Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

The Convener proposed that the Committee consider item 12.1 (Roads and Transport Related Capital Budget Programme – Exempt Appendix) with the press and public excluded from the meeting.

The Committee resolved:-

in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the above item so as to avoid disclosure of information of the class described in paragraph 8 of Schedule 7(A) to the Act.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 19 March 2025 for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       in relation to article 2(ii) of the minute, to note (a) that a response had been received from the Procurator Fiscal and that the Convener and Vice Convener had responded with further questions, and (b) the correspondence would be shared with Members; and

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

The Convener advised that she proposed to defer consideration of this item until item 9.3 (Committee Planner Review and Place Based Strategy Update) had been considered, so as not to pre-empt any decisions of the Committee in relation to item 9.3.

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 Chief Officer – Operations would liaise with colleagues in Data Insights in respect of how data was presented, noting the comments from Members in respect of when numbers and percentages were used (for example, in the indicator for the percentage of complaints resolved within timescale), and whether annual data could be considered for the sickness absence indicator which would illustrate an increase or decrease, given that monthly data would be based on a different number of working days depending on the month;

(ii)       in respect of the performance indicators relating to waste processing, to request that officers include a line in future reports to give context to the home composting figures, following the comments from officers that the data would take some time to reflect improvements which had been put in place;

(iii)      to request that the Chief Officer – Operations provide information outwith the meeting on the amount of waste which was diverted from the Energy from Waste plant to landfill due to the planned shutdown of the plant;

(iv)      to request that the Chief Officer – Operations circulate the Energy from Waste contingency plan to Members outwith the meeting; and

(v)      to otherwise note the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which presented the Cluster Risk Registers and Assurance Maps in accordance with Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee Terms of Reference to provide assurance that risks were being managed effectively within the Operations and Strategic Place Planning Clusters.

Members asked a number of questions on the report.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the cluster risk registers and assurance maps.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which  provided an update on the development of some of the Council’s key place-based strategies and recommended changes to the committee business planner based on a mix of external factors, officer resources and budget positions.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      approve the revised Net Zero, Environment and Transport (NZET) Committee Planner (Appendix 1 of the report);

(b)      note the current position on the preparation of plans and strategies set out in Section 3 of the report, and the indicative timelines provided; and

(c)      note that, following the instruction given by the Committee in June 2024

(Report Ref: CR&E/24/160), the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning would produce an annual service update to the Committee on the ongoing development of the plans and strategies set out in the report.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Greig, moved the recommendations as set out in the report.

Councillor Tissera, seconded by Councillor Malik, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      approve the revised Net Zero, Environment and Transport (NZET) Committee Planner (Appendix 1);

(b)      note the current position on the preparation of plans and strategies set out in Section 3 of this report, noting the unexplained absence of the Convener to lead to a failure to keep the strategy framework up to date, leading to unnecessary and costly delays to important strategies; and

(c)      note that, following the instruction given by this Committee in June 2024 (Report Ref: CR&E/24/160), the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning will produce an annual Service Update to this Committee on the ongoing development of the plans and strategies set out in this report but agree this should no longer be a service update but a report to Committee.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener; and Councillors Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison and McLellan; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided an update on the ongoing Council work to Aberdeen’s public trees and woodland following the storms of recent years.  The report also set out updates on sustainability plans, projects

and initiatives undertaken to protect and enhance Aberdeen’s public trees and

woodlands, including the 1 Million Trees initiative and the work to deliver elements of the Tree & Woodland Strategic Implementation Plan.  Finally, the report sought approval for Environmental Services to continue to explore funding options, including grants and sponsorship to help fund further tree planting programmes in Aberdeen.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note and welcome the information contained within the report;

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Operations to continue to explore funding options, including grants and sponsorship to help fund further tree planting in Aberdeen; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Operations, in consultation with Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning, to ensure that future tree and woodland planting included appropriate / equivalent approaches to both a) carbon coding woodlands to support delivery of the Council's Carbon Budget, and b) applying a tree equity bias to support the reduction of inequalities across relevant communities.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided an update on the funding situation and project status for the Den Burn Restoration Project.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the content of the report regarding the current challenging external

funding climate alongside the various project options explored; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to pause the Den Burn Restoration Project indefinitely, while maintaining a watching brief on potential future funding opportunities, and to report back to Committee should any external funding options become viable.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Greig, moved:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      note the content of the report;

(b)      note the limited time remaining for the Council to source match funding to retain the existing SEPA grant towards Detailed Design of the Den Burn Restoration Project, and continue the project; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance and Chief Officer - Capital to explore funding options which may be available to support the project, and report the outcome to the Finance and Resources Committee on 6 August 2025.

