s implementation would be dealt with in accordance with the Council’s normal budget process and normal Human Resources procedures.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought approval of the Service Asset Management Plan for Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the Service Asset Management Plan for Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure.

With reference to article 11 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 15 March, 2011, the Committee had before it a joint report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure and the Head of Finance which provided an update on the progress made on various projects within the Non-Housing Capital Programme previously approved by the Council (now aligned to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure services).

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the contents of the report in relation to the projects outlined at appendix A; and

(ii)        to instruct the relevant officers to continue to work closely with the Corporate Asset Group and in particular the Head of Asset Management and Operations and the Head of Finance, to ensure effective monitoring of the programme going forwards.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 15 March, 2011, the Committee had before it a joint report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure and the Head of Finance, which highlighted the current year revenue budget performance to date for the services which related to the Committee and advised on any areas of risk and management action taken.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the performance for the year and the information on risks and management action that was contained therein; and

(ii)        to instruct officers to continue to review budget performance and report on service strategies as required to ensure a balanced budget.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised of the reasons for the reduction in income generated for the Council’s General Fund Revenue Budget by the Construction  Management and Design Section of Asset Management Operations; and detailed the existing arrangements for the charging of fees for Non-Housing Capital Projects.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the existing situation with regard to the way that Professional Fees and Corporate Administration Costs were charged for Non-Housing Capital Projects;

(ii)        to note the reasons for the shortfall in income during the financial year 2010/2011; and

(iii)       to instruct officers to amend the current procedure for the stage drawdown of fees on all projects over £1million to correspond to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought approval for officers within Facilities Management Services to apply an annual increase to the price of both primary and secondary school meals, as necessary.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve an increase in the price of the school meal by 10p per meal from August 2011;

(b)       to delegate power to the Head of Asset Management and Operations to determine and apply increases in future years to meal prices as necessary, to reflect budget decisions, increased costs etc, subject to the charges being benchmarked with other comparable authorities;

(c)        to refer the report to the Finance and Resources Committee of
16 June, 2011 for final approval to apply any increases, and thereafter to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 2 June, 2011 for information only; and

(d)       agree that the final decision of the Finance and Resources Committee be communicated to parents through each school.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved:-

            that the recommendations be approved.

Councillor Adam, seconded by Councillor Allan, moved as an amendment:-

            that recommendations (a), (c) and (d) be approved.

On a division between the motion and the amendment, there voted:-  for the motion (9) – the Convener, the Vice-Convener; and Councillors Corall, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, McCaig, Penny and Robertson;  for the amendment (5) - Councillors Adam, Allan, Crockett, Farquharson and Milne.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

With reference to article 20 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Enterprise Committee of 23 February, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an update on the current position with the proposals for the Aberdeen Business Improvement District (the BID), the timetable being pursued, and the initial projects for implementation following the conclusion of a successful ballot.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       authorise the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to progress consultations on all aspect of the delivery of the Aberdeen BID proposal with partner organisations and relevant stakeholders within the BID area in conjunction with the Aberdeen BID Steering Group and the Aberdeen BID Board, as detailed in the report;

(b)       consent to the continuation of the process towards the planned Ballot of the eligible businesses within the proposed Aberdeen BID area and, as the Ballot Holder, to conduct the election process as set out in the report;

(c)        authorise the Chief Executive, as the Ballot Holder, or her nominee, to conduct the election process within the prescribed timeline, as set out in the report;

(d)       authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Directors to undertake the final negotiations, completion and approval of all appropriate documentation on behalf of Aberdeen City Council for the implementation of the Aberdeen BID, as detailed within the report; and

(e)       authorise payment of a monthly grant from the date of the Ballot, equivalent to one-twelfth of the total annual levy charge, until the levy was collected and disbursed to the BID – at which point any grant paid would be deducted from the levy collected, as detailed in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an update on the Council’s external funding initiatives.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve Councillor Dean to run for Vice Chair of the North Sea Commission in the June election and Chair of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions Energy Group (CPMR);

(b)       approve both member and officer travel and attendance to relevant North Sea Commission (NSC) meetings throughout 2011, and officer travel to European Project development meetings within Europe Member States in 2011/2012; and note that the locations and timings of project development meetings would vary in the year as and when the lead partners called for the meetings;

