Meeting documents

There were no apologies.

To disclose any personal or disclosable pecuniary interests.

Bill Bendyshe-Brown and David Carroll declared an interest because they are Wycombe District Council Members but they confirmed that they have taken no part in discussions regarding Daws Hill at the District Council.

The Chairman of the Committee will briefly outline the call-in process and the purpose for the meeting.

The Chairman informed members that the meeting would be in two parts.  Item 4 related to statements from Mrs Lesley Clarke, who asked for the decision to be called in and item 5 was for the Cabinet Member to respond.  After this the Committee would be able to ask questions to decide whether or not the Decision should be called in.  If the call in was agreed, the meeting would move to Item 6 on the agenda and witnesses would be called.  Each side would have 30 minutes to make their case and questions may be asked for points of clarity or further evidence.  The Committee will then decide whether the call in had merit and the reasons why.

This is an opportunity for the Member submitting the Call-In, Lesley Clarke OBE, to highlight why she wishes to call in the Cabinet Member decision and for the Cabinet Member and/or relevant officer to respond to the Local Member’s call-in submission (10 minutes each).

Papers which witnesses have asked to be provided

·      Notice of Member Call-In in accordance with Paragraph 20 of the Constitution under Select Committee Standing Orders

·      Cabinet Member Report (attached)

·      Please see link below to report and following appendices

·    PT11.13 report

·    Daws Hill Preliminary Estimate Rev B Final

·    Daws Hill Preliminary Estimate Option 2 Rev 0

·    Preliminary Design Report - Rev A Final checked

·    Environmental Scoping Report - Rev A Final - checked

·    Phase 1 Habitat Survey - Rev A Final - checked

·    Preliminary Geo-environmental Report - Rev A Final - checked

·    call-in request form

 http://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=3276

·      Strategic Plan (Our special environment, Speaking up for Residents)

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/media/681808/Strategic-Plan-2013.pdf

http://intranet/svc_corporate_groups/corporate_initiatives/new_vision.htm

·      Southern Quadrant Transport Strategy Document

http://tinyurl.com/k98zvm8

·      Daws Hill Area Travel Link:  response to the Cabinet Member on issues raised following a site visit on the 21st October 2013

·      Slide presentation (to be circulated at the meeting)

·      2013 Air Quality Progress Report

http://tinyurl.com/ndb72vt

·      News release WDC: Pioneering motorway noise barrier study moves

     forward

http://tinyurl.com/pvht4qg

http://tinyurl.com/p3pb7nm

·      Large scale area map of the SQTS (to be available at the meeting)

·      Guidelines used for Local authorities and Groups "Human Rights Act"  

·      Article 8: Human rights: human lives, Ministry of Justice, Handbook for Public Authorities

http://tinyurl.com/pgg6a47

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Mrs Lesley Clarke who, along with Mr Roger Reed and Mr David Watson, requested that the Decision on Daws Lea Area Travel Link be called in.

Mrs Clarke said Daws Hill is the area for which she is responsible as a Councillor for Wycombe District Council and as a County Councillor.  The main reasons for the call in were:

·         All relevant matters were not taken into account in reaching a decision.  Wycombe District Council is working in partnership with the M40CEG (M40 Community Engagement Group) on the feasibility of a new barrier, to include the production of green energy and the Local Member said this had not been considered as part of the thought process.  The Local Member said she wanted minimum negative impact on the local environment.  The photovoltaic barriers would reduce the amount of energy used and the cost saving could go some way to negating the cost of the barriers.

·         The desired outcome for the bus link was to take buses off Daws Lane and a disproportionate amount of money was being spent to solve the rush hour traffic which would only benefit 160-200 people.  There were no issues regarding traffic in the evening.

·         There was inadequate consultation in relation to the options set out in the Decision and no specific consultation with the Daws Hill Neighbourhood Forum.

