Issue - meetings

This report relates to the Whittlesey Relief Road Strategic Outline Business Case.

AGREED to:

·         note the report and its recommendations;

·         support in principle the proposal for further work to refine the scheme and assess further benefits;

·         ask Officers to explore alternative potential approaches to source the £220,000 required to complete the work recommended in the Whittlesey Relief Road Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC); and

·         bring to the attention of the Planning Team the wording of paragraph 2.2 of this Agenda Report and request that officers include this conclusion of the SOC and take this into account within officer reports for any applications of 20+ houses and any significant commercial developments in Whittlesey, Eastrea and Coates.

Members acknowledged the completed Whittlesey Relief Road Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC) and its recommendations and consideration of the next steps to source funding for the completion of further, more detailed work presented by Councillor Seaton.

Councillor Boden drew members attention to a slight revision to the final recommendation of the report, which was agreed by members.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she supports the recommendations as she feels it is essential to move forward as increase in traffic is happening daily, especially HGVs, and it needs to be recognised that if growth and economy are required to open up Fenland then improvement is needed to the road structure between the west to the east. She added that a lot of work has gone into this, thanking both the consultants and particularly Belinda Pedlar who is to be applauded on how she has kept all members of the group involved, up-to-date and it has been a positive and worthwhile exercise.

·         Councillor Tierney endorsed the comments of Councillor Mrs Laws as members need to support all of Fenland, this is a great start and good news but there is a lot of work to be undertaken.

·         Councillor Count expressed the opinion that the most you can do to achieve economic growth is strategic interventions, it is not grant funding or skills, it is strategic interventions that means that people, goods and information can get around the District better so he is very much in support of this and looks forward to the SOC being advanced and getting the relief road built.  

·         Councillor Boden stated that the SOC did not show at this time there was value for money in the proposal as it currently stands, however, there is the possibility that the number can change if the proposal is changed and additionally the cost benefit ratio is no longer the be all or end all for a decision about whether something should or should not go ahead. He feels it has been an extremely valuable exercise and he shares Councillor Mrs Laws comments about thanking Belinda Pedler in particular for the amount of hard work that has been put in over a long period of time. Councillor Boden stated that officers are being asked to explore alternative potential approaches to securing the £220,000 required and his suggestion is to firstly speak to the newly elected Mayor of the Combined Authority. He stated that in relation to the slightly amended recommendation, it is important that the conclusion that was reached concerning the increasing unviability and unsustainability of the traffic situation in the centre of Whittlesey that this matter is brought before the Planning Committee whenever it is appropriate so that it can be one of the considerations which is taken into account both by officers in making their recommendations and by members in making their decisions on future significant planning applications.

·         Councillor Mrs French made the point that with regard to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76