Agenda item - Petitions for Council Debate

Petitions to be debated at Council.  Reports of the Monitoring Officer (copies attached):

(1)       Madeira Arches – Concorde.  Lead petitioner Derek Wright.

(2)       Valley Gardens Phase 3.  Lead petitioner James Noble.

(3)       Youth Strike Action for Climate Change.  Lead petitioner YoutAction4ClimateChange.

89.1      The Mayor stated that where a petition secured 1,250 or more signatures it could be debated at the council meeting.  She had been made aware of three such petitions, however since the publication of the agenda she had been notified of the withdrawal of one of the petitions, Item 89 (3) Youth 4 Strike Action for Climate Change.  She would therefore take the remaining two petitions in turn.

89.2      The Mayor then invited Mr. Wright to come forward to present the petition relating to Madeira Arches. 

89.3      Mr. Wright thanked the Mayor and stated that 2,908 online signatures had been obtained., along with 210 on paper in only two months, which he believed showed the strength of feeling for this issue.  He stated that whilst there had been consultation it appeared that the council was seeking to renovate one of the arches at Madeira Drive that was not typical of those along the Drive.  The tenants and business at Madeira Drive all believed that it would be better to restore one of the other arches east of Royal Crescent as it would not affect the others.  The tenants had also spoken with the owners of Concorde 2 who were interested in having an arch restored closer to the venue.  He therefore asked for further consideration of the options and discussions with tenants before a final decision was taken.

89.4      Councillor Robins thanked Mr. Wright for presenting the petition and acknowledged the views that had been made in relation to the renovation of the arches.  He noted that there had been a successful lottery bid for the western end and that crowd funding had been sought to support the improvements for the eastern end.  He also noted that any restoration to the arches would require enabling work and from a structural perspective it was felt that this should start at one end.  He was happy to ask officers to continue discussions with the tenants the lead petitioners and hoped that they could work together to find an agreed way forward.

89.5      Councillor A. Norman thanked Mr. Wright and stated that she believed the issues raised concerned many of those in the chamber and hoped that the necessary repairs could be started and the arched restored to their former status.  She felt that if the restoration started at the western end then it was more likely to encourage footfall along the arches as more people would see the improvements being made.

89.6      Councillor Druitt stated that the campaign to restore the arches was close to his heart and he fully supported the petition.  He had previously raised the issue at the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee and was disappointed to see the proposed three arches that would be restored initially.  They were not typical examples of the arches and he hoped this could be reconsidered.  He noted that the local traders supported the renovation of the arches and felt their views should be taken into consideration.  The crowd funding project had been successful but had been based on the restoration programme that was different to what was being proposed.

89.7      Councillor Robins noted the comments and stated that he was keen for the council and traders to work together to find the best way forward for the restoration programme.  If the arched near to the Concorde 2 were more typical examples then they could be considered, and he therefore hoped that further information could be brought to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee in June.

89.8      The Mayor thanked Mr. Wright for attending the meeting and presenting the petition and put the recommendation listed in the covering report to the vote which was carried unanimously.

89.9      RESOLVED: That the petition be noted and referred to the Tourism, Development & Culture Committee meeting on the 20^th June 2019.

89.10   The Mayor then invited Mr. Noble to come forward to present the petition relating to Valley Gardens Phase 3.

89.11   Mr. Noble thanked the Mayor and stated that 1,426 people had signed the petition and noted that residents and local businesses wanted to have a say in how Valley Gardens was developed.  The area was likely to change for ever and everyone wanted to see investment in the Old Steine area, but it was felt that the current plan failed to deliver.  He stated that the consultation to date had been inefficient and had not involved those directly affected.  There was a clear need for more open dialogue and to enable all interested parties to engage in the development of a design plan for Valley Gardens Phase 3.  He believed that there was no reason not to engage with everyone and for the plans to be delayed until a full consultation had been undertaken.

89.12   Councillor Mitchell thanked Mr. Noble for presenting the petition and noted that a full and open consultation had been held the previous Spring.  There had been no preconceived view on the plan for Valley Gardens and options were taken forward with over 800 responses and a preferred design developed.  There was further consultation on the preferred design and this was then reported to committee and refined before being submitted to the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).  The design was then approved to go forward to the next stage and she did not see the need to pause the work or put the £6m government funding at risk.  The council would continue to involve stake-holder groups and have discussions with event organisers.  The plan put people first and balanced transport, public and economic benefits.

89.13   Councillor Wares welcomed the petition and noted that there were a number of groups and people who had an interest in the project and the majority had taken action to get their views heard.  However, the council was not listening to stake-holders which was clear from the petition and at the last committee meeting.  If the project went ahead based on the current design, it was likely to harm the economic prosperity of the area.

89.14   Councillor Littman thanked the petitioner for attending the meeting and noted that the proposals were not universally welcomed, but he believed positive amendments had been achieved and the work should not be delayed.

89.15   Councillor Mitchell stated that the revised preferred design had been democratically agreed at the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee and there was a clear commitment to continue with consultations going forward to the design stage.  She wished to thank everyone who had contributed to the project to date and hoped that it would be taken forward.

89.16   The Mayor thanked Mr. Noble for attending the meeting and presenting the petition and put the recommendation listed in the covering report to the vote which was carried unanimously.

89.17   RESOLVED: That the petition be noted and referred to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee meeting on the 25^th June 2019.