Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the TRANSPORT FOR SOUTH HAMPSHIRE JOINT COMMITTEE of HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL, SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL AND PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL held at Portsmouth City Council 30 September 2009.

PRESENT:

Hampshire County Council

Councillor M.J. Kendal - Executive Member for Environment

Keith Willcox - Project Director, Transport for South Hampshire

Peter Murnaghan - Project Manager, TfSH

James Strachan - Assistant Director, Strategy and Comms.

Tom Niedrum - Head of Finance

Alison Linnel - Principal Transport Planner

Stuart Baker - Senior Transport Planner

Portsmouth City Council

Councillor Lynne Stagg - Executive Member for Traffic and Transportation

John Slater - Head of Planning Services

Simon Moon - Head of Transport and Street Management

Southampton City Council

Councillor Matthew Dean - Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport

Phil Marshall - Regional Transport Planner

Frank Baxter - Travel and Transport Policy Manager

Paul Walker - Transport Policy Team Leader

Alastair Rankine - Audit Commission

David Cooper - Government Office for the South East

Josie Rogers - Network Rail

Dean Pettitt - South West Trains

Selina Crocombe - PUSH

Julian Lomas - PUSH

Chris Bainbridge - First Hampshire and Dorset

Rachel Barker - SEEDA

Paul Robinson - Highways Agency

Observers

Eastleigh Borough Council:

Councillor David Airey

Stuart Robinson-Woledge

Fareham Borough Council

Andy Viccars

Gosport Borough Council

Councillor Peter Langdon

David Duckett

New Forest District Council

Nick Hunt

Steve Williamson - Williamson Transport Planning

1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

    Apologies for absence were received from Alasdair Couper-Johnston, Network Rail; Graham Ellis, Hampshire Economic Partnership; Neil Pearce, SEEDA and Richard Soper, South Hampshire Bus Operators Association.

2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

    Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should normally at the time of the debate declare their interest, and having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with paragraph 12 of the Code.

    There were no declarations made by Members under this item.

3 CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

    The Chairman reported that a resident has sought to challenge the planning permission for BRT Phase 1, which was granted by Hampshire county Council, by way of a Judicial Review. In order to prevent the Council continuing to carry out works on the site prior to any hearing, she applied for, and was successful in being granted, an Ex-Parte injunction. Fortunately the Council was successful in obtaining a variation to the order in the High Court. Allowing important preparatory and ecological works to continue. The variation will also enable us to begin work to remove the disused and derelict railway track along the corridor, apart from sections in the vicinity of badger sets, to ensure that they remain undisturbed,

    The judicial review will be heard on the 14 and 15 October. While we await the result of the judicial review, we have decided to postpone the public exhibition originally planned for the 15 - 17 October. We are continuing to vigorously contest the judicial review and firmly believe this scheme will bring much needed social, economic and environmental benefits to the local community.

    The Business Plan for the next two years was approved at the last meeting in June. Hampshire's County Council approved the plan on the 17th September, subject to additional funding being assembled.

    Cllr Stagg at Portsmouth City Council and Cllr Dean at Southampton City Council both confirmed that their Business Plans had also been approved and that they had identified the additional resources that the Business Plan had sought .

    The Chairman also reported that the next Regional Transport Board is due to be held on the 23 October and that TfSH will be represented.

4 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 30 JUNE 2009

    The Minutes of the meeting held on the 30 June 2009 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

5 2008/09 ANNUAL GOVERNANCE REPORT

    The Committee received the report of Kate Handy and Alastair Rankine from the Audit Commission (item 5 in the minute book), presenting the results of the first formal audit of the Committee. The report looked at financial statements and use of resources and was very positive. The financial accounts opinion was unqualified and the Value for Money opinion was partially qualified in respect of insufficient strategic risk management processes. An improvement plan will be brought to the next Joint Committee.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee:

    i) Consider the matters raised in the report before the opinion on financial statements is issued.

    ii) Note the VFM (value for money) conclusion

    iii) Approve the letter of representation on behalf of Transport for South Hampshire before Auditor issues his opinion and conclusion (Appendix 2)

6 DELIVERING A SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM

    The Committee received the report of the HCC Senior Transport Planner (item 6 in the minute book), providing an update on the Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (DaSTS) workstream and work to be taken forward. TfSH had been awarded £350k to assist with the transport challenges of the South Hampshire sub-region. A brief is still being awaited and the outcomes of this are expected by January 2010, however, there were concerns that TfSH would be marginalised at that stage if the right approach was not taken with the proposal. The Chairman requested more information regarding the procurement procedure and it was agreed that TfSH would need to address any potential problems with the proposal, including possible problems with the A34 corridor and traffic from Oxford.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Notes the contents of this report

    ii) Agrees to the progression of work including officer input that will revise the Transport for South Hampshire `Towards Delivery' strategy so that it:

      a. Is consistent with the regional policy framework and the five Delivery a Sustainable Transport System goals;

      b. Offers value for money;

      c. Is within the likely level of funding (both public and private) available post 2013/14.

7 ACCESS TO THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AREAS: AT NORTH FAREHAM AND NORTH AND NORTH EAST HEDGE END

    The Committee considered the report of the TfSH Project Manager (item 7 in the minute book), reviewing the technical studies undertaken recently into the transport and access impacts of the planned strategic Development Areas (SDA's) at North Fareham and North and North East Hedge End and setting out the next phase of study. The areas were discussed individually:

    North Fareham

    It was confirmed that the Gosport area will be considered as part of the Fareham study due to the increase in traffic. It shall be considered and picked up as part of the one study. Fareham Borough Council also stated to the Committee that nothing had be signed or accepted to say that they thought the proposals would be successful. Fareham may look to reduce the size of the SDA due to difficulty in delivering the 10,000 new dwellings anticipated, which may reduce the money coming out and increase the number of people working in the area.

