Fairfax Avenue and Hotham Road North traffic enforcement

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for traffic enforcement officers to visit Fairfax Avenue and Hotham Road North and deal with problems such as vehicles being parked on double yellow lines. Reports from local residents indicate that problems with illegal parking and other related issues are certainly serious enough to warrant action. Granted, there are many who will wish to visit the local shops, which are of value to many, but that is no reason to break the traffic laws or to trash the grass verges. We have therefore secured an undertaking from the officers that they will arrange for traffic enforcement officers to visit the area in connection with these offences and others; we have also asked that they visit more than once to increase their chances of catching those responsible in the act.

Hartoft Road bus stop markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the re-marking of both bus stops at the Hartoft Road shops. Having received complaints from local residents that one of these stops – the one on the same side of the road as the shops – had had its markings restored, but the bus stop opposite it on the Commonwealth Homes side hadn’t, we referred the matter to the officers. Clearly they must have asked the contractors to do something quickly, for on the very day we heard back from the officers that it might take a while to get the job done, we went to take a look and found that both bus stops were now properly marked.

Fairfax Avenue additional bollards

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the provision of additional bollards to protect the grass verges at the top of Fairfax Avenue. This is an integral element of our strategy to protect the grass without unduly impeding the flow of traffic to the shops. We know, of course, that there are some motorists who, short of placing armed guards on site 24/7, will always put their own ease and convenience before not chewing up your verges. However, the bollards have now been delivered and we will continue to keep an eye on the problem. We will be looking at enforcement in the area as well as restoration of the grass.

Loveridge Avenue traffic again

John Fareham and John Abbott are pursuing the overdue consultation on the Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme. Both we and the corporate centre still have to hand the funds we lined up for this project when it was originally conceived. However, there are legal technicalities to be ironed out as this is a new form of TRO for the Council to introduce. We would both like to record our gratitude to the officers who have been helping us move things forwards – without of course embarrassing them by dropping their names here - and we will report back as soon as we have any firm indication of when the consultation will take place. In the meantime we propose to be gentle but firm in insisting that things move forward as expeditiously as possible.

Kenilworth Avenue willow trees

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the trimming of overhanging willow trees on Kenilworth Avenue. This is of course the result of our bringing prolonged pressure to bear on the officers. Prior to the work being done, these trees were overhanging so far that they were actually getting in the way of pedestrians who were trying to use the pavement on that side of the road. The trees will of course grow back, but equally, local residents can rest assured that we will be passing this way often enough to notice the problem should it recur and to take further steps should they be required.

Chanterlands Avenue pedestrian crossing

John Fareham and John Abbott report that work is completed on restoring the Chanterlands Avenue North pedestrian crossing. We have been pressing for this work to be carried out for some considerable time. At one stage we were given to understand that it would be carried out some months ago. However, pressures of work on the Council’s contractors have resulted in a considerable delay to work due to be carried out both here and elsewhere in the ward. We have therefore kept on pressing the officers to get on with this and other tasks. However, now we can, at least, refrain from contenting ourselves with this job being completed, and move on to insist that the other crossing near Rainhill Road is, for obvious reasons, equally deserving of the corporate centre’s attention.

Hull City Centre of Excellence site to be taken over

John Fareham and John Abbott report that plans are afoot to return the former Hull City Centre of Excellence to use as sports training facilities. At the present time no announcement has been made on the subject, and such information as we have received up to the present time remains confidential. However, we can assure local residents that the continuous use of this site for sporting and recreational purposes will be uninterrupted and that as soon as we are able to announce who is taking over the site, we will.

Traffic Regulation Order proposals

John Fareham and John Abbott invite local residents’ comments on proposals to resolve junction access issues at the junctions of Fairfax Avenue, Ancaster Avenue, Fairfield Road, Linkfield Road and Hotham Road North. In consultation with the officers we have arranged for the creation of a draft proposal for a single Traffic Regulation Order which will prevent parking on any of the bends concerned. Assuming this proposal finds favour with local residents, it will improve safety for those using any of the T-junctions in question by preventing parking close enough to block the vision of anyone turning round them. Thus it will also be safer to enter and leave any of these streets by car because you’ll be better able to see where you’re going and you won’t have as much need to peer round parked cars.

Litter bins, Appleton Road and Hartoft Road

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for additional litter bins to be set up on Appleton Road and Hartoft Road. Concerns about the general level of litter around here, and the ease or otherwise of getting rid of it, have been exacerbated by reports of beer cans and the like being discarded on the way past Commonwealth Homes. We therefore agreed to purchase four red bins from our community initiatives funding; while we wait for these to arrive, the officers have agreed to put up temporary black bins attached to lamp posts. We thought it important to do this as the system needs to keep pace with the ability of local residents to consume food and drink and their capacity requirements in disposing of the packaging.

Goddard Avenue traffic and parking

John Fareham and John Abbott are pressing for informed and constructive action on Goddard Avenue traffic and parking. A report to the September meeting of Wyke Area Committee came up with the surprising fact that, as a connecting route between Chanterlands Avenue and Newland Avenue, it carries over 5800 vehicles per day. Also the chicane we introduced in the 1980s has been rather overtaken by advances in automotive design so that drivers determined to speed can now do it more easily than their XR3i-driving predecessors. Drastic courses of action such as a one way system or simply blocking off Goddard Avenue half way down would bring difficulties, but cannot be entirely ruled out, and the Committee therefore asked the officers to go away, take a closer look at the nature of Goddard Avenue traffic flows, and come back soon with a proper analysis of the situation which will aid in the formulation of a course of action.

