Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be located here.

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 following declarations of interest and transparency statements were intimated:-

·       The Convener made a transparency statement in respect of items 10.2 (Revocation of Anderson Drive corridor and Wellington Road Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and Amendment of City Centre AQMA) and 11.1  (Wellington Road Junction Improvements (WRJI) – Progress Report) due to his membership of Cycling UK and the AA, but advised that he did not consider this amounted to a declaration which would require him to withdraw from the meeting for those items; and

·       Councillor Blake made a transparency statement in respect of item 11.2 (Future Operation of Controlled Parking Zones Y and YY (Garthdee and Kaimhill) as she was a former employee of Robert Gordon University but did not consider that this amounted to a declaration which would require her to withdraw from the meeting for that item.

Item 10.2 (Revocation of Anderson Drive corridor and Wellington Road Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and Amendment of City Centre AQMA) – Elizabeth Leslie, Joan Thomas and Graeme Craib

Item 11.2 (Future Operation of Controlled Parking Zones Y and YY (Garthdee and Kaimhill) – Andrew Murray, Garthdee Community Council

(A)      DEPUTATION IN RESPECT OF ITEM 10.2 – REVOCATION OF ANDERSON DRIVE CORRIDOR AND WELLINGTON ROAD AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREAS (AQMAs) AND AMENDMENT OF CITY CENTRE AQMA – ELIZABETH LESLIE

The Committee received a deputation from Ms Elizabeth Leslie in respect of the above item.  Ms Leslie was accompanied by Joan Thomas and Graeme Craib.  Ms Leslie advised that they were in attendance to put forward observations and ask some questions as to what was driving the changes in Aberdeen that she stated no one was voting for.  She began by stating that it was not possible to separate bus gates from the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), as their outcomes were similar.  A count taken on 15 October 2024 from Great Western Road to the east end of Union Street had indicated 39 empty stores, with 2 in liquidation and the construction at Union Terrace Gardens still for lease.  She added that only two cyclists were observed during this time, noting that with the Council's push for active travel, there were unregulated e-bikes, too numerous to count, which were entirely utilised commercially for food deliveries.

Ms Leslie stated that Aberdeen’s small businesses felt unheard in terms of their imposed trade predicament, adding that they had their proposed deputation to the 11 June 2024 Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee deemed to be incompetent.  She added that there was a disproportionate emphasis against private vehicles, noting that the recommendations in a report to Council on 11 October 2024 spoke of the safe and efficient movement of active travel and public transport users throughout the city.  She asked why cars were not mentioned.

Ms Leslie noted that the United Nations Environmental Programme said that  stakeholders might need to kickstart a walking and cycling policy in a city, to help local authorities to prioritise walking and cycling, and find out what steps needed to be taken to ensure that cities prioritised people over cars. She added that neither the Council nor the Scottish Government had coined the phrase ‘active travel’, and that it had been given to them.  She stated that the UN Environmental Programme quote helped to understand why Councils around the world were utilising the exact same words and phraseology, such as ‘active travel’, ‘wheeling’, ‘stakeholders’, ‘15 minute cities’, ‘diversity’, ‘equity’ and ‘inclusion, and why Aberdeen City Council felt justified in prioritising pedestrians, bikes and wheeling over cars.  Ms Leslie added that the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global action plan on physical activity was implementing unasked for national policies to ensure safer roads for cycling and walking.  She stated that while Aberdeen citizens voted for Councillors to represent them, what they were getting instead was a one size fits all approach from the United Nations and its WHO agency, using local Councils as proxies to impose their agenda, regardless of actual need.   Ms Leslie felt that such external influencers should take a walk down Union Street to witness the damage caused by their no private car ownership and active travel policies.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 3 September 2024 for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the business planner as prepared by the Interim Chief Officer – Governance.

During Members’ questions to officers on the planner, there was mention of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and therefore, the Convener made a transparency statement that he was a member of NHS Grampian Board.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       in relation to item 4 (Den Burn Restoration Project), to note that officers anticipated that it might be possible to report to Committee in March 2025;

(ii)       in relation to item 10 (Active Travel Routes around Schools), to note that officers intended to present the report on this item to Committee in January 2025;

(iii)      in relation to item 15 (North East Scotland Active Travel Network Review), to note that officers would circulate a service update to Members in the next few weeks;

(iv)      to request that officers circulate a service update to Members outwith the meeting in respect of (a) the latest position in respect of the planning application for parking at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary; (b) discussions regarding possible installation of charging points at home locations, for staff who took vehicles home overnight; and (c) on the procurement for the wider rollout of charging points;

(v)      to note the reasons set out in the planner for the various delayed reports;

(vi)      to agree to remove items 13 (Nature Data: Outcomes of a Citywide Collaboration); 18 (Macaulay Drive Aberdeen); 35 (A93 Peterculter to Aberdeen Multi-Modal Corridor Study) and 65 (Bus Partnership Fund Grants Service Update); and

