CARSAG minutes

CARSAG

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 25^th November 2008

Present :

Kevin Jones (Chair), Allan Blackman, Jean Vail, Philip Douglas, Anna Hickman, Kevin Hickman, Kim Mitchell, Michael Knight, Michael Prior, Councillor Maureen Shram, Dave Stuttle, Lidia Douglas.

Apologies :

Dora Spencer, Terry Spencer, Gill Clayton, Councillor Paul Crofts

Residents Parking :

A report was given of the Council’s meeting on 4^th November. Ian Clayton and Tony Jackson had spoken against the Development Committee’s decision. The result of the Council’s debate was that the Committee’s recommendation had been overturned and the issue was to be returned to and reviewed by the Committee again. It was felt by members who had been there that the Chair, Lora Lawman, was not in favour of putting this on the agenda in the near future and would delay further discussion for as long as possible. Gill Clayton had started a petition locally because she was incensed by the fact that the Committee had said that they had not heard anything from the residents. This was felt by everyone to be blatantly untrue and could be verified.

Philip informed the committee that he had been contacted by the ET that evening and had been told that the price for parking at the station was going to go up – this would be a further pressure on parking spaces on the surrounding roads.

Allan pointed out that it was important to focus any discussion purely on this area and not to get sidetracked.

Action :

(1) Kevin would write a letter from Carsag to Lora Lawman setting out the Committee’s response and would invite her to the next meeting.

Date for next meeting Tuesday 13^th January at 7.30 at 189 Midland Road. ( or to give her alternatives for a meeting on Wednesday 14^th or Thursday 15^th January at 7.30 at Midland Road )

The letter would also be sent to the officer who had written the report ( Maureen to supply name ), Paul Thompson and to the ET. (Will Ockenden)

(2) sign petition for Gill and get support for it

(3) continue writing letters to the ET ( an article had been written in response to the meeting and the newspaper had asked for views re parking )

(4) pursue the Council to find out when this would be put onto the agenda

Carsag will have to be active in getting people’s support for a permit scheme, to make sure that it was involved in the wording of any questionnaire and to possibly do their own survey on people’s attitudes to a scheme ( we need 50+1 % of the vote )

Irthlingborough Road :

The plan for traffic lights was to go ahead in this financial year as far as the committee knew.

Action : Kevin to contact Keith Parrot on 01604 654367 to ask for progress report

Housing developments :

Phillip reported on the Station pub site. He had had a meeting with the architect, Alex Stevenson, John Belton and Terry Spencer to look at plans. They were in consultation over the details as the plan will probably go ahead ( drawings were shown to the committee). Parking spaces have been kept to the Government’s required 0.7 spaces on the plans. At the moment the site is being used as a car park.

Nothing happening on the Saxby site.

Maureen passed round a bundle of plans for developing small sites. It was again pointed out that there was no overview of all these small developments and that they would all have an impact on an already overcrowded Ward. It was also pointed out that according to the reply to Councillor Croft’s enquiry all residents should have notification from the Council of any developments near their residence. However this did not always happen.

Terry had attended the meeting for the open sites in the Ward at the Victoria Centre and was very concerned that if these were built on then this would further compound the parking problem and that they would be better served by being turned into garages.

It was felt WEAST would not now go ahead – Allan was concerned that this would mean that there would be no money for any of the junction/inner road plans. There was a meeting on Thursday at the Redwell Leisure Centre at 7.30 with peter Bone to look at the Northern development.

Action : Kim would monitor planning lists and keep the committee informed.

Action : Maureen asked to be included in any correspondence so that she would be kept up to date.

Action : Mike Prior will act as press officer and keep files as well as contact with the ET.

Local Councillor updates :

Nothing more to report

Any other business :

Anna and Kevin expressed their concern about the lack of pedestrian crossings at the Midland Road junction as well as in other sections. This was particularly problematical because of all the extra traffic.

Action : Anna to raise this in a letter to Maureen

Date of next meeting : Tuesday 13^th January 2009 at 7.30 at 189 Midland Road.

( If Lora Lawman cannot make this then a separate meeting will be held with committee members either on the Wednesday or Thursday at the same time and also at 189 Midland Road