Agenda for Environment & Climate Action Scrutiny Panel on Tuesday, 17th January, 2023, 7.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3XA. View directions

Contact: Email: Democracy@enfield.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME & APOLOGIES

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

 

Apologies for lateness was received from Councillor Peter Fallart and apologies for absence was received from Councillor Stephanos Ioannou.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members of the Committee are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest registered in respect of any items on the agenda.

3.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 92 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022.

Minutes:

AGREED the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 October 2022.

4.

The Rationale and Management of Parking Across the Borough pdf icon PDF 920 KB

The Environment and Climate Action Scrutiny Panel is asked to note the presentation which sets out the rationale and management of parking across the Borough.

Minutes:

David B Taylor, Head of Traffic & Transportation gave a brief presentation and outlined some key points.

 

In response, members commented as follows:

 

1.    The Chair, Cllr Ozer asked what was being done with regards to illegal parking. Officers responded stating that 20-30 Civil Enforcement Officers (CDFO) go out daily and there were many requests from residents, businesses, and Councillors for Officers to go to certain areas, who would go out on bikes/cars to the specified area.

2.    Cllr Laban asked about parking on driveways with no crossover and in particular on Nagshead Road, where parking was an issue. Officers in Parking Services had written to all residents informing them how to correctly park on their driveways and that should this not be followed correctly enforcement action would be taken. Regulatory services were looking into the issue of overhanging vehicles on driveways where boots/bonnets were protruding over the boundary.

3.    Cllr Fallart asked if the CPZ in Ponders End had been at the request of residents or Officers. Officers responded that this had been a condition of planning permission for the redevelopment of the Alma Estate, subject to funding to explore a CPZ in that area.

4.    Cllr Dalkaya asked if the CPZ was on hold in Bowes, and when would they be implemented. Officers advised that this has been paused due to the general funding position from Transport for London (TfL) however, the aim was to try to implement some in the current financial year and into the next financial year.

5.    Cllr Stevens stated that, with regards to the parking strategy and rolling out more CPZ to reduce parking, it would be more beneficial to be proactive. Officers stated there had been some discussion regarding changing the approach, but this may be slow and expensive due to the length of the necessary consultation periods. There may also be some merit in a more strategic approach.

6.    Cllr Yuruk queried the introduction of traffic calming measures on Ordnance Road, especially following a recent collision. Officers stated there were no immediate plans for this, but they were aware of the collision and in discussions with other departments and agencies to reflect on the potential causes.

7.    Cllr Laban stated that it may be helpful to businesses around Windmill Hill/Chase Court Gardens if parking was free on Sundays and Officers agreed to investigate the possibility to see what work was currently being done and would report back. ACTION for David Morris.

8.    Cllr Dalkaya asked how the amount of parking spaces was ascertained with regards to new developments. Officers stated that parking standards were linked to the Public Transport Accessibility Levels.

9.    At the discretion of the Chair, Members of the public asked questions to the Officers throughout the meeting around parking issues, traffic calming measures and public transport and Officers responded to them accordingly.

 

5.

Re-wilding Enfield Chase pdf icon PDF 4 MB

Presentation to the Environment and Climate Action Scrutiny Panel to provide an update on the rewilding of Enfield Chase.

Minutes:

Ian Russell gave a presentation on this item, highlighting the key points and updates on the re-wilding programme.

 

The Chair thanked the officer for the presentation and members commented as follows:

 

1.    Cllr Jewell stated that around 8 weeks ago a new beaver couple had been placed in the enclosure and they were being closely monitored. The team were working on press releases and other communications to inform the public, which would be going out shortly.

2.    Cllr Laban asked if the tenants at Vicarage Farm had been moved because it was a strategic policy. Officers responded that funding was available from DEFRA which allowed all farmers to engage with the Council when farmland was not always suitable for arable farming. Cllr Jewell stated that there was no farming currently taking place at Whitewebbs (Farm), so it made sense to change the use of the farmland.

3.    Cllr Laban queried what had happened to the third beaver. Officer stated that the beaver had been relocated elsewhere to a larger site as it had become aggressive and there would be more space therefore less territorial pressure.

4.    Cllr Stevens, with regards to urban rewilding, asked if there were plans to plant 2000 trees in Albany Park and how much space this would take up. The Councillor queried the proposal of 1million new trees which were due to be planted, and whether these would be located in Enfield Chase. The Officer confirmed that the park was 10 hectares so there would still be plenty of space within the park. Some public consultation was to take place with regards to the different species of trees that should be planted. The Officer also confirmed that the majority of the 1million trees would be planted within the Enfield Chase area to prevent overplanting in urban areas as there were plans for 25,000 street trees to be planted but there may also be other potential areas for planting within some urban areas.

5.    Cllr Stevens asked whether there were plans to increase sustainable transport links would be increasing especially in the east of the borough. The Officer stated that there was an indicative plan of which would take many years to develop/implement. Officers were working with Journeys and Places to improve linkages between different parts of the borough.

6.    At the discretion of the Chair, Members of the public asked questions of the Officer around sustainable transport links, arable land, and funding for alternative landscapes/wetlands throughout the meeting and Officer responded to them accordingly.

 

6.

WORK PROGRAMME 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 78 KB

To note the Environment and Climate Action Scrutiny Panel Work Programme for 2022/23.

Minutes:

NOTED the work programme for 2022/23.

7.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

To note that the next meeting is scheduled to take place on 14 March 2023.

Minutes:

NOTED the date of the next meeting as Tuesday 14 March 2023 which will commence at 7pm.