Agenda item

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation will give a presentation to provide an update on ‘Connecting Leicester’.

The City Centre Streets Programme Manager gave a presentation updating the Commission on progress with the Connecting Leicester programme.  A copy of the presentation is attached at the end of these minutes for information.

During the presentation, the City Centre Streets Programme Manager drew attention to the following:

·           Ways of stopping refuse bins being left on the pavement in Marble Street would be investigated;

·           The forthcoming scheme for York Road would include using a Traffic Regulation Order to restrict the flow of traffic along the road.  It also was proposed to increase the width of the footways, which would create a link with the footway/cycleway through the new development on the site of the former New Walk Centre;

·           In addition to the work scheduled for Market Place South and already undertaken on Friar Lane as part of the THI scheme, the remaining section of Friar Lane would be improved, to provide a link between schemes already completed;

·           The decision on the bid for funding from the Transforming Cities Fund was due in February or March 2019.  If the Council’s bid was unsuccessful, ways of funding the work from the Council’s existing resources would be sought, but as Leicester was one of only 10 cities invited to bid it was hoped that this situation would not arise; and

·           Signing in Belgrave Gate would be considered separately to the improvement scheme, as part of work to declutter the area, but would be undertaken as soon as possible.

It was suggested that, although improvements under the Belgrave Gate North scheme were welcome, it would be preferable to remove the Belgrave Circle roundabout and create a crossroads junction.  However, Councillor Clarke, (Deputy City Mayor with responsibility for Environment, Public Health and Health Integration), confirmed that the presence of infrastructure below the island meant that this would not be possible.  Previous work in that area had created a very useful open space, which would be improved under the proposed scheme.

Members noted that the objector to the proposed compulsory purchase of land in Mansfield Street had not attended the public inquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Order and questioned whether the objector had been informed of arrangements for the inquiry.  In reply, the City Centre Streets Programme Manager confirmed that the objector had been given all of the details of the inquiry.  In addition, the Council had worked hard over several months to communicate with the objector but had not received an appropriate response.

It was proposed that part of Belgrave Gate, Haymarket and Church Gate would be fully pedestrianised under the North City Centre Access Improvement scheme, with vehicles permitted on those roads to service premises.  At present this could be done between 5.00 am and 11.00 am (9.00 am on Saturdays), but consideration was being given to reducing this time to 10.00 am on weekdays, to reduce conflict caused by increased footfall in the area.

Concerns were raised that disabled people would find it difficult to access premises in the areas to be pedestrianised under the North City Centre Access Improvement scheme.  The City Centre Streets Programme Manager assured Members that a Healthy Streets Audit would be undertaken, which considered factors such as where tactile paving and smooth level surfaces needed to be placed to make sure that the area was as accessible as possible to everyone.

A survey of disabled parking also had been undertaken and, although this showed there to be spare capacity in the area, it was proposed to create additional disabled parking in the Haymarket car park.  This was part of the aim of the scheme to provide a safe environment for everyone, (not just disabled people). 

When schemes previously had been tried that allowed Blue Badge holders to use vehicles to access otherwise pedestrianised areas, it had been found that it was not possible to implement this properly, as the Council could not take action on moving traffic offences and the Police did not have the resources to monitor the schemes fully.  When the North City Centre Access Improvement scheme was fully implemented, Mansfield Street would be open to all traffic, so disabled people could be set down and picked up there.

It was noted that the improvements to York Road necessitated the removal of parking for disabled people.  Users of the Jain Centre on Oxford Street already had an arrangement with users of neighbouring premises to use their parking facilities and an agreement had already been made for the use of Newarke Street car park by disabled drivers.  In addition, the Traffic Regulation Order had been relaxed to enable drivers with a Blue Badge in their vehicle to set down and pick up disabled people in York Road.  A small number of objections to the proposed Traffic Regulation Order had been received, including a petition from users of the Jain Centre.  This petition would be considered at the meeting of Council to held on 24 January at the request of a Ward Member.

AGREED:

1)    That progress with the Connecting Leicester programme be noted; and

2)    That the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation be asked to circulate Equality Impact Assessments for the schemes discussed at this meeting to all members of this Commission.

Councillor Porter arrived at the meeting during consideration of this item