13 bus and the West Bulls junction

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to influence East Riding of Yorkshire Council to take the necessary steps to reconfigure the junction of Bricknell Avenue and Hull Road, Cottingham (where the West Bulls pub stands) to allow Stagecoach service 13 to go that way and not via Hotham Road North. A briefing paper on this was submitted at our behest to the September meeting of Wyke Area Committee. We explained that some considerable number of years ago, buses had run via Hotham Road North before and, in the light of the unsuitability of large double decker buses to going via Hotham Road North, we had had to struggle to get them re-routed. The Committee shared our concerns about ERYC using tenuous and even inaccurate evidence to “prove” that accident statistics were good reason to do nothing and voted to get the portfolio holder to support our campaign. We have also passed on the briefing paper to our Conservative colleagues for both Cottingham wards in the hope that if ERYC won’t listen to us, they might at least listen to their own councillors. That said, we have been campaigning on this issue for some time and will continue to do so until we get the result that we want and that we are given to understand the bus operator wants too.

Loveridge Avenue traffic consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve delays with the consultation exercise on the Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme. Readers may recall our mentioning some time ago that the scheme had been delayed until after the local government elections to avoid the possibility of officers being accused of political bias or favouritism. That was, at the time, all well and good, but several months have now gone by. We therefore took full advantage of the opportunity presented by the presentation to Wyke Area Committee of a list of forthcoming highways schemes and made our feelings known about the unexplained delay in carrying out the consultation exercise. To their credit, the officers, whilst explaining the delay in terms of organisational upheaval within their department, undertook to go away and look into how best to get the matter back on track. As soon as we get an answer from them as to when the consultation exercise will actually happen, we will of course let local residents know at once.

Bus stop travel information

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to ensure that the information displayed at bus stops such as the one near the junction of Bricknell Avenue and Hotham Road North is correct. We noticed, as this is a bus stop we use frequently, that the map of bus services being displayed there was, to put it mildly, more than a trifle out of date. For example, it lists as still running East Yorkshire service 109, which stopped some years ago; it also shows Stagecoach service 10 as running via Bricknell Estate, which it ceased to do some months ago. We will pass over the fact that it is showing services running elsewhere, such as the 215 via Newland Avenue, which have also been withdrawn, and content ourselves with observing that we have received undertakings from the officers that, as soon as a revised version of the map is available, a copy will be put up at this bus stop. Regrettably, we have also been obliged to draw to the officers' attention an error in replacing the list of bus times from this stop. This list showed only times for Stagecoach service 13, whereas in fact service 110 has not only been retained as a result of our efforts but has in fact been considerably extended. This information is now on display.

Illegal travellers went elsewhere

John Fareham and John Abbott were relieved to note that the travellers who were reported in the Hull Daily Mail as having left their illegal camp site elsewhere in the city did not appear to be having recourse to open spaces on Bricknell Estate. Obviously it is too early to say that we will never, ever have problems with travellers again, but equally it would appear that the patient effort we both have applied to this problem, together with the efficient ministrations of the officers and of the council's legal staff, have brought us to a position whereby our defences would appear not only to have been fully sufficient to deter the abuse of such manifestly inappropriate "open spaces" as the grass verge alongside Appleton Primary School, but also to have been sufficient for travellers not to have thought it worth their while to come here at all. It remains the case, however, that we will be vigilant and prepared to act should we receive any further reports of an illegal traveller encampment within the ward, wherever it may be situated.

Hotham Road North street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the replacement of five defective street lights at the junction of Hotham Road North and Bricknell Avenue. All we knew for certain about the timing of this work was that it is scheduled to be completed by March 2015 at the latest. It is, of course, part of a long-term programme that we and Andrew have been pursuing for many years in the belief that good street lighting, continuously updated as necessary, contributes materially to a sense of public safety and well-being and also serves as an active deterrent against crime, disorder, and antisocial behaviour. When we have precise dates for the work to be carried out we will of course pass them on, and if at all possible we will arrange for it to be done at the corporate centre's earliest convenience.

Goddard Avenue playing fields

John Fareham and John Abbott are given to understand that developers are rumoured to have purchased the Goddard Avenue playing fields. We do not as yet have firm confirmation of this, nor do we have a planning application to build on this land, but we thought it best to notify local residents to empower them to make representations as soon as possible. We have had no notification from the corporate centre that they intended to sell this land. Nevertheless this is a good time for local residents who share the view, expressed by many local residents when this open space was last threatened, that this land should be kept as open space to make their feelings known on that point. No formal consultation is involved in this process at this stage about this publicly owned land, but you can of course contact either of us at the postal and E-mail addresses given below and we will pass your views on to the relevant quarters. It is not too early to write to Neville Brown, Planning Services, Kingston House, Bond Street, Hull HU1 3ER and express your opinion. However, City Plan consultations are due early in the New Year.

110 bus service to continue

John Fareham and John Abbott report that Wyke Area Committee have given the go-ahead for a Traffic Regulation Order to facilitate the passage of the 110 bus service without as many double yellow lines as were originally envisaged. Discussions we requested between the officers and Stagecoach clarified that not all the double yellow lines originally suggested when the scheme was first proposed were actually necessary for the unimpeded passage of the bus. We will therefore be able to accommodate most of the objections raised to double yellow lines in places residents considered inappropriate while still giving Stagecoach everything they need to get their modestly proportioned Dennis Dart single deckers through. The area committee, at our behest, also resolved to make representations to Wyke College regarding the current proliferation of cars belonging to students and regularly parked on Grammar School Road. Stagecoach meanwhile have changed their tack and applied to extend the route of Service 110.

Pigeon deaths on Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with pigeons being caught in the anti-pigeon netting on the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge and dying there. We have received reports, and seen the evidence for ourselves, that pigeons have been finding their way in and, on being unable to find their way out, have become caught on the netting and died there. This is contrary to what we were after when we had the netting installed; the object of the exercise was originally to bar their path on to the beams where they were gathering, not to trap them. We have made representations on this matter at Wyke Area Committee but met with a less than ideally helpful response from my successor as Chairman. This is not, however, the end of the matter and we will take the matter up again with the officers until a satisfactory resolution has been found. To our way of thinking, the problem may well lie with the manner in which the anti-pigeon netting was installed in the first place; it should have been possible to fit the nets in such a way that the birds could not get round them, but this would appear not to have been done.

