Agenda item

1.     That the delivery of the parking, access and movement proposals for Hemel Hempstead town centre as set out in the report be approved.

2.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) to approve further design, planning and implementation decisions on recommendation 1 above. 

3.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) for the appointment of consultants and contractors to deliver the Parking, Access and Movement project as set out under recommendation 1 above.

4.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) in consultation with the Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) for the approval of a legal agreement with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to enable the works to be undertaken on the public highway.

5.    That approval is given for either DBC to make or for DBC to submit to Hertfordshire County Council to make a Traffic Regulation order required to prevent blue badge parking along Bridge Street, west of Waterhouse Street and to seek delegated authority from HCC to enforce the Traffic Regulation Order.

6.    That Cabinet recommends to Council approval of a supplementary capital budget of £165k in financial year 2019/20 to enable the project to be delivered.

7.    That the use of s106 income and income from sustainable transport funding from HCC to supplement existing budgets on this scheme; the virements brought in from these sources will increase the respective project budget be approved.

8.      That Cabinet recommends to Council a supplementary one off reserve draw down of £25,000 in 2019/20 to support the delivery of the project, funded from the Planning and Regeneration Project Reserve.

Decision

1.     That the delivery of the parking, access and movement proposals for Hemel Hempstead town centre as set out in the report be approved.

2.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) to approve further design, planning and implementation decisions on recommendation 1 above. 

3.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) for the appointment of consultants and contractors to deliver the Parking, Access and Movement project as set out under recommendation 1 above.

4.     That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Planning, Development and Regeneration) in consultation with the Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) for the approval of a legal agreement with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to enable the works to be undertaken on the public highway.

5.    That approval is given for either DBC to make or for DBC to submit to Hertfordshire County Council to make a Traffic Regulation order required to prevent blue badge parking along Bridge Street, west of Waterhouse Street and to seek delegated authority from HCC to enforce the Traffic Regulation Order.

6.    That Cabinet recommends to Council approval of a supplementary capital budget of £165k in financial year 2019/20 to enable the project to be delivered.

7.    That the use of s106 income and income from sustainable transport funding from HCC to supplement existing budgets on this scheme; the virements brought in from these sources will increase the respective project budget be approved.

8.      That Cabinet recommends to Council a supplementary one off reserve draw down of £25,000 in 2019/20 to support the delivery of the project, funded from the Planning and Regeneration Project Reserve.

Corporate objectives

A clean, safe and enjoyable environment - The Parking, Access and Movement project will aid traffic flow, improve visitor experience and maximise the benefits of the Water Gardens restoration. It will create an attractive, safe and accessible route for pedestrians between the Leighton Buzzard Road/Water Gardens and the pedestrianised shopping area via Bridge Street. 

Monitoring Officer/S.151 Officer comments

Monitoring Officer:  

The Project Team will need work closely with the Legal Team to ensure that the proposed Traffic Regulation Orders and S.278 Highway Agreements are legally sound and protect the Council’s legal position.   

The procurement for works will also require an EU compliant procurement process, and the contract for works must be drafted prior to commencement of the procurement to ensure that all bidders are aware of the terms which they are bidding on.   

Deputy S.151 Officer

The development of this access project has resulted in an increase in the estimated capital costs of £165,000, that will require adding to the 2019/20 capital programme.

The project estimates that up to £25k of reserves are required to cover one off revenue costs incurred to deliver this project, these reserves will be drawn down and approved through cabinet in 2019/20 as these costs are realised. 

Advice

Councillor G Sutton introduced the report to members and said this proposal is to improve the access in the Water Gardens car park. This project was highlighted in the Hemel Hempstead Town Centre Masterplan but the focus originally was ensuring the Water Gardens regeneration was completed first. The intention is to provide better access and has been designed to improve road safety. The financial implications are highlighted in the report. The report also went to SPAE OSC and their comments are also provided. If approved, the works will commence in Spring 2019 and should take 3-4 months.

J Doe said that SPAE OSC did have concerns about the length of the slip road but this has been designed to meet Herts Highways safety audit requirements.

Councillor Elliot asked if the increase in costs reflects enhancements to the project.

J Doe said yes, there are a range of environmental improvements for example, Bridge Street will become one way and there will be a level surface for pedestrians. The town centre location means there is a higher project contingency following advice from consultants.

Councillor Harden asked if officers could confirm that the length of the slip road was for safety reasons.

J Doe said yes.

Councillor Harden said there was two pathways from the Leighton Buzzard Road into the Water Gardens and asked why the furthest away path would be kept.

C Covington said part of the plan was to reconfigure the recycling facilities so there will be a safe area for collection.

Councillor Birnie said he was concerned about the additional costs and asked how this would be financed.

Councillor Williams said it would be funded from the original budget set in 2013 as part of the Water Gardens improvements.

Councillor Birnie commented that he thought the original budget was overspent.

Councillor Williams said that it was a separate budget.

Councillor Tindall referred to the Combe Street entrance and asked if there were any plans to widened or straighten the road as people travelled down it very fast.

J Doe said he would take these comments on board.

Councillor Williams said he would be reluctant to straighten the road but suggested it could be considered for traffic calming measures.

Councillor Tindall mentioned that the Local Government Association has said that there is £1 billion of EU funds left floating around for community projects and asked if these funda could be accessed for this project.

Councillor Williams said this might be a stretch to see if this fits.

Councillor Marshall asked if it would still be possible to move between the North and South car park.

Councillor Williams confirmed it would be.

J Doe said there was a slight change to recommendation five in the report regarding Traffic Regulation Orders.

Councillor Williams referred to the TRO and the loss of disabled spaces on Bridge Street. He asked if would be possible to amend the TROs on Waterhouse Street to allow for disabled badge holders to utilise the under used spaces at the end of the taxi rank.

Councillor Birnie said that SPAE OSC highlighted this issue and suggested using the redundant bus station.

Councillor Williams said this was considered but not taken forward.

S Marshall said they wanted to provide a permanent solution. 

Voting

None.