Agenda and minutes

Minute of Meeting of 10 December 2015 to be noted and signed by the Chairman (copy attached)

There had been circulated copies of the Minute of 10 December 2015.

DECISION

APPROVED and signed by the Chairman.

Note meeting procedure (copy of extract from the Scottish Borders Council Petitions Procedure attached).

There had been circulated copies of an extract from the Scottish Borders Council Petitions Procedure which set out the process to be followed at the meeting.

DECISION

NOTED.

3.1       There had been circulated copies of a petition, submitted to the Council on 15 February 2016, entitled ‘Heriot’s access to public transport has been considerably worsened by the Railway and the subsequent underpass’. The form was accompanied by 58 signatures in total and a chain of emails relevant to the issues raised. There had also been circulated copies of a briefing note by the Depute Chief Executive (Place) which was in response to the petition.  The Chairman gave a welcome to Mr John Williams to present the petition and to Philip Barr (Depute Chief Executive - Place), David Richardson (Asset Manager) and Colin Ovens (Infrastructure Manager) from the Council.  

3.2       A statement within the petition explained that Heriot village had been subjected to the worst disruption of any community along the entire railway line during the line’s construction.  The original access between the village and the A7 had been closed and a new road for vehicles built about half a mile away.  The only pedestrian access to the A7 and bus stops was via the new underpass which was not considered fit for purpose.  It was causing enormous problems for all users but mainly the elderly and school children, particularly during severe weather.  As there was no cover on the underpass access, rain cascaded down the steps causing flooding.  The steps themselves were permanently water filled.  In freezing conditions the steps and ramp were treacherous and became impossible to negotiate.  The petition called for the Council to take responsibility for maintaining pedestrian access to public transport.  Prior to submission of the petition Heriot Community Council had attempted to resolve the outstanding issues with BAM, Network Rail, Transport Scotland and Scottish Borders Council.  Local Councillors and local MSPs had also been lobbied and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Keith Brown, had also visited to look at the site along with other outstanding issues affecting Heriot caused by the construction of the railway.  It was understood that maintenance of the underpass would rest with Scottish Borders Council.

3.3.      On being invited by the Chairman to address the Committee, Mr Williams explained that he was representing Mrs Sinclair-Hood who had organised the petition and who was a resident and Heriot Community Councillor.  Mrs Sinclair-Hood and her husband regularly used the underpass and had both slipped and fallen recently when conditions underfoot had been icy.  Mr Williams referred to the long dispute with the Council reflected by the chain of emails of correspondence between Heriot CC and Mr Philip Barr (Depute Chief Executive – Place) which was attached to the petition.  These were in particular about winter service levels for the location and the fact that, although the new road layout into Heriot would continue to be included within the Council’s primary salting network, primary treatment service could not be provided to the new underpass. As was the case in other areas that did not receive primary treatment, the Council would provide salt bins to allow self-help for the community.  Mr Williams  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Consider Briefing Note by Clerk to the Council (copy attached).

There had been circulated copies of a briefing note by the Clerk to the Council advising the Committee of the non-acceptance of a petition received in support of the siting of a 3G Pitch at Victoria Park, Peebles. A statement within the form explained that the petition had been raised in response to a recent petition against the siting of a 3G pitch at Victoria Park. The note explained that the petition was received on 29 December 2015. The Executive Committee had agreed at its meeting on 29 September 2015 that Victoria Park was the preferred location for a 3G synthetic pitch in Peebles.  Within the terms of the Petitions Procedure agreed at Council, petitions would not be accepted which ‘relate to a decision made by the Council or a committee during the preceding six months’.  After acknowledging receipt of the petition a detailed letter was therefore written to the Principal Petitioner on 27 January 2016 advising that the petition could not be accepted for consideration by the Petitions and Deputations Committee at this time.

DECISION

NOTED.