AT A MEETING of EAST HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAY MANAGEMENT ADVISORY PANEL of Hampshire County Council held at The Civic Offices, East Hampshire District Council, Penns Place, Petersfield on Tuesday 18 March 2003.

PRESENT:

Hampshire County Council

Councillors: J.K. West (Chairman); A.R. Ludlow; Sir James J. Scott

East Hampshire District Council

Councillors: B. Dutton; Mrs E. Cartwright (in place of Mrs J. Standen)

12. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

13. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2002 were confirmed as a correct record.

14. CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman referred to his serious concerns for the forthcoming grass cutting season. He stressed the need for better enforcement and supervision of the grass cutting contract within East Hampshire, compared to the previous year, especially on those sections of roads where lines of sight were obscured.

The Chairman reminded the Panel that East Hampshire District Council, as the naming authority, was solely responsible for the naming and the display of road names with the District. Whilst the County Council maintained a list of all road names within Hampshire, he explained that the statutory responsibility for the naming of roads lay with District Councils.

15. DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations.

16. ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT REORGANISATION AND BLUEPRINT UPDATE

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 5 in the Minute Book) concerning the progress made on the reorganisation of the Environment Grouping, and the Highways East Blueprint.

Members noted that the management team had now been appointed and that Hampshire Highways East had been operational since 1 October 2002. The final part of the county-wide maintenance contract would come into operation on 1 May 2003 by the inclusion of Winchester City.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

17. HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PROGRAMMES 2002/03 AND 2003/04

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 6 in the Minute Book) concerning the progress made on the 2002/03 Highway Maintenance Programme and the details of the Highways Maintenance Programme and budget for 2003/04.

Officers amplified the report and answered Members' detailed questions. Members noted the increased Revenue budget allocation of £619,000 against £578,000 for the previous year and in particular the additional funding of £434,000 in the Capital budget for non-principal road footway maintenance and haunch, resurfacing and recycling. Of the extra funding total of £3,500,000 made available by the County Council, the East Hampshire area had been allocated proportionately more than other areas. With East Hampshire's rural areas, the Chairman was particularly pleased to see a specific budget for grass cutting.

In response to concerns about the works programme, Members were advised that for Members' information, arrangements would be made to include the programme in the "Hampshire Highways Newsletter".

It was noted that paragraph 5.1 (i) `reactionary' should read `reactive'.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

18. STREET LIGHTING PROGRAMMES 2002/03 AND 2003/04

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 7 in the Minute Book) on the current progress of the Street Lighting Maintenance Contract, the Column Replacement Programmes for 2002/03 and 2003/04, Energy Contract, Community Safety Initiative 2002/03 and 2003/04 and the Street Lighting Policy.

It was reported that the street lighting maintenance contract for 2002/03 was continuing to work well, with approximately 97% of street lighting in operation across the county.

Copies of the County Council's Street Lighting Policy (second edition) document were circulated at the meeting.


RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

19. UNDER £10,000 CAPITAL MINOR WORKS PROGRAMMES 2002/03 AND 2003/04

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 8 in the Minute Book) on the progress made with the 2002/03 Capital Minor Works Programme and on the Capital Minor Works Programme for 2003/04.

Members noted that the 2002/03 minor works programme scheme in Forest Road, Liss had been completed.

It was noted that the funding allocation for 2003/04 was anticipated to be in the region of £15,000 to £20,000, a reduction in comparison with the current financial year's allocation of £28,000.

Members noted the following amendment to the report in the Appendix:

For scheme 3 delete entire reference to `C154 School Lane, Sheet' and substitute `B3003 Station Road, Liss - new footway £10,000'.

RESOLVED:

That the Executive Member for Environment be advised that the following schemes, listed in order of priority, be included in the Minor Works Capital Programme for 2003/04:

(i) C138 Roedowns Road, Medstead - provision of footway along frontage of Medstead Primary School - £4,000;


(ii) U211 Patrick's Copse Road Estate - provision of dropped kerbs for disabled access - £5,000; and


(iii) B3006 Station Road, Liss - provision of new footway - £10,000.