Fairfax Avenue-Bricknell Avenue junction

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that there are no current plans to install a bus shelter at the junction of Fairfax Avenue and Bricknell Avenue. As soon as we received representations from local residents at one of our surgeries, we made enquiries of the officers if a bus shelter was the intended outcome of the excavations being made at the bus stop, and if so, why no one had taken the elementary step of letting us know that this was to happen. Happily, in the light of concerns raised by residents regarding the possibility of crime and disorder resulting from young people congregating at this bus stop and egging each other on, we are able to assure residents that the real purpose of this part of the pavement being dug up is to provide for the same kind of real-time electronic display as is currently in use at the bus stop at Rainhill Road.

Bus stop, junction of Bricknell Avenue and Fairfax Avenue

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with the bus stop at the junction of Fairfax Avenue and Bricknell Avenue. Some local residents – perhaps especially those older than the two of us – have been making representations to us regarding the location of the stop and the absence of a bus shelter. Given the conflicting opinions on the latter point, we have asked the officers to consult with local residents on this matter in the hope of finding a better place for the stop and/or a consensus on the provision of a shelter. It goes without saying that we are not seeking to force a solution on local residents, who may however wish to take a look at the Rainhill Road bus stop, with its electronic board showing when the next three buses are due, as an indication of what could be done if the funds to do so were available.

Fairfax Avenue speeding

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve issues with motorists speeding on Fairfax Avenue. During the recent local election campaign we had it drawn to our attention that local residents perceived some motorists as possibly bending, or perhaps even breaking, the speed limit while using Fairfax Avenue. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who say there is no speed measuring equipment in place already but that they would be prepared to carry out a survey if we were prepared to pay for it. They also asked for information, which we were happy to provide, as to where along the length of Fairfax Avenue the speeding was going on. We take this matter seriously; it may or may not be a consequence of the wilful ignorance of the corporate centre in refusing to declassify Fairfax Avenue and the other parts of the ring road, but speeding is speeding, as taxi drivers who come before members of Licensing Committee are apt to find out, and in the interests of public safety we will continue to work to ensure Fairfax Avenue does not become a race track.

Kenilworth Avenue speed bumps

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the re-marking of speed bumps on Kenilworth Avenue. During our campaign for the recent local elections we noticed that these markings were very much looking the worse for wear. We therefore notified the officers at once of their condition; they came to see for themselves and got back to us to say that they agreed the work needed doing and would make arrangements to ensure that it was. It goes without saying that we think it important that these markings should be in place; they offer motorists fair warning that they will soon reach a speed bump, and we not only want to see the speed limits observed, we also want motorists to be able to pass over speed bumps without damaging their vehicles.

Goddard Avenue traffic options

John Fareham and John Abbott wish to know what option Goddard Avenue residents would prefer for the resolution of traffic problems there. Readers may recall our calling a public meeting at the Newland Building some years ago at which no clear preference for any one solution emerged. Like all those who attended, we would like to support a solution, but it must be one that all local residents can live with and find acceptable. Once such a consensus emerges we would be delighted to put as much pressure on the corporate centre as it takes: John Fareham of course was involved in securing the chicane at Jack Kaye Walk as a solution to speeding issues, but traffic levels have moved on, car ownership has increased and the need for a solution has increased too.

Ancaster Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with the misuse of weedkiller on Ancaster Avenue grass verges. We have received a number of complaints from local residents that in addition to killing the weeds, those doing so were also blasting the grass verge and killing large amounts of grass. We have referred our concerns about this to the officers and will persist with this matter until we not only have a solution to restoring your grass verges to the right condition but also have an explanation as to why they were damaged in the first place. Grass verge maintenance is something you might have expected the corporate centre to gain a bit of experience with; treating your grass verges in this way is not acceptable and we will seek to ensure it never happens again.

Fairfax Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured prompt trimming of Fairfax Avenue grass verges. Whilst canvassing for John Fareham’s candidacy in the elections on May 22nd we noticed that the grass in Fairfax Avenue verges was getting a little too long – not quite in the dandelion-ridden state visible elsewhere, but long enough to warrant trimming. We therefore asked that the Council’s Streetscene staff, who were in need of catching themselves up after the bank holiday, bring the work forward. It goes without saying we will continue to monitor the situation – we are heading into the peak time of year for grass growth and the situation will continue to require monitoring.”

Land behind Millers Walk

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that the land behind Millers Walk and Abbotsford Close is still in the possession of the Council rather than in the possession of the developers of the existing properties. We were contacted by local residents concerned that part of this land might still be in the possession of the developers and open for having more houses built on it. I therefore checked the facts with the officers who confirm that all the land on site is either carriageway with houses on it or Council owned recreational land, leaving no space for further development on the site. Given the level of concern among some local residents that this might not be the case we are delighted to pass on this information as it now stands; given the corporate centre’s preference for selling land in wards not held by the ruling group, the position might conceivably change, but if it does we will of course let local residents know at once.

Abbotsford Close litter and debris

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for litter and debris to be cleared away from communal trees in Abbotsford Close. One of the regular advantages of campaigning for election recently was that local residents have yet another chance to raise matters with us, this time on a stop-me-and-buy-one basis. This is how we came by the knowledge that there was such debris to be removed; we contacted the officers at once and they arranged for Streetscene to come and get rid of the rubbish as soon as they had the spare manpower, which they anticipate should be within the next two weeks. It goes without saying that we both take a serious view of rubbish in all its forms, whether it be issues with bin collection, discarded takeaway packaging or whatever, and if this issue recurs we will of course be delighted to address it again.

Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the consultation exercise for the Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme will take place sometime soon now that polling day in the local and European elections on May 22nd is past. Local and central government officers are prohibited by law, and have been for some years, from saying or doing anything during a specified period before elections that might be seen as favouring one candidate or another. This of course included consulting with Loveridge Avenue residents on the traffic scheme for Loveridge Avenue during the closed period, as we have been working to secure this for some time as reported in CONTACT!. We will of course both be pressing for the consultation exercise to take place as soon as is practicable.

CASPON houses, Cropton Road

John Fareham and John Abbott are pressing for adequate steps to be taken to ensure that the four original CASPON houses are fully upgraded to acceptable modern standards of warmth. The corporate centre continues to behave, especially when allocating funds as if the only CASPON houses in Hull were those east of the river Hull. In fact these four were the first to be built and it does not reflect well on the Council’s record keeping that those they own continue to be left out of capital projects. It is our view that any programme of works for “the CASPON houses“ should include all of them and that such work should only be deemed complete when those living in them are as warm in winter as anybody else on Bricknell Estate. This is of course an objective towards which we will continue to work.

Base for BISF improvements

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the open land on Hotham Road North is to be used as a base by contractors doing forthcoming building works on the BISF houses we have campaigned for. The contractors Hobson and Porter will be using the opposite side of the Hotham Road North cycle track as a place to store materials and equipment – as the houses on Castleton Avenue and Slingsby Close are among those to be improved, it was felt that this was a convenient location for the contractors which would also have the incidental advantage of taking this patch of land out of circulation as far as a possible traveller incursion would be concerned. Local residents who may be concerned that this will cause damage to the grassed area may take comfort from the fact that we ensured the contract includes a requirement to repair any damage done to the grass as part of the deal.

Murrayfield Road land transfer

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the transfer of surplus Council land to residents of Murrayfield Road is nearing completion. We have now ensured that the paperwork has all been signed off and is now with the Council’s legal team to process the actual transfer. Whilst it has not proved possible to satisfy all who wanted land, we have at least ensured that this piece of land will not be a source of continued neglect from the Council. Those participating in the scheme can expect to hear from the Council in the near future.

Lythe Avenue pothole repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured further repairs to Lythe Avenue pothole damage. We received complaints from local residents to the effect that not only was the carriageway surface once again in need of repair, but that vehicles including the 110 bus were passing over it and some of them were causing vibration and cracks in properties. We therefore insisted on action and in this instance secured it promptly. It goes without saying, of course, that we will continue to look out for this section of carriageway; whilst it may not need such radical surgery as is imminent for Bricknell Avenue after all the digging-up there in recent years, that is no reason for the position with regard to potholes to get worse, and we’ll both do all we can to make sure it doesn’t.

Rainhill Road wall repairs

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the damage to the outer wall of the Rainhill Road sheltered housing complex has now been repaired. As we reported in CONTACT! 1444, we contacted the Railway Housing Association and the Police in connection with a motor vehicle having run into the wall and left a rather substantial hole behind. They undertook to get it repaired and the work has since been completed. We would like to place on record our gratitude to all concerned for their prompt reaction to our report, and in particular to those who did the repairs; the bricks they used were an exact enough match that, when the weather has done its bit, it will be difficult to tell where the original brickwork ends and the repairs begin. As we see it, that’s how it should be, but since there remains no shortage of drivers who can’t tell Chanterlands Avenue and the Top Gear test track apart, we will of course keep an eye open for any other damage that needs reporting.

Strathcona Avenue road markings

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured an undertaking from the officers that the faded yellow lines at the Hull end of Strathcona Avenue will be repainted. We noticed the state of these markings and reported them at once to the officers – to be frank, it looks as if they are almost entirely gone. We have since had a reply from the officers saying that they will arrange to place an order with the contractors for the work to be done. We take a serious view of the maintenance of such markings – they are there to ensure motorists turning into and out of Strathcona Avenue do not have their view blocked by parked cars and they can’t very well do that or any other job if nobody can see clearly where they start and where they finish. We will of course keep an eye on them and if they wear out again, we will report it once more and get them redone.

Bricknell Avenue grass verge planting

John Fareham and John Abbott report that plans are being prepared for the refurbishment of the plants in Bricknell Avenue grass verges. The Council’s horticultural staff have been asked to provide costings for replanting individual beds on the Bricknell Avenue central reservation. The idea is twofold: firstly to increase the amount of shrubbery in the central reservation on an incremental basis, and secondly to provide additional shrubbery around the rocks that have been placed at certain key points to prevent further damage to the central reservation from drivers not taking a precise enough line at the various turning points. We will be working closely with the officers to secure the most harmonious possible combination of plants in terms of visual amenity.

KWL heating works, Bricknell Estate

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of heating programme works to be carried out by KWL on Bricknell Estate council properties within the next few weeks. The list we have is no more precise as to timing than saying which month each property will be done, but it does make clear that various houses in Appleton Road, Cropton Road, Slingsby Close, Salton Avenue, Welburn Grove, Hayburn Avenue, Castleton Avenue and Thorgill Grove will form part of the programme. 47 homes in all can therefore look forward to a warmer winter than they might otherwise have expected, with the work done in ample time to ensure all is well before next winter begins. This is of course just part of the work done by KWL on the Council’s behalf; it forms part of a rolling programme so that other homes on the Estate may also benefit from this kind of work in the fullness of time.

