The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.  She announced that Friends of Ridge Road Library were now no longer in operation.  This was because Ridge Road Library would be closing in due course as a result of the opening of the new Life Skills Centre.  The Chair thanked the Friends for their work. 

Apologies were received from Councillor Richard Butt, Gilbert Harris and Angela Marriott.  Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Helen Senior.

The Minutes are attached, for approval by the Committee.

With reference to those Minutes, the following is reported for information:

Minute 697/09 - Flooding

There is nothing to substantial to report at this time and Chris Reid and Andy Theaker will attend the January 2010 meeting.

Minute 700/09 – Church Hill Road

The Police have provided a summary of the results of their traffic survey.  The summary will be attached to the Minutes of this meeting so it will also appear on the Council’s website.  Meantime copies are being supplied to Committee members and are available to others on request.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2009 were approved as a correct record, and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendments:

• John Weir, community representative being shown as present
• Minute 701a/09 – second line - Malden Way should be Morden Way

A round-up of local issues by Committee members.

Indicative time: 15 minutes

Members each gave an update on a matter of local interest.  The following topics were mentioned:

• A case involving the local primary care trust
• A recent music event for young people in Sutton Common Park
• Work to pathways and fencing around Sutton Common Park and leaf fall in Ridge Road
• Work to combat flooding of the ditches at the rear of Wickham Avenue properties
• Transport for London consultation about parking and loading restrictions in North Cheam
• Replacement of fencing at corner of Palmer Avenue and London Road
• Encouragement to people to stand as councillors in the May 2010 elections or as school governors
• Security fence and drainage at Sutton Common Park
• Fencing, gates and play area at Cuddington Recreation Ground

            Resolved: To note.

Report of the Executive Head of Planning and Transportation

Indicative time: 20 minutes

Donna Ashby, Head of Parking Services, presented a detailed report on proposals to combat obstructive parking in six cul-de-sacs within the Committee’s area.  Burleigh Road was deleted from the report as it was not a cul-de-sac.  Richard Williams, Contract Monitoring Officer, also contributed to the item.  Similar reports were being submitted to the other local committees in the current cycle.  In general the reports to committee featured roads where residents had asked for action against the obstructive parking.  Therefore not all of the Borough’s roads had been consulted.

The report contained recommendations for enforcement against both vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway and vehicles parked across dropped kerbs.  Officer recommendations were based on the results of consultation with residents of the six roads, details of which were included. 

During the discussion it was established that parking on the footways in the Borough was not permitted unless signs indicated otherwise.  Councillor Stuart Gordon-Bullock asked that councillors be supplied with a copy of the Borough’s parking policy.  It was confirmed that Parking Services would be sending letters to affected residents and ward councillors regarding the decisions taken; these would include clear contact details for residents who had queries.  Mr Atterbury, resident of Hazlemere Gardens, briefly addressed the meeting at the invitation of the Chair. 

            Resolved:  That the following be agreed with regard to enforcement against obstructive parking:

Haslam Avenue, Stonecot

Enforcement, by public request only, against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway. Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

The Close, Stonecot

Enforcement against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway. Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

Boscombe Road, Worcester Park

Enforcement, by public request only, against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway.  Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

Carters Close, Worcester Park

Enforcement against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway. Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

Hazlemere Gardens, Worcester Park

Enforcement against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway. Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

Shrubland Grove, Worcester Park

Enforcement against vehicles parked with their wheels on the footway. Enforcement, by resident request only, against vehicles parked in front of dropped kerbs.

A member of the Council’s strategic planning team will give a short presentation on the local planning framework as it affects this Committee’s area and some general issues such as how planning conditions are enforced.  There will be an opportunity for all to ask questions.

Please note that development control matters are excluded from the remit of local committees and there will be no discussion whatsoever of specific planning applications, past or present.

Indicative time: 40 minutes

Keith Fraser, Senior Planner, gave a presentation on planning in Sutton and the policies that governed development within the Borough.  In summary this involved national planning policy statements, regional guidance (the London Plan) and local guidance.  Locally policy was contained in the local development framework, a suite of plans which would eventually replace the Unitary Development Plan.  Keith Fraser gave examples of how policies within the Local Development Framework might affect North Cheam and Worcester Park. 

The presentation included an outline of the Council’s structure that dealt with planning issues.  The Environment and Leisure Group included strategic planning and development control services.  The first of these services, Strategic Planning, dealt with formulating local policies against which proposals for new development would be assessed and identified which parts of the Borough should be developed and for what purpose.   The Development Control service handled planning applications submitted for development.  The process for dealing with applications, including appeals by the developer against refusal, was also outlined.  Contact details for residents who had queries regarding the planning service were included in the presentation.

There followed some questions from members of the public.  Arising from a question about decisions being taken out of the Council’s hands when applicants appealed, it was noted that the Council had put forward a proposal (under the provisions of the Sustainability Communities Act) that decisions regarding small scale applications be retained at local level.  This proposal had received some support from other London authorities but whether the Government would allow it was another matter.

Paper copes of the presentation slides were made available for residents to take away.

            Resolved: To thank Keith Fraser for his informative presentation.

