Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be located at the following link:-

http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=503&MId=3454&Ver=4

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Convener advised that he proposed to take item 9.1 (Police Performance Reporting 2015/2016) directly after consideration of the minute of the previous meeting to enable Chief Inspector Murray Main to depart the meeting once the report had been considered.

The Convener also advised that item 12.9 (Footway Crossing Extension – Appeal against refusal- 46 Newburgh Crescent, Bridge of Don) had been withdrawn from the agenda to enable further information to be sought.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to note the withdrawn item;  and

(ii)       to concur with the suggestion of the Convener in relation to the change to the agenda order.

The Convener proposed that the Committee consider items 14.1, 15.1 and 16.1 on the agenda with the press and public excluded.

The Committee resolved:-

In terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting for items 14.1, 15.1 and 16.1 (articles 34 to 36 of this minute) so as to avoid disclosure of information of the class described in paragraphs 8 and 9 (item 14.1), 8 (item 15.1) and 6 (item 16.1).

·         Mr Martin Wilson re Item 9.5 HMO Fee Setting 2015-2016

·         Mr William Lonsdale re Item 12.6 Garthdee Proposed Controlled Parking Zone – Extension (Initial Statutory Consultation)

The Convener advised Committee that three requests for deputation had been received.

The requests were as follows:-

(a)  Mr Martin Wilson in relation to item 9.5 (HMO Fee Setting 2015-2016) (article 6 refers);

(b)  Mr William Lonsdale in relation to item 12.6 (Garthdee – Proposed Controlled Parking Zone) (article 7 refers);  and

(c)   Mr Paul O’Connor in relation to item 12.6 (Garthdee – Proposed Controlled Parking Zone) (article 7 refers).  This request had not been received within the prescribed timescales.

The Convener advised that he proposed that Committee hear all three deputations prior to consideration of the relevant items.

The Committee resolved:-

to agree to hear all three deputations prior to consideration of the reports.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 13 January 2015 for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        in relation to article 13 (Local Fire and Rescue Performance Report), to note that a workshop had been arranged for Elected Members at 10.30am on 24 April 2015;  and

(ii)       to approve the minute as a correct record.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee had before it a report by Chief Superintendent Adrian Watson which set out options for reporting information submitted to Committee by the Police Service of Scotland.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the contents of the report;

(b)       make an informed decision based on the options presented therein;  and

(c)       identified members to influence further consultation.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to agree option 2 as set out in the report, namely bi-annual reporting;  and

(ii)       to agree that Councillors Cooney, Graham, Greig and Samarai would form the short term reference group.

(A)         The Committee was addressed by Mr Martin Wilson.  Mr Wilson explained that he had made a similar deputation to the Housing and Environment Committee in 2013 when the surplus on the HMO account, which had been built up over a number of years, was proposed to be reduced over a 2 year period. At that time he had proposed that the surplus be run down over 3 years rather than 2 years and that it be effected by a discount to the renewal fee.  The rationale for the discount being applied to renewals was that only renewals were affected by the higher fees some 3 years earlier.

Mr Wilson noted that the current proposal being put forward proposed to reduce the discount for renewals to £95  (3-5 tenants).  He advised that he quoted the 3-5 tenant figures for convenience but that the proposal would affect all renewal discounts, albeit by different amounts.  Mr Wilson stated that in the last two years the renewal fee discount had been set at £275 and £245.  He added that the proposal to reduce the discount this year to £95 would not provide the same level of discount to those affected by high HMO fees in the year 2012-13 when the fee was £550 and 3 years previously in 2009-10 £1000.  He advised that 2009-2010 was the year (2009-10) in which the largest surplus was raised on the account and drew members’ attention to a slide which demonstrated the amounts.  Mr Wilson advised that the ratio of new applications to renewals had remained steady at approximately 1:2 and was forecast to remain at that ratio for the next year. Therefore he suggested that any £1 decrease in the renewal fee could be matched by a £2 increase in the new application fee to maintain revenue levels.

Mr Wilson noted that the proposal for the 2015-16 fees was for renewals to be set at £400 and new applications to be set at £495.  He suggested what he considered to be an alternative, fairer fee structure for 2015-16, which preserved the intent of the original proposal in 2013.  Mr Wilson added that he believed the fee income would be the same if the fees were £350 and £595, with the £50 reduction in renewals being offset by the £100 increase for new applications. The difference between the two fees would be £245, a level of discount similar to that of the last 2 years (£275 and £245).  He believed this would maintain the fairness of the original proposal in the final year of the 3 year period.  Mr Wilson added that other fee levels for different size HMOs would be adjusted in the same manner and concluded by asking the Committee to consider accepting his alternative proposal.

