to consider the following question received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8.
a. From Cllr McKay to Cllr Pearce (Leader of the Council):
“In considering the development in Dartmouth of 400+ houses, was account taken of the prospect for local employment for residents, and the likely need to commute from Dartmouth and the consequential impact on the local road network;
and was account taken of the inevitable traffic increase along routes like the A381 as a result of services to these homes (deliveries etc);
and account taken of the inevitable development traffic;
and does the Council recognise and accept the impact of increased traffic on vulnerable communities, like Harbertonford and others communities, along the routes to these large development sites;
and is this is a matter deemed to be the sole responsibility of Devon Highways and if so why;
and how can the Council work with the local highways authority to ensure that the wider impacts of any developments are properly considered;
and what can be done by this Council in consultation with Devon Highways to remedy the situation that is now afflicting communities like Harbertonford and will get increasingly worse as these developments proceed?”
b. From Cllr Hodgson to Cllr Baldry (lead Executive Member for Environment)
‘As we are all aware, the problems with the waste and recycling collection services continue to be affecting a number of South Hams residents. There are still many who are now experiencing what appear to them as random collections with a hit and miss effect where they still have one or two unemptied bins going back weeks. As requested previously, please can we have a “Report It” place on our website for these random misses, many of which do not comply with the 2 days overdue requirement?’
Minutes:
38/21
It was noted that two Questions on Notice had been received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 8:
a) From Cllr McKay to Cllr Pearce (Leader of Council)
“In considering the development in Dartmouth of 400+ houses, was account taken of the prospect for local employment for residents, and the likely need to commute from Dartmouth and the consequential impact on the local road network;
andwas account taken of the inevitable traffic increase along routes like the A381 as a result of services to these homes (deliveries etc);
andaccount taken of the inevitable development traffic;
anddoes the Council recognise and accept the impact of increased traffic on vulnerable communities, like Harbertonford and others communities, along the routes to these large development sites;
andis this is a matter deemed to be the sole responsibility of Devon Highways and if so why;
andhow can the Council work with the local highways authority to ensure that the wider impacts of any developments are properly considered;
andwhat can be done by this Council in consultation with Devon Highways to remedy the situation that is now afflicting communities like Harbertonford and will get increasingly worse as these developments proceed?”
In response, Cllr Pearce advised that the impact of Development was considered through the Examination process and ultimately it came down to the professional opinion of Devon County Council Highways as to the accessibility of impact on both the site and the wider Highway network. Furthermore, Cllr Pearce replied that the impacts on villages on the ‘A’ road network of this site was negligible compared to the pre-existing volumes of traffic and especially when compared to the impact from tourism. In addition, the socio-economic impacts of not proactively allocating sites for new housing would be much more acute and long-lasting than the minimal impact of traffic movements generated by new residents.
In asking a supplementary question, Cllr McKay queried the evidence that supported the response and reiterated the additional traffic that was being incurred along the A381. In reply, Cllr Pearce recognised the impact on the A381 but also made the point that there was yet more significant development intended in that area.
b) From Cllr Hodgson to Cllr Baldry (lead Executive Member for Waste and Recycling Services)
“As we are all aware, the problems with the waste and recycling collection services continue to be affecting a number of South Hams residents. There are still many who are now experiencing what appear to them as random collections with a hit and miss effect where they still have one or two unemptied bins going back weeks. As requested previously, please can we have a “Report It” place on our website for these random misses, many of which do not comply with the 2 days overdue requirement?”
In reply, Cllr Baldry stated that, as he had advised earlier in this meeting (Minute 32/21 above refers), the performance of FCC was improving but still needed to improve further. All missed collections needed to be reported within the timescales advertised on the Council website. These reports went directly to FCC which ensured they could action the reported missed collection as agreed under the contract.
Cllr Baldry also advised that residents who were unable to report a missed collection online or who wished to advise us of a service failure outside of this time could do so by going online and submitting a form to ‘ask our waste team a question’. This process then enabled the team to investigate the report and ensure a resolution for the resident.
Finally, Cllr Baldry recognised Cllr Hodgson’s concerns and he had asked the team that this information was added to the page on the Council website where customers reported missed collections therefore making it clear that there was another option for residents for reporting a problem.
Cllr Hodgson thanked Cllr Baldry for his response and confirmed that she did not wish to ask a supplementary question.