FROM THE HARPENDEN LOCAL HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORT
STAKEHOLDER FORUM
HELD IN PARK HALL, HARPENDEN ON THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2015
Present: Cllr Teresa Heritage (HCC)
Cllr David Williams (HCC)
Cllr Bert Pawle (Harpenden TC & SADC)
Cllr Michael Weaver (Harpenden TC & SADC)
Mr Larry Heyman (Govia)
Mr Neil Middleton (Association of Passenger Transport Users)
Mr Neil Thompson (London Luton Airport)
Mr Mohammad Younis (St Albans & Harpenden Taxis)
25 members of public
1. Opening Comments From The Chairman
Cllr Heritage welcomed attendees to the meeting.
2. Receipt of any Petitions
There were no petitions to be the presented to the meeting.
3. Flooding & Drainage Issues
Cllr Heritage reported on the flooding problems on the A1081 Luton Road. The cyclical cleanse of the gullies in this area had been completed by 27 September 2014. Funding has been secured from Central Government for an investigation of this area including underground surveys with cameras.
Gullies that have been cleaned have a blue cross on the grate. Residents seeing blocked drains should report them to Herts Direct and take photos if possible.
Gullies in Southdown Road, Crabtree Lane and Queens Road area have been cleansed this week and contractors will be considering a soakaway adjacent to Southdown Road but an issue is the high water table in this area.
Flooding in Tuffnells Way is caused by heavy rainfall running off from neighbouring fields. HCC were prepared to take enforcement action but residents wanted to work with the landowner. There is an outstanding planning application for this area that needs to address the drainage issues.
Specific problems identified by attendees included:
· Flooding on Lower Luton Road near Common Lane was reported by an attendee who had posted photographs of blocked gullies on social media
· Wheathampstead Road - flooding opposite entrance of Aldwickbury School. This is a safety issue because traffic swerve to avoid the water into oncoming traffic.
· A gully in Marquis Lane adjacent to the car park is very prone to blockage by leaves and debris. Cllr Williams confirmed he had ask the District Council’s street cleaning service and the Town Council to pay attention to the area
· Streets are not being adequately cleaned especially when there are parked cars in situ e.g. Milton Road and Luton Road north of the Nickey Line. Wouldn’t it be better to clean streets on Saturdays and early in the morning when there is less commuter traffic? Cllr Heritage will raise this with St Albans District Council
· Where it is safe to do so, brushing away debris from a gully may help resolve drainage issues.
4. London Luton Airport Transformation
Neil Thompson, Operations Director and colleagues gave a presentation to the meeting about the development of Luton Airport.
Passenger growth at the airport by 2017 would result in capacity being reached in key areas – security, immigration, airside retail/catering/seating. Planning consent was approved in July 2014 for various phases of redevelopment scheduled through to 2019 that will result in an increase in annual passenger capacity from 12m to 18m.
There will be improvements to highway access, public transport interchange, vehicle drop-off and short term parking as well as new aircraft piers and enhancements to the aircraft taxiways
Mr Thompson highlighted the proposed Noise Control Scheme that will result in some of the most stringent controls in the UK. It will include movement caps, the adoption of a Quota Count, separate day and night noise limits and fines for off-track aircraft. There is a sound insulation scheme available for domestic and non domestic properties affected by noise, details for which are on London Luton Airport’s website.
The RNAV change to the westerly departure (Brookmans Park) route is still awaiting Civil Aviation Authority approval with a decision anticipated in March/April and any changes implemented by the end of July 2015. The change will result in fewer properties in Hemel, Redbourn, St Albans and to the south of Harpenden being overflown.
Q: Where do the fines for noisy aircraft go?
A: All fines received go to the Community Development Fund.
Q: Are fines penal or just a slap on the wrist?
A: Fines can run into the thousand of pounds and can render some flights uneconomic.
Q: There has been no consideration in the planning application for an increase in traffic as part of the increase in passengers.
A: There is a £4m Section106 agreement for highways improvement as part of the planning application.
Q: Does RNAV apply to helicopters?
A: No, helicopters fly by visual points but a lot of work has been done to improve these points and there is very little helicopter traffic to the airport. If there is noise from helicopters in Harpenden, it is often military aircraft over-flying nearby.
Q: When are you introducing Quota Counts?
A: A noise control scheme has been submitted to Luton BC for approval including the adoption of QC limits. Once the scheme is approved there will be an action plan to introduce all the elements of the scheme.
Q: How will you improve rail links to the airport?
A: We are looking at delivering a better connection to the airport but there’s nothing confirmed as yet.
Q: Have you done any work on parking and especially people who park on residential roads?
A: We are working with the authorities to stop unauthorised meet and greet companies who park cars on residential roads but can’t stop individuals from doing this. There are plans for a multi-storey car park to accommodate the demand for short-term parking.
Q: When do you anticipate you will reach 18m passengers per annum capacity limit?
A: Between 2020-2025. There will be an increase in aircraft stands, increase in take offs between 6am-7am and night traffic. Any restrictions outlined in the planning application do not apply until the development starts.
5. Govia Thameslink Railway
Larry Heyman from Govia Thameslink responded to questions previously supplied by Neil Middleton, APTU
Q: Will there be further improvements to the compensation arrangements so as to provide compensation for passengers who have suffered multiple shorter delays (of up to 29 minutes) and/or severely crowded services (whether caused by cancellations or late running)? The most recent Delay Repay compensation changes, effective from 1 Feb, do increase the amount payable for delays of 30 minutes or more by around 5%, but do not address the sub 30 minute delay issue.