Briarfield Road double yellow lines

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the repainting of double yellow lines at the junction of Briarfield Road and National Avenue. We pursued action on this matter in response to requests from local residents, with which we fully sympathise – turning from Briarfield Road onto National Avenue is markedly less perilous if parked cars are not blocking drivers’ views as they leave and interfering with their decision about the right time to turn. We therefore raised the matter with the officers and they have since arranged for the work to be carried out. It goes without saying that we remain alive to the safety implications of all matters relating to road markings and if yours require another coat of paint, we will take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that another coat of paint is applied.

Bricknell Avenue carriageway reinstatement

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a scheme to repair the joints and redo the surface of part of Bricknell Avenue is in the Council’s capital maintenance programme for 2014-15. This means the Council have drawn up their shopping list of repairs they can afford this year and part of Bricknell Avenue is on that list. The work to be undertaken involves repairing the joints in the concrete below the tarmac and resurfacing the area concerned, on the outbound side from the roundabout to National Avenue, with surfacing materials used on roads such as this which are busy but not excessively so. We do not have a start date for the work yet - neither, to be fair, do the officers – but we will pass the date on when we have it and are encouraged by the reflection that the first part of Bricknell Avenue from which we received reports of heavy-traffic vibration is also the first to be fully resurfaced. We will of course keep in at the officers to resurface any other part of Bricknell Avenue that requires similar attention.

Kenilworth Avenue double yellow lines

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the double yellow lines at the junction of Kenilworth Avenue and Fairfax Avenue to be extended to their correct length. We received complaints from local residents that lines of sight at that junction were being compromised by cars being parked too close to the junction to the detriment of safety. We therefore checked with the officers who came to see for themselves – we of course already had - and found that the original Traffic Regulation Order had specified that the lines be considerably longer than they actually were. They have now placed an order with the contractors for the double yellow lines to be extended to the correct length.

Bricknell Avenue-Fairfax Avenue CCTV camera

John Fareham and John Abbott report that plans are under consideration to install a CCTV camera at the junction of Bricknell Avenue and Fairfax Avenue. The purpose of this camera would be to monitor traffic flow at the junction, something of considerable concern to those local residents who often find themselves stuck at the lights for several minutes at a time. The officers have agreed to pursue a bid for funding via the Highways capital programme so that the money can be found to bring the camera from its existing location and connect it to the city-wide CCTV network. We do of course support this proposal and will do all we can to ensure it is indeed funded; we will also keep local residents informed of the progress of the scheme.

Setting Dyke rubbish

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured promises relating to the clearing of rubbish accumulating on Setting Dyke between County Road North and National Avenue. We have received a number of complaints in this connection from local residents dissatisfied with the level of service in this respect. We therefore contacted the officers who in turn got in touch with the Environment Agency. They thought the drain had already been cleared but on hearing it hadn’t agreed to arrange for a local team to carry out the work. We will of course continue to respond to the concerns of local residents in this connection and if rubbish continues to accumulate on this location we will contact the Environment Agency again.

Loveridge Avenue highways scheme

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the agreement of Wyke Area Committee to the funding of highways improvement works for Loveridge Avenue. “As all residents will be aware, when Loveridge Avenue was built nobody could have been expected to foresee the age of the two- or three-car household and the increasing pressure on parking space that would result. We have therefore approved spending £26,451 from our ward capital budget on a scheme to realign pavements and kerbs and provide additional off-street parking. It is hoped that as well as making life easier and safer for pedestrians, this scheme will also address the concerns of the emergency services who thought it might be difficult to get a fire engine or ambulance to the far end under present circumstances.

Hotham Road North parking scheme

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured Wyke Area Committee’s approval to fund a scheme to improve parking on Hotham Road North at the junction with Fairfax Avenue. Area Committee agreed to our proposal to spend £15,000 on a scheme which will improve visual amenity and safety whilst protecting five more parking spaces and clearing traffic bottlenecks – always useful in a place where bollard damage is frequent and parking space at a minimum. The corporate centre has agreed to meet the additional cost of diverting services under the area of highway concerned. We will of course let you know when the works are due to start and will be ready to assist local residents with any problems that may arise from the works being in progress.

Newland Park blue bin emptying

John Fareham and John Abbott have met with local residents and officers to discuss problems with blue bin emptying in Newland Park. We thank the officer from Streetscene who came to our monthly mobile forum and faced a full bus of local residents who could not understand why, when they had taken notice of the changes to Council’s recycling policy and acted on it, their bins had still not been emptied. We also thank the Residents’ Association for working closely with us on this issue. Between us we have secured an undertaking that, in the light of Newland Park residents not having been kept in the loop, the new hard-line recycling policy will be implemented here from the next blue bin collection but one. This will give local residents time to ensure their recycling policies and the Council’s are in perfect synchronicity.

Hotham Road North litter bins

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for the positioning of additional litter bins on Hotham Road North. Given the number of retail outlets in the vicinity already selling food and drink, including more than one hot food outlet, the demand for additional litter bin provision to cope with the attendant level of packaging has been obvious of late. We have therefore placed orders for two new litter bins to be installed on lamp posts at the appropriate height towards the low-numbered end of Hotham Road North and we will also arrange in the future for the installation of further bins if demand for waste provision were to continue to increase significantly.

Hotham Road North bollards

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure the replacement of at least one missing bollard on Hotham Road North. We noticed that one of these bollards was missing in the course of our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum. We therefore contacted the officers to ask that the bollard, and any others which may be missing, be replaced and offered to fund the replacement should it be necessary to do so. We will of course continue to press for action on this matter until an appropriate outcome is achieved; as experience round the corner on Fairfax Avenue suggests, to leave a gap or gaps in any row of bollards is to create a window of opportunity for less responsible road users.

