BOROUGH OF POOLE

ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW GROUP

THE MEETING WAS HELD ON 1ST APRIL 2004

The Meeting commenced at 7.00pm and concluded at 9.00pm

Present:

Councillor Collier (Chairman)

CouncillorsCollyer, Curtis, Gillard, MrsHives, MrsLavender, Pethen, Rampton (substitute for Councillor Gregory) Sorton, Trent and Wilson.

Also Attending:

Councillor Brooke.

Members of the Public Present: 0

  1. MINUTES

A Member drew attention to item 8 – Sports Pitch Strategy and to a typing error in the first paragraph and suggested that “socket” be deleted and “soccer” be substituted.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 29th January 2004 as amended above were confirmed as a correct record.

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Gregory.

3.CODE OF CONDUCT AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Collier declared a personal interest in M.5 as he lived close to an area under discussion.

Councillors Gillard, Rampton, Trent and Wilson declared a prejudicial interests in M.8 by virtue of their membership of the Planning Committee. (The Councillors did not vote on this item.)

Councillor Wilson declared a personal interest in M.7 as a Governor of Branksome Heath Middle School.

4.RECYCLING IN SCHOOLS

The Chairman was of the opinion that this matter warranted urgent consideration at the meeting.

A Member drew attention to the recent launch of the Schools’ recycling initiative and pointed out that out of 42 schools in Poole, 20 had not signed up to this initiative. To date the following had agreed to have the recycling scheme:-

Ashdown School

Baden Powell and St Peter’s Middle School

Bearwood Primary School

Canford Heath Middle School

Carter Community School

Hamworthy First School

Hamworthy Middle School

Lilliput CE VC School

Longfleet CE Combined School

Merley First School

Montacute School

Oakdale South Road Middle School

Old Town First School

Rossmore Community College

Springdale First School

St Edward’s RC CE School

St Joseph’s RC Combined School

Sylvan Road School

Talbot Combined School

Turlin Moor Community Middle School

St Aldhelm’s CE School and Heatherlands First School had both said that they would join the scheme although Heatherlands would join in the autumn term when building work was completed.

Members were asked to ensure that schools in their area were involved in this vital piece of work.

The Chairman stated that those schools which hadn’t signed up to the scheme would, in due course, be contacted.

AGREED that the information be noted.

For:Unanimous

  1. ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN PUBLIC PLACES

The Head of Consumer Protection Services reported that the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 allowed Local Authorities to designate areas where the drinking of alcohol was prohibited. His report informed Members of the process required and to nominate areas where the prohibition of drinking could be considered in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such control. The Council had the power to make a designation under Section 13 of the Act in relation to areas where the Council considered that sufficient evidence existed linking public drinking to anti-social behaviour. He emphasised that the Police must be committed to enforcing the legislation and a commitment was needed on their part, otherwise the work would be counterproductive. Discussions with the Police had indicated that three areas had been identified and evidence existed to link public drinking with anti-social behaviour. The areas were:

  • Poole Town Centre
  • Waterloo
  • Branksome Recreation Ground

The Head of Consumer Protection Services, in response to a question on displacement of problems to adjoining open space areas re-emphasised the requirement for evidence and at this stage this was only available in respect of Branksome Recreation Ground. If other areas subsequently suffered from anti-social behaviour the necessary evidence would have to be obtained before proceeding further with a designation.

The Head of Consumer Protection indicated that the pilot scheme would test process including consultation and decision making in relation to designated places. Where designation was adopted by Council it would be important to monitor the success of the scheme in dealing with anti-social behaviour linked to drinking. The gaining of the designation was in many ways a starting point rather than a successful conclusion.

A Member stated that with regard to designating Branksome Recreation Ground the whole community had supported the initiative when it had been considered at the recent Area Committee and hoped that this could be achieved as soon as possible. The Beat Officer had also supported the Council on this matter.

A Member stated that at the Area Committee, when Branksome Recreation Ground was considered, the Beat Officer had emphasised that alternatives for young people had to be made available and drew attention to the work which was proceeding with regard to Alderney Recreation Ground and the positive initiatives which were being pursued.