There being no questions from Members in relation to the deputation, the Convener thanked Mr Wilson for his contribution.

(B)         The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

At this juncture, the Convener referred to a letter which had been sent from the Principal and Vice Chancellor of the Robert Gordon University to the Chief Executive which offered to make payments for the coming 10 years in relation to the existing Garthdee CPZ.  There followed a short recess while the letter was copied and circulated to Committee members.

(A)         The Committee heard firstly from Mr William Lonsdale who stated that the purpose of the report should reflect the earlier resolution of Committee.  Mr Lonsdale referred to the financial implications outlined in the report as well as to the content of previous reports to the Development Management Sub Committee in 2010 and stated that as all costs of the CPZ had been covered, it was not appropriate for the Council to charge residents for parking.  He also referred to the response from the Planning and Sustainable Development Service outlined in the report and described it as disingenuous.  He stated that the University also referred in their framework document to a ‘free for residents CPZ’, and so for these reasons, he did not think that there should be a charge made on residents.

Mr Lonsdale noted the letter which had been received from the Robert Gordon University but added that while he welcomed the offer, he did not feel that the gesture was particularly generous, and that the University should protect Garthdee residents from detriment in perpetuity, as he stated that the problems suffered in Garthdee were as a result of the expansion of the University.  He added that the impact of the expansion would not lessen after 10 years, and asked that the Council continue to press the University on the funding of residents’ parking.  He also asked that officers be instructed to ensure that the draft traffic order made clear that Residential Exemption Permits should be provided free of charge, stating that this would comply with the commitments given to the community in the public consultation on the RGU Planning Application and with the resolutions of the Development Management Sub Committee.

There being no questions from members in relation to the deputation, the Convener thanked Mr Lonsdale for his contribution.

The Committee then heard from Mr Paul O’Connor who stated that the residents of Garthdee had been through a particularly unsettled period.  He noted that he was in favour of the same goal as Mr Lonsdale, however he wanted it to be achieved in a different way.  He stated that he did not want everyone to be looking backwards, but rather looking forwards in a manner which would appease the Council, Robert Gordon University and the Garthdee community.  He requested that the Council put politics aside and sought cross-party agreement to accept the offer from the University.  Mr O’Connor stated that he had also spoken to the University and that they were willing to provide a letter of comfort to residents that in Year 8 they would meet with the Council to discuss how to move forward.  He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Committee had before it a statement of Committee business and a list of annual reports prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to remove item 18 (High Hedges) from the business statement as information had been provided in the bulletin;  and

(ii)       to otherwise the note the updates contained within the business statement and annual reports list.

The Committee had before it a motions list prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the updates provided in relation to both outstanding motions.

“That this Council:-

1. Notes the recent decision by the City of Edinburgh Council to introduce a 20mph speed limit covering most of Edinburgh and similar moves by a number of English local authorities.
2. Notes the positive effect on pedestrian and cyclist survivability in accidents involving vehicles travelling at 20mph rather than 30mph
3. Instruct officers to report on the feasibility, desirability and implications of introducing a similar arrangement in Aberdeen.”

With reference to article 15 of the minute of Council of 4 March 2015, the Committee heard from Councillor Yuill in relation to his motion which had been referred to the Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Committee:-

            “That this Council:-

1.    Notes the recent decision by the City of Edinburgh Council to introduce a 20mph speed limit covering most of Edinburgh and similar moves by a number of English local authorities;

2.    Notes the positive effect on pedestrian and cyclist survivability in accidents involving vehicles travelling at 20mph rather than 30mph;  and

3.    Instructs officers to report on the feasibility, desirability and implications of introducing a similar arrangement in Aberdeen.”

Councillor Yuill, seconded by Councillor Delaney, moved his motion as set out above.

The Convener, seconded by Vice Convener Graham, moved as an amendment:-

            That Committee take no action in respect of the motion.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (2) – Councillors Delaney and Yuill;  for the amendment (17) – the Convener; Vice Convener Graham; Vice Convener Jean Morrison; and Councillors Allan, Blackman, Corall, Cormie, Crockett, Dickson, Jackie Dunbar, Finlayson, Grant, McCaig, Milne, Samarai, Thomson and Young.

