Agenda and minutes

The Chair will introduce those present and make any necessary announcements.

The Chair and any other Councillors who are present will make any declarations as required by the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

Councillor Alfonso welcomed those present. Councillor Cassidy stated that he had to leave by 7pm due to another commitment.

Members made no declarations of interest.

The Action Log from the Fosse Community Meeting held 4 January 2018 is attached for information and discussion.

The Action Log of the previous meeting held on 4 January 2018 was noted.

Officers from Leicestershire Police will be at the meeting to provide an update on police issues in the Ward.

The Chair brought this item forward on the agenda and attendees were asked to note an update from Police Sergeant Mark Brennan. Points made during PS Brennan’s update included the following:

·      The Police had been very busy following the explosion on Hinckley Road.  Five people died in the explosion and one person was in a critical condition.

·      Thanks were given to the emergency services, staff from the City Council, the Ward Councillors who had helped with the incident on Hinckley Road and also thanks were extended to the local community for their support and assistance. The soup, hot drinks and refreshments they had provided had been very gratefully received.

·      Three people had been charged with manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life but no further details could be given as the matter was

Sub-judice.

·      Investigations were on-going; any witnesses were urged to come forward.

·      The Police had handed over the site to the City Council and a multi-agency recovery plan was in place. 

Councillor Cassidy said that he and PS Brennan had come from a meeting of the community recovery committee which was looking at ways to help the local people. They were looking for members from that community to join the committee. Councillors also thanked the community and everyone who had helped; acknowledgement was also given to people from the English Martyrs School who had been especially supportive.                       

·      The Police had also been dealing with the murder of a 24 year old man, Ashley Johnson who had been found dead on Dannett Street on 24 February.

·      Two males had been charged. PS Brennan could not give further details, but it appeared to be a one-off incident.

·      Investigations into the murder were still on-going, and any witnesses were urged to come forward.

Other issues that the Police had been dealing with included the following:

·      A traffic operation in relation to speeding drivers

·      A licensing operation which involved carrying out checks on licensed premises

·      Issues around St Clements Court, though this was wider issue that needed other agencies involvement and not just the Police.

Members of the public raised concerns relating to street drinking, and also parking problems and resulting obstructions near to Kwik Fit on Woodgate. PS Brennan responded that there were parking issues on a lot of roads in the Ward; many of cars that were causing the problems were not local; there were issues relating to limited Police resources and there was a team of eight officers working around the clock. An attendee raised a concern that two Police Officers while walking on patrol had ignored parked cars that were causing an obstruction. PS Brennan said that he did not know the full circumstances but would feed this back to the teams.

Councillor Cassidy announced that PS Brennan had won an achievement award for his Police work; this recognition was welcomed and applauded by all present.

An progress update will be provided on the new school.

Attendees were asked to note an update on the new Waterside Primary School,  from Victoria Chapman, Education Sufficiency and Admissions team. Points made included the following:

·      Most of the site clearance had been done and work on the utilities would start soon.

·      There would be a quarterly newsletter for residents which would include contact details of the project manager.

·      More badgers had been found at the back of the site, so work had stopped and a badger licence had been applied for. Once this had been received, the badgers would be moved to a new home.

·      In response to a concern about non-protected species, the meeting heard that ecologists were on site and Natural England had been involved in the process.

·      Strong concerns were reiterated that the new school would exacerbate traffic and parking problems. The Chair stated that a lot of the problems were down to inconsiderate parking by people bringing children to and collecting from school; in this respect, the school would be no different to any other school. John Dowson, Major Transport Projects Manager stated that where parking was a problem on school zig-zag lines, it might be possible to put in camera enforcement.

·      The Chair advised that the design of the road would be improved and there was a need to look at plans as they developed.

Concerns were expressed about rubbish and litter from the site which had spilled out onto the roadside of the fence. A request was made for the rubbish to be cleared.   Action: The City Warden. 

An update will be provided on the Waterside Development.

Attendees received a presentation on the Waterside Development from David Beale, Senior Project Manager, City Council Development Team and Andy Spencer, Keepmoat Homes. Points made included the following:

·      Within the development there would be 60,000 square feet of for office buildings.

·      On the old Stibbe site, there would be two hotels and an office building. In the middle there would be a public square.

·      There would be an apartment block on Vaughan Way, near All Saints Church, which would provide retail opportunities on the ground floor.