Councillor Helen Senior arrived during this item.

Report of the Executive Head of Planning and Transportation

Indicative time: 15 minutes

David Waugh, Project Engineer, presented his detailed report on an environmental improvement scheme to be carried out jointly by the Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) and London Borough of Sutton (LBS).  RBK was leading on the scheme, a ‘Streets for People’ project which proposed improvements to the Station Estate area in RBK.  LBS would be mainly focusing on possible environmental improvements for Green Lane, Longfellow Road and a section of Central Road from the boundary with RBK to its junction with Longfellow Road.   Examples were upgrading street lighting and footways and providing more trees on-street.

The Chair welcomed Ian Price and Paul Drummond from RBK.  Ian Price provided a verbal report on the background to this Area Based Scheme. The Station Estate included roads such as Pembury Avenue,  Kingshill Avenue and  Risborough Road.  RBS had gained support from Transport for London (TfL) but TfL had asked them to consider a wider area, given that the Estate was quite isolated.  TfL had also asked RBS to approach Sutton and include Green Lane as it was an important through route to the Estate.  RBS was carrying out a feasibility study shortly with a view to reporting to its neighbourhood committee in December   There was an allocation of £300,000 for 2009/10 and a bid lodged with TfL for £400,000, for 2010/11; the result of this bid would be known in late November/early December and conveyed to Sutton straightaway.   Works within RBK would use up most of the £300,000 but there might be limited scope for measures for Sutton.  

There were some contributions from members of the public and committee.  It was emphasised that the improvements could only be used on adopted highway, whether it be owned by Kingston or Sutton.   Councillor Stuart Gordon-Bullock welcomed the proposals and noted that the east side of Caverleigh Way and part of Pembury Avenue was in Sutton.  A representative from Sutton Local Streets suggested a community street audit – a particular type of consultation with all affected residents – and it was confirmed that this would be carried out if the proposal went ahead. 

Resolved: (i) To thank officers for their report and to note the bids and the process proposed by RBK to programme the combined Area Based Scheme – ‘Streets for People’.

(ii) To note the current suggestions for the section of the scheme within the LBS boundary;

(iii) To agree for LBS officers to carry out an informal public consultation and develop the scheme further based on responses received, in consultation and agreement with the Ward Councillors;

(iv) To agree, subject to further funding from TfL in 2010/11, for the Executive Head of Planning and Transportation be delegated to agree details of this scheme in consultation with the Chair and Ward Councillors in 2010/11.

10 minutes maximum will be allowed for questions.

Questions from Ray Bunce

Mr Bunce thanked the Committee for the speed in removing the fence connected with the flooding issue and Give way lines for the Sherbrook Way/ Green Lane junction, which should be reinstaded shortly.

a)      With regards to the Chair’s comments about a themed meeting about school places, please could that meeting take place with all schools in the area being advised, for the benefit of parents facing the complexity of school admissions?

b)      Councillor Kirsty Jerome, as Chair of the Children’s and Young People Scrutiny Committee, has by now taken part into an investigation into the provision of secondary school places.  I believe that she had children who attended a Kingston primary school and who went on to grant maintained grammar schools in Sutton.  Did she feel that she should declare a personal interest prior to the committee meeting on that subject?

Councillor Kirsty Jerome

I did not because we are not at the moment looking at admission policies for individual schools. We are looking at the policies of all schools in the Borough and how they interact with each other.  At the last meeting on 22 October we had a very interesting meeting where we examined the way school places are allocated, and also we looked at who was responsible for overseeing how the schools actually arrive at their admission policies and the role of the Admissions Forum, which has recently changed.  It is quite interesting that the Government has dictated how it is composed.  We have not completed the investigation; the second half looking at place planning is going to take place on December 10.  We are taking evidence from the choice advisors which we have to have; people who go round the schools offering advice to parents – if they wish it – on how to make the applications for secondary schools.  As you are no doubt aware this is quite complex and some parents do not understand how it works.

The Chair

Regarding the theme, I do look at all of the feedback forms and I take the themes from what people put on them.  We have allocated themes up to March but certainly after March we will be looking at the cycle and themes again.  I know that young peoples’ services generally is an issue that people are concerned about but if you specifically want one to do with school applications then we can look at that if we have it on the feedback forms.

John Weir

Regarding a previous meeting several months ago, the question of publicity arose.  It was agreed by the Council that would they provide notice boards in various districts.  I notice that a board has been placed outside Pizza Express, but nothing in it at all.   How will the system work for an association like ourselves to e.g. publicise our meetings?

The Chair

You are pre-empting item 9 coming up – public realm to some extent but those notice-boards have been put up as a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 941.

Verbal update by Mark Dalzell, Locality Lead Officer

Indicative time: 15 minutes

 Mark Dalzell, Locality Lead Officer, gave an update, as follows:

• Christmas Lights – the lights in Worcester Park would be turned on at the end of November and traders were happy with that arrangement.  The late night shopping evening was scheduled for 11 December. 