The Committee resolved:-

to take no action in respect of the motion.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure and the Director of Corporate Governance which set out the current year general fund revenue and capital budget performance to date and provided advice on any areas of risk and management action required.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       consider and note the report and the information on management action and risks that was contained therein;  and

(b)       instruct that officers report the year end position to the appropriate committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure and the Director of Corporate Governance which provided an update on income and expenditure for the 2014/2015 Housing Revenue Account and Housing Capital Programme as at 31 December 2014.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the financial information contained within the report;

(b)       instruct that the Head of Finance continue to update the Committee in consultation with the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure on the actual out-turn position for 2014/15 following completion of the year end statutory accounts;  and

(c)       approve the virements outlined in Appendix 3

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure and the Director of Corporate Governance which set out the current year trading services’ budget performance to date for the services which fell under the remit of the Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Committee, and advised on any areas of risk and management action required.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       consider and note the report and information on management action and risks contained therein;  and

(b)       instruct that officers report the year end position to the appropriate Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 9 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which set out key performance measures and progress of key improvement work within the Service.  The report advised that the format of the document would continue to be developed by officers.

The Committee heard from the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure who highlighted key pieces of work and success within the Service since the last meeting.

Members then asked a number of questions of officers in relation to various aspects of the report.

In relation to new tenant visits (page 80 of the report) and the fact that the target was 100% but the current value was 40.6%, Members sought clarification on the action being taken to improve the statistic.  Officers advised that the figure was currently sitting at 61%, and that the Out of Hours visiting team was now in place which it was hoped would further improve the figures.

In relation to the number of offers of accommodation refused monthly (page 81/82 of the report), Members asked if officers could make contact with the applicant in the first instance to ascertain if they would be interested in a property prior to making an offer.  Officers advised that the issue of refusals was currently being looked at by the Housing Options Manager to ensure that the process was clear for applicants.  It was also noted that offers of accommodation were occasionally withdrawn.

There was a further question around the number of households affected by the Haudagain Improvement Project applying to be rehoused and officers highlighted that a full update on the Haudagain Project was included in the Committee information bulletin.

The report recommended:-

that Committee provided comments and observations on both the performance information and on the format and layout of the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the performance information contained within the report

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on the progress of the Review of Housing for Varying Needs and the associated work streams.  The report included detail in relation to the progress of changes which had been introduced in the first operational phase of the review and requested approval for further proposals as part of the wider review.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(i)        note the progress of

(a)    the implementation of amenity housing at former sheltered housing developments;

(b)    the telecare upgrade programme at amenity (transitional developments), sheltered, very sheltered and extra care housing developments;

(c)    the decommissioning of Smithfield Court as sheltered housing, associated costs, the refurbishment of the building and proposals for relet initiatives;

(d)    the work to convert Provost Hogg Court from sheltered housing to very sheltered housing;  and

(e)    the work to combine the service at Berrymoss Court and Parkhill Court to operate as sheltered housing as per the recommendation of the Housing and Environment Committee of August 2014;

(ii)       approve the recommendations contained in Appendix 1 of the report (as set out in the table below) which detailed a review of previous decisions in relation to the developments in transition from sheltered housing to amenity housing and further proposals to assist in this transition;

(iii)      approve that tenants living in the transitional developments, changing from sheltered to amenity housing be offered, as a minimum, an amenity with community alarm service where family members responded with the future option to upgrade to amenity+ where the responder was a staff member;

(iv)      approve that the charge for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of the Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Committee of 28 October 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on the review of the voids process, and detailed improving performance in the management of empty properties, as well as a range of actions being implemented to continue the positive trend.

The report recommended:-

that Committee note the content of the report

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to note the report;  and

(ii)       to agree that officers proceed with the detailed action plan, to include (a) asset management options for the lowest demand areas with the primary focus being to bring these homes back into use quickly; (b) the implications of prioritising the turnaround of empty homes over routine maintenance and non-urgent repairs for a time limited period; and (c) minimising the turnaround times for empty homes on a longer-term basis, outlining the resources likely to be needed, balanced against the expected increased income to the Housing Revenue Account.

