Agenda and draft minutes

Members of Prestwich Township Forum are asked to consider if they have an interest in any matters on the agenda and, if so, to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

Minutes of the last meeting, held on 21^st January 2015, are attached.

That the Minutes of the last meeting of the Township Forum held on 21 January 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

A copy of the Action Checklist is attached.

The Chair will read out a statement regarding the importance of Electoral Registration and how to ensure residents check that they are registered to vote and what to do if you are not

In the lead up the General and Local elections in May, the Chair read out a statement regarding the importance of ensuring Bury residents are registered to vote.      

The letters that were funded by Central Government had been delivered to all households during February to confirm whether or not those listed are registered and what to do if individuals are not registered and need to be added to the property or removed.

This process is crucial to ensure people can vote in the General and Local Election on Thursday 7 May.

Steve Burns, Metrolink Stakeholder and Communications Manager will attend the meeting.

Steve Burns, Metrolink Stakeholder & Communications Manager and Edith Rogers, Head of Customer Services, gave a presentation setting out details of current and future developments.

The presentation provided information in respect of:

·         Second City Crossing, with links to the airport line

·         Victoria station redevelopment

·         Improvement to Deansgate/Castlefield stops

·         Trafford Park line

·         Introduction of new

·         Smart Ticket for use on bust, tram and train

Questions and comments were invited from the public and Members of the Township Forum and the following issues were raised:

·         In response to a question from Councillor Black concerning the possibility of a Park and Ride scheme being introduced at Prestwich, Edith Rogers explained that the issue was largely dependent on the availability of suitable land in close proximity to the station.

·         With regard to an update on the issue of non assistance dogs travelling on the Metrolink it was reported that the outcome of a survey was due to be reported to TfGM imminently.

·         Alan Millington highlighted the issue of inconsiderate parking by Metrolink users, which had the effect of restricting access to the Bowling Club.

·         In response to a question concerning the impact on traffic during the works to develop the Trafford Park line, Steve Burns confirmed that impact studies would take place and undertook to take back the issue of potential knock on effects in terms of traffic affecting the Prestwich area.

·         Councillor O’Brien enquired about plans for real time passenger information being provided at all stops. Edith Rogers reported that this was dependent on the roll out of new signalling on the Bury, which was hoped to be in place by the summer.

It was agreed:

That Steve Burns and Edith Rogers be thanks for their presentation and attendance at the meeting.

Inspector Ben Cotton and PC Steve Robinson attended the meeting in order to provide an update on key Police issues in Prestwich.

Inspector Cotton reported his intention to ensure that wherever possible the Police would be out and about providing a visible presence to residents.

In response to concern about response times, the Inspector explained that individual cases were initially reviewed to determine urgency.

Members of the Forum discussed the possibility of merging PACT meetings across Prestwich. During discussion of this issue it was acknowledged that attendance at meetings does vary quite considerably. It was suggested that any proposal to merge meeting should consider rotating the use of venues across all 3 Prestwich Wards.

In response to a question from June Brown concerning 20mph zones, Tina Glover, Group Leader – Traffic and Road Safety, explained that the zones were to some extent self enforcing as result of the physical measures put in place. Enforcement of speeding traffic within the zones was a matter for the Police, although it was acknowledged that the Police had limited resources. In relation to the physical measures on Highfield Road, Tina Glover undertook to look at the effectiveness of the current gradient of the speed cushions.

It was agreed:

That the update be noted.

A presentation will be given at the meeting

Tina Glover, Group Leader – Traffic and Road Safety, and John Foudy, Car Parking Manager, gave a presentation setting out plans to develop a Parking Strategy for Prestwich. The presentation set out details of work done to date, including the identification of the following objectives for the Strategy:

•          To provide parking that meets the needs of residents, businesses, shoppers, workers and visitors and ensuring it is appropriately placed.

•          To improve the long-term economic viability and accessibility of Prestwich Town Centre

•          Maintain and improve the condition of local car parks and parking places.

•          Ensure there is adequate on and off street parking in the town centre and other Prestwich shopping areas.

•          Encourage more responsible parking and tackle congestion.