• There was a possibility of having lights for Stonecot for Christmas 2009 if the Committee wished to spend some public realms funds on a new set.  The old set of lights that had been deployed in Worcester Park was now unusable.   Lights for 14 lamp columns (at roughly the area around the Sutton Common Road/Stonecot Hill junction) would cost £11,000 including testing; a more comprehensive scheme for 19 lamp columns outside all shops would cost about £14,000.

• Improvements to lighting in alleyways in Stonecot ward – Carlton Crescent and others.  Work had now begun and would be ongoing over the next few weeks.

• Various measures were ongoing in Sutton Common Park including security fence installation.  The footpath and cycleway widening was progressing well, the chicanes to stop motorcycles coming through had yet to be done.

• Tennis courts in Sutton Common Park – at the last meeting it had been agreed to allocate £15,000 for refurbishment based upon an estimate of £5,000 per court.   Unfortunately the full quotation for works was £22,546, mainly because the surrounding area to the courts needed special attention.  In the light of this development the Committee was requested to decide whether or not these works should proceed.

• Playground in Sutton Common Park – Play Builder funding had been obtained.  The Play Builder programme, aimed at providing for the 8-13 age range, had been approved by The Executive.  This Park would be first in the Borough to receive attention and Cuddington Park was likely to be the second.  The Council was to receive a contribution of £11,000 from SITA for the wildlife area.

• Regarding hanging baskets, these were on order for Central Road and Sutton Common Road.  Lamp columns would to be tested, in the next two weeks.  For Stonecot, Transport for London had given a provisional go-ahead to the baskets, to be confirmed and subject to lamp column testing.

• Community notice boards had been erected in three locations: outside Pizza express in Central Road; outside the Post Office at the Cheam Common Road/London Road junction and outside the Sutton Café at Stonecot.  Mark Dalzell said he would follow up on the discussion earlier in the meeting about arrangements for vetting/display of notices.  It was planned to have one side of the board for Council, the other for the community.

• Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground – drawings for playground/ youth area improvements using Section 106 monies were now available to view, as was a sample of a new spongy surface material, to be used in Sutton Common Park for example.

• New gate for Cuddington Park should be installed by the start of December.

In summary £11,000 was remaining in the current public realm allocation so there was enough money to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 942.

The Committee is asked to consider the reference set out below.

Indicative time: 5 minutes

Reference from Kimpton Liaison Group  - 29 September 2009

Graffiti on Signs at Kimpton Way

Councillor Brendan Hudson advised that the Stonecot Ward Panel had discussed the various signs covered in graffiti around the Kimpton Industrial park area and suggested they either be cleaned as part of the Community Payback Scheme or taken out.  Sergeant Mandy McGachie advised that if they were to be taken out, to advise the Community Payback officers as soon as possible.  A suggestion was made to use graffiti artwork but Sergeant McGachie advised this often attracted more graffiti.

Contractors were available until January 2010 to remove the signs if necessary. The KLG requested that the signs be removed.

Agreed:  To refer the issue of whether to remove or clean the signs around the Kimpton Industrial Park area to the Cheam North and Worcester Park Local Committee, with the KLG’s recommendation that they be removed.

The Committee considered a reference from the Kimpton Liaison Group meeting, held on 29 September 2009, concerning large wooden information signs at Kimpton Industrial Estate.  The signs were covered with graffiti, as could be seen in photographs that were circulated.  Whilst it was possible for the signs to be cleaned, it was feared that they may again be subject of graffiti.  They were also out of date in terms of e.g. the road layout.  For those reasons the Liaison Group had preferred their removal.

It was suggested that if removal was agreed, the signs be donated to Glenthorne High School as the wood might be useful to the pupils.  It was further suggested that redecorated signs could then be located at the new Sutton Life Centre, which was being constructed a few hundred yards away at Alcorn Close.  It was noted that there was no intention to replace the signs as they had been sited in an area which was no longer the main point of public access to the Estate.

Resolved:  To agree that the signs be removed from the Kimpton Industrial Estate and the wood be recycled – ideally for donation and re-use as suggested above.

Matters for Noting

Councillor Kirsty Jerome reported that she had been contacted by a resident regarding the lack of changing facilities for women at Cheam Bowling Club, within the bowls club pavilion in Cheam Recreation Ground.  She asked that this Committee make a formal request for funding to provide female changing facilities, possibly through alterations to the existing facilities for men.  It was noted that Cheam Park and Recreation Ground were not in this Committee's area so there would need to be a reference to the neighbouring local committee.

Councillor Stuart Gordon-Bullock observed, in his capacity as Secretary of Friends of Cheam Park, that the building was one of a number in the Park that were in a poor state and required a lot of money for repairs. 

Resolved: (i) To ask the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee to consider allocating some of their public realm funding to provide female changing facilities within the pavilion in Cheam Recreation Ground;

(ii) To note that this is an urgent item brought forward by the Chair so that it can be considered quickly and with regard to the Council's public realm programme.

An updated work plan is attached.

            Resolved: To note the circulated work plan.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 7 January 2010 – at St. Bede’s Conference Centre starting at 7.30pm.

The next meeting would be held on Thursday, 7 January 2010 – at St. Bede’s Conference Centre starting at 7.30pm.