With reference to article 10 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval for expenditure in relation to funded projects for 2015/16, including seeking agreement for a number of actions following on from a review of funded projects which had been carried out as part of the Community Learning and Development review.  The report also sought approval for the implementation of a recommendation from an Internal Audit report to the 26 June 2014 meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee in respect of leased community centres.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)          approve the expenditure in relation to the Funded Projects for 2015/16 as set out in the financial implications section of the report (3.1);

(b)          instruct officers to enter into an initial three year Service Level Agreement with each of these projects identifying confirmed projected funding for 2015/16 and indicative annual project funding for 2016/17 and 2017/18 (based on the status quo), with the exception of an 18 month Service Level Agreement for Middlefield Community Project;

(c)          instruct officers to consult with Community Projects about the potential of developing a pilot Community Anchor Organisation Model and report back to a future Committee on the findings of this consultation exercise;

(d)          agree that a joint working group be put in place to develop a single Service Level Agreement and reporting arrangement in respect of the various Council funds being distributed to the Community Projects;  and

(e)          instruct officers to withhold payment of the Development Grant to Community Centre Associations who had not signed up to the Management Agreement and lease / licence to occupy by 31 March 2015.  In the event that these Associated formally entered into the new agreement by 30 June 2015 and completed the signing of the agreements by 30 September 2015, the Development Grant would then be processed and backdated to 1 April 2015.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to approve recommendations (a) to (d);  and

(ii)          to request a progress report in September on the outstanding centres which had not yet signed up to the Management Agreement and lease.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided information on housing issues which could be a barrier to the recruitment of key workers for some vital sectors of the city’s public and third sectors, such as teachers, carers and police officers, and sought approval for a local lettings initiative for Smithfield Court which would assist with housing key workers in the city.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the use of up to 57 flats in Smithfield Court for short term housing for key workers in accordance with the local lettings initiative outlined in the report; and to instruct officers to implement the initiative once detailed proposals were developed;

(b)       instruct officers to publish the local lettings initiative alongside the Council’s Scheme of Allocations;  and

(c)       instruct officers to review the local lettings initiative as set out in the report after a period of 12 months and report back to Committee on outcomes as appropriate.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which outlined the actions required to support Aberdeen as a leader in the emerging hydrogen and fuel cells sector and sought approval for the Aberdeen City Region Hydrogen Strategy 2015-2016.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the Aberdeen City Region Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2025;

(b)       continue to support, in principle, Aberdeen’s existing lead in the hydrogen sector in order to achieve the long-term goals of increasing economic competitiveness and energy industry diversification;  and

(c)       agree to become a non-financing partner in an Innovate UK Energy Catalyst project proposal in order to help meet objective 5.2 of the strategy.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which presented the 2015 Sector Skills Needs Audit, a document which identified the current and predicted skill shortages within the local economy across all key sectors.  The report sought approval for the document to be circulated to internal and external partners to support the development of future activities and to ensure that Aberdeen had an appropriate skilled pool of labour to meet current and future skill demands.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the production and circulation of the audit as a robust tool that was reflective of the local skill situation at the time of audit which could be used to inform interpretation and analysis of national and regional skills assessments undertaken by Skills Development Scotland (SDS);

(b)       agree to the use of the audit to inform partners on the key issues being raised by responding businesses;

(c)       support the use of the audit to develop appropriate responses by the Council’s service and with partners that address the issues raised;  and

(d)       agree to the production of a future report to the Committee outlining the draft action plan to address the key issues raised in the sector skills needs audit.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which set out the proposed roads and transportation programme from the approved capital budgets for 2015/2016, and sought approval for specific schemes where detailed, and budget headings for the remainder.  The report also included provisional programmes for 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 where possible.  Detailed expenditure was contained in the exempt report CHI/15/128 which was included at item 15.1 of the agenda (article 35 refers).

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the schemes listed in the report Appendices as the detailed proposals for expenditure within budget heading;

(b)       approve expenditure under the Nestrans Capital and Revenue Programmes 2015/16;

(c)       instruct appropriate officials to implement the detailed programme;

(d)       authorise the Director of Communities, Housing & Infrastructure, the Head of Public Infrastructure and Environment and the General Manager Operations, in connection with the attached programme, to undertake or instruct tendering procedures or competitive quotation procedures as appropriate to be carried out;

(e)       grant approval to appropriate officers to award contracts on receipt of a valid tender submission subject to necessary funding in the approved revenue and capital budgets;

(f)        exempt all such procedures and contracts from Standing Order 1(3) of the Council's Standing Orders relating to Contracts and Procurement"; 