In response to a question as to why Broadstone Recreation Ground had not been included in this pilot, the Head of Consumer Protection Services responded by stating that originally the Police had been asked for their views on a possible pilot scheme, one of which was to include Broadstone Recreation Ground. The Police were asked for evidence and unfortunately, when it was provided, it was clear that there was no link between anti-social behaviour and public drinking. The Inspector of Police had agreed that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to proceed and there had been no option but to exclude Broadstone Recreation Ground from the pilot. He emphasised that evidence from the Police was vital and their commitment to resource the enforcement, but it was important not to raise expectations if there was no evidence to support the link between anti-social behaviour and drinking of alcohol in public places.

A Member suggested that the issue regarding Broadstone Recreation Ground should be considered by the Area Committee, but it was emphasised that in view of the lack of evidence this site could not be designated under the Act which banned the drinking of alcohol. There were obviously other wider issues which needed addressing.

The Chairman suggested that as a first stage Branksome Recreation Ground should be duly designated as a pilot scheme with the remaining sites at Poole Town Centre and Waterloo being referred to the Area Committees for their views together with those of the Licensing Committee and for a further report to come back to the Overview Group.

AGREED that:

(i)as a pilot scheme Branksome Recreation Ground be designated as soon as possible as an area where drinking of alcohol is prohibited;

(ii)the areas of:

  • Poole Town Centre (High Street, Hill Street and Kingland Road)
  • Waterloo (including Milne Road, Marshall Road and The Parade)

be referred to the appropriate Area Committees for their views on designating these areas where the drinking of alcohol would be prohibited;

(iii)the Licensing Committee be asked for its views on this matter and the possible designation of the above areas; and

(iv)a further report be submitted to this Overview Group in six months after monitoring the pilot scheme to include information on the designation process for the future.

For: Unanimous

6.OPEN SPACE STRATEGY

The Head of Leisure Services updated Members on the development of the Open Space Strategy. The production of an Open Spaces Strategy was important if the Council was to demonstrate that it was approaching the management of its open spaces in a strategic manner. The document provided a degree of detail, which was necessary to demonstrate that it was robust and reliable. There were a number of key issues that should be drawn from the strategy and these were considered to be the main challenges facing the Council in terms of its future provision and management of open space and these were identified as:

(i)Open spaces not distributed equally across the Borough and in some areas there was a significant shortfall in terms of meeting need;

(ii)Opportunities for acquiring new land for open spaces purposes were to be sought wherever possible but were accepted to be generally limited. The focus would consequently be in ensuring what we had was as good as it could be;

(iii)The Borough contained both “successful” and “failing” examples of open space;

(iv)The contribution by open spaces to quality of life or the “liveability” of the town was significant. These included benefits in terms of physical and spiritual health, social cohesion and identify, environment, economical and cultural value, recreation and physical exercise;

(v)It was generally accepted that we had more opportunities to make a difference to the quality of open space than to the quantity.

Having considered these challenges, the Strategy identified its aims in the following terms:

  • Provision and development – providing enough open space of the right type and quality, where it was needed, for the use of existing and future residents and visitors
  • Participation and use – enabling people to get more use and enjoyment out of open space, and ensuring that the community derives maximum benefit from its resource
  • Care and sustainability – looking after the open space in Poole in an efficient and effective manner, but took account of its social, heritage and wildlife value, and made a contribution to the delivery of wider public policy objectives.

The Head of Leisure Services reported that the aims outlined above had been developed within the strategy and a series of recommendations and outcomes had been proposed and these were contained in his report. He further stated the consultation to date had been valuable, but the wider issues covered by the strategy had not undergone public consultation. To ensure that there was consensus on the way forward for open spaces in Poole, it was considered that a final stage of consultation should be carried out involving a range of user groups, friends groups and other known interested parties and agencies. It was anticipated that following completion of this final stage, the strategy would be ready for adoption by the Council. He stated that it was important especially to engage with young people and undertook to contact Youth Services.

A Member asked if the Head of Leisure Services could make available the list of who was to be consulted so that any omissions could be addressed before the process commenced. It was also suggested that a report should be submitted to the Overview Group in the early summer.

The Chairman felt that it was vital for Schools and Youth Services to participate in the consultation process. Possibly a report could be made to the Group by the current MYP.

AGREED that

(i)the latest draft of the Open Spaces Strategy be noted;

(ii)a final stage of public consultation be agreed, with a view to seeking adoption of the Strategy by the Council in due course; and

(iii)a further report be made to the Overview Group at its meeting in early summer 2004.