Fairfax Avenue traffic sequencing

John Fareham and John Abbott are working on further issues to do with the condition of Fairfax Avenue. We are working to resolve the problem of cars being stuck at the lights for minutes on end by working with officers to ensure the street light sequencing is correct. If only a handful of people can get through at any one time, clearly all is not well and we will persist with this until we get the results we need. We are also working with McDonalds to ensure their litter patrols achieve the results required – it remains the case that food packaging is being dumped in grass verges and even in gardens We have also arranged for the installation of additional litter bin provision to replace a bin removed some time ago, and we are working to secure the removal of superfluous growths at the roots of trees.

Fairfax Avenue highway issues

John Fareham and John Abbott are working on a range of problems to do with traffic and parking on Fairfax Avenue. The list is considerable, but we are making progress on all of them and we thought a summary of what’s been reported to us and what we’re doing about it would be of interest. The problems we are, or have been, dealing with include:- • Drivers getting onto the grass verge at the top near the shops – a new bollard has been inserted and more protection will follow • Parked cars blocking the view as vehicles turn onto and off Fairfield Road – we have asked traffic officers to find a solution • Area in the grass verge, again at the top, where rainwater is accumulating – officers have undertaken to look into this and see what the cause is • Broken bollard in front of the shops – a delivery vehicle ran into this on the 10th and officers we have asked to get it repaired or replaced are looking into the costs • Damage to the grass verge across from the shops by cyclists and others - officers have agreed to look into means of letting them follow the desire-line rather than just relaying the turf all the time.

Allderidge Avenue street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott have further information on the height and positioning of the new street lighting in Allderidge Avenue. The lights were not exactly as ordered, but the corporate centre’s engineers informed us that they were placed as close to the positions of the original lamps as possible so that the light would come from a familiar direction. The height of the lamps was chosen to get the required lighting levels, which would not have been possible with lamp standards the height of those being replaced. Indeed, it would have been necessary to add 4 or 5 lamp standards of the same height as the originals to achieve the same luminescence levels. The officers assure us that if there are any issues with the new lamps shining in through upstairs windows, these problems can be resolved by shielding the lamps; this has been undertaken elsewhere in the ward with success.

Huntley Drive gating scheme

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of a proposed gating scheme for the Huntley Drive tenfoot. When the idea of a gating scheme was first mooted a couple of years ago, objections were raised on the advice of Council officers who thought there might be legal difficulties with closing off the tenfoot, as a right of way could exist. Police evidence, we are told, suggests unauthorised vehicles are now accessing the tenfoot and we believe we have to compromise. However, as a result of discussions held at the meeting on Baker’s Field, plans are now being formulated for a gating scheme that would block the tenfoot off to unauthorised vehicles but would allow pedestrians such as those wishing to walk their dogs on Baker’s Field to get through. We are in a position to offer significant funding from our community budget and will circulate further details if residents back the scheme.

Baker's Field meeting

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a further public meeting has taken place to discuss plans for the future use and remodelling of Baker’s Field. Many residents attended a meeting on February 4th as advertised in advance by both ourselves and the officers. The preference expressed by those present was for a scheme that would include allotments, a wildflower meadow and a community orchard. Local residents have been given few days to pass comment by E-mail if they so wish and the officers will be preparing drawings of a scheme along the above lines which will be brought to a further meeting in due course. Residents will then be invited to pass comments on the details of the scheme and a final plan will be prepared on that basis. Our agents will pass further details directly to you very soon.

Barrington Avenue street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott wish to know whether Barrington Avenue residents would consider new, traditional-style street lamps suitable as a replacement for those in Barrington Avenue. “The question is, perhaps a little less abstract now than it might have been some time ago – Allderidge Avenue has now received new street lamps and these are in the sort of retro style local residents there were asking for in preference to something overtly modern. Their old lights were installed in 1930, as were yours, and needed to be replaced. We therefore suggest that residents with strong feelings either way on the matter may wish to take a look at the new street lights in Allderidge Avenue and see whether they would consider street lights like those, perhaps fractionally shorter as there are more lighting positions in Barrington Avenue, or lights of the same general type, to be suitable for Barrington Avenue. For some residents the appearance of new lights has been the stumbling block to finding new lights acceptable; we would be interested in local residents’ opinions on whether the solution is already on display in Allderidge Avenue.

Fairfax Avenue verge protection

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the installation of an additional bollard to prevent drivers cutting across the grass verge onto the tarmac in front of the shops and are working so secure a more substantial long-term solution. This is intended as an interim measure – plans are already in place to use some rocks we have in storage to protect two turning circles on Bricknell Avenue and we have asked the officers to prepare a scheme whereby the largest of these and perhaps some chains are used to provide proper long-term protection for these verges. The underlying principle of both these schemes is that the method adopted should do the job properly but in a manner that is as close as we can get to maintaining or even enhancing visual amenity. The corporate centre still on occasion needs a little recalibration about what that actually entails but we are confident that the time the new bollard should buy us will be sufficient to come up with a scheme that meets our criteria.

Allderidge Avenue street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the installation of new, traditional-style street lights for Allderidge Avenue. The new lamps had to be appreciably taller than those they replace, so as to spread light over a wider area. This route was adopted to avoid disruption caused by installing many more columns. That said, in accordance with the clear majority of preferences expressed when we asked for comments some time ago, the new lamps, whilst they are not in any way exact replicas of the eighty-three-year-old lamp standards they replace, and certainly are not painted in the colours the Council favoured many years ago, they are nevertheless intended to be broadly old-fashioned in their detailing. We hope that local residents will like them and will come to appreciate the higher standard of lighting they will offer.

National Avenue speeding

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to work to resolve the problem of speeding on National Avenue and to determine its extent. Having received complaints from local residents that some drivers were doing up to 70 or even 80 mph on National Avenue, we have now referred the matter to those responsible for the placing of local speed cameras with a request that they consider bringing such equipment to National Avenue. It is our hope that the use of such accurate measuring equipment will establish the situation with incontrovertible evidence that will enable action to be taken against those who ignore the speed limit, their own safety and perhaps also the safety of others.