(g)       note the successful submission made on behalf of Aberdeen City Council to the ‘Smarter Choices, Smarter Places’ fund and approve officers to expend the funds as outlined in the proposed programme;

(h)      note the submissions made on behalf of Aberdeen City Council to Sustrans Scotland’s Community Links Fund 2015/16 and, should these be successful, to approve officers to expend the funds in accordance with the proposed programme of work; 

(i)        where traffic legislation was necessary, approve the proposals in principle and instruct the appropriate officials to progress the necessary legal procedures;  and

(j)         where no significant objections have been received at the statutory consultation or public advertisement stages to instruct the appropriate officials to implement the scheme, otherwise to note that these would be reported back to a future committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which detailed a request under Standing Order 1(6)(b) for an exemption from the Standing Orders relating to Contracts and Procurement in relation to the Ellon Road Cycle Links (Balgownie Road to the Parkway) which had been made in January 2015 and granted in the same month to allow the implementation process for the project to progress.

The report recommended:-

that Committee note the contents of the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on developments with the publicly available Electric Vehicle infrastructure which the Council provided in Aberdeen; updated members on the costs associated with the project to date; and requested approval to continue to offer the Electric Vehicle charging service at no charge for a further 12 months.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the contents of the report;  and

(b)       instruct officers to continue to offer the Electric Vehicle charging service at no charge for a further 12 months, noting that future decisions on levels of charging would be made within the budget setting process.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which set out various small scale traffic management measures for approval.  The report also brought forward proposals associated with new developments as part of the development management process and included proposals for individual parking bays which required to be progressed.

The report related to proposals at the following locations in the city:-

Proposals to be funded from the Cycling, Walking, Safer Streets budget

·         Beechwood Avenue – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Bressay Brae / Cava Close / Fara Close – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Hazlehead Road / Provost Graham Avenue – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Mackay Road – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Riverside Drive – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Whitestripes Path – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Kepplehills Road (Access road for Tulloch Park) – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Westray Road – proposed ‘Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm’ waiting restrictions

·         Exploration Drive – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Balnagask Road – proposed 45 minute maximum stay parking

·         Marchburn Drive – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Albury Lane – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions and ‘Pay and Display’ parking bays

·         Highgate Gardens / Deemount Road / Deemount Avenue – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions

·         Mastrick Drive – proposed ‘Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm’ waiting restrictions

Proposals to be funded through a Transport Scotland grant

·         Various locations – Car Club parking spaces

·         Various locations – Electric Vehicle parking spaces

Proposals to be funded by developers

·         Balgownie Farm – proposed 20mph speed limit

·         Tarbothill Raod – proposed ‘At any time’ waiting restrictions, and revocation of existing ‘School Keep Clear’ markings

Proposals to be funded by the Disabled Parking Revenue budget

·         Disabled parking bays to be provided through the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009

-       On-street parking (31 spaces) at various locations as set out in the report

-       Off-street parking (2 spaces) at 152 Johnston Gardens and Kingswood Court

The report recommended:-

that Committee -

(a)       approve the proposals in principle;

(b)       instruct the appropriate officers to commence the necessary legal procedures of preliminary statutory consultation for the traffic regulation orders required as described in the report.  If no significant objections were received, to progress with the public advertisement and report the results to a future meeting of the Committee;  and

(c)       instruct the appropriate officers to commence the combined statutory consultation for the traffic regulation order for the list of Blue Badge parking bays and report back to a future meeting of the Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which advised of the outcome of the final statutory stage of the following 12 orders and presented the objections which had been received where relevant in each case.

(1)       The Aberdeen City Council (Salisbury Terrace / Gray Street Lane, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(2)       The Aberdeen City Council (Auchlea Place / Auchlea Road / Sheddocksley Road, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(3)       The Aberdeen City Council (Craigiebuckler Avenue, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(4)       The Aberdeen City Council (Kirk Terrace, Cults, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(5)       The Aberdeen City Council (Oakhill Grange / Oakhill Road, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(6)       The Aberdeen City Council (Wellheads Place, Dyce, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(7)       The Aberdeen City Council (Advocates’ Road, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(8)       The Aberdeen City Council (Cattofield Place, Aberdeen) (20mph Speed Limit and Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X);

(9)       The Aberdeen City Council (A96 Great Northern Road, Aberdeen) (Redetermination of Means of Exercise of Public Right of Passage) Order 201(X);

(10)    The Aberdeen City Council (Urquhart Road / Park Road, Aberdeen) (Traffic Management) Order 201(X);

(11)    The Aberdeen City Council (Springhill Road, Aberdeen) (One Way) Order 201(X);  and

(12)    The Aberdeen City Council (Disabled Persons’ Parking Places) (Citywide) (No. 1) Order 201(X).

