Agenda item

Councillor Hunt submits a report seeking approval to submit the Leicester West Transport Scheme bid for funding to the Department of Transport. The Cabinet is asked to authorise the submission of the bid jointly with Leicestershire County Council, authorise the Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services to settle the form and nature of the application and agree any necessary joint management or implementation agreement and related planning application and construction contracts, to note that a further report will be submitted to Cabinet when full cost and timetable information is available and agree that no ‘call-in’ of the decisions be allowed on the grounds of urgency.

The relevant minute extract from the Highways and Transportation Scrutiny Committee held on 26 February 2004 will be circulated as soon as it is available.

The Appendices to this report are attached for Members of the Cabinet only. Copies of this document can be obtained either from the Council’s website www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk or by phoning Committee Services on (0116) 252 6022.

Councillor Hunt submitted a report seeking approval to submit the Leicester West Transport Scheme bid for funding to the Department of Transport. The report outlined the details of the scheme and the results of the public consultation.

The relevant minutes extract from the Highways and Transportation Scrutiny Committee held on 26 February 2004 was circulated to the Cabinet. Councillor Hunt noted that these showed the differences between the two options under consideration were finely balanced. The sites under consideration were known as site 29, the land bounded by the Great Central Way, Soar Valley Way and Lutterworth Road which has housing to the east and north. Site 33 was the other option which was to the South of Soar Valley Way. He also referred to the public consultation, which indicated that site 29, was the least worst option.

The Service Director, Highways and Transportation reported the final results of the consultation. These were as follows:-

1740 leaflets and questionnaires were distributed

400 were returned (23% response rate)

Site A (29)

Approximately 22% of respondents agree/strongly agree that site A (29) was appropriate for Park & Ride

75& disagree of which 64% strongly disagree)

Site B (33)

Approximately 10% of respondents agree / strongly agree that site B (33) was appropriate for Park & Ride

86% disagree (of which 73% strongly disagree)

Letters of Objection

16 letters of objection had been received from the public. This included one from Jim Marshall MP in which he expressed particular concerns about a dual carriageway linking Soar Valley Way and Lutterworth Road. It was noted that the proposal was for a single carriage roadway.

RESOLVED:

(1) that the submission of a joint bid for funding with Leicestershire County Council for the Leicester West Transport Scheme be authorised, to include site 29 as the Park and Ride site in Aylestone; and the Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture be authorised in conjunction with the Head of Legal Services to settle the form and nature of the said application;

(2) that the Corporate Director of Regeneration & Culture be authorised in conjunction with the Head of Legal Services to settle the form and content of any necessary joint management or implementation agreements and related planning applications and construction contracts;

(3) to note that the Corporate Director of Regeneration & Culture would submit a future report to Cabinet when full cost and time information was available; and

(4) that the above decisions are urgent because the “bid” has to go to the Department for Transport on 2 March 2004; and that Cabinet procedure rule 12.d (that no call in may be made if the Cabinet decides when making a decision that the matter is urgent for specified reasons) shall apply.