A: GTR have increased compensation levels by 5% which equates to First Capital Connect’s previous level and the introduction of extended compensation for periods of excess delays of 12 or more days. The APTU argues the compensation should be revised to 15 minutes but it’s part of the rail franchise’s agreement and would have to be agreed by the Department of Transport.
Neil Middleton reported that the APTU is currently running a survey on compensation which is available on its website http://www.aptu.org.uk. Their AGM is 31 March 2015 in St Albans.
Q: Since 5 January, what are the most common causes of delay and what is being done to resolve these issues (and by when)?
A: The main issues relating to recent delays was the flooding of the Clerkenwell tunnel when a Thames Water main burst on 23 January 2015 which meant the cross London route was disrupted for a considerable time and also resulted in some rolling stock damage. There were also delays when a radio mast adjacent to the railway line at Harpenden became unsafe, signalling problems in Elstree occurred on 28 January 2015 and a points failure at Cricklewood.
Q: Which initiatives are most likely to provide noticeable improvement in service reliability in the next three months? How are the improvements to information provided to passengers about the current service and service disruptions proceeding and what is due to be delivered in the next 3 months (and by when)?
A: Additional train units are to be deployed to cover rolling stock that is not operational. North of Bedford, track works that have resulted in East Midlands trains being prioritised ahead of Thameslink trains will be completed; infrastructure upgrades at 38 key junctions are planned; remote monitoring of Network Rail infrastructure is being introduced; realistic timetable adjustments to accommodate the closure of London Bridge; further recruitment of new train drivers.
Q: Has there been any progress on the de-facto continuation of 4 trains per hour to/from Gatwick Airport from December 2015? (Although 4 trains per hour will still run, half the services catch up / or depart at the same time as the other half.
A: There was massive feedback on the consultation for the timetable but no consensus has been reached yet.
The following Questions were raised by attendees:
Q: What has happened to the plans to have a double storey car park at Harpenden?
A: A scheme was developed by Network Rail and FCC that would have provided an additional 200 places on the east side. However the District Council’s requirement for a full planning application would have increased the cost beyond the budget made available by the DfT – itself only available for the 2013/14 financial year. The County Council is continuing to press Network Rail and the new franchisee for a new scheme.
Q: Originally there was no wifi on the new rolling stock but this may have changed. Can you confirm this?
A: Network Rail has now changed the specification of new rolling stock which means that all new trains will have wifi.
Q: When West Hampstead Thameslink was closed one weekend, it coincided with the Jubilee line being closed. Why were close both stations at the same time?
A: At the time the Thameslink station was scheduled to be closed, there were no programmed closures from Transport for London. There were replacement buses made available.
Q: Why are the ticket barriers at Harpenden station not manned at all times?
A: Harpenden station is currently manned from 6am-midnight but will soon be staffed 24/7. However, the ticket barriers have to be manned by revenue protection staff who are not necessarily available all day.
Q: Are there are any plans for disabled toilets at the station?
A: Funding is available for this refurbishment but there’s no timetable but Larry Heyman confirmed a forthcoming meeting with the Harpenden Access Forum on 8 March 2015.
Q: Why is the lack of information when things go wrong including the mobile app not working properly?
A: A new information service called Darwin is being rolled out across all train operators which will offer standardised, quality information. Any issues with the mobile app should have been resolved at the end of January 2015.
6. Harpenden Parking Schemes
Cllr Heritage gave an update on parking schemes around Harpenden:
Manland Area
The Traffic Regulation Order for Manland is now made. As a result of resident feedback via a petition West Way is removed from the scheme but the scheme will be implemented in Cross Way and Manland Avenue. The opportunity had been used to address dangerous and inconsiderate parking in Station Road by Stephens Court. The necessary lining and signing orders has been placed.
Crabtree Lane
District Council Officers have made recommendations to local Ward Councillors. The double yellow safety elements will be progressed as soon as possible. The CPZ arrangements will be the subject of further consultation with residents.
The Avenues
This scheme has been consulted on with residents and businesses. Feedback received together with Draft Traffic Regulation Orders will be submitted to local Ward Councillors in the next 3 weeks. Their feedback will determine how quickly the Orders are published. Cllr Weaver reported that a consultation for Aplins Close and Kirkdale Road had already been instigated.
Park Mount/Luton Road
A request for resident parking in the Park Mount area has been considered and has been added to the Council’s list of pending requests. Consultation is likely in late 2016.
With regard to the issue of deliveries to the new Tesco store, provision of a part time loading bay (Monday to Sunday 7am to 10am) has been advertised and this formal consultation closed on 21 January 2015. The orders will be made and come into operation in late March.
Attendees questioned the number of parking regulations being introduced which will simply displace parking into other areas and damage the vitality of the Town. The issues were acknowledged however schemes are only progressed in response to residents’ concerns and are subject to exacting consultation requirements.
Q: If I have a parking permit for Crossway, can I use this permit to park in other restricted parking areas in the town?
A: Cllr Heritage will investigate and respond.
Q: Bowers Way car park is not well used. Could this be converted into a multi storey car park?
A: Cllr Heritage reported that it’s always been an aspiration of hers for this car park to be redeveloped.
7. Highways
Cllr Williams reported on the highways works programme which is scheduled a year in advance, with the 2015/16 programme starting in April 2015. Details are on Herts Direct.
County Councillors each have Locality Budgets of £90K for works in their Divisions. Cllr Williams and Heritage are always open to suggestions from residents about works that could be considered for this funding.