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the orders that did not attract objections, and to agree that all the orders be made and implemented accordingly;

(b)       in relation to ‘The Aberdeen City Council (Craigiebuckler Avenue, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X)’, approve the order, albeit modify the proposed length of prohibition of waiting at any time on the south side to a prohibition of waiting operational from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 9am to 6pm on a Sunday;  and

(c)       in relation to the “The Aberdeen City Council (Kirk Terrace, Cults, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X)”, “The Aberdeen City Council (Advocates’ Road, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X)” and “The Aberdeen City Council (Cattofield Place, Aberdeen) (20mph Speed Limit and Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X)”, to overrule the objections received and approve these orders to be made as originally envisaged.

The Convener, seconded by Vice Convener Jean Morrison, moved the recommendations as contained in the report.

Councillor Dickson moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Blackman:-

“To approve the recommendations as contained in the report, with the exception of the recommendation in relation to “The Aberdeen City Council (Advocates’ Road, Aberdeen) (Prohibition of Waiting) Order 201(X)”.”

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (12) – the Convener; Vice Convener Graham; Vice Convener Jean Morrison; and Councillors Allan, Crockett, Delaney, Finlayson, Grant, Milne, Thomson, Young and Yuill; for the amendment (7) – Councillors Blackman, Corall, Cormie, Dickson, Jackie Dunbar, McCaig and Samarai.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the motion.

With reference to article 23 of the minute of its meeting of 28 October 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update in relation to the progression of proposals for controlled parking measures in the area around the Hill of Rubislaw complex.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the content of the report and the appended Business Case and preliminary design;

(b)       note that the £30,000 budget for the initial phase of the project was included within the Roads renewal Capital budget for 2015-2016;  and

(c)       instruct officers to commence with the legal process, and report back to a future Committee with the results of the initial phase consultation.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

Councillor Grant declared a pecuniary interest in the following article due to his employment by Aberdeen Inspired and withdrew from the meeting during consideration of the item.

With reference to article 22 of the minute of the Council meeting of 5 March 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which detailed the outcome of the wayfinding pilot scheme which had been implemented in November 2014.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the outcome of the review of the pilot scheme;

(b)       instruct officers to progress the implementation of the full scheme if 50% funding from the City Centre Regeneration Fund and 50% from Aberdeen Inspired (as outlined in section 3 of the report) was secured;  and

(c)       acknowledge that the cleaning and ongoing maintenance of the signs would result in an ongoing revenue burden for the Council and to ask officers to investigate options to help deliver the funding.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update of the actions carried out by Aberdeen City Council following Lord Bonomy’s Infant Cremation Commission (ICC) Report and Recommendations which had been published on 17 June 2014.  The report sought approval of a Policy Statement relating to the Cremation of Babies and Infants for Aberdeen City Council which had been one of the recommendations in the ICC report.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the contents of the report;

(b)       approve the Policy Statement relating to the Cremation of Babies and Infants (as set out in Appendix 3 of the report);  and

(c)       approve the commencement of discussions between Aberdeen City Council and parents affected by the cremation of babies at Aberdeen Crematorium with regard to local memorials, as per ICC recommendation No. 55.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to thank officers for their work on the recommendations from the ICC report;

(ii)       to approve the recommendations;  and

(iii)     to instruct officers to contact the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS) in the first instance to discuss the potential creation of a local memorial to babies and infants, prior to the commencement of discussions between Aberdeen City Council and parents affected by the cremation of babies at Aberdeen Crematorium with regard to a local memorial as per ICC recommendation number 55.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which outlined the proposed Noise Management Areas and Quiet Areas in the Aberdeen Agglomeration Noise Action Plan and provided an update on the status of the Plan.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the 14 noise management areas and 3 quiet areas in relation to round two of the noise mapping process;  and

(b)       instruct relevant officers within the Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Service to implement the Noise Action Plan and report annually on progress during the period 2015-2018.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which presented a reviewed Food and Feed Regulatory Service Plan for approval and included an improvement plan for the forthcoming year.