·      It was expected that Phase 1 of the office development would be delivered by March 2019; this would create approximately 100 jobs.

·      As part of the development there would be an Extra Care facility with on- site support. This might be occupied by people with learning difficulties.          

·      A residential development would have two, three or four bedroomed homes and prices would start at about £130,000. 

·      Approximately £30m had been received to spend on flood defences; the majority of this fund would need to be spent by 2021.

A query was raised as to what was happening to the Arches and it was explained that the Arches were owned by the Charles Street Buildings Group.  At the moment the company had no plans for making changes there.

An attendee asked whether All Saints Church and the neighbouring picture shop would be preserved and was informed that there had been numerous meetings between the Church and the developer, and the new build should not have any detrimental impact on the Church.

An update will be provided on highways issues, which will include the Letchworth Road Scheme.

Attendees were asked to note an update from John Dowson, Major Transport Projects Manager, on the various highway schemes and road layouts that affected the Fosse Ward.  Attendees heard that there was still time to submit comments in relation to the works around the Five Ways junction. 

The Chair raised concerns relating to highways issues on Medina Road. John  commented that traffic calming and residential parking did not fall within the remit of his work, but this had been mentioned before and he believed that it was an issue deserving of consideration.

Concerns were raised that some cyclists ignored cycle lanes, preferring to cycle on pavements resulting in potential hazards to pedestrians.  Complaints made related to adults riding on pavements rather than children and in response to a question, PS Brennan commented that it was illegal to cycle on pavements, but he had to prioritise the best use of the resources he had. John explained that their aim was to stop people cycling on the pavement by providing a segregated space for cyclists.

A request was made for plans for some of the proposed road layouts, with street names, to be brought to the next Fosse Community Meeting.

During the discussion on the Highways Update, numerous concerns were raised that the venue was too noisy and attendees could not hear what was being said.

An update will be provided on the Tudor Gardens Petition.

Attendees were asked to note an update on the Tudor Gardens Petition. The meeting heard that in 2016, following incidences of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Tudor Gardens and subsequent requests by residents to secure the area, the gate to the gardens, near to houses, had been locked. A petition had now been received to remove the lock on the gate.  

There was some discussion relating to the merits and problems anticipated if the gate was re-opened. PS Brennan reported that the Police view was that the closure of the gate had resulted in a reduction in crime and ASB.   He accepted that it was a place that people wanted to enjoy but said that crime and ASB would increase in the summer should the gate be re-opened. This was however a decision for local people.

Louise Lavelle, Crime and ASB Officer suggested that as a compromise, the gate could be opened for two months on a trial basis to monitor the situation. If the re-opening of the gate resulted in an increase in crime and ASB, the gate would be locked again. It was agreed that a consultation would be organised with diary sheets given to local residents so that if any incidences occurred, they could be recorded. The Police and officers in the Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Unit could then look at the evidence gathered. Action: The Crime and ASB Officer to liaise with the Police and Parks Officers to organise diary sheets.

The community will hear about the Voluntary Sector Organisations plans up to Christmas 2018, with a particular emphasis on plans for the summer.

Attendees were asked to note an update from the All Nations Church. Activities included family movie nights, a family food night on 8 June and a big lunch on the Rally Park on 1 July. The Church was also starting up a newsletter entitled ‘Celebrating Fosse’          

The City Warden will give an update on issues in the Ward.

The City Warden was not present at the meeting, but an information leaflet was circulated on her behalf. It was agreed that the following comments and requests would be forwarded to the City Warden: 

·      A request was made for a grit bin to be put by the kiss-gate entrance to the Rally Park on Fosse Road North.

·      A big double oven had been dumped on Tudor Road.

·      Fly tipping had also occurred in the car park on River Street.

Action: The Community Engagement Officer /  City Warden

Councillors are reminded that under the Council’s Code of Conduct they should declare any interest they may have in budget applications

Anita Clarke, the Community Engagement Officer provided an update on the Ward Community Budget. 11 applications had been supported since the previous Community Meeting, totalling £8199. A balance of £375.35 remained in the budget.

The meeting heard that one of the funding applications was for a first aid course to be held on Wednesday 18 April from 9 – 5pm at the Woodgate Resource Centre.  There were still some vacancies and anyone interested should phone 0116 2530717.

The meeting closed at 8.15pm.