Agenda item

S Coultas gave a presentation to the committee to update them on the work of the Clean, Safe and Green team.

At the end of February, the CSG team conducted the annual A41 litter pick. The cost of the traffic management was £750 per day per side of the A41. Alongside this cost, there are staff, transport and material costs and the litter pick requires 8 members of staff per side. This year, the team collected 10 tonnes of rubbish which was an improvement on last year’s 9 tonnes.

The challenges of this pick is booking the A41 in advance with Hertfordshire County Council, if there are roadworks or lighting that needs replacing then obviously the litter pick cannot happen and is considered low priority. Also, staff availability can be an issue. Only fully trained, experienced and permanent staff can do the litter pick due to the dangerous nature of the job so therefore agency staff are required to back fill the other jobs. Finally, a traffic survey must be conducted every morning and work can only begin once the volume of traffic is below a certain level. If the weather is poor, the traffic management is still conducted and paid for even if crews are not picking that day.

The Green Lane/Phoenix roundabout is to be enhanced in order to create a visual impact as this is a gateway into Hemel Hempstead. The planting will be orange and yellow to reflect the flames of Buncefield. Work has already started on the site, the crew have been spraying herbicide on the ground. However, they have found some cables for lighting underneath and so they must wait for the power supply to be isolated before the surface is dug up for planting. It is hoped the roundabout will be finished by June.

Dacorum now has four Green Flags for its parks. The three existing sites retained their flags. Tring Memorial was subject to a ‘mystery shop’ where inspectors turned up unannounced and the park received 75% and Chipperfield Park was also subject to an announced visit and received 74%. Berkhamsted Canal Fields was judged knowingly and received 69%. These are all very good scores. The fourth Green Flag was awarded to Bunkers Park and also received 69%. The judges declared it “a hidden gem and full of character”.

The team have planted 600sqm of wild flowers in Heath Park and completed a new path layout. Clean, Safe and Green have been working closely with the Regeneration team to create this new space.

The new Town Centre team are working well; there are three members of staff plus a supervisor and team leader. They work staggered shifts to ensure the Town Centre is covered all day. They have a new electric vehicle for collecting bin rubbish which reduces noise and pollution.

The Clean, Safe and Green team are also working closely with the Regeneration team to complete the Water Gardens.

The bench replacement scheme has had £20,000 funding approved which means there are 63 new benches to replace old ones. 20 have so far been installed but there is only one staff member trained to fit them so this will be a slow process. S Coultas encouraged members to report a bench they feel is worthy of replacement.

Councillor Anderson asked when the Water Gardens would be complete.

J Doe said they have faced some delays which have been outside the Council’s control. There was more silt to remove than expected and a second fish pass had to be installed because the first one was not up to standard. It is hoped the works will be finished by September.

Councillor G Adshead said as the local ward councillor for the Green Lane roundabout, he was not aware of these works and asked if it would be possible to advise the ward councillors of any roundabout works in their area.

S Coultas said yes, certainly. The roundabouts are refreshed and renewed on a rolling programme.

Councillor G Sutton concurred that Bunkers Park was definitely a hidden gem. He praised the CSG team on their hard work and record across the borough. Often other land owners allow their properties to deter from the quality the Council is trying to achieve, for example, one company in Maylands Avenue is allowing their site to be overrun with litter. These companies need to be held to account to ensure standards are maintained.

Councillor Anderson asked if this could be subject to a section 215.

J Doe advised that an informal approach to the landowner may be appropriate initially.

Councillor Hicks again praised Bunkers Park. He asked S Coultas if just some wood is damaged on a bench, can that also be replaced?

S Coultas said that this was possible. Benches can be rubbed down and oiled. Some benches in the borough are 30 years old and can make a difference.

Councillor G Adshead asked how a fish pass worked.

J Doe said that there was a ladder with mini pools for the fish to jump up. This was a requirement of the Environment Agency.

Councillor Anderson thanked the CSG team for all their hard work.