Agenda, decisions and minutes

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeitng on 20 April be agreed as an accurate record.

1.1      Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting on 20 April be agreed as an accurate record.

2.1       There were none.

Resolved: that the responses from Mayor and Cabinet be noted.

3.1      Resolved: that the responses from Mayor and Cabinet be noted.

Resolved: that the report be noted. The Committee also agreed that it would carry out further scrutiny of items relating to air quality later in the year. In particular, it would seek to comment on any future consultation on the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone.

4.1      Christopher Howard (Senior Environmental Protection Officer) introduced the report, the following key points were noted:

·         The air quality action plan was agreed by Mayor and Cabinet in December.

·         Additions suggested by the Sustainable Development Select Committee on political leadership, electric vehicle charging points and an anti-idling campaign had been incorporated into the action plan.

·         The Mayor had appointed Councillor McGeevor as champion for air quality.

·         A number of new initiatives to improve air quality were being considered.

·         There had been a delay in installing additional electric vehicle charging points. However, work was progressing to develop new options for charging points.

·         Transport for London (TfL) were looking for locations for rapid charging points in the borough.

·         More work would be carried out in the Autumn/Winter of 2017 to promote the use of electric vehicles.

·         Lewisham had joined with a consortium of 12 other London boroughs to develop an anti-idling initiative (more information was available online at idling action dot London).

·         The campaign would recruit volunteers to develop community initiatives to reduce idling. This work would focus mostly on schools.

·         The Council did not have sustainable school, workplace or commuter strategies, but the sustainable transport team worked directly with schools on sustainable travel and air quality.

4.2    Christopher Howard and Geeta Subramaniam (Head of Crime Reduction and Supporting People) responded to questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·         Officers were attempting to encourage people to be proactive about tackling poor air quality and change their behaviour.

·         Kings College London were going to support the Council’s work with schools in monitoring and improving air quality.

·         There was a TfL audit being carried out with schools to determine which were worst affected by air pollution.

·         The Council is investigating road closures around school times at appropriate schools. Three pilot schools are being considered for 2017. One primary school already had road closures around school times.

·         There had been some modelling carried out on the impact of 20mph speed limits on air quality. This found that the 20mph speed limit helped keep traffic moving (thereby reducing air pollution) in areas that were previously congested.

·         If the area was not previously congested, the 20mph zone might have a detrimental effect on air quality because car engines at low speeds were not operating at their optimum efficiency.

·         The Greater London Authority (GLA) had released a list of ‘focus areas’ for improvements in air quality in each borough. Officers were working to target initiatives and resources in those areas.

·         Officers were exploring the use of a mobile application for smart phones that helped people to find walking routes in areas of low pollution.

·         The Mayor of London had made a commitment to improve emissions from the London bus fleet.

·         Officers were working on delivering electric vehicle charging points but it was likely that the market would determine where charging points were located in the future.

·         The expansion of the ultra-low emission zone would focus on reducing pollution from heavy vehicles.

·         The expansion was due  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Resolved: that the Committee refers its views to Mayor and Cabinet, as follows - the Committee asks that Mayor and Cabinet:

·         Highly commend the work of Kplom Lotsu, Gavin Plaskitt, Jessie Lea, Deborah Efemini, Sarah Walsh and their colleagues. The Committee believes that, whilst there is still a great deal of work to be done in delivering the Catford programme, the level of dedication, consistency of purpose and clarity of thought which has been demonstrated by these officers should be recognised. The Committee warmly welcomes the thoughtful process that has been carried out to develop plans for engagement with residents. The Committee also recognises the quality and aptitude of officers' joint work with Transport for London in developing plans for improvements to the south circular.

·         Endorses the decision to proceed with option two for the relocation of the south circular. The Committee welcomes the potential benefits of this option for pedestrians and cyclists in Catford and Members are optimistic about the potential of the relocation to enhance the vitality and character of the whole town centre- including the iconic place-shaping opportunities offered by the 'piazza' area that would be created by Option Two (as referenced in recent referrals by the committee on Catford Town Centre)

·         Tasks officers with exploring the feasibility of deploying the Common Place platform across the whole of the borough. The Committee is impressed with the level of engagement that is enabled by the platform and it requests that an assessment be carried out on whether the use of the platform across the borough could be facilitated using the local assemblies budget.

5.1    Kplom Lotsu (SGM Capital Programmes) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

·         The item was split into two parts. The first part was a general update and second part a confidential report about the relocation of the south circular.

·         The first part of the agenda included updates on: the development of the engagement strategy; meanwhile uses of vacant buildings in the town centre; the theatre; the housing zone bid and the programme for upcoming key decisions and milestones in the programme.

5.2    Deborah Efemini (Project Manager) introduced the update on the engagement strategy, the following key points were noted:

·         The engagement strategy was an overarching strategy for consultation and communication. It was designed to act as a two way dialogue between stakeholders and the Council.

·         Work had already been carried out with key stakeholders and partners.

·         The external part of the strategy (as opposed to discussions with stakeholders at the Council) would begin in July and there would be twice monthly engagement events in and around the town centre.

·         There would be extra staff working on the engagement, starting from July.

·         The online engagement approach had already been launched using the Commonplace platform.