Bricknell Avenue grass verge protection

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for further protection to be put in place for Bricknell Avenue grass verges. A small amount of our community funding will go on paying for the transportation of rocks in storage in Cropton Park and their installation at the run-off area at the Fairfax Avenue lights and at the turning point further down. We have also made arrangements with the officers for grass seed to be sown around the rocks when they are in place and when the risks of road users making further ruts in the carriageway have been attended to. The Council’s attempts to economise include a new rule that no money can be spent without first authorising it via the purchase-order system, which means that it could be a week or two before the rocks are in place, but when that happens ruts at these points in the central reservation will be a thing of the past.

Slingsby Close pavement resurfacing

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the partial resurfacing of Slingsby Close pavements. Naturally we take the regular and adequate maintenance of pavements more seriously than certain elements of the corporate centre do – our budget proposals, for example, have often proposed more funding for carriageway repairs than the proposals of others. Noticing the state of parts of Slingsby Close pavements, we referred the matter to the officers who concurred with us that something needed to be done. The work has of course now been carried out but we will take any further steps necessary to ensure the state of your pavements is consistent with public safety should problems with the state of your pavements arise again.

Fairfax Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with road users driving across grass verges on Fairfax Avenue. When the bollards were originally installed the corporate centre disregarded our clear advice that the layout of the bollards needed to take on board precisely this possibility. The verges now have the ruts in them to prove that we were right in the first place about needing to prevent drivers from cutting across the grass to get at the shops. We have therefore made the problem clear to the officers and will continue to press for action to fix something the corporate centre should have got right in the first place.

Bricknell Avenue traffic vibration

John Fareham and John Abbott report that work has been carried out by Council workmen to reduce vibration caused by traffic to some houses on Bricknell Avenue. As local residents have seen, a compressor device was brought to Bricknell Avenue and used to compress part of the carriageway where surface irregularities were causing properties to shake when heavy traffic passed over them. Local residents have contacted us to report a marked and, we hope, welcome reduction in the level of vibration but we are aware that there may be further problems elsewhere on the Avenue and we will continue to press for action until we are sure all the problems that were causing properties to shake have been resolved.

Latest on YPI floodlights

John Fareham and John Abbott report that an Official Caution has been served against the YPI for leaving its floodlights on too long. The caution relates specifically to the all weather pitch’s floodlights being on in breach of the Enforcement Notice between 24th and 30th November. The manager of the YPI said that the floodlights are now controlled from a locked cabinet inside the boiler room and the external switch has been boxed in so those playing on the grounds cannot fiddle with the switches. Both we and the officers hope this will prevent any other occurrences of extra time with the lights on. There is a separate issue with the lighting on the all-weather tennis courts – the planning conditions relating to this are being checked so that those lights can also be switched off at the appropriate times.

Slingsby Close turning circle

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to secure double yellow lines to keep Slingsby Close’s turning circle clear. After representations from local residents to the effect that this measure was needed, we contacted the officers about the possibility of a Traffic Regulation Order to keep the turning circle clear of parked cars. The corporate centre’s response was to say this was possible if it could be funded out of our community initiatives funding. Leaving aside how well or badly Bricknell Ward does out of the allocation of such funds in accordance with criteria set by the corporate centre, or whether this could have been handled more simply when there were locally devolved highways budgets, we take the view that, as it was the Council that set out Slingsby Close and set the diameter of its turning circle when Bricknell Estate was first built, it should be the corporate centre and not the ward members who pick up the tab for any TRO that may be required. We will of course continue to press this point until we get a result.

Wyke College planning application

John Fareham and John Abbott have details of a planning application to relocate two mobile classrooms at Wyke College. The College have applied for retrospective planning permission to resite two mobile classroom buildings, the last two remaining of those replaced by the new school buildings, to the southern part of the school site adjoining Hartoft Road. The fact that it has already been done is not, in and of itself, grounds for refusal. Should local residents wish to pass an opinion either for or against this application they can either E-mail dev.control@hullcc.gov.uk or writing to Planning Services, Kingston House, Bond Street, Hull, HU1 3ER quoting the reference number 14/00047/FULL, preferably before 14 February 2014. Further details including drawings can be found via the Council website.

Ancaster Avenue tenfoot

John Fareham and John Abbott offer to support a gating scheme for the Ancaster Avenue-Fairfax Avenue tenfoot should local residents want one. The cost of such a scheme would be partly borne by local residents and all those whose back access would be affected would have to agree to it. We make the suggestion now as it has come to our attention that dog walkers who do not live locally are using this tenfoot, failing to clear up after their dogs, and becoming abusive towards local residents who object. It will not have escaped local residents’ notice that in a more general sense a gating scheme would do no harm in a crime and disorder context – it certainly hasn’t escaped ours insofar as we have put a number of gating schemes in place elsewhere in the ward.

Allderidge Avenue TRO consulation

John Fareham and John Abbott urge all residents of Allderidge Avenue to take part in the forthcoming consultation exercise on a traffic regulation order for Allderidge Avenue only. Residents will recall the earlier consultation exercise on a wider traffic regulation order introducing resident parking over a wide radius around Wyke College and Kelvin Hall School, the rationale being that anything smaller would have led to a process of attrition as the exclusion zone around both establishments was set ever wider to deal with successive sets of knock-on effects. To say that this idea failed to find widespread favour would be an understatement, but we did undertake at the time to offer Allderidge Avenue its own resident parking scheme if the big scheme failed to find favour. The consultation exercise is expected to take place in the near future and we encourage all local residents with a view either way on resident parking here to express it when they get the chance. Blocks of flats on the YPI front so far are a dead issue, however 8 “houses” could easily produce 32 adults, and more would be possible. In the current financial climate we just managed to find funds to keep our promise; it is not likely to be consulted or acted on again for a few years.

