Agenda item

To receive a written report from the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainability, and to question the Cabinet Member thereon, provided any such questions are registered in accordance with the timescales and procedures set out in Standing Order 8.2.1.

Council received a written report from Cllr Merrett, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability.

 

Notice had been received of fourteen questions on the report, submitted by Members in accordance with Standing Orders. The first ten questions were put and answered as follows and Members agreed to receive written answers to their remaining questions, as set out below:

 

(i)           From Cllr Reid:

 

“The Cabinet member refers under LTP3 to “a step change in bus services” in the City. Would he therefore publish:

 

a)   The results, on a service by service basis, of any mystery traveller type checks on punctuality undertaken during the last 18 months.”

 

Cabinet Member replied:
“A majority of the bus routes in York are neither commissioned or funded by City of York Council. Any punctuality information shared with the Council is currently confidential and for the specific purpose of seeking to identify and improve key areas of delay. As part of the proposed review and re-launch of York’s Quality Bus Partnership, the Council will seek to establish agreement on a means by which the public dissemination of reliability data might be achieved.”

 

b)   Any information provided by bus operators on the punctuality of services operated under Council contracts”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“I will look into this, but it would be best if this was done as part of a comprehensive arrangement covering all York’s bus services in an established and agreed format.”

 

(ii)          From Cllr D'Agorne:

“Please can Cllr Merrett explain "a Low Carbon Investment Pipeline"? When will this result in investment in renewable energy in buildings in the city?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“York’s Low Carbon Investment Pipeline links to a wider piece of work taking place at a Leeds City Region level. The purpose is to develop a portfolio of low carbon / renewable energy projects across the LCR that demonstrate the investment opportunities to the investment community and ensure the region and York is well placed, as the Leader has just indicated in other areas, to respond quickly and effectively to appropriate funding opportunities when the arise. York’s Low Carbon Investment Pipeline sets out those projects & opportunities that represent investment opportunities in York e.g. renewable heat in off-gas social housing areas of the City; detailed feasibility studies to determine the appropriateness of heat networks in defined locations across York (for example a cluster to the south-east of the City centred on the University of York, or York Central).

 

While the low carbon / renewable energy projects have been broadly identified, to develop them any further requires both initial / detailed feasibility and technical and financial assessments. Delivery will also depend on actual development opportunities, and putting together the necessary funding packages. As a result a defined timeframe cannot be associated with any of the projects identified through the Low Carbon Investment Pipeline.”

 

(iii)     From Cllr Reid: 

“Will the Cabinet member agree to publish, possibly through the new “i-travel York website” that he describes in his report, the number of “All York” bus tickets sold each month including the number actually sold during July, August and September?”

Cabinet Member replied:

“‘All York’ is a commercially agreed multi-operator bus ticket. Any decision to share the ticket sales will need, therefore, to be agreed by all the bus operators through the ticket’s management committee.”

 

(xiv)  From CllrSemlyen:

 

“Please will the Cabinet Member investigate declaring York Hydrolic Frack Free within the Local Development Plan, or else the legal wording of limiting conditions of any drilling operations potentially affecting York’s drinking water supplies and consequent public health?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“Officers are not aware of any ‘Hydraulic Fracking’ in York and indeed if it is possible in the York area. We will therefore need to consider Hydraulic Fracking as part of the new Local Plan process, and establish whether we can make York a Hydraulic Frack Free area, or agree appropriate conditions, and that will need to take place through more detailed investigations.”

 

(v): From Cllr Warters:

 

“Further to the Cabinet Members comments on student accommodation, does he believe that the Council’s database of known HMO’s is accurate and robust enough to enable Planning Officers and Planning Committees to fairly determine change of use applications from C3 to C4 HMO as recent applications in the Osbaldwick Ward have highlighted serious deficiencies in the Council’s records?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

·        “In accordance with the Draft SPD (Supplementary Planning Document), to capture as many different types of shared accommodation as possible the Council uses council tax records, licensed HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation), properties benefiting from class C4 or sui generis HMO planning consent and properties known to the Council to be HMOs. These data sets are collated to calculate the proportion of shared households as a percentage of all households.

·        Officers consider that these sources will provide the best approach to identifying the numbers and location of HMOs in an area, although it is accepted that it may not be possible to identify all properties of this type.

·        Given that the information collated may be expected to change over the course of the calendar year as houses and households move in and out of the private rented sector officers are suggesting it would be appropriate to base the assessment on a single point in the year.  Accordingly, data will be updated annually, in May, to allow for a complete picture of Council Tax returns, alongside licensed HMOs, properties benefiting from HMO planning consent and any other HMOs known to the Council.

·        As with any planning guidance, the Draft SPD is only a starting point and other material considerations can be taken into account if considered appropriate by the Development Management Officer on a case by case basis. As such, should there be a specific application whereby there are known HMOs over and above our records, and the Development Management Officer is happy there is compelling evidence that they are established HMOs, there is sufficient flexibility to allow these HMOs to be considered in the calculations of concentrations of HMOs for the particular application.”