(vii)     to otherwise note the planner.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director Corporate Services which presented the status of appropriate key performance measures relating to the services falling within its remit.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the report and provide comments and observations on the performance information contained in the report Appendix A.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that the Environmental Manager and Roads Operation Manager would provide information to Members outwith the meeting in respect of the nature of complaints which had led to the rise in figures set out on pages 41 and 45 of the reports, as well as any common themes;

(ii)       to note that the Chief Officer – Operations would circulate a recent article to Members outwith the meeting in respect of Energy from Waste; and

(iii)      to otherwise note the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director Corporate Services which presented the annual report of the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee to enable Members to provide comment on the data contained within.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      provide comments and observations on the data contained within the annual report; and

(b)      note the annual report of the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that there would be consideration of any Terms of Reference which had not been utilised as part of the annual Scheme of Governance Review and through the Governance Reference Group; and

(ii)       to otherwise note the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which sought approval of the statutory Climate Change Report (CCR) covering the period 2023/24, which was required to be submitted to the Scottish Government, to ensure compliance with the requirements of Part 4 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      approve the Climate Change Report 2023/24, as detailed in Appendix 1 and instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit the report to the Scottish Government prior to the reporting deadline of 30 November 2024;

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to publish the Climate Change Report on the Council’s website; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to align the reporting periods and reporting date for both the annual Climate Change and Natural Environment Reports and to explore the potential to combine these into a single report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that officers would investigate the data to ascertain the percentage of short-haul flights which had been within the UK and advise Members of this information outwith the meeting;

(ii)       in relation to page 95 of the report, to note that officers would provide information to Members outwith the meeting in respect of the location of the photovoltaic installation which had been installed to generate solar power, as well as any plans for solar panels in other buildings; and

(iii)      to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director Corporate Services which sought approval to revoke the Anderson Drive and Wellington Road Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and amend the City Centre AQMA to omit particulates (PM10).

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the compliance with national PM10 and NO2 national air quality objectives in the Anderson Drive and Wellington Road Air AQMAs and compliance with the PM10 objective in the City Centre AQMA;

(b)      approve the revocation of the Anderson Drive and Wellington Road AQMAs and amendment of the City Centre AQMA to omit PM10; and

(c)      instruct the Interim Chief Officer - Governance to commence statutory procedures to formally revoke and amend the AQMAs.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which (a) provided an update on progress to date; (b) outlined the outcome of the Wellington Road Junction Improvements (WRJI) Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 2 Route Option Assessment Report; and (c) advised on the next steps in development.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 2 Route Option Assessment report at Appendix 1;

(b)      note the relationships between the Wellington Road Junction Improvement Scheme and the ongoing development of the Aberdeen South Harbour Link Road project, which was currently progressing through the detailed planning and design process;

(c)      note the linkages between the Wellington Road Junction Improvement project and the routeing of Aberdeen Rapid Transit as agreed by Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee on 11 June 2024;

(d)      agree the preferred option (K) outlined in the DMRB Stage 2 report and instruct the Chief Officer - Capital to progress further development of the preferred option including undertaking a tailored Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Stage 3 Scheme Assessment; and

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer - Capital and the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to investigate funding opportunities for the future development and implementation of the project and report an Outline Business Case and conclusion of Stage 3 Scheme Assessment to the Finance and Resources Committee in Autumn 2025.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its meeting of 27 March 2024, the Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which presented the outcome of engagement with Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the community “to seek to agree on a framework for the period after the ten years that will be acceptable to all and will meet the needs of the Community” following the end of RGU commitments to fund the management of the Garthdee/Kaimhill controlled parking zones (CPZ) Y and YY.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that discussions were undertaken by officers with Robert Gordon University (RGU), community representatives and local Members;

(b)      note that RGU provided options for a 3 or 5 year transition period, part-funded by the Council, reliant on the Council not charging residents for permits during this period;

(c)      note the community representatives response to the suggested transition period in section 3.4 of the report;

(d)      note the implications of not charging for resident permits for the 3 or 5 year period, as set out in the report;

(e)      agree that implementation of a transition period was not a feasible option and should not form part of the informal consultation which was to be carried out on the future of CPZ Y and YY;

(f)       note that the Chief Officer - Operations would now undertake the informal consultation previously instructed by this Committee in March 2024, as set out at section 3.8 of the report, and report back the results and recommendations in March 2025; and

(g)      instruct the Chief Officer – Finance to include expected changes in operating costs and income levels for Zones Y and YY in the budget process for 2025/26.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendations (a), (b) and (c); and

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations to invite RGU, local Members, and community representatives, including Garthdee Community Council, to a discussion to consider further options and to report back on this as part of the budget process to the Council Budget meeting on 5 March 2025.

-       COUNCILLOR IAN YUILL, Convener