20. CASUALTY REDUCTION AND SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOL CAPITAL PROGRAMMES

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 9 in the Minute Book) on the progress made with the Casualty Reduction and Safer Routes to School Capital Programmes.

Members noted that due to the number of accidents occurring in East Hampshire, the provisional list of schemes for the Casualty Reduction Programme was greater in comparison with other areas in the county.

It was reported that the bid for additional fixed and mobile cameras had been approved by the Department of Transport and it was hoped to implement the schemes in the autumn.

Members were advised that the estimated cost of works for the Selborne Primary scheme within the Safer Routes to Schools Programme had increased to £50,000. It would now be necessary to carry out a project appraisal and to seek the approval of the Executive Member for the Environment before proceeding.

Councillor Mrs Cartwright asked the officers to convey her thanks to Mr Sage of the Road Safety Team for his Accidents and Safer Routes to Schools presentation to local schools, which had been most helpful.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

21. STATUS REPORT ON OTHER HIGHWAY RELATED CAPITAL SCHEMES FOR 2002/03 AND PROPOSED SCHEMES FOR 2003/04

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 10 in the Minute Book) on the Petersfield Area Transport Strategy programmes, the Central Hampshire Rural Transport Strategy schemes and the pedestrian and cycle schemes for 2002/03 and 2003/04.

Members expressed concern that the Ramshill pedestrian/cycle scheme had not been included on the list of Petersfield Area Transport Strategy schemes. Whilst it was noted that the scheme would be funded by developer contributions, Members advised officers that the local community were aware of the funding available for the cycle route and would not be happy to wait up to five years for it to be implemented. They requested the matter be given consideration at the present time. Officers agreed to investigate the matter.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

22. HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS WEATHER EMERGENCIES

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 11 in the Minute Book) on the current policy and procedures relating to weather emergencies and the impact of adverse weather on the highway network.

An extract taken from the Environment Agency and Hampshire County Council jointly published guide entitled `Managing Flood Risks in Parishes' was circulated to Members, for their information.



RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

23. HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAYS ABANDONED VEHICLES

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 12 in the Minute Book) on the issues associated with dealing with abandoned vehicles, the legislative framework and the division of responsibilities between authorities.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

24. BEST VALUE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The Panel considered the report of the Director of the Environment (Item 13 in the Minute Book) on the Best Value Indicators reported for 2001/02 concerning the condition of the highway network in Hampshire and on the requirements for 2002/03 indicators.

Officers amplified the report and answered Members' detailed questions.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

25. MAJOR MAINTENANCE SCHEME - A325 ALICE HOLT

The Panel considered the report of the Director of Environment (Item 14 in the Minute Book) outlining the details of the major maintenance scheme on the A325 scheme at Alice Holt due to start in autumn 2003.

It was noted that maintenance funding for the scheme had been provided through the Local Transport Plan. Due to the cost, the different needs and lengths of the sections, the scheme had been split into three phases. The southern end of Phase 2 passed near to a Scheduled Ancient Monument and therefore it would be necessary to allow archaeological excavations to be carried out before any carriageway work was undertaken. It was hoped that any diversions found to be necessary would take place at night to lessen disruption to traffic.

Members noted the following amendment to the report: Paragraph 3.1, delete `B3006' and substitute `B3004'.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

26. TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES 2002/03 AND 2003/04

The Panel considered the report of the Director of Environment (Item 15 in the Minute Book) on the traffic management programmes for 2002/03 and 2003/04.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

27. DATE, TIME AND VENUE FOR NEXT MEETING OF THE PANEL

RESOLVED:

That the next meeting of the Panel be held on Thursday, 30 October 2003 at 10.00 a.m., at the Civic Offices, East Hampshire District Council, Penns Place, Petersfield.

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