·         The benefit of the platform was that it required people to log in to contribute to the consultation - which meant that useful data could be gathered about the reach of the consultation.

·         Contributors on the platform also had to take account of other comments and views.

·         There had been more than 3730 visitors to the Catford Commonplace site.

·         698 comments had been received from more than 300 contributors.

·         The online platform would not replace face to face consultation, it would support it and enable two way dialogue.

5.3    Deborah Efemini responded to questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·         Key issues in the consultation so far had been: access and the approach to the Catford stations, litter/fly tipping and the future of the Catford cat.

·         People were positive about the potential for change. Part of the approach to the engagement was to manage expectations.

·         Officers were working with a range of community groups and attending events and across the area.

·         Officers were conscious about the timing of the consultation and would emphasise the fact that whilst it was starting in July it would carry on for a longer period.

·         Engagement had been carried out with Council officers.

·         Commonplace had been purchased for the Catford programme - but officers in the local assemblies team were aware of the functions and functionality of the platform.

·         The cost per interaction for the Commonplace platform was far less than the cost of getting officers to do the same work.

5.4    Jessie Lea (Programme Manager) introduced the update on meanwhile uses. The following key points were noted:

·         Work had been taking place to market opportunities for meanwhile uses for the Brookdale Club, Thomas Lane depot and 17-18 Broadway. There were good responses to the advert for opportunities and officers were now negotiating on agreements for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Resolved: that the update be noted.

6.1    Resolved: that the update be noted.

Resolved: That the draft cycling strategy be added to the work programme for the July and that the Chair be asked to make a decision about which other items to include on the agenda.

7.1    The Committee discussed the work programme for the meeting on 19 July 2017, the following key points were noted:

·         The draft cycling strategy should be available for scrutiny in July. Lewisham cyclists and relevant officers would be invited to the meeting.

·         Members were interested in the progress being made with Sydenham Park footbridge and in particular the accessibility and safety aspects of the replacement. It was agreed that an update would be provided on the project and the timing for its implementation.

·         For the item on the waste strategy, Members asked for a structure chart of the environment division which set out relevant job roles and responsibilities; guidance on the handling of complaints and casework - including the contact information for the relevant officers and input from Lewisham Homes about the operation of the new lumber service arrangements. The Committee also agreed that it would look at the waste strategy again later in the year.

·         That further information would be sought on the best way to scrutinise the Council’s response to the Bakerloo line consultation.

7.2    Resolved: That the draft cycling strategy be added to the work programme for the July and that the Chair be asked to make a decision about which other items to include on the agenda.

Resolved: that the Committee’s views be referred to Mayor and Cabinet as follows –

The Committee asks that Mayor and Cabinet:

·         Highly commend the work of Kplom Lotsu, Gavin Plaskitt, Jessie Lea, Deborah Efemini, Sarah Walsh and their colleagues. The Committee believes that, whilst there is still a great deal of work to be done in delivering the Catford programme, the level of dedication, consistency of purpose and clarity of thought which has been demonstrated by these officers should be recognised. The Committee warmly welcomes the thoughtful process that has been carried out to develop plans for engagement with residents. The Committee also recognises the quality and aptitude of officers' joint work with Transport for London in developing plans for improvements to the south circular.

·         Endorses the decision to proceed with option two for the relocation of the south circular. The Committee welcomes the potential benefits of this option for pedestrians and cyclists in Catford and Members are optimistic about the potential of the relocation to enhance the vitality and character of the whole town centre- including the iconic place-shaping opportunities offered by the 'piazza' area that would be created by Option Two (as referenced in recent referrals by the committee on Catford Town Centre)

·         Tasks officers with exploring the feasibility of deploying the Common Place platform across the whole of the borough. The Committee is impressed with the level of engagement that is enabled by the platform and it requests that an assessment be carried out on whether the use of the platform across the borough could be facilitated using the local assemblies budget.

Resolved: that the Committee’s views be referred to Mayor and Cabinet as follows –

The Committee asks that Mayor and Cabinet:

·         Highly commend the work of Kplom Lotsu, Gavin Plaskitt, Jessie Lea, Deborah Efemini, Sarah Walsh and their colleagues. The Committee believes that, whilst there is still a great deal of work to be done in delivering the Catford programme, the level of dedication, consistency of purpose and clarity of thought which has been demonstrated by these officers should be recognised. The Committee warmly welcomes the thoughtful process that has been carried out to develop plans for engagement with residents. The Committee also recognises the quality and aptitude of officers' joint work with Transport for London in developing plans for improvements to the south circular.

·         Endorses the decision to proceed with option two for the relocation of the south circular. The Committee welcomes the potential benefits of this option for pedestrians and cyclists in Catford and Members are optimistic about the potential of the relocation to enhance the vitality and character of the whole town centre- including the iconic place-shaping opportunities offered by the 'piazza' area that would be created by Option Two (as referenced in recent referrals by the committee on Catford Town Centre)

·         Tasks officers with exploring the feasibility of deploying the Commonplace platform across the whole of the borough. The Committee is impressed with the level of engagement that is enabled by the platform and it requests that an assessment be carried out on whether the use of the platform across the borough could be facilitated using the local assemblies budget.