Loveridge Avenue Home Zone consultation results

John Fareham and John Abbott have the results of the residents’ consultation exercise on the Loveridge Avenue Home Zone scheme.

The officers have now released full information on the results and whilst some individual comments must obviously remain confidential, it is possible to state that 86% of all residents, 85% of those on the north side and 88% of those on the south side expressed support for the Home Zone proposals, 71% of all residents, 69% of those on the north side and 72% of those on the south side are prepared to install a hard standing on their properties, and over 60% of residents on both sides would be prepared to pay £500 towards the costs of building such a hard standing. On the basis of these figures the officers can now go forward with deciding what needs to be done to secure a Home Zone Designation and Use Order; when there are further decisions to be taken or dates to be made known we will of course let local residents know.

Southfield Road closure consultation

John Fareham and John Abbott want to hear from Southfield Road residents on their views for or against redesignating the public highway as a private tenfoot, which means it can be gated off.

Some voices have been raised both for and against this proposal already, but before we can move forward with this proposal we need to be fairly sure that we know which side as many local residents as possible are on.  We therefore attach a pro-forma questionnaire which we would appreciate local residents completing as soon as possible and returning to either of us at one of the addresses given below.  There is no formal deadline for what is, after all, an informal consultation, but we would nevertheless appreciate it if local residents could reply as soon as is convenient.

Replacement waste bins for County Road North

John Fareham and John Abbott are arranging for the replacement of broken County Road North waste bins.

During our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum we received representations from local residents to the effect that the current glass-fibre bins on County Road North are now damaged beyond repair. We are therefore arranging for their replacement with the new steel bins which we are in the course of rolling out across the ward in the hope that their metal structure will be less vulnerable to vandalism than glass fibre and justify their initial cost by reducing considerably the frequency with which they need to be replaced.

Hotham Road North - latest on the bus route

John Fareham and John Abbott have the latest information on their efforts to persuade East Riding of Yorkshire Council to assist with remodelling the West Bulls junction to allow buses to go that way instead of via Hotham Road North.

Some time ago we recorded video footage of Stagecoach buses experiencing the usual difficulty in travelling via Hotham Road North.  On reminding our East Riding colleagues that we had sent them this footage, we were asked to resubmit it as it had been mislaid.  This we did and we have now received a reply from the relevant East Riding portfolio holder to the effect that, whilst they are convinced that the work already done has made that junction considerably safer already, they are open to the possibility of further work to allow the service 3 bus to travel outwards via the West Bulls junction as and when funds are available to do the work.

Cottingham Road street lighting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the repair of a malfunctioning street light on a passageway running parallel with Cottingham Road.

It has for some time been the case that local residents have been able to report such faults as this via the Council website.  In this particular instance, the light in question was not recorded on the Major Projects computer system so that when local residents contacted us direct they arranged for the light to be repaired and, with one eye on the possibility of its needing to be repaired again, recorded on their computer system as well. It goes without saying that, in the event of any more such repairs being necessary – though hopefully not to this particular light – we will be prepared to lend our full support to any local resident who needs a street light fixing.

Hotham Road North speed cameras

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the Police have now made arrangements for speed camera tests on Hotham Road North.

Regular readers may perhaps recall that we announced some time ago that the Police were trying to get their hands on the necessary equipment to carry out speed checks in response to local residents’ concerns about the speeds some drivers were doing on Hotham Road North. We know when the tests will be carried out, but we would prefer not to quote those details so that the tests can come as a surprise to those using Hotham Road North as a rat run or an ill-advised location in which to drive flat out. Neither of us would consider this street long enough to accelerate to an illegal or excessive speed and negotiate the junction at one end or the roundabout at the other.  We therefore hope that the Police turning up with speed cameras will go some way towards easing residents’ concerns about speeding round here.

Lythe Avenue dustbin collections

John Fareham and John Abbott have been working to resolve issues with dustbin collection on Lythe Avenue.

We have received complaints to the effect that bin collections have been missed. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who inform us that the problem appears to relate to changes in the scheduling of collections and that crews have been sent back to empty the bins that have been missed. We will of course continue to take an interest in this matter and to chase up any further occurrences of this phenomenon – given that some local residents have special needs it is particularly important that such problems as this should not recur here.