 

(vi) From Cllr Reid: 

 

“The Cabinet Member refers under LTP3 to a ‘step change in bus services’ in the city. Would he therefore agree – in line with the wishes of the Department of Transport – to support the new York Bus Watch campaign group in their endeavours to ensure that all local bus operators publish details of the reliability achieved each month on each of their service routes?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“The Council has not been approached by ‘York Bus Watch’ and has no information on its remit/membership. I would be pleased to engage with them and understand how ‘Buswatch’s’ work could be integrated with that undertaken by national organisations, ‘Bus Users UK’ and their local members, and Passenger Focus’.”

 

(vii) From CllrD’Agorne:

 

“What lobbying of central government is taking place in response to the revelation that major energy companies now consider the UK as an unreliable investment proposition?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“None to date.”

 

(viii) From CllrD’Agorne:

 

“What research has been done on the Idling Vehicle Strategy Feasibility proposal, from other UK authorities and why has this not already been raised as an issue with bus and taxi operators in York?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“There have been past discussions with local bus operators, leading to some action to curb idling when a bus is laying over for  some length of time. Officers were not aware of this Feasibility proposal and if Cllr. D’Agorne can provide some further information that would be helpful.”

 

(ix)     From Cllr Reid: 

 

“The Cabinet Member in the Better Bus Fund bid promised a wide range of measures to improve bus services in York. In light of this, why did the Cabinet member not receive the scheduled report on bus service improvements at his September meeting (as was promised at the last Council meeting) and when can passengers now expect the promised improvements to come into effect?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“The Bus Improvement Study will report in October. The Better Bus Area Fund work has not been delayed as a result and work is ongoing to deliver the improvements.”

 

(x) From CllrD’Agorne:

 

“How many electric vehicles are there in the council fleet?”

 

Cabinet Member replied:

“None currently.  However, officers have been looking at a number of electric vehicles during the year and assessing their suitability and what the needs are for a charging infrastructure.  In addition, the council has been successful in receiving funding and support from the Energy Saving Trust to identify where electric vehicles could replace fossil fuel vehicles currently in the councils fleet.  This piece of work is ongoing and is due to be concluded by the end of December 2012.  The work also includes a survey of council facilities to assess what charging infrastructure is required and achievable.  A report will then follow from the EST which will be considered by officers and members.”

 

(xi)     From CllrD’Agorne:

 

“Will Professor Simpson have a say in the visioning workshops process? Or has the City Beautiful report now been abandoned in the light of the Monks Cross decision?”

 

Reply:

“No to the first question, but the York City Beautiful report is an evidence base document.  It reflects the consultation workshops which took place at the time of its production.  It will continue to be part of the evidence base which will be used to help us progress the Local Plan and set the context for the new Local Plan.”  

 

(xii) From Cllr Reid: 

 

“The report confirms that a key strategy of this Council is to provide provide quality alternatives to the car. The news that the council is part funding First to operate a new Service 15 (Monday to Saturday) in the South Bank area and evening and Sunday buses for Service 14 from Acomb via Beckfield Lane to York as well funding Yorkshire Coastliner to operate the Sunday route 16 service from York  to Acomb, appears to fit with this strategy. However, we would like to know when was the decision taken to agree these subsidies, by whom was the decision taken, why were other routes also not considered for subsidy, what is the cost to taxpayers of the subsidies that were agreed and where can Council members read the background papers which informed this decision?”

 

Reply:

“The areas covered by these three routes are those which would have been left with no bus service following First Group’s commercially operated local bus network changes. The only other area of York to see its First service withdrawn completely was the section between Heslington West and Heslington East, which is provided for by Coastliner’s route 44.

 

All of the contracts have been let on a trial basis to enable officers to assess take up, consider the viability of the temporary services and to devise longer term routes/timetables. When this work has been completed, the proposals will be brought to the appropriate Council decision meeting prior to the undertaking of a competitive tendering exercise.”

 

(xiii) From CllrD’Agorne:

 

“Climate Change – Will this now be a standard yardstick for future development proposals in the city?”

 

Reply:

“The Interim Planning Statement on Sustainable Design and Construction requires developers to consider a wide range of sustainability criteria, including those that will have an effect on reducing the impact of climate change e.g. requirement for all major developments to achieve 10% of their energy demand through low and zero carbon technologies.

 

Sustainability and climate change will be key themes that run throughout the new Local Plan and it is envisaged that there will be a separate chapter detailing specific requirements relating to environmental assessment e.g. Code for Sustainable Homes / BREEAM, and targets for low and zero carbon technologies / energy efficiency / carbon reductions. Targets and policies set within the Local Plan will need to be underpinned by detailed viability to ensure they are deliverable.”

 

(xiv) From Cllr D’Agorne:

 

“Welcome the comparisons, but could you comment on recent reports from Fulford Parish Council suggesting that Persimmon are not committed to raising the A19 where it flooded if the Germany Beck development proceeds?”

 

Reply:

“Officers have spoken with Persimmon this morning, and confirm that Persimmon are fully committed to raising the level of the A19 in accordance with the approved scheme (the intention being to raise the level of the A19 locally to allow access and egress even in times when the river is in flood). They would also undertake flood storage mitigation measures on site .”