Agenda and minutes

Cabinet Member - Technical Services (meeting) - Wednesday 18th November, 2009 10.00 am

Venue: Town Hall, Bootle (video conferenced Town Hall, Southport)

Contact: Ian Williams 

Items
No. Item

82.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received.

83.

Declarations of Interest

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

The following declaration of interest was received:

 

Member/Officer

Minute No

Interest

Action

Councillor Sumner

Minute No. 86

Personal

Local Authority representative for Merseytravel

Stayed in the room, and took part in consideration of the item

 

84.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 50 KB

Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 November 2009

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

85.

A Request for Variation to Crosby Car Parking Promotions - Christmas 2009 pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director

Minutes:

Further to Minute no 65 of the meeting held on 7 October 2009, the Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on the request for Variation to Crosby Car Parking Promotions – Christmas 2009 indicating that the Cabinet Member-Regeneration had requested the Cabinet Member-Technical Services to consider offering free Car Parking on Saturdays only in Crosby as part of the promotion activity to support retail centres during December 2009, as the previous proposal to provide free car parking after 3:00pm on Thursdays and Fridays in December would not have the same beneficial impact due to shops in Crosby not operating late night openings.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)               free parking as part of the parking promotion activity to support the retail centres during December 2009 for 2 Saturdays be approved, the exact dates of which to be determined by traders; and

 

(2)               funding for each Saturday to be as follows:

 

(a)               the first Saturday to be funded from the Technical Services

           parking budget; and

 

(b)               the Assistant Director, Transportation and Development be

requested to investigate with the Assistant Director Neighbourhoods the potential to fund the second Saturday via the Neighbourhood Services budget or the Crosby Area Committee devolved budget.

86.

Southport Park & Ride Temporary Closure of Kew Park and Ride November 2009 pdf icon PDF 136 KB

Report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on the Southport Park and Ride Services – Temporary Closure of Kew Park and Ride indicating that due to poor economic conditions nationally and poor weather during 2008 and 2009, the scheme income had achieved £500,000 lower than budgeted for; that whilst a plan had been put in place to reduce the impact and to enable service developments to be undertaken, a return to pre-recession parking levels had not materialised; that  a significant level of central town parking had migrated to outer areas; and that annual growth in Park and Ride patronage experienced since 2000, had reduced.  The Cabinet Member was requested to seek approval from Cabinet for the suspension until further notice of Kew Park and Ride Service within the terms of the contract with the bus operator and the requirements of the Traffic Commissioner; for the site to be ‘mothballed’ but ongoing security and base maintenance be retained; and the parking demand in Southport be monitored with a view to re-opening the site as soon as the economic situation permitted.

 

Cllr Sumner attended the meeting to express his concern regarding the issue of ‘mothballing’ the Kew Park and Ride  car park and requested that the matter be temporarily deferred for further consideration of other measures to ensure the continued operation of the park and ride scheme either on a weekday or weekend basis.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet be recommended to:

 

(1)               temporarily suspend the Kew Park and Ride Service, the car park be ‘mothballed’, and the bus contract be amended to maintain services at Espalande/Fairways;

 

(2)               continue to monitor the demand for parking to support tourism and retail activity in the town with a view to reopening the Kew Park and Ride Services as soon as possible;

 

(3)               make available during the closure, part of the Kew Park and Ride Car Park, if required, as a Pay and Display Car Park to support initiatives with developing travel plans for commercial operations in the area;

 

(4)               authorise the undertaking of a full review of access arrangements; advance signage for the Kew Park and Ride Car Park and one-off promotions/events in the area - including the provision of signs with West Lancashire, Sefton PCT and MerseyTravel, and the scheme be considered within the Local Transport Plan Capital Programme, to be completed before reopening; and

 

(5)               acknowledging the assistance of the Park and Ride Operator and Merseytravel in the delivery of revised Park and Ride Services for Southport.

 

87.

The Development of Low Carbon Economy in Response to Climate Change pdf icon PDF 143 KB

Joint report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on the development of a Low Carbon Economy in response to climate change.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the contents of the report be noted.