·         The Decision does not accord with the Council’s aims and strategies.  There has been no consultation with the people in Daws Lea and Marlewood Close.  At the time the decision was taken there was no Equalities Impact Assessment which should have existed alongside the decision.  There are other ways to mitigate the noise impact as well as the known air quality issue.   Having more buses in the area would add to the situation and something was needed to alleviate this.

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Janet Blake, Cabinet Member for Planning & Transportation.  Mrs Blake stated that the Senior Manager, Policy, Planning, Economy & Infrastructure would speak on her behalf.   Members expressed concern that the Cabinet Member was not responding herself.  The Chairman said it was for the Cabinet Member to decide who would respond.  The Senior Manager said he would not be reiterating what was in the decision report but would make a statement on the current position.

During 2012 the County Council undertook transport strategy work to ensure that upcoming development in the South of High Wycombe could be brought forward alongside a supporting transport strategy. The resulting Southern Quadrant Transport Strategy was adopted by BCC in December 2012, this supports the District-adopted RAF Daws Hill development brief, also adopted in Dec 2012 – co-ordinating an agreed position on land-use and transport planning between the two authorities.

The strategy agreed a range of measures to deal with planned growth; most pertinent to this meeting being the inclusion of a new public transport link between Daws Hill and the new park and ride/coachway provision at Handy Cross. During consultation on the Southern Quadrant Transport  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Following discussion of the Call In request, the Committee will then decide whether the decision should be called in.

This is also an opportunity for the Committee to ask questions of those present for points of clarity.

The Committee discussed the information provided to them by the Cabinet Member and the Local Member who requested that the Decision be called in.

A member asked for evidence of the consultation with local residents in relation to the SQTS, as well as evidence that the local member was kept informed.  It was noted that whilst there is evidence of consultation with local residents and the local member it had not been presented to this Committee, being part of the SQTS development process during mid-2012.  He confirmed that there was evidence that during consultation on the SQTS considered the two options in the report based on the response to that consultation.

A member asked the Local Member whether she had raised the issue of use of the photovoltaic barriers during the process and briefed the process at that time.  The Local Member said she hoped that the District Council would have kept transport officers informed on the work of the M40CEG.  The previous Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation had pushed for the second option and she hoped that the transport officers would have discussed it.

The same member asked whether the rationale for the decision in October took account of evidence including the draft EIA and whether it was available during the thought process.  He also asked whether the type of barrier suggested was considered and whether these were in use anywhere else.  The Senior Manager said the Local Member had been supported when requested but that the EIA had not been carried out at that time.  There had been no consultation on this policy decision but public consultation had been carried out as part of the strategy and this could be corroborated.  Any future planning applications would also include consultation, but none had been carried out specifically in relation to the Decision.

It was noted that the Local Member had referred to a site visit and the Chairman asked whether anything had arisen from that.  The Local Member said that from that site visit the Cabinet Member would have seen the reasons to consult in relation to option 2.  Residents are unable to sit in their gardens and putting in in excess of 120 buses would increase the problem.   There were already noise and air quality issues in the area and the barriers would help reduce the noise and pollution.   This had been repeated to the Officer attending, who wrote a response suggesting three options.  The second option had been to put in the barrier and the third option had been to do nothing.  The Local Member stated that the site visit did not seem to have any impact on the Decision made.

With regard to whether there was adequate consultation the Senior Manager reiterated that consultation took place when the SQTS was being developed and that report is available.  However, the Local Member repeated that there had been no consultation with people on Daws Lea; they had been spoken to after the decision had been made.  The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

During this session:

The Local Member can call upon witnesses to supplement her written and verbal evidence.

Witnesses will be allotted 30 minutes in total to speak to the Committee.

