Agenda and minutes

Venue: Economy, Environment and Place Scrutiny Committee - Hybrid Meeting - Conference. View directions

Contact: Email: democraticservices@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors John Tagg and Gary White.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest stated.

3.

MINUTES OF A PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 223 KB

To consider the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 30th September 2020.

Minutes:

Resolved:     That the Minutes of the meeting held on 30 September, 2020 be agreed as a correct record.

4.

NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE LOCAL AIR QUALITY PLAN - OUTLINE BUSINESS CASE pdf icon PDF 246 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Recycling, Councillor Trevor Johnson introduced the item stating that the Plan had been put together to tackle the air pollution caused by road traffic.  Two years ago, councils were issued with a directive to investigate where emissions were excessive and to formulate a plan to tackle the issues.

 

The Borough has one area within its area where emissions were excessive - at the junction of Basford Park Road and Victoria Street.  There were two further areas which had been identified within the Stoke on Trent boundary.  Newcastle Borough Council and Stoke City Council had been working together to find a solution to bring the emission levels down.

 

The Council’s Head of Environmental Health Services, Nesta Barker gave a presentation to Members which outlined the main points and which covered the following:

 

(i)            The legislative and Government requirements on Stoke-on-Trent City, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough and Staffordshire County Councils

(ii)          The study to date, including options identification, appraisal and emergence of preferred option, plus Covid sensitivity testing

(iii)         Key decision process to approve preferred option

(iv)         Full Business Case submission and funding bid to Government

(v)          Process for funding approval and implementation of preferred option

(vi)         Achievement of compliance with Ministerial Direction,  monitoring, evaluation and decommissioning

 

The presentation outlined six options which were:

 

1.    Benchmark Clean Air Zone D

 

2.    Low impact traffic management scheme

 

3.    High impact traffic management plus Victoria Road Mini Clean Air Zone

 

4.    High impact traffic management scheme

 

5.    Alternative Benchmark Clean Air Zone C

 

6.    High impact traffic management scheme plus complementary measures.

 

Members’ attention was drawn to pages 8 and 9 of Appendix A which gave further options.

 

The preferred option was set out in detail at Appendix B of the agenda report.

In July, 2020, the Government asked local councils to look at the impact that Covid-19 had on traffic as more people were working from home and there were more people cycling and walking for exercise.  There had also been a reduction in the use of public transport.

 

Members were advised of the decision process in approving the preferred option which was:

 

•Cabinet report recommendations:

a)         Cabinet considers the comments received in relation to the North Staffordshire Local Air Quality Plan from Economy, Environment & Place Scrutiny Committee held on 12 November 2020.

b)         Cabinet approve the Outline Business Case for the North Staffordshire Local Air Quality Plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide exceedances, including technical addenda, as contained in Appendices C and D, for submission to Government, in line with the requirements of the Environment Act 1995 (Implementation of Measures for Nitrogen Dioxide Compliance) Air Quality Direction 2018 (the “2018 Direction”) and subsequent amendments by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

c)         Subject to approval of (a), that Cabinet request a further report from the Head of Environmental Health Services in June 2021, setting out the Full Business Case, including the detailed costs and proposed funding bid to Government

 

d)         Subject to approval of (a), that Cabinet  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

Any member of the public wishing to submit a question must serve two clear days’ notice, in writing, of any such question to the Borough Council.

Minutes:

There were no questions from the public.

6.

URGENT BUSINESS

To consider any business which is urgent within the meaning of Section 100B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

 

Minutes:

There was no urgent business.