Railway Homes damaged wall

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the repair of the perimeter wall of the Railway Homes on Chanterlands Avenue after it was damaged by a motor vehicle. We understand from the Police that local residents that they heard a loud bang recently but nobody actually saw anything colliding with the outer wall. Be that as it may, we saw the damage, photographed it, sent the photograph to Railway Homes and we now understand that they are waiting for quotes for someone to do the repair work, which suggests that the work will be put in hand as soon as they can come to terms with someone qualified to carry it out.

Hotham Road North street lights

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the reinstatement of malfunctioning Hotham Road North street lights. Having heard from local residents that street light no. 7 was not working, we immediately reported it to the officers who now tell us that a repair has been arranged. We are also aware that another light has not been working properly and that too has been reported. Members of the public wishing to report a street light not working can of course do so by calling 300300 and quoting the number of the street light and the street where it is situated, but we continue to report street lights that don’t work whenever we see them, or are told of them, and will continue to do so.

Baker's Field consultation exercise

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a further meeting of local residents to discuss the future of Baker’s Field will be held early in February. As a result of the earlier meeting and of discussions following it, the number of possible schemes has been reduced to a final two or three. Residents have now received official notice of a meeting to be held on February 4th at which they will be invited to reach a final decision on which of the remaining proposals they prefer, but we thought it best to tell you first to give you more notice of a chance to consider the options. Whatever is decided, the funds are there to pay for it insofar as, working with the Council’s finance officers, we have identified Section 106 funding which was accrued in the first instance to pay for precisely such schemes as these.

Bishop Alcock Road open land

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Council have agreed terms with the prospective purchasers of the open land on Bishop Alcock Road. The Council’s Cabinet have decided to enter into an Agreement of Sale with a prospective purchaser who will be proposing to use part of the land, which falls into three parcels, for a residential care home and the rest of it to build houses. This will be subject of course to planning permission being granted and Wyke Area Committee have already expressed the hope that this is not another instance of “land banking”, the practice of buying land and then saving it till either it, or the planning permission you get to go with it, are worth a lot more money. It goes without saying that I for my part will take a particular, but of course wholly impartial, interest in the details of this application when it comes to Planning Committee.

Loveridge Avenue traffic consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a traffic regulation scheme for Loveridge Avenue is approaching the stage for public consultation. We have had a number of comments from local residents regarding safety issues such as a possible conflict of interest between cars travelling one way through the tenfoot entrance and pedestrians travelling the other way. A scheme has now been evolved, funding has been allocated and a formal consultation exercise on the Traffic Regulation Order required will follow in due course. We do not as yet have a date for this - a matter on which we do have to wait our turn - but we will pass it on as soon as we get it.

YPI floodlights again

John Fareham and John Abbott report that further progress has been made with the issue of the YPI leaving their floodlights on after the time allowed by their planning conditions. The most recent information we have is that the Council’s enforcement team have met with the officials of the YPI to discuss the setting of the floodlight timers to comply with the switching off times imposed by the planning conditions. Arrangements are also in hand for a formal caution, currently in preparation, to be issued to the YPI in respect of their future use of these floodlights. It goes without saying, of course, that if there are any further problems, technical or otherwise, with these lights being on at the wrong time we will pass local residents’ concerns on to the enforcement officers.

Kirkham Drive-Allderidge Avenue open land

John Fareham and John Abbott report that funding has been approved for the enhancement of the green open space between Kirkham Drive and Allderidge Avenue. The funding for this comes from Section 106 agreements whereby, in accordance with strict rules, a developer whose plans impact negatively on urban green space can pay for compensating enhancements elsewhere. These funds have been found by the Newland Ward councillors, with whom we have worked closely on this issue, and will pay for the clearing of debris, importing of soil and pruning or removal of trees. After all the concerns about YPI and open space it is a pleasure to announce that, left to our own devices, we and others are ready and willing to enhance open space provision whenever we can.

Fairfax Avenue litter bins

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the repair of two litter bins on Fairfax Avenue. One of them was reported to us during the course of our most recent mobile forum and we spotted the other on our way round the ward. Both were reported to the officers as soon as we spotted them and we now have undertakings from the officers that they will both be repaired, the latter being received less than an hour after we reported it. We understand local residents’ concerns about litter, perhaps especially in those neighbourhoods where there’s an obvious potential source of litter, and we remain resolved that, wherever possible, we will clamp down on the wanton dropping of litter from takeaways and the like.

Bricknell Avenue traffic vibration

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured a proposed solution to the problems with vibration from Bricknell Avenue traffic. We secured an inspection of this section of carriageway by the officers who concluded the problem was not so much the relaying of the carriageway after the cabling works on the even-numbered side – it had been done to a higher standard, as specified by the Council, than that normally followed, and a small overlap between the trench reinstatement and the existing road surface had already been fixed. They concluded, however, that the state of repair of the other side of the road- problems with joints and with the loose surface – could result in vibration being transmitted to adjacent properties. It is therefore currently proposed to include repairing the joints and resurfacing the carriageway in the 2014-15 capital maintenance programme currently under preparation. Because of existing highway commitments this work cannot be done before then. We will of course pass on any more details we have about the work as we get them.

BISF and CASPON insulation works

John Fareham and John Abbott report that plans are in the pipeline for cladding and insulation works on all the BISF and CASPON council properties. This is something for which we have been pressing for years at every opportunity. The Council are working with external partners to submit a grant application that will be as favourably viewed as possible and will offer the Council the best chance of doing a good job in construction terms that will avoid the work needing to be done again. It is expected that the Council will know whether it has got grant funding in time for the 2014-15 financial year but the Council are also looking at whether it might be cheaper in the long run to find the money themselves.