(c)        note the European promotional activities which had been undertaken to date;

(d)       approve the Council’s participation in the following European projects and officer travel to project meetings:

·        Life Time Proof Communities (Interreg IVB North West Europe)

·        Greenspace Infrastructure (GIN) (Interreg IVB North Sea Region)

·        Complex Challenges, Innovative Cities (CCIC) (Interreg IVC)

·        Broadband Office Network Europe (BONE) (Interreg IVC)

·        Policy Plan for Air Quality in Cities and Towns (PACT) (Interreg IVC)

·        Green Towns (Interreg IVC)

·        Hub for Domestic Violence (Daphne III)

·        A Low Carbon Action Plan for the North Sea Region (LOWCAP) (Interreg IVB North Sea Region)

·        EcoCities (Interreg IVC)

·        Green Economy in Urban Areas (Interreg IVC); and

(e)       note the success of the Council drawing down £581,743 in 2010/11 of external monies to be utilised in EU projects over a period of three years.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note that Councillor Dean would no longer be running for the position of Vice-Chair of the North Sea Commission in their June election and Chair of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions Energy Group (CPMR), as the current Chair had decided not to resign; and

(ii)        to otherwise approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented applications for financial assistance from the International Twinning Budget 2011/12.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve a grant of £2,050 towards the cost of the 21^st Aberdeen (Cults) Scout Group visit to Gomel, Belarus from 5 to 12 October, 2011;

(b)       approve A grant of £1,940 towards the cost of Jazz Scotland participating at the Regensburg Jazz Festival between 14 and 17 September, 2011;

(c)        approve a grant of £3,600 towards the cost of Stavanger Vocalensemble participating at the Sound festival from 10-13 November, 2011;

(d)       approve a grant of £1,950 towards the participation of the Havard Holland Gallery, Stavanger and the Ostwestkunst Gallery, Regensburg at the Inaugural Aberdeen Art Fair, to be held at Aberdeen Music Hall, between 12 and 14 August, 2011; and

(e)       approve a grant of £4,700 towards the participation of Vardeneset BK Stavanger at the inaugural Aberdeen International Festival of Football to be held between 18 and 22 July, 2011.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 22 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 18 January, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented a policy statement which consolidated all of Aberdeen City Council’s sustainability policies into one document.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve the Securing the Benefits from the Next Energy Revolution Policy Statement Statement;

(b)       instruct officers to prepare an alternative energy strategy; and

(c)        request that officers arrange a “renewables awareness” workshop in 2011 for elected members and interested parties.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the proposed Council response for the Scottish Government’s consultation entitled “Scotland’s National Marine Plan Pre-Consultation Draft”.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the view of the Council’s response to the above consultation.

With reference to article 11 of the minute of meeting of Council of 24 March, 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought the selection of a named elected member to the North East of Scotland Climate Change Partnership.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee appoint an appropriate Elected Member to represent the Council’s interests on the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership, with officer support from Planning and Sustainable Development.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to appoint Councillor Corall to the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership; and

(ii)        to request that the minutes of the meetings of the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership be placed in the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee’s Information Bulletin.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the alternative energy strategy for Council owned public buildings (appended to the report) for approval.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       note the potential environmental and financial benefits of reducing the Council’s energy demand and developing alternative energy projects in the City; and

(b)       agree to the adoption of the Council’s Alternative Energy Strategy for Council owned Public Buildings; and

(c)        agree to refer the Strategy to the Corporate Policy and Performance Committee for ratification.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which outlined an application for a Exemption Order for the Short Term Exemption of Land from Access Rights under Section 11 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (the Land Reform Act), in order to facilitate and support the management of the Walker Cup Golf Tournament which was to be held at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve the proposed Section 11 Exemption Order to facilitate and support the management of the Walker Cup Golf Tournament at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club; and

(b)       instruct officers to progress with the order.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the draft response to a Scottish Government consultation on the maintenance of land on private housing estates.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee instruct officers to submit the response to the consultation proposed in this report to the Scottish Government by the deadline of 6 June, 2011.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request officers to report to the Housing and Environment Committee on the issue of charging for garden maintenance in the vicinity of housing amenity areas where a number of properties were now privately owned, if this was not already being reported to the Committee; and

(ii)        to instruct officers to submit the response to the consultation proposed in this report to the Scottish Government by the deadline of 6 June, 2011.

