Agenda, decisions and minutes

          That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July be agreed as an accurate record.

1.1    Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July be agreed as an accurate record.

2.1       There were none.

There are none.

3.1       There were none.

·                To recommend that further discussions be held with private businesses to raise awareness of idling on or near their premises (such as supermarket car parks) and that consideration be given to providing resources for residents who want signage in specific locations.

·                To recommend that the availability and accessibility of data on the website be improved. And – that this should be optimised to better enable comparisons of Lewisham’s performance with comparable boroughs.

·                That the Committee reiterate the urgency of decarbonising the Council’s vehicle fleet to ensure that it was fully ULEZ compliant.

·                That the Committee endorse the ambition to meet the World Health Organisation targets for air quality.

·                That the Committee supports the strategic roll out of electric vehicle charging points and that it encourages measures to ensure their affordability.

·                That the report be noted.

4.1    Dr Catherine Mbema (Director of Public Health) and Lucy Kirk (Environmental Protection Manager) introduced the report – noting the progress that had been made in delivering the air quality action plan and highlighting significant areas of progress in the previous year. They also outlined key areas of focus in the coming year.

4.2    Dr Mbema, Luck Kirk and Sefkan Altuntop (Senior Air Quality Officer) responded to questions from the Committee (including members attending under standing orders) and the following key points were noted:

·                Further information would be provided on the responsiveness and performance of anti-idling reports through the ‘parking issues’ reporting system.

·                Further information would be provided on the cost of ULEZ charges for non-ULEZ compliant vehicles.

·                Work to ensure that the vehicle fleet was fully ULEZ and Euro VI compliant was being prioritised (a report on the cost implications of this would be considered at Mayor and Cabinet later in the year)

·                Further information would be provided on the number of homes being improved with funding from the social housing decarbonisation fund.

·                Additional information would also be provided on the work taking place with housing associations and private landlords to tackle poor standards and to improve the energy efficiency of their stock.

·                Air quality had improved over the past seven years across all the main pollutants.

·                Officers did not routinely compare Lewisham’s air quality with that of other boroughs – due to the different conditions present in each borough.

·                Further work could take place to compare trends with other boroughs.

·                Work was taking place with two schools to develop active travel maps to improve active travel as part of the school super zone initiative.

·                100 new sensors would be rolled out across the borough to further highlight areas or poor air quality and to enable residents to choose healthy routes for walking and cycling.

·                Further discussions would take place with transport colleagues to consider anti-idling signage for private businesses (such as supermarkets)

·                Further information would be provided on the implementation of solar panels and other decarbonisation measures across the borough.

·                There was an exceedance of nitrogen dioxide levels at the Loampit Vale monitoring site – the reasons for this were not immediately clear – but further work was taking place to determine the source.

·                Further detailed analysis of the hourly monitoring data from Loampit Vale would take place to determine whether there were new businesses or changes to the road layout that could explain the change.

·                It was too early to tell what the impact of the ULEZ expansion would be - but it was anticipated that the expansion would significantly improve air quality. Particulate matter in the air would remain a problem – due to the issue of road wear and particulates created by vehicles braking.

·                Work was taking place to update the website with the 2023 diffusion tube data.

·                The World Health Organisation (WHO) targets for air quality were ambitious – and were not currently being met by any London Borough.

·                The WHO targets were focused  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

·                That officers work with TfL to consider whether current bus movements could be improved to support sustainable cycling and active walking options through the town centre.

·                That the report be noted.

5.1    Councillor James-J Walsh (Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration and Planning) was invited to address the Committee – the following key points were noted:

·                Consideration was being given to the branding of the new community and cultural hub in Lewisham (the former library) to determine an appropriate name for its new functions.

·                There was an ambitious timeline for the delivery of the programme.

·                Outputs from the engagement work with the local community could be shared with members of the Committee.

·                It should be noted that the size of the Council’s ambition did not fit with the availability of resources, which were very tight across all services.

·                Consideration should be given to integration with other schemes in the town centre – particularly those for the Lewisham shopping centre site.

5.2    Spike van der Vliet-Firth (Acting Head of Economy, Jobs and Partnerships) introduced the report – noting the time pressures facing delivery and providing an update on the planning and delivery of the projects in the town centre.

5.3    Spike van der Vliet-Firth and Councillors Walsh and Krupski responded to questions from the Committee (including members attending under standing orders) – the following key points were noted:

·                Work was taking place with TfL to ensure that beneficial changes to movements of transport in the town centre could be maintained once the period of temporary diversions ended.

·                Careful consideration had to be given to the changes that had been implemented on Molesworth Street to ensure effective sharing of space.

·                The development of the Lewisham shopping centre site could create more ‘active usage’ along Molesworth Street.

·                There were ongoing uncertainties around the cost of delivery – but this was being actively managed. Contingency funding had also been set aside.

·                There were robust controls in place to manage the risks around the delivery of the programme.

·                It was acknowledged that building works increased in cost over time.

·                Officers had developed a good relationship with funders to ensure that the lines of communication were open and constructive.

·                As long as the government funding had been drawn down by the end of March 2026 then delivery could continue with the match funding being provided by the Council.

·                It had been noted in the consultation that the route finding through the town centre was lacking – a number of improvements were planned as part of the programme.

·                One of the major issues identified in the consultation was the (lack) of feelings of safety in the town centre.

·                There were significant opportunities to improve the night time economy in the town centre.

·                The market canopy and the cultural and business hub both provided opportunities for night time economy as civic spaces, open for events.

·                Officers had been challenged to ensure that the programme enabled businesses to make the most of the opportunities from the renewed town centre.

·                Consideration was being given to the ongoing maintenance and care of the market canopy building as part of the commissioning process.

·                Officers involved in the delivery of the programme were also responsible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

That the Committee’s agenda for the November meeting be agreed.

6.1         The Committee considered the work programme report.

6.2         Resolved: that the Committee’s agenda for the November meeting be agreed.