Agenda and minutes

There were none

All Members are required to disclose at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter, any disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest in any item(s) being considered at this meeting.  

There were none

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 8 September 2021 be signed as a true and correct record.

(NOTE: The Board is required to receive a deputation(s) on a matter which is before the meeting of the Board provided that notice of the intended deputation and its object shall have been received by the Borough Solicitor by 12 noon on Monday 1^st November 2021.  The total time for deputations in favour and against a proposal shall not exceed 10 minutes).

A deputation was received on the following item:

7. Beach Road Car Park

(NOTE: The Board is required to allow a total of 15 minutes for questions from Members of the public on matters within the terms of reference of the Board provided that notice of such Question(s) shall have been submitted to the Borough Solicitor by 12 noon on Monday 1^st November 2021).

There were none

To seek approval for the adoption of the Commemorative Bench Seat Policy.

The overall objective of the policy is to adopt a consistent approach to the management of the commemorative bench seats in the borough and introduce a structured maintenance process funded through ongoing lