The Committee would like to invite questions from the public present at the meeting. The Committee would encourage members of the public with more complex issues to submit their question before the meeting to allow a substantive answer to be given.
Minutes:
18.1 The Chairman introduced the item and advised that the open forum was an opportunity for comments and questions to be raised over areas which the County Council has a reasonable interest. The following issues were raised and responses made.
· Three questions had been submitted in advance.
o One regarding overgrown vegetation on Ship Street. – Mrs Russell reported that the vegetation around the lights had been previously trimmed back. Mr Speller explained that some of the vegetation was on private land and the contractor, SSE, was only able to trim the lights. The resident reported that 3 lights were still obscured. Mr Speller and Mrs Russell resolved to look into the issue.
o One regarding the infrastructure investment required for the proposed extra homes in the East Grinstead area. – The Chairman resolved to raise this with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure.
o One querying the delay to the Imberhorne Lane traffic calming scheme. – The Chairman noted the delay, but confirmed that works were now scheduled from 20 January to 14 February. The road would not be closed during the works, but temporary traffic lights would be in place.
· A resident noted the parking scheme agenda item and explained that they had submitted a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for Blackwell Road, but this had not been progressed due to the Road Space Audit. – Mr Speller explained that he was working with Mrs Bennett on the plans for Queen Victoria Hospital. Blackwell Road would be picked up in this work as the hospital looked to manage their parking.
· A parish councillor noted the reference in the Progress Statement on the discrepancy for the Calluna Drive TRO and reported that the option to change the current lineage to match the CLC decision would be their preferred option.
· A resident sought assurance that the subway at Sackville School would not be closed, and highlighted that it needed tidying. – Mrs Russell gave assurance that the subway would not close, and reported that the new toucan crossing had high usage. A meeting was planned with Mrs Russell, Mr Speller and residents to discuss licenses for subway maintenance. Mr Speller confirmed that the County Council’s Structures Team were only responsible for the structural elements of the subway.
· A local Councillor queried the recent works on Maypole road and highlighted that it had not been resurfaced, but surface dressed instead. – Mr Speller explained that resurfacing cost £60 per sqm; micro asphalt cost £10 per sqm; and surface dressing cost £3-5 per sqm. The type of surface works would have been chosen due to budget reasons. The resident reported that the lineage needed replacing and that several areas had been missed. Mr Speller resolved to audit the site with the resident when the works were completed.
· A resident queried if the highways department would be involved in heavy vehicle routes if a new landfill site was introduced. – The Chairman asked the resident to contact her directly with the details and resolved to investigate.
· A resident raised concerns with pedestrians crossing Turners Hill Road and Sandy Lane. The area was dangerous and required a light controlled crossing. – Mr Speller resolved to pick up the concerns with the resident directly.
· A resident queried a developer commitment to install pedestrian crossings on Turners Hill Road and at Hartlands, and that the County Council had agreed not to progress the Hartlands crossing. There were many children in the area and the resident felt this should be reconsidered. – The Chairman requested that Mr Speller investigate this and include her in the response.
· A resident drew the Committee’s attention to the Three Bridges consultation on plans to remove a right hand turn and the impact this would have on alternative routes. – The Chairman agreed to raise the concerns with the Crawley County Local Committee.
· A resident requested that the Crawley County Local Committee should be made aware of the impact of taxi fare increases due to the alternative route.
· A resident raised concerns on the recent decision to restrict non-resident access to amenity sites and the concern on displaced waste.
· A resident queried how the changes for amenity site access were being publicised, and how those who are refused entry would be able to leave the site. – The Chairman agreed to investigate how the changes were being promoted, and would also query how individual sites would managed those who were refused entry. A resident proposed that Parish Councils could be utilised to help publicise the changes.
· A resident explained the voluntary one way system used at St Peters School and asked if this could be enforced as not all road users were aware of the preferred system. – The Chairman raised concerns about proposing a TRO to formalise the route as this could be met with objections which may ultimately remove the informal arrangement. The Chairman recommended asking the school to promote the system to parents. Mr Speller added that some schools added their own signage for similar arrangements, but nothing formal could be installed by the County Council.
· A resident sought clarity on the rational for the parking scheme proposals for Brooklands Way; and queried if all consultation responses were considered by the Committee. – Mrs Napper explained that the proposals looked to ensure that on street bays were utilised and that a proactive approach would use available spaces to avoid any displacement with the controlled parking zone. The Chairman confirmed that the report appendix included a summary of all responses, but did not include verbatim responses.