    It was emphasised at the Committee that it was important for any changes made to the motorway junctions need to be justified and confirmed to be safe and effective, with the impact on local roads fully investigated and considered.

    Hedge End

    Cllr House, Leader of Eastleigh Borough Council was in attendance for this item.

    The Committee agreed the importance of authorities TfSH, PUSH and Highways Authority working together to ensure that well informed decisions are made, however, it is also important that closer working does not disrupt the timescales. The Local Planning Authority think that the area is untested and Cllr House rehearsed the local policy position that the area between Hedge End railway station and Boorley Green should not be built upon and that TfSH cannot rely on untested statistics.

    Eastleigh and Winchester Councils have agreed to work to similar timelines in order to prevent confusion.

    Agreed that the consultant's report is noted for information, rather than agreed to until more information is received following the completion of the new studies.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Note the consultants' reports and approves the next phase of study into the wider transport impacts and mitigation options for the developments.

8 TRANSPORT FOR SOUTH HAMPSHIRE BUDGET MONITORING REPORT 2009/10

    The Committee received the report of the County Treasurer (item 8 in the minute book) summarising the outcome of the budget monitoring review for the 2009/10 financial year. The report included a new table featuring TfSH capital budget for 2009/10 together with the estimated outturn of the year.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Notes the current forecast outturn for revenue and capital budgets for the 2009/10 financial year.

    ii) Agreed the adjusted revenue budget after securing additional funding from the Highways Agency of £50.000 and from the South East England Partnership Board of £350,000.

9 TRANSPORT FOR SOUTH HAMPSHIRE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

    The Committee considered the report of the TfSH Project Manager (item 9 in the minute book) that discussed the issues involved in establishing a set of indicators that will, over time, provide an illustration of the trends in trip making and use of the different transport modes across Hampshire.

    It was agreed by the Committee that a more common method of presenting the data on a sub-regional basis would be more beneficial than featuring that of the individual authorities. Particular attention was drawn to paragraph ten, which stated the three indicators considered to have the potential to develop into key sub-regional targets to inform the Joint Committee of trends.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Supports the development of performance indicators for transport across South Hampshire.

10 MODELLING UPDATE

    The Committee received the report of the HCC Principal Transport Planner (item 10 in the minute book) detailing a transport modelling tool and further data collection planned for the near future. Particular focus was paid to paragraph 4, which details the Steering Group set up and how this enables the development of an evidence base consisting of analysis and forecasting tools compliant with national guidelines. It was noted that the ten completed pre-qualification questionnaires mentioned in paragraph 6 represented a very positive response from the industry. It was also confirmed that following discussion at the Steering Group it was intended that tenders for the work would be evaluated with weightings of 70% for quality and 30% for cost.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Note progress on advancing the evidence base required to support the Transport for South Hampshire strategy and transport interventions arising from it.

11 LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN 3

    The Committee considered the report of the PCC Head of Planning Services (item 11 in the minute book) proposing that there should be a single Local Transport Plan Strategy Statement (LTP) produced to cover the TfSH area for adoption by April 2011. It was confirmed that local authorities were engaged and a series of workshops are due to take place in the near future.

    RESOLVED:

    That the Joint Committee

    i) Agreed to the preparation of a Joint Strategy Statement to form the Local Transport Plan for South Hampshire sub-region but notes that the Implementation Plans element of the LTP will be the responsibility of the individual constituent authorities.

12 TRANSPORT FOR SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REDUCE STRATEGY

    The Committee considered the report of the PCC Regional Transport Planner (item 12 in the minute book) outlining the proposed TfSH Reduce Strategy and seeking approval for it to be taken forward to independent peer review and consultation with key stakeholders. Smarter Choices is an initiative aimed at reducing peak traffic by 15% by encouraging schemes like car sharing. A pilot project has been given the go ahead as the strategy is compliant with DaSTS and follows the necessary guidelines. The Committee considered whether other departments could get involved in the project (i.e. education and health) to get further support and funding.

    RESOLVED:

    The Joint Committee:

    i) Note the proposed Reduce Strategy as part of the overall Reduce-Manage-Invest approach to addressing transport issues in South Hampshire.

    ii) Agree to the proposed Reduce Strategy being subject to an independent specialist peer review;

    iii) Agree that following any amendments from the peer review, a consultation is undertaken with key stakeholders on the proposed Reduce Strategy

    iv) Agree that appropriate Land Use Planning elements of the reduce Strategy should be developed in the short term.

13 PORT OF SOUTHAMPTON MASTER PLAN CONSULTATION

    The Committee received a presentation from Mike Stacey of ABP on the Master Plan for the Port of Southampton spanning until 2030, which included the following:

    By 2020

      - All growth to be handled within the Eastern and Western docks (no need for expansion).

      - Greater concentration of activities within the existing port, for example with more multi-storey car storage parks.

      - Possible plans to develop on Dibden Bay for future use, although its precise use is not determined at the present time.

    By 2030

      - Dibden terminal may be required .

      - Further development in existing port areas may be needed.

      - Possible 5th cruise terminal in development/recently built

      - 40% of container shipments to be conveyed by rail.