To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on general matters of interest and/or matters relating to the work of the Forum
Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the forum, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance. Please contact Democratic Services by 5pm on the Deadline(registertospeakdeadline) via democracy@winchester.gov.uk or (01962) 848 264 to register to speak and for further details.
Minutes:
Tim Clarke, Headteacher of Cornerstone Primary School, addressed the meeting regarding the issue of safer routes to school. Specifically, he wanted to ask about the progress of the construction of a pathway to the south of the school's boundary. He explained that several families who lived around three hundred metres away from the school had to walk almost a mile to get to school, and some had to use unsafe routes.
In response, Jeff Davis from Tetra Tech stated that the construction of the pathway had taken longer than expected. However, the intention was to complete it by Summer 2023, after the necessary legal agreements, planning permissions, and construction were completed. Mr Clarke expressed his hope that the pathway would be ready for the new school year in September 2023, which would benefit local families.
The Chairperson informed the forum of a question received from a resident who was unable to attend the meeting. Mr Fletcher had written to express concern about parking problems on the estate, with people ignoring off-road parking and double yellow lines. He believed that there was a lack of enforcement action, and he also wished to raise the issue of parking on pavements due to poor planning for off-road parking. Mr Fletcher was concerned that if the situation did not improve, the estate would become an eyesore with cars parked on verges and footpaths. He also mentioned that during the Christmas holidays, vehicles had been parked in a way that could obstruct emergency vehicles.
In response, Mr Alborough from Hampshire County Council stated that currently, the roads were regarded as private, and so the developers were responsible for resolving issues with them. Double yellow lines had been provided at the northern end of the site, but they were not supported by a traffic regulation order. The County Council would only issue a traffic regulation order when the roads were adopted, which would happen gradually as several road adoption agreements still needed to be entered into. Adding additional yellow lines before the traffic regulation order was advertised could prejudice the decision, so any existing yellow lines may have to be removed before the public consultation stage. Mr Alborough also addressed concerns about the effectiveness of parking restrictions and the associated issues of managing their enforcement.
During the meeting, further questions were asked by members of the public observing the meeting regarding the cycle path network and mobile phone coverage. These points were responded to by the officers’ present