Agenda item - City Centre Access – Phase 1 Proposals (Update)

The Corporate Director of Economy & Place to present a report which seeks to progress permanent security measures in the city that will be more aesthetically pleasing, and more in keeping with York’s environment, than the previous temporary measures.

Resolved: (i) That the final location of static and sliding bollards, as detailed in Annex B, be approved.

Reason: To give security rated effect to the Traffic Regulation Order change approved by Executive in August 2019.

(ii) That the additional capital requirement of £1,000k for the Phase 1 measures (including mitigation for disabled groups and Racecourse measures), which will be considered as part of the Capital Strategy report at item 9 on the agenda, be noted.

Reason: To be aware that this will enable the delivery of the scheme of permanent measures for city centre security.

(iii) That it be noted that the recommended solution will have an additional revenue cost implication to the council, provisionally estimated as £115k in a full year and that these additional costs will need to be included as unavoidable growth in future budget strategies, with any costs incurred in 2020/21 to be managed across budgets within the Transport service.

Reason: To be aware of the cost implications.

(iv) That approval be given to carry out procurement to engage contractors to supply, install and maintain the Scheme (this being the permanent hostile vehicle mitigation measures), and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Economy & Place, in consultation with the Director of Governance, to take such steps as are necessary to both award and enter into the resulting contracts.

Reason: To enable the delivery of the scheme of permanent measures for city centre security.

(v) That officers be instructed to liaise with Make it York to ensure that their planning for the Christmas 2020 event is started early and considers the access requirements of the Shambles Market.

Reason: To ensure that the planning and details fo rrunning the event are confirmed and accepted by the Safety Action Group in a timely manner, and that any impacts are mitigated.

(vi) That officers be requested to report back to the Executive Member for Transport in due course, presenting an update to include a summary of the operational protocols and procedures.

Reason: To enable the Executive Member for Transport to understand the procedures involved in managing the scheme.

The Assistant Director of Transport & Highways and the Major Projects Managerpresented a report which sought to progress permanent security measures in the city that would be more aesthetically pleasing, and more in keeping with the York environment, than the temporary measures deployed over the Christmas 2019 period.

On 29 August 2019, Executive had approved the design of static and sliding bollards illustrated in Annex A to the report, and agreed to the start of a procurement exercise for permanent hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) measures (the Scheme) at the locations shown in Annex B. A compliant procurement process was currently under way to find contractors to purchase and install the Scheme and work continued to develop its operational protocols and procedures. The estimated costs were now £1m above the current capital allocation; this additional funding would be considered as part of the 2020/21 budget process. Final approval was now sought for the proposals.

The Executive Member for Transport highlighted the benefits of the scheme in terms of protecting the footstreets, and raised the issue of revenue costs. Officers confirmed that opportunities would be taken to reduce future costs via increased efficiencies.

In response to comments made under Public Participation, it was confirmed that officers would meet with Make it York and market traders to discuss how best to mitigate any access issues. Members highlighted the council’s responsibility to keep residents and visitors safe and to follow the advice of the Counter Terrorism Unit.