Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Sarah Holbird of Democratic and Scrutiny Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Wednesday, 13 September 2023 three working days before the day of the meeting. Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item. Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:-
· at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);
· when the relevant Agenda item is being considered if they wish to speak on a matter which is on the Agenda for this meeting.
If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chair who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.
Minutes:
Steven Hill of Middleton Tyas submitted a public question/statement in relation to Agenda Item 8 – Scotch Corner which was read out before the item was considered.
Northallerton Town Council provided the following public question/statement:-
1. Northallerton Town Council would like to request that North Yorkshire Council communities a formal opening date for the North Northallerton Sports Village, with a view to reassuring the public that the facility will be completed and opened soon. Further, Northallerton Town Council would like reassurance that the hedge bordering the facility, on Brompton Road, will be subject to a formal management plan to improve the safety of the adjacent shared cycle/footway and improve the hedge’s very untidy appearance.
Jo Ireland, Assistant Director for Culture, Leisure, Archives & Libraries provided the following response which was read out at the meeting:
Work is complete on the North Northallerton Sports Village, but unfortunately, we are unable to open the site formally to the public until some legal issues area resolved. We are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, however, at this point are unable to provide an exact date when we will be able to open the site.
2. Northallerton Town Council would like to request that plans for the new Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) facility on the site of the former Northallerton College is hared with the Town Council, to include progress on funding and the identification of operating body, as well as the intended footprint of the facility.
Andrew Dixon, Strategic Planning Manager Education and Skills provided the following response which was read out at the meeting:
The proposed new SEND facility on the site of the former Northallerton College is a project that is to be delivered and funded by the Department for Education (DfE) under their Free Schools Programme. The project is at an early stage, and the DfE have not yet confirmed their intended building design or proposed site layout to NYC. The DfE are progressing the process to select an Academy Trust to operate the new school, and it is expected that applicants will be interviewed in late 2023.
Richmond Town Council provided the following public question/statement:-
Following events during the COVID crisis, when Richmond Falls area of the town became a hotspot for large crowds with anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, Richmondshire District Council formulated an action group which resulted in the passing of a legal entity in the form of a Public Space Protection Order:
The order started on 1 April 2021 and will be in place for three years. It gives Police and council officers powers to move groups on, fine them for unruly behaviour and prevent certain activities such as littering, lighting a fire or barbecue.
Richmond Town Council has had meetings recently with Richmondshire Police, and they have stressed that it is vital that this PSPO is renewed in April 2024 in order that they can continue their good work in keeping the area safe for Richmond residents and visitors who wish simply to enjoy the beauty of the area. We have had indications from the new unitary authority that this will go out for consultation in early 2024 and the Town Council would ask that North Yorkshire Council does indeed renew the PSPO and ensure that it doesn’t lapse.
There is however an equally serious problem that sits alongside the problems caused by anti-social behaviour and that is the complete disregard of parking regulations at the Falls car park and Riverside Road, Richmond which is giving rise to serious concerns about the ability for emergency vehicles to access the area due to flagrant disregard of the yellow line system in place.
On Sunday 10th September 2023, which was an exceptionally warm day, Richmond Town Councillors received reports from residents who live near Riverside of a multitude of vehicles parked illegally. Accordingly, Town Councillors visited the area and noted that there were indeed numerous violations.
The problem is that there were no traffic enforcement officers in town – no vehicle had been ticketed and more vehicles continued to arrive and park illegally.
What can be done to ensure that on Bank Holidays and weekends when hot weather occurs, that Richmond has traffic enforcement in what is obviously now a target for car users who have no compunction to follow parking restrictions so that they can be near the Falls and riverside? It is only a matter of time before an emergency will occur which due to the poor parking will cause problems for emergency vehicle access and in addition the narrowness of Riverside Road and complete absence of pavements is a real hazard for pedestrians who have to walk in the middle of the road to avoid illegally parked vehicles.
Odette Robson, Head of Community Safety and CCTV provided the following response which was read out at the meeting:
The current PSPO developed and implemented by Richmondshire District Council, will be reviewed as the statement suggests and those discussions have already started being mindful of future requirements for the unitary authority.
Steve Brown, Head of Parking Services also provided a response as shown below which was read out at the meeting:
Prior to LGR on the 1st April 2023, parking enforcement in North Yorkshire was divided into 2 component parts, the first part was Off- Street enforcement, i.e. council car parks that had the requisite Off-Street Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) placed upon it and the operation of those car parks, the enforcement of which fell to the Borough and District Councils.
The second component part was the On-Street Enforcement, the responsibility of which rested with the Highway Authority, which at the time, was North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC). It was collectively agreed by all of the Boroughs, Districts and County Council that two operational hubs, Scarborough and Harrogate Council’s would carry out the enforcement operations via Service Level agreements (SLA’s). The Borough and District Council’s for Off-Street enforcement and with NYCC for On-Street Enforcement. These service agreements came with agreed budgets for personnel and equipment along with various financial contributions from the Boroughs and Districts regarding the amount of enforcement received by them, equally, any revenue that was generated by the Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) was split by both agreement and statute, the ‘On/Off-Street split’.
Since the 1st April 2023 these agreements mentioned above have been continued as ‘business as usual’, so far as the level of enforcement is concerned at least. I can further report that since the 1st April 2023 some 90 PCN’s have been issued in the Fosse car park and Riverside Road which does demonstrate that a decent level of enforcement has been maintained. As for the future, like many of the council’s services, parking is going through its restructure and with a Head of Service now appointed it moves on to appointing the service managers and then after that to re-model the service to meet the needs of the local transport plans, which, of course, will mean the enforcement levels around the whole region. Parking Services takes on board your points around Riverside Road, particularly during the hotter periods and Bank Holidays. I hope that this briefing explains the current and future position.