Witnesses

Councillor Mrs L M Clarke OBE, Local Member for Abbey

Councillor Mr Roger Reed

Councillor Mr David Watson

Mr Tony Fooks, High Wycombe Society

Mr Ken Edwards, M40 Group

Mr Dave Inman, Daws Hill Neighbourhood Forum

Mr Stewart Armstrong, Daws Hill Neighbourhood Forum

The Cabinet Member can call upon witnesses to supplement her written and verbal evidence.

BCC delegates will be allotted 30 minutes in total to speak to the Committee.

Bucks County Council

Janet Blake, Cabinet Member for Planning & Transportation

John Lamb – Service Director, Place Service

Stephen Walford – Senior Manager, Place Service

Ryan Bunce – Service Lead Officer, Policy, Strategy and Development

Dave Roberts – Team Leader, Transport Systems, Transport for Buckinghamshire

Richard Smith – Technical Director, Jacobs UK Ltd

The following witnesses had been called by the Local Member and each witness introduced himself.

Mr Dave Inman, Daws Hill Neighbourhood forum

Mr Ken Edwards M40CEG

Mr Stewart Armstrong, Daws Hill Neighbourhood Forum

Mr Tony Fooks, High Wycombe Society

Mr Dave Inman

Mr Inman is a resident on the south side of Daws Lea which is the most affected areas and attended the Committee to represent his road.  He said there was a strong sense of feeling and concern of the residents reflecting the reality of living in Daws Lea.

Mr Inman had taken part in the public consultation on the SQTS but stated there had been no consultation since then. He also stated that he objected to the residents being called the ‘Daws Lea Receptors’.  He considered that they had been overlooked in the Jacobs Study which had talked about school and wildlife, but not people.  The person living in the property to be demolished had been poorly treated badly and this had been exacerbated because the home owner is terminally ill.

There will be severe impact regarding noise and vibration at the front and rear of the properties in the road because of the proposal for in excess of 120 bus movements, but there had no data on this in the Jacobs Study.  Children currently play in the front gardens because of the noise, but the bus movements will make it worse.  With regard to the traffic impact, the road is on a hill and buses have problems climbing it.  This will have a greater impact of it becomes part of the school pick up point.

In conclusion Mr Inman requested that:

·         People are consulted and considered

·         Residents’ quality of life is not made unacceptable.  They would not be able to open windows with buses coming along – Human Rights issue.

·         Joined up thinking for decision:

-       Cost offset regarding use of barriers

-       Fence replacement

-       After being canvassed, some residents on the south side are willing to discuss garden sacrifice re barrier. 

-       Daws Lee becoming link road for more traffic

-       Create a solution consistent with future requirements.

Ken Edwards

Mr Edwards is Chairman of M40CEG (Chilterns Environmental Group), which has been working since 2005 to reduce the impact of traffic noise on communities exposed to noise between Junctions 3 and 8 on the M40.   The Group have been working in partnership with the Highways Agency and Wycombe District Council.

The Feasibility Report they produced was accepted and published on the WDC website, including data in relation to the contribution of electric power to the Leisure Centre, via the barriers, attached as appendix 5 of the Feasibility Report.

The presentation included a map showing the areas of high noise on the M40 which included Daws Lea.  It was indicative of places identified as important areas deemed to be noise producers. Mr Edwards said a study commissioned between Loudwater and Wheatley had shown that if barriers were placed on the north side of the M40  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The next meeting is due to take place on Tuesday 4 February 2014, 10.00am in Mezzanine 2, County Offices, Aylesbury. 

There will be a pre-meeting for Committee Members at 9.30am.

The next meeting is due to take place at 10.00am on Tuesday 4 February 2014 in Mezzanine 1, County Hall, Aylesbury.  There will be a pre-meeting for Committee Members at 9.30am.

Dates of future meetings:

Tuesday 4 March

Tuesday 8 April

Tuesday 13 May

Tuesday 17 June

Tuesday 2 September

Tuesday 14 October

Tuesday 18 November

This is an opportunity for the Committee to discuss the confidential appendix if necessary.

There was no discussion in relation to this item.