•          Ensure parking supports the aims of Bury Council's Climate Change Plan by promoting sustainable travel.

Questions and comments were invited and the following issues were raised:

·         Amanda Roberts highlighted that the Residents Parking lines in the Highfield Road area needed to be refreshed and that the 20mph zone needed to be re-tarmaced in red. The Group Leader – Traffic and Road Safety undertook to look into the matter.

·         David Stanley highlighted that the Strategy needed to be balanced and not focus solely on Prestwich Town Centre.

·         Jack Barrett highlighted the dangerous parking on the bend at the top of Gardner Road and requested the re-instatement of a mini roundabout.

·         Joanita Rutherford expressed concerns about the length of time it was taking to resolve parking issues in the Buckingham Road area. The Group Leader – Traffic and Road Safety reported that a transfer of monies had taken place and the conditions within the Planning application for the Super Deli could now be actioned.

·         A local resident highlighted concerns about the lack of parking in the Gardner Road area as a result of the building of 13 apartments on Warwick Road. The issue will be further compounded by restriction on the Clifton Road car park.

·         Ben Turner, Community Impact Manager for Parklife, requested that the Strategy consider the issue of parking for events held within Heaton Park.

·         June Brown highlighted the cost of residents parking schemes and raised the issue of inconsiderate parking on the pavements in the area.

It was reported that a period of

consultation was now underway, which would end on 10 April 2015. An Online survey is available through the Council website, paper copies of which were circulated at the meeting.

It was agreed:

That residents and Councillors be encouraged to take part in the consultations on the Prestwich Parking Strategy.

David Stanley reported on developments at the BTCV Barn at the Countryside Centre in Phillips Park. Following the end of the lease in October a number of voluntary groups were now looking to take over with a view to protecting the resource which includes a classroom for use by the community/local groups.

It was agreed:

That the update be noted.

A period of up to 30 minutes has been set aside for members of the public to ask questions or raise issues of concern relating to the provision of local services.

The Chair invited questions/comments and representations from members of the public present at the meeting.  The Township Co-ordinator undertook to obtain a reply to matters that could not be dealt with directly at the meeting:-

·         Ben Turner, Community Impact Manager for Parklife, introduced himself and his role. Contact details were provided at the meeting.

·         Representatives from Village Haul addressed the Forum to express concerns that Bury Council had granted an exclusive franchise for vintage markets to one organisation, with the result that nobody

     else will be granted a licence to hold fairs for the duration of the tender. It was reported that an online petition had been started on the issue. Councillor Black explained that she was working with the Group to find a solution which supported diversity and expressed concerns about the franchise being tied in with other town centres.

·         Hannah Cropper expressed concerns in relation to changes to the bus services which will have the effect of preventing people from Carr Clough accessing Prestwich Town Centre. Councillor Bayley explained that the issue had been raised with TfGM but highlighted that many decisions taken by First bus were driven by commercial factors. Councillor Bayley reported that a concession had been achieved in relation to the frequency of services.

·         Autumn Defoe-Hughes highlighted fly tipping and litter issues at the entrances to both Drinkwater Park and Kersal Road Park. Councillor O’Brien reported that the matter had been raised with officers and that he would be following up the issue.

·         David Stanley reported that Prestwich Clough Day would take place on 17th May 2015.

In response to a question from Alan Millington, Councillor Black reported on the work of the Prestwich Regeneration Group and highlighted the extra funding achieved for Prestwich as part of this years budget process. A consultation is pending on how the overall £2m of funding should be spent on improvement to the A56 corridor through Prestwich Village.

The Township Co-ordinator will report. Plan attached.

Ruth Shedwick,Township Co-ordinator, submitted an updated Prestwich Township Forum Plan.

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

Report attached for information.

A copy of the Community Funding report for Prestwich was submitted, setting out details of the funding allocations to date in support of the work of local voluntary and community groups.

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

The Chair, Councillor Heneghan, reported that Ashfaq Husain was standing down as the Advisory Group representative for Simister Village Community Association and placed on record his thanks on behalf of the Forum for his valuable contributions and commitment to the role.