Agenda and minutes

To receive a presentation covering the following topics:

·       Strategic Business Plan Priorities

·       Maintenance

·       Local Transport Plan

·       Congestion

·       Public Transport

·       Flooding

·       Litter

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting and handed over to the Highways Matters panel which included:

Chris Clark – Head of Local Highway

Sam Howell – Director Highways and Transport

Perry Paine – PCC’s Office – Road Safety

Councillor Caroline Thomas – Cabinet Member for Transport, Flooding and Street Scene

Cllr Caroline Thomas presented information on highways in Wiltshire, and the importance and impact of transport across the county.

Samantha Howell gave an overview on the strategic context of the highways network in Wiltshire, noting that the Council was responsible for maintaining an extensive network of roads, public rights of way and public transport.

The panel described how the highways network was funded and recent investment in recent years and going forward. Samantha Howell further outlined the significance of the Council’s Local Transport Plan.

Chris Clark set out the council’s approach for highway maintenance and the difference between reactive and planned maintenance alongside asset management.

He also touched on potholes and explained why the weather conditions over the last twelve months had been so problematic for the roads. The panel also noted the Defect Dashboard that would be further implemented over the coming months to help ensure that the Council’s approach to prevention and repairs remains cost-effective and evidence led.

Perry Paine from the PCC’s Office noted that Road Safety was a PCC priority for investment, in the form of community speed watch teams, community speed enforcement officers and road safety officers, alongside more vehicles and state-of-the-art cameras. The Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership was a valuable infrastructure to bring together several organisations concerned with road safety. Speed Indicator Device (SID) data was also being used to inform enforcement. Parish Councils were encouraged to form community speed watch teams.

An opportunity to ask any highways questions.

In addition to the questions which had been submitted in advance, those present were then invites to ask questions to the Panel.

A record of the Q&A session will be published as soon as it is available, once all responses have been provided.

To consider the next steps arising from the presentation and subsequent discussions.

A copy of the Highways Matters presentation slides are attached to these minutes.

To receive apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2023.

The minutes of the last meeting were presented.

It was;

Resolved:

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2023 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of Interest.

As part of the A303 Stonehenge tunnel project, National Highways and SSEN will be closing the A360 for a prolonged period.

a presentation followed by a Q&A session

The Board received a presentation from Ken Marshall, Project Manager on the National Highways A303 Tunnels Team.

The presentation touched on reasons for the planned works for the A303 project, which included improvements to congestion, delayed journey time and rat running, leading to low productivity.

The A303 ran through the middle of a World Heritage Site, part of the management plan would like to see the road gone from the side of Stonehenge. In addition, Winterbourne Stoke village was currently cut in half by the A303, so the planned improvements would provide better quality of life for the villages that were currently impacted by the rat runs going through them.

The A303 was the largest road down to the southwest, used by vast amounts of traffic travelling to tourist locations. Speeding up journeys would boost the local economy and improve journeys.

Preliminary works were due to start in April 2024, taking approximately 1 year. A timeline of works was included within the presentation slides.

The A360 closure:

•        Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) would be carrying out essential works along the A360 to install high voltage cables to provide a power supply to a construction compound.

•        Temporary A360 closure from Longbarrow junction south towards The Avenue roundabout from mid-April to mid-July 2024

•        The A360 would remain open to residents and businesses 

•        Diversion route (via A345) and temporary weight limits; signage to inform road users

•        Information website managed by SSEN would go live ahead of start of the works 

•        Community engagement communications, including letter drops, face-to-face meetings, and a central information/complaints line.

Public Information Events would take place on the following dates:

• Saturday 9 March - South Newton & Wishford Village Hall, 10am to 4pm 
• Monday 11 March, Shrewton Village Hall, 11am to 4pm 
• Tuesday 12 March, Durrington Village Hall, 11am to 6pm 
• Friday 15 March, Antrobus House, Amesbury, 11am to 7pm 

The following questions and comments were then received:

·       How long would the A360 be closed for?

Answer: For 3 to 4 months.

·       What method would be used to make the tunnel?

Answer: A giant bore machine.

·       If you had been able to get on with the project what would the cost have been as to the cost now after a judicial review?

Answer: I do not have the data for that. We were due on site in 2021, that was delayed to 2023. The cost of the entire scheme was £1.7b.

·       What monitoring would be undertaken to track the other routes people were using during the closure?

Answer: Traffic modelling was based on the flows normally seen. A large amount of traffic from the Devizes area would divert to the A342, some difficulty would be that the local residents who know the area would use other routes.

·       If the alternative routes people use become damaged, who would pay to repair them?

Answer: The repair costs for damage to other roads would be incurred by us. 

A copy of the presentation slides are attached to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:

Remaining Budgets:

Officer: Karen Linaker, Strategic Engagement & Partnerships Manager

Area Board Initiatives:

Young People Grants:

Delegated Funding

No awards of delegated funding have been made since the last meeting.

Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here.

The Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting, which included £4,000 of unspent ringfenced money, allocated during a previous meeting.

Representatives in attendance gave a brief overview of their project followed by any questions by the Board.

Area Board Initiatives:

Cllr Richard Britton – Researching possible youth activities in Alderbury £500

Cllr Britton moved the motion to award in full. This was seconded by Cllr Ian McLennan.

Decision

Area board Initiative to research youth activities in Alderbury was awarded £500 towards the project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24

Karen Linaker, Strategic Engagement & Partnership Manager – Southern Wiltshire Community Area Youth Forum £500

Cllr McLennan noted that he would like to see the Board return to the model where local youth groups and young people were invited to assess Youth grants and make recommendations to the Board. 

Cllr Rich Rogers moved the motion to award in full. This was seconded by Cllr Zoe Clewer.

Decision

Area Board Initiative for the Southern Wiltshire Community Area Youth Forum  was awarded £500 towards the project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24

Young People Grants:

Alderbury Football Club – new goals, requested £1832.40

As there were no representatives for the application in attendance, the Board deferred consideration of the application until the next meeting, with the hope that someone could attend to speak on the project.

Decision

The application from Alderbury Football Club was deferred.

Reason – To allow for a representative to be in attendance to speak to the project and answer any questions. 

Old Sarum Youth Club – The Youth Club, requested £1560

The Applicant Katrina Watson, and four of the young people from the youth club, all spoke in support of the project.

Cllr Andy Oliver moved the motion to award in full. This was seconded by Cllr Ian McLennan.

Decision

Old Sarum Youth Club was awarded £1560 towards the youth club.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24

Delegated Funding:

There were no awards of delegated funding since the last meeting.

Information links: Area Board Grants &  Grants Criteria

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 6 February 2023, as set out in the attached report.

Items requiring a funding decision are:

·       4e – Winterslow Road, Porton – Dropped Kerb – £4,125

·       4h - Grove Lane Redlynch - pedestrian hazards - £1,463

·       4i - Broken Cross Laverstock & Ford PC safety improvements - £679

·       4o - The Croft Newton Toney footway and dropped kerb accessibility improvements - £5,118.75

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Board considered the report and funding recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 6 February 2024.

It was;

Resolved:

To approve the LHFIG funding recommendations to the following schemes:

• 4e – Winterslow Road, Porton – Dropped Kerb – £4,125

·       4h - Grove Lane Redlynch - pedestrian hazards - £1,463

·       4i - Broken Cross Laverstock & Ford PC safety improvements - £679

·       4o - The Croft Newton Toney footway an