Councillor Tissera, seconded by Councillor Malik, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      note the content of the report, noting the self-congratulatory position adopted by the SNP back in 2023 where they noted success of funding secured to date only to now confirm that there is currently a challenging external funding climate; and

(b)      agree instructing the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to pause the Den Burn Restoration Project indefinitely, while maintaining a watching brief on potential future funding opportunities is a lost opportunity and confirms that this SNP administration continues to take one step forward then two steps back in its failure to move forward with this project, and refer the report to the Finance and Resources Committee to explore options for future support.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener; and Councillors Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison and McLellan; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which presented the Aberdeen Rapid Transit (ART) Strategic Business Case (SBC) for endorsement and made recommendations on the preferred way forward, including future engagement and the proposed scope of the Outline Business Case (OBC).  The report also provided an update on the associated workstream being progressed by the North East Bus Alliance to develop a Bus Services Improvement Partnership Plan (BSIP) and the recent bid to the Scottish Government’s Bus Infrastructure Fund.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      endorse the Aberdeen Rapid Transit Strategic Business Case as provided in Appendix A of the report;

(b)      endorse the progression of Aberdeen Rapid Transit to a Programme Level Outline Business Case, funded through the City Region Deal, which would further develop the overarching business case and phasing under which individual elements of the scheme could develop;

(c)      endorse the progression of options 5 and 5A (as set out in Table 2 of the report) for further development and appraisal through the proposed Outline Business Case;

(d)      endorse the progression of ‘approach 3’ in relation to active travel, as outlined in Table 3 of the report, for further development and appraisal through the proposed Outline Business Case;

(e)      endorse the continued consideration of both Bus Services Improvement

Partnership agreements and bus franchising as options for delivery of ART through the proposed Outline Business Case;

(f)       note that a BSIP agreement provided a delivery mechanism that could support a phased approach to delivery in the shorter term (when compared to bus franchising) and that this would enable partners to capitalise on external funding opportunities and bring in private sector investment;

(g)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to work with the partners of the North East Bus Alliance on a joint network review as a first and critical step in understanding to what extent Aberdeen Rapid Transit could be delivered through a Bus Services Improvement Partnership agreement, and use the outcome of this exercise to inform the proposed Outline Business Case;

(h)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to continue to undertake engagement, as appropriate, with the public and stakeholders on the development of Aberdeen Rapid Transit to inform the proposed Outline Business Case; and

(i)       instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to report back to Finance and Resources Committee on the conclusion of the proposed Programme Level Outline Business Case by the end of 2026/27 financial year.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Greig, moved:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      note funding to progress from the Strategic Business Case to the Programme Level Outline Business Case had been secured by the Aberdeen City Region Deal, therefore agree the report recommendations (with the exception of (i)), and instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to work with the Director of Nestrans to bring all further reports on Aberdeen Rapid Transit to the City Region Deal Joint Committee, in line with the existing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided an update following the completion of the consultation period for the making of the 20mph speed limit in seven electoral wards in the central and south of Aberdeen has now been completed, and considered the objections and comments received during the statutory consultation period.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the Scottish Government’s vision behind the 20mph initiative;

(b)      note the Council wards where the 20mph speed limit was proposed;

(c)      note the benefits of introducing 20mph speed limit highlighted, to date. For example, improving road safety, reducing collision risk, improving carbon emissions etc;

(d)      note the objections received to the Speed Limit Orders as a result of the public advertisement of the 20mph speed limit proposal in the north / central /south of Aberdeen in section 3.6 of the report;

(e)      note the comments received in relation to the proposed temporary Speed Limit Orders and approve the making of the Orders at section 3.7 of the report;

(f)       note the comments received from various Community Councils;

(g)      in terms of the proposed temporary Speed Limit Orders for sections of the A93 North Deeside Road at Bieldside and Cults, acknowledge the suggestion by Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council whereby the lengths concerned should be modified and thereby instruct officers to promote the temporary orders in-line with the Community Council suggestion and Aberdeen City Council’s initial proposal; as specified in the Council’s new proposal in the plans at Appendix 5 of the report;

(h)      overrule the objections received in relation to THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.1A) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(i)       overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.2A) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(j)       overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.4A) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(k)      overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.7) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(l)       overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.8) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(m)     overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.9) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(n)      overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.10) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made as originally advertised;

(o)      overrule the objections received in relation to “THE ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL (CITYWIDE (PART OF)) (20MPH SPEED LIMIT) (NO.11) ORDER 202X” and approve this order be made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided an update on the level of enforcement and schemes that had been promoted and implemented since the introduction of the pavement parking prohibition in July 2024, and the feedback received from pedestrians and wheelers across the city.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the Scottish Government’s directive to local authorities regarding the pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, prohibitions;

(b)      note the enforcement data that had been collated to support the report;

(c)      note the feedback and comments received from members of the public

regarding their experience since the prohibition was introduced;

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer - Operations to continue to undertake the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process necessary for the exemption of any street that was found to meet the criteria for pavement parking prohibition exemption; and