The report advised that the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) ‘Framework Agreement’ required local authorities to prepare a service plan and annually review their performance against the plan.  Although there was no such requirement for feed, the FSA did set out priorities for the coming year in respect of feed enforcement.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve in principle the maintenance and development of food and feed regulatory services necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Food Standards Agency Framework Agreement;

(b)       approve the Food and Feed Regulatory Service Plan 2015/2016;  and

(c)       note the review of the 2013/2014 Food Regulatory Service Plan (Appendix A of the report).

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which presented an Occupational Health and Safety Intervention Plan which outlined the Environmental Health Service’s proposals for delivering the occupational health and safety regulatory service for 2015/2016 and provided an update on progress with the activities from the 2015/2015 plan.

The report recommended:-

that Committee approve the Occupational Health and Safety Intervention Plan for 2015/16 and note the progress made in 2014/2015.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval to manage corporate events within Council owned parks and for the introduction of a Code of Practice and Agreement for fitness clubs, instructors and other small business ventures using parks and open spaces for commercial purposes.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the current arrangements in place within the City Events Team to manage events within Aberdeen’s parks and open spaces;

(b)       acknowledge the agreed working relationship between City Events and Environmental Services that ensured that Aberdeen’s parks and open spaces were maintained to the highest standard for ongoing event use;

(c)       agree the proposed charging structure for corporate events detailed in the report;

(d)       agree the proposed exemptions to the charging structure detailed in the report;

(e)       agree to introduce a Code of Practice and Agreement for fitness clubs, instructors and other small business ventures using parks and open spaces for commercial purposes;  and

(f)        agree to the disposal of the stage unit detailed in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to approve the recommendations;

(ii)       to request that officers ensure that the information in relation to the above was clear and easily accessible on the Council website;  and

(iii)      to agree that all charges be reviewed and agreed at Committee on an annual basis, and to request that officers provide a review of how the charges had worked over the last twelve months within that report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on the progress of the 2014/2015 Environmental Services’ programme of Play Area Refurbishment Works.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       acknowledge the success of the 2014/15 refurbishment programme;  and

(b)       agree that the Service should continue the rolling programme of Play Area Refurbishment for 2015/16 as detailed in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to approve the recommendations;  and

(ii)       to commend the Community Groups involved and to thank officers for their efforts to assist the Community Groups.

In accordance with the decision recorded under article 2 of this minute, the following items were considered with the press and public excluded.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on the Accelerate Aberdeen programme and the delivery of the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport Super Connected Cities Programme, and sought approval to progress with various projects post March 2015.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       note the contents of the report and the progress made to date with the delivery of the Accelerate Aberdeen programme;

(b)       approve the continuation of the Connection Voucher Scheme as proposed by DCMS for another year to 31 March 2016;

(c)       agree that officers work collaboratively across and outwith the Council to pursue the other projects outlined as part of the overall Accelerate Aberdeen programme post March 2015;

(d)       in relation to the Northern Regeneration Area, approve that officers proceed with discussions and the development of an action plan which would be monitored and reviewed through the Council’s Programme Management Office;

(e)       in relation to ducting, approve the plan for the commercialisation of Aberdeen City Council ducting and request that officers report back to Committee with a business model;

(f)        in relation to ducting, approve the plan for the delivery of ducting from the Frederick Street data centre, along King Street, St Machar Drive and to connect with ducting at Hayton Road, installed as part of the Third Don crossing, and approve the commitment of £250,000 of existing digital infrastructure capital funds for the deployment of this ducting;  and

(g)       approve the expansion of Elevator, funding for which would be included in the Aberdeen City Deal bid.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it the appendices to the report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure relating to article 21 of this minute which contained the estimated costs for the individual proposed works for the Roads and Transport Related Capital Budget Programme 2015-2016.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the report and the decisions taken in relation to the appendices at article 21 of this minute.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which requested an exemption from the Council’s Standing Orders on Contracts and Procurement to allow for partnership working between the Council’s Environmental Services and social enterprise groups to continue while the Council’s Procurement team finalised a formal framework and procurement process.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       agree to the request under Standing Order 1(6)(a) for an exemption from the Council’s Standing Orders on Contracts and Procurement, as detailed in the report;  and

(b)       approve further partnership working between Environmental Services and social enterprise groups throughout 2015.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

-       COUNCILLOR NEIL COONEY, Convener