Please note that the Framework can be viewed at http://aberdeencitydev/Planning/pla/pla_city_centre_development_framework.asp, a hard copy is also available in the Members’ Lounge or at the Planning and Sustainable Development reception on the 8^th floor of St Nicholas House.

With reference to article 14 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 7 September, 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the Aberdeen City Centre Development Framework for approval as interim planning advice pending adoption of the Aberdeen Local Development Plan, at which time it would be formally adopted as supplementary guidance to the Plan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the Aberdeen City Centre Development Framework as interim planning advice, pending adoption of the Aberdeen Local Development Plan, at which time it would be formally adopted as supplementary guidance to the Plan.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the recommendation contained in the report; and

(ii)        as Union Terrace Gardens was the central focus of debate in the City centre, the Framework should specifically keep open a range of options, including improving access to the gardens as currently structured and preserving the topography of the area.

Please note that the necessary documents can be viewed at http://aberdeencitydev/Planning/pla/pla_masterplan_energetica.asp, a hard copy is also available in the Members’ Lounge or at the Planning and Sustainable Development reception on the 8^th floor of St Nicholas House.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which outlined the proposed Energetica Placemaking Supplementary Guidance, Overview and Planning Advice, prepared as a guide for the future development of land identified within the Energetica Corridor.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the joint (City and Shire) consultation of the Energetica Placemaking Supplementary Guidance, Overview and Planning Advice documents for a period of 8 weeks, starting on 1 August, 2011 and concluding at 5pm, 23 September, 2011; and that this might be subject to any minor editing changes or minor technical points of detail which might require to be made.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

Please note that the Framework and Masterplan can be viewed at http://aberdeencitydev/Planning/pla/pla_masteplan_stoneywood.asp, a hard copy is also available in the Members’ Lounge or at the Planning and Sustainable Development reception on the 8^th floor of St Nicholas House.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which outlined the Stoneywood Estate Development Framework and Masterplan, which had been prepared as a guide for the future development of land identified as Opportunity Site OP24 in the Proposed Aberdeen Local Development Plan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the Stoneywood Estate Development Framework and Masterplan as interim planning advice, pending adoption of the Aberdeen Local Development Plan, at which time it would be adopted as supplementary guidance to that Plan.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the Stoneywood Estate Development Framework and Masterplan as recommended in the report.

Please note that the Framework can be viewed at  http://aberdeencitydev/Planning/pla/pla_masterplan_Davidsons_Mill.asp, a hard copy is also available in the Members’ Lounge or at the Planning and Sustainable Development reception on the 8^th floor of St Nicholas House.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which outlined the former Davidson’s Mill Development Framework, which had been prepared as a guide for the future development of the brownfield regeneration site at Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn, identified as Opportunity Site OP107 in the adopted Aberdeen Local Plan 2008.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee adopt the Davidson’s Mill Development Framework as supplementary planning guidance to the Adopted Aberdeen Local Plan (2008), pending adoption of the Aberdeen Local Development Plan (ALDP), at which time it would be adopted as supplementary guidance to that plan

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the Davidson’s Mill Development Framework as supplementary planning guidance to the Adopted Aberdeen Local Plan (2008) as recommended in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which proposed various small scale traffic management measures for the above locations.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve the proposals in principle and instruct officers to commence the necessary legal procedures of preliminary statutory consultation for the traffic regulation orders required, and that if no significant objections were received, then to progress with the public advertisement and report the results to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee; and

(b)       instruct the appropriate officers to commence the combined statutory consultation for the traffic regulation order for the rest of the Blue Badge parking spaces and report back to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

With reference to article 23 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 18 January, 2011 and article 22 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 15 March, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised of the results of the initial statutory consultation process undertaken in relation to each of the above locations.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee acknowledge the responses received as a result of the Statutory Consultation, and thereafter instructs officers to progress to the public advertisement stage and report the results to a future Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which advised of the outcome of the final statutory stage of the following six orders and presented objections which had been received:

(i)         The Aberdeen City Council (Disabled Person’s Parking Places in Aberdeen) (Regulatory Parking Places) (No 1) Order 2011;

(ii)        The Aberdeen City Council (Various Traffic Management Measures) (No 1) Order 2011;

(iii)       The Aberdeen City Council (Various Traffic Management Measures) (No 2) Order 2011;

(iv)       The Aberdeen City Council (Various Traffic Management Measures) (No 3) Order 2011;

(v)        The Aberdeen City Council (Night Time Transport Zone) (Waiting Restrictions) Order 2011; and

(vi)       The Aberdeen City Council (Bus Lanes in Aberdeen) (Amendment)
(No 2) Order 2011.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       overrule the objection in relation to the Aberdeen City Council (Various Traffic Management Measures) (No 1) Order 2011 and that the Order be implemented as originally envisaged;

(b)       defer consideration of the proposals regarding Westbank to the next meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee on 13 September, 2011, to allow further consultation with the residents, however that the remainder of the Aberdeen City Council (Various Traffic Management Measures) (No 3) Order 2011 be implemented as originally envisaged;

(c)        note the objection in respect of the Aberdeen City Council (Night Time Transport Zone) (Waiting Restrictions) Order 2011, in particular the inaccuracy within the Order regarding the location of the night time taxi rank B, and that in light of this inaccuracy, the Aberdeen City Council (Night Time Transport Zone) (Waiting Restrictions) Order 2011, be approved as advertised, with the exception of night time taxi rank B; and therefore to instruct officers to re-advertise the correct location of rank B and the proposed seven day operation, as a matter of urgency in order that the Council could ensure continuity across all the night time ranks as quickly as possible; and

(d)       affirm the orders which did not attract objections and that all the Orders be made and implemented accordingly.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which informed of the European Mobility Week and In Town Without My Car Day events taking place throughout the world in September, 2011; and requested that Aberdeen City take part in these celebrations by closing to motor vehicles either Union Terrace on Saturday, 24 September, 2011 or Belmont Street on Saturday, 17 September, 2011 and hosting a sustainable transport-themed event in the roadspace to highlight the City’s and the Council’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to support Aberdeen City’s participation in the European Mobility Week and In Town Without My Car Day 2011;

(ii)        to instruct officers to initiate proceedings to close Belmont Street for a smaller scale event on Saturday, 17 September, and that the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development clarify whether this would still meet the requirements for participation in the European Mobility Week and In Town Without My Car Day 2011; and

(iii)       to email the Equality Human Rights Impact Assessment undertaken to Councillor Allan.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which presented the option to apply charges for street occupations associated with the occupation of road space for use as a site storage area for offices, containers, etc to carry out building works, making buildings safe and commercial operations.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       approve the charges and that these be applied from 1 July, 2011 and that the report be referred to the Finance and Resources Committee for ratification of the charges; and

(b)       instruct officers to review the charges annually as part of the budget process.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an overview of the strategy that the Roads Service operated throughout the City during the winter of 2010/2011.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       note the contents of this report;

(b)       instruct officers to continue with the comparison of other similar urban authorities winter services both in terms of operation and cost;

(c)        instruct officers to incorporate, within the Winter Services Plan for 2011/2012, those recommendations in Section 13 of the Well Maintained Highways and any other relevant documents produced not already in the Winter Maintenance Plan 2010-2011; and

(d)       instruct officers to report back to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on 13 September, 2011 with the updated Winter Services Plan.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report.

With reference to article 26 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 18 January, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided an update on progress to date on various strategic transportation projects within Aberdeen City and the wider area.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       note the contents of the report,

(b)       agree the draft response to Network Rail, detailed in Appendix B to the report on the issue of train overcrowding in the North East; and

(c)        instruct officers to respond to the High Speed Rail consultation based on the points raised in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report.

The Convener advised that this was Councillor John West’s last meeting as Vice-Convener of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee; she thanked him for his support throughout his time as Vice-Convener and wished him well in his new role.

- COUNCILLOR DEAN, Convener.