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer - Operations to continue to undertake the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process necessary to introduce prohibition of waiting restrictions on any street as deemed necessary following assessment of a street where pavement parking had historically been an issue.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which outlined the proposed Roads and Transportation programme for the approved 2025/2026 capital budgets and sought approval for the schemes set out in the report appendices.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      approve the schemes listed in the appendices as the detailed proposals for expenditure within each budget heading; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer - Operations, following consultation with the Head of Commercial and Procurement Service, to undertake or instruct appropriate procedures in accordance with the Council’s procurement regulations to procure the works referred to in the exempt appendices for the roads capital budget programme for the financial year 2025/26 and award contracts relating thereto.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note the issue raised by Councillor Tissera in respect of the markings at the junction of Ashgrove Road West and Foresterhill Road and that officers had undertaken to advise the Road Safety Team that the location required review to assess any safety concerns; and

(ii)       to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which sought approval for a programme of projects to be delivered using the net surplus from Bus Lane Enforcement (BLE) and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) operations.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the additional detail provided in relation to the BLE allocation for city centre projects and agree the use of the funding for the purposes described in paragraph 3.2.1, noting that the funds would be used at this stage to develop project proposals which would subsequently be reported to the relevant Committee for consideration and approval prior to any works taking place;

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning, following consultation with the Chief Officer – Capital, to progress the Place Lighting and Guild Street Improvement projects listed in paragraph 3.2.1, and to bring detailed proposals to a meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee before the end of 2025 for consideration by Members prior to any works taking place;

(c)      approve the release of further BLE surplus income for the purposes described in paragraphs 3.2.3 to 3.2.8 of the report, noting that a three year programme of work for core paths/outdoor access would also be reported back to this Committee by the end of 2025;

(d)      note the additional detail provided in relation to the City Centre Greening LEZ projects in paragraph 3.3.2 and approve the allocation of LEZ surplus income towards these projects; and

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning, following consultation with the Chief Officer – Operations, to work with partners to progress and deliver the City Centre Greening LEZ projects listed in paragraph 3.3.2, with progress reported back to this Committee in September 2025 as part of the wider report on the Low Emission Zone programme.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Greig, moved:-

That the Committee approve the recommendations as set out in the report.

Councillor Tissera, seconded by Councillor Malik, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      agree recommendations (d) and (e); and

(b)      agree a statutory appeal has been raised against the Council in connection with an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order being made permanent. Having taken preliminary advice from Senior Counsel, the Council is comfortable with its interpretation of the legislation, however if the Council is unsuccessful in defending the statutory appeal, repayment of fines seems a low likelihood, but this could have a high impact if required, therefore subject to approving recommendations 2.4 and 2.5 of the report, take no action at this time until after the appeal verdict.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener; and Councillors Allard, Greig, Henrickson and van Sweeden; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that if Members had any concerns in respect of repairs required to specific core paths, in areas where developer obligations were in place, they could raise these with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which sought agreement from Members that consultation already underway for Community Planning and Aberdeen Rapid Transit (ART) would enable a broader cross-section of opinion to inform the next draft Local Transport Strategy (LTS); and that the existing marketing and communication strategy for ART provided an opportunity to promote the vision and aims of the LTS more widely, given that ART would be a key element of the next LTS and the main messages and objectives were common to both projects.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      agree that the findings of the Your Place, Your Plans, Your Future Community Planning engagement would provide additional useful information on the transport needs and aspirations of Aberdeen’s citizens, including groups under-represented in previous consultations on the Local Transport Strategy (LTS);

(b)      agree that planned engagement on Aberdeen Rapid Transit (ART) provided an opportunity to seek views on transport more widely, for the benefit of the ART project which would depend on the policies of the wider LTS for its success;

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to use the outcomes of these exercises to inform a revised draft LTS which reflected the views of a broader and more diverse cross-section of the public and stakeholders, and to report this back to Committee in 2026, aligned with the progress of the next Local Development Plan; and

(d)      agree that the marketing and communications strategy for ART provided an opportunity to promote the vision and aims of the LTS more widely, given that ART would be a key element of the next LTS and the main messages and objectives were common to both projects.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       in response to Councillor Tissera’s query about how officers planned to access hard to reach communities, to note that officers would provide the detail from the 60 separate exercises with groups from across the city as part of Your Place, Your Plans, Your Future to Councillor Tissera outwith the meeting; and

(ii)       to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director City Regeneration and Environment which provided information to Members on work that was underway and / or planned within Aberdeen to promote and encourage more, and safe, active travel to school and on work to launch a School Streets pilot in Aberdeen.

During questions of officers, the Convener noted that the meeting was due to pass the six-hour mark and therefore moved a procedural motion to defer the remaining items of business to the September meeting of the Committee.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Greig, moved as a procedural motion:-

That the remaining items of business (items 6.1 (Committee Business Planner), 11.7 (Active Travel for School Journeys), 11.8 (£1 Off-Street Evening Parking Fees), 11.9 (Strategic Car Parking Review) and 11.10 (Aberdeen City Council Travel Plan)) be deferred to the September meeting of the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee.

On a division, there voted:- for the procedural motion (5); the Convener; and Councillors Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison and van Sweeden; against the procedural motion (4) – Councillors Brooks, Malik, Nicoll and Tissera.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the procedural motion.

-       COUNCILLOR MIRANDA RADLEY, Convener