Agenda item

Community Question Time

45 minutes will be allocated for this item.

Minutes:

The Chair invited questions from members of the public upon matters that were relevant to the Wirral West Constituency. No questions had been received in advance of the meeting –

 

  • A resident, referring to an earlier item on the Agenda, commented that in relation to the future of the Irby Retail Area there appeared to be no mention within the parking proposals of facilities for delivery vehicles (a cause of congestion) and the introduction of time restricted parking (now 2 hours) which seemed to be an excessive amount of time, given that the restriction was introduced to stop business owners and employees taking up spaces for long periods of time. He stated that given the amount of space in the village, surely there was an opportunity to re-configure the parking completely.

 

  • The Head of Regeneration and Planning offered to continue dialogue with businesses, but informed that the time limit had taken into account the types of business and expected stays i.e. hairdressers, beauticians which, when including time for shopping was reasonable. He acknowledged that each area had its challenges and although highways had investigated a reconfiguration of the roadway already the Council would continue to welcome alternative proposals from residents.

 

  • Councillor Clements added that given the location of Irby Club and the local Church, there were occasions where parking was used for those attending funerals which could last in excess of 90 minutes.

 

  • A resident commented that sadly the biggest project impacting on the area had not been included on the agenda, namely Hoylake Golf Resort.

 

  • The Chair informed that the item will be considered at the Constituency Committee in the future, but that as proposals had only just gone out to consultation it would have been presumptive to review the topic with hearing the views or local people.

 

  • The Head of Regeneration and Planning suggested that it would be helpful if feedback from the 6 sessions be prepared in the format of a composite report stating the number of attendees and listing individual comments.

 

  • Councillor John Hale stated that within Hoylake Ward, as previously reported, seventy people had attended a forum which included a question period where views had been expressed, and that additional sessions had been arranged which too had been well attended. Outcome of consultation would be reported back, and public views on this major project continue to be welcomed.

 

Councillor Mike Sullivan entered the meeting, having earlier sent his apologies for his late arrival.

 

  • A resident presented a complaint regarding the imposition of double yellow line parking restrictions at Upton Meadow. She stated that parking in the area concerned had not caused obstruction in the past, and with the imposition of the current restrictions, no public parking existed at the Meadow.

 

  • Councillor Tony Smith informed that one of the matters taken into consideration when introducing these restrictions was the illegal selling of motor vehicles on the highway at this location.

 

  • A resident presented a complaint and information regarding the creation of off-street parking to the frontage of Edwardian properties in Trinity Road, Hoylake. She felt that the Planning laws had been circumvented by an out of area property developer destroying the architectural heritage of the area purely for profit.

 

  • The Head of Regeneration and Planning stated that he would discuss the matter personally with the complainant after the meeting, and look into the circumstances of this case.

 

  • The Chair of the Woodchurch Trust expressed concern that the issue of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) was not specifically mentioned in the 2020 Wirral Plan and was concerned also that the previous plans which had been developed by the community, i.e. the Woodchurch Partnership Plan, were not being taken account of.

 

  • The Constituency Manager (Wirral West) noted the comment regarding ABCD and local plans and commented that action identified by communities was central to the delivery of Wirral 2020.

 

  • A resident commented on the condition of Hoole Road resurfacing, stating that the current repair was shoddy, and resembled nothing more that the equivalent of ‘black paint’.

 

  • The Chair noted the information and stated that enquiries would be made as to why the work had not been completed satisfactorily.

 

  • A resident commented on the subject of Woodchurch and the ABCD. They informed that is was their opinion that although the networking that had come out of the ABCD had been fantastic, the outcomes were in fact limited.  They noted that this view may be corrected when the investment / results / outcomes were reported.

 

  • The Chair thanked the resident for their comments regarding ABCD and informed that this feedback would be passed on the information.

 

  • A resident again passed comment that it was felt that a Plan for Woodchurch prepared 18 month ago, paid for by Magenta, had been effectively disregarded.  This was in reference to the Hoylake Neighbourhood Plan which was mentioned by Jackie Hall.

 

  • The Constituency Manager (Wirral West) provided a point of clarification informing that the current Neighbourhood Plan was ‘planning specific’, however all plans combined to help community development, and there was no intention that any of the existing proposals would override the work of the community.

 

  • The Chair re-emphasised the point, informing that it was the 2020 Plan’s desire to engage and involve communities and encourage further partnership working, and it was his personal intention and commitment to see that this happened. He agreed that such engagement had been patchy in the past, but both the Leader of Council and the new Chief Executive were fully committed to this approach, and ownership of the ‘Plan’ had cross party support and was to be driven from the bottom-up.

 

  • A resident passed comment on his recent experience of what could be classed as a poor example of public consultation and engagement regarding a match fund project at Coronation Park Greasby. He informed that only 10 properties appeared to have been consulted, and although the outcome agreed with his own view, he was disappointed at the lack of communication and lack of response to e-mails and telephone calls on the matter.

 

  • The Constituency Manager (Wirral West) advised that the Council always did its best to achieve the standards of best practice in respect of consultation wherever possible. Lessons would be learnt from this particular case to ensure that the relevant amount of support would be provided when working together in the future.  The Constituency Manager also mentioned the positive outcome in respect of the funding position for the project and that hopefully this would now proceed as quickly as possible.

 

  • A resident  informed that the electronic sign board in West Kirby (used for Golf Tournament traffic announcements) could be put to use in the advertising of Farmers Markets and promotion of local events, or as a ’Welcome to West Kirby’ sign.

 

  • The Chair stated his agreement to the suggestion and advised that this would be investigated.

 

  • A number of residents expressed concerns on the subject of global warming, rising sea levels and flood risk – particularly in the low lying and coastal areas of the constituency. A resident also passed comment on the matter of gasification, methane extraction and ‘fracking’, and the risk of contamination to the water table and the number of farmers in the area who relied upon bore holes as a water source. A resident queried Member’s support on the matter of Fracking and Coal Gasification.

 

  • Led from the Chair, a series of Members expressed their individual opposition to Fracking and Coal Gasification. The Chair informed all present that the Council as a whole had unanimously opposed such plans for the area on a number of occasions, and was surprised that some members of the public were still under the impression that the Council felt otherwise.

 

  • Margaret Greenwood MP for Wirral West, who was in attendance at the meeting confirmed the Council’s stance, stating that she and the other 3 Wirral MPs had met with the company concerned. She informed that at those discussions it was noted that the Wirral was not currently one of their ‘priority areas’, although test drilling had taken, or was taking place in the neighbouring Cheshire West and Chester Council area at Upton-by-Chester, Farndon and Ellesmere Port.

 

  • The Chair made clear the position of the Council with regard to Fracking and thanked all those for their statements and clarity on their individual positions.

 

  • Margaret Greenwood MP requested that the meeting take note of the proposed cuts to Police Budgets, expressing her concerns over the repercussions to individual service areas as a result.

 

The Chair thanked all attendees and contributors to the meeting.