Cropton Park security

John Fareham and John Abbott report that progress is being made with rendering Cropton Park secure outside opening hours.

We contacted the officers about this in connection with various reports of attempted arson. They say that measures have now been put in place to lock the premises – the rugby club will be opening the gates at 7.30 a.m. and locking them at dusk. This is not, perhaps, something which reflects particularly well on the corporate centre’s standards of efficiency, any more than did the delays in setting up the task and finish panel on park security, but we remain grateful to the rugby club for stepping in where officers and park rangers clearly fear to tread.

Sir Leo Schultz plaque unveiling

John Fareham and John Abbott report that a blue plaque in memory of the late Sir Leo Schultz, with the kind permission of the new owners, was formally unveiled at no. 6 Newland Park on Thursday 11^th October at 9.30 a.m.

Whatever party political view one took time of Sir Leo – and he was a controversial figure in some quarters – he served the city long and faithfully and deserves recognition such as this, however belated it may be relative to his lifespan.   I am very grateful to the new owners who agreed at my request to  put it up. The unveiling took place at 9.30 a.m. with the Lord Mayor and former colleagues of Sir Leo amongst those invited. There was then a reception at the Goodfellowship public house at 10 a.m. at which light refreshments were available, and any local resident who wished to attend was also welcome to do so, either the event or the reception or both.

Commonwealth Homes lighting

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured the repair of Commonwealth Homes external lighting.

We received complaints during our pioneering and trail-blazing mobile forum to the effect that the lights were not working. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who have since informed us not only that the repairs have been carried out but that they were actually done on the same day after we and the bus on which we held the forum had moved on to other parts of the ward. This is an excellent example of why our mobile forum is effective –both our current officer who comes with us and her long serving and distinguished predecessor were quick to refer matters of such obvious concern as this to the people who can get things done

Hotham Road North speeding

John Fareham and John Abbott are working with the Police to resolve problems with speeding on Hotham Road North.

We have received complaints from local residents to the effect that some motorists are using Hotham Road North as a rat run and exceeding the speed limit as they do so.  We have therefore referred the matter to the Police who say that, if there is a portable speed camera available for use, they will be happy to bring it here and see if they can secure evidence against someone speeding. For legal reasons, if speed camera readings are to be used in court, the camera must first be calibrated to ensure its readings are accurate, but if that is not possible one can least be used to check that a problem does indeed exist.

Rail halt latest

John Fareham and John Abbott continue to campaign for a Bricknell rail halt adjacent to the railway footbridge.

We have set out the case for a rail halt – in particular the need for public transport between here and the city centre in the evenings and at weekends – to Network Rail, the Office of Rail and Road and to the local rail operators. Some of the objections we have been faced with in the past –such as figures plucked out of thin air purporting to represent the cost of building a rail halt or allegations that stopping to pick up a few passengers would ruin the punctuality of the whole service – were, in our view, nonsense and we have said so. The Council will soon be in need of revising its transport strategy and we both think it will be good if we can gain ground on this issue before that process begins.

Hotham Road North buses

John Fareham and John Abbott have used the venue of full Council to press for progress on the issue of Stagecoach bus services continuing to pass via Hotham Road North.

Between us we gave a full explanation both of the constitutional and procedural goings-on on this issue and the basic reasons in terms of the needs of the travelling public and the benefits to both residents of Bricknell Estate and the far end of Bricknell Avenue of making the changes that we, local residents, and Stagecoach have all made it abundantly clear that we want. The ruling group, before anybody else had had the chance to express an opinion for or against, moved that the matter be referred to Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for passing on to the relevant scrutiny committee.  We were tolerably content with their assurance that this would enable the matter to be discussed in more detail than would be practicable in the Council chamber and will report back when we know where the matter is going and what comes of the discussions.

Scholars Drive MUGA funding

John Fareham and John Abbott report that funding will soon be in place from Hull City Council to meet its share of the cost of the multi-use games area at the University.

We have received confirmation from the officers that the Council’s share of the funding is on its way to the University.  This means that Scholars Drive residents will be entitled to free use of the MUGA and that residents within one kilometre of Scholars Drive will be able to use it too, not free but at a discounted rate. This means that the day when residents can actually enter the premises and make use of them is gradually getting closer. We will of course pass on any further developments to local residents as soon as we have details of them.