For:Unanimous

7.TURNERS NURSERY

The Head of Leisure Services presented a report updating Members on the progress towards delivering improvements at Turners Nursery. He reminded Members that the matter had been referred to the Learning Overview Group with a view to that Group considering whether funding might be made available through Education sources to contribute to the capital costs of improving the site. The outcome of discussions at the Learning Overview Group was that the merits of the scheme were accepted but that currently funding was not available through education to make the project happen. The Group had requested that the cost of decontaminating the Education controlled land be investigated, but ultimately the aim should be to progress the project without placing further financial burdens on the Poole tax payer.

The Head of Leisure Services reported that the funds currently allocated to the improvement of Turners Nursery were as follows:

Council Capital / £ 50,000
Planning Obligations / £ 95,000
Total / £145,000

He stated that the secured sum could be increased if Council approval was given to dispose of a small area of open space on the site for residential development. It was considered that such disposal would provide a net benefit if the capital receipt was invested into the enhancement project. The anticipated capital receipt for the land in question was £165,000, which, if added to the secured funds would result in a project budget of £310,000. This budget was likely to be sufficient to deliver a compromise scheme which should meet the basic needs of all parties. It might be possible for a community based group to assist the Council with respect to fundraising and thereby adding further to the project budget. A number of funding sources existed, which might be relevant to this project.

A Member stated that this project had been a desire of the school for a long time. Various schemes had been devised; these had been expensive and a more realistic scheme was all that was required to ensure a good use of the land. Currently the land was not used in the best way and any improvement would benefit both the community and the school. It was essential to ring fence the capital receipt from the open space which was to be disposed of.

The Head of Leisure Services reported that any disposal of open space needed public consultation before it was disposed of. Any sale must benefit the community, not the school. Education had stated that they could not fund any project and a great deal more work was needed to investigate the procedures involved in disposing of open space.

The Chairman stated that it would be easier for the Cabinet to ring fence the capital receipt from the sale of the open space if there was a commitment from the community to assist in funding opportunities. There was a great deal of support for the scheme but the problem was how it was to be funded. Education were not prepared to contribute, and as a consequence there was no priority to the scheme, on their part. Everyone wanted to see the best scheme possible, but support from the community was important.

A Member stated that there were five other open space areas in the location and he felt that Alderney Recreation Ground was a far higher priority than Turners Nursery. It was important not to lose sight of the objective but it would not be forced through as a high priority. He had every sympathy for the scheme but Education could not justify it and as long as they said that there was no priority, then open space money should not be used to benefit the school. If, on the other hand it was feasible to carry out a scheme within the existing funding then the principle should be supported and progressed.

A Member stated that there was very little open space in this Ward and development could contribute a significant amount towards the project and Turners Nursery was sufficient distance away from Alderney Recreation Ground to stand alone. A great deal of work had already been done and the project should have some priority.

AGREED that

(i)the proposal for taking forward a project to improve Turners Nursery, and in particular generating a project budget by incorporating capital receipt of the sale of land be agreed; and

(ii)the principle of a community based organisation contributing towards fund raising in support of this project be supported.

For:Unanimous

  1. POOLE PARK CATERING DEVELOPMENT

The Head of Leisure Services reported on the development of a new catering and boating facility in Poole Park. The present catering concessionaire had approached the Council with an expression of interest in developing a new catering facility in the Park. The proposed location would be on the site of the former boat compound, on the northern edge of the lake, close to the west car park. It was proposed that this new development would be designed to make maximum use of its waterside location, whilst being in harmony of both the historic park landscape and the valuable trees located on the site. Furthermore, it was anticipated that a restaurant would be designed to incorporate a boating facility, creating a new and exciting hub of activity around an area of land that until recently was inaccessible to the public. The boating element would be managed by the Council or a separately selected concessionaire.

It was considered that the development of a new catering facility, accompanied by boating opportunities in the Park would bring new visitors to the Park and create more activity over longer periods. During the evenings this would result in a greater number of people wandering through the Park, and it was hoped that this would marginalise, and deter, those that visited the park after dark to cause damage. The development would be delivered at no cost to the Council.

The Head of Leisure Services reported that at present this proposal had not been translated into detailed building design. Before the concessionaire commissioned such work it was important that Members had had the opportunity to consider the proposal in principle. Providing in principle support was given for a new building in the Park at the location identified, then this project would be progressed to detailed design and the planning permission stage. Prior to submitting a building design for planning approval it was intended that informal consultation would take place within interested parties. This would be designed to engage with as many users of the Park as possible and would include the Friends of Poole Park.