Agenda, decisions and minutes

Purpose: To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose: To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2016.

That, subject to the amendment, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2016 were submitted.

Accuracy

Councillors Hilary Isherwood and Ann Minshull had both given apologies for the meeting and asked that this be reflected in the minutes.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to the amendment, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

That the presentations be noted.

The Project Engineer from the Council’s Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management team gave a detailed presentation on the management of surface water for new developments and assessment of flood risk mitigation measures.  The presentation comprised the following information:

·         Risks to and from new developments

·         The roles of Risk Management Authorities: the Council, Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

·         The planning process

·         Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 29

·         Challenges

·         The future of surface water management

The Project Engineer spoke about the responsibility of private landowners and management companies outside that of the Risk Management Authorities.  He went on to refer to the potential cost implications if early consideration was not given to drainage schemes as part of planning new developments and to the Supplementary Planning Guidance which had been produced with colleagues from Welsh Water and NRW.  In terms of future challenges, there was ongoing uncertainty due to a delay in the enforcement of Schedule 3 of the Flood Water Management Act 2010 relating to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).  As part of this, the additional powers to be granted to local authorities as SuDS approval bodies could create opportunities for efficiencies.

The Chair then invited Miriam Wasik-Evans and Henry Jones-Hughes of D?r Cymru Welsh Water to give their presentation which covered the following points:

·         Welsh Water - who are we

·         Developer Services

·         Planning function

·         Types of sewer network

·         Key considerations through the planning process

·         Design and build

·         Approach to surface water

·         Relationship with Flintshire County Council

Members were advised that Welsh Water was now a statutory consultee on major planning application: previously this was at the discretion of the planning authority.  The importance of consultation on surface water drainage for certain types of applications at the planning stage was highlighted, along with the availability of a pre-application advice service to customers.  Whilst explaining the approach to surface water, it was clarified that Welsh Water did not have powers to stop developers connecting surface water into the system and therefore there was a reliance on the planning process to impose conditions to allow some controls.  It was also stated that Welsh Water was unable to instruct developers to fix problems on its network and could only request them to fund reinforcement to ensure no detriment occurred to current service levels experienced by their customers.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood called for the Council to lobby the government for a change in policy and legislation on drainage schemes and planning enforcement to avoid the need for residents to pursue civil action.  She spoke about the need for accountability to improve road surfaces damaged by underlying water and the expectation for developers to comply with their responsibilities.

Mr. Jones-Hughes said that run-off rates on the highway would be the responsibility of the Highway Agency whereas the requirement for management of surface water on planning development sites involved developers submitting details to the local authority.  Ms. Wasik-Evans spoke about the role of the local authority in undertaking monitoring site visits.  Mr. Julian Hill referred to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

To receive a presentation providing an update on regional rail issues.

That the presentation be noted.

Mr. John Rooney of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB) gave an update on rail modernisation work.  His presentation covered:

·         NWEAB Workstreams

·         North Wales Mainline Electrification (including Crewe/Warrington - Chester) Update

·         Borderlands Line (Wrexham to Bidston) service enhancement

·         The Next Wales and Borders Franchise

In outlining the four strands to Connectivity & Infrastructure, Mr. Rooney explained that these were about economic development across North Wales.  The role of rail was to facilitate other benefits such as access to work, ie  commuting, business and leisure travel.  As part of an update on North Wales mainline electrification, he highlighted the importance of this in the context of the wider network electrification schemes.  An upgraded medium value Strategic Outline Business Case had been submitted by the Welsh Government and if successful, would proceed to the next stage, which was an Outline Business Case.

Councillor Hilary Isherwood welcomed the potential for a new service between Wrexham and Manchester, which could be particularly beneficial for young people accessing employment.  Mr. Rooney said that this was one of a number of important new routes requested by the NWEAB in its response to the Welsh Government (WG) consultation on the Wales and Borders franchise in March.  If agreed by WG, a significant level of infrastructure work would be required at Wrexham General.  Other requested services included a direct route to the south Liverpool area via Halton Curve which could also enhance employment opportunities.

Councillor Derek Butler spoke about plans by Merseyrail to take over the Bidston line from Arriva.  He also referred to pinch-point problems at Hoole Bridge and stated the importance of progressing work on the Northern Powerhouse.

Councillor Paul Shotton congratulated the NWEAB on progress made and spoke about the need for the Hawarden Bridge upgrade.  Mr. Rooney said that the NWEAB wanted to work in partnership with WG and were highlighting the Borderlands line and other improvements for inclusion in the next franchise.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) said that he had given a presentation on general transportation issues to the Deeside Forum and that the business case aimed to encourage more rail users.  An outline plan would be produced to improve Hawarden Bridge linked to a shuttle bus service which could serve the Deeside Industrial Park.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Chris Dolphin about the disparity in rail fares which he felt should be standardised to encourage more use of the rail network.  Mr. Rooney was in agreement and advised that the NWEAB had made representations on rail fares within its response to the WG consultation.

Following the item, Mr. Rooney said that any further questions from Members could be forwarded to himself via the Chief Officer.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.

(a)       That the progress made to introduce the Integrated Transport Unit within the Streetscene and Transportation portfolio be noted;

(b)       That the intended approach for the implementation of the operational recommendations from the diagnostic review be supported; and

(c)       That the retention of the appointed business partner on a gain share basis in order to support the Integrated Transport Unit in delivering and implementing the operational proposals contained within the report be supported.

The Transportation Manager introduced an update on progress to deliver the new Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) within the Streetscene & Transportation portfolio, as previously recommended by the Committee and endorsed by Cabinet in 2015.  She advised that this was an operational matter as policy changes were under the remit of the Education & Youth Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  The main operational changes as set out in paragraph 1.09 of the report were summarised.

Councillor Ian Dunbar thanked the Transportation Manager for meeting with Connah’s Quay Town Council.  He raised queries on community transport bus companies, hub collection points, student bus tickets for the hub at Coleg Cambria and accessibility for people with mobility issues.  In response, the Transportation Manager agreed to send Councillor Dunbar details of the community transport workshop on 26 April to which all Town and Community Councils had been invited.  Councillor Bernie Attridge advised that the Council was working closely with Coleg Cambria on a scheme involving the hub.  The Transportation Manager added that the college was well served by the bus network and that the Road Safety team would assess services once the hub was operational.  She referred to an arrangement at Coleg Llandrillo where students were able to purchase bus tickets from an on-campus travel centre.

Officers noted the Chair’s request to explore direct link services from Saltney to businesses in Flintshire.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the progress made to introduce the Integrated Transport Unit within the Streetscene and Transportation portfolio be noted;

(b)       That the intended approach for the implementation of the operational recommendations from the diagnostic review be supported; and

(c)       That the retention of the appointed business partner on a gain share basis in order to support the Integrated Transport Unit in delivering and implementing the operational proposals contained within the report be supported.

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be amended as necessary; and

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises.

The Facilitator presented the current Forward Work Programme for consideration and reminded Members that the meeting scheduled for 18 May had been changed to 11 May 2016.

The following changes were agreed:

·         Items on Environmental Enforcement and the Improvement Plan 2016/17 (section relevant to the Committee) to be included for the May meeting.

·         The update on the North Wales Waste Project to be moved to the June meeting.

·         The item on the Rogue Traders App to be moved to the July meeting.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be amended as necessary; and

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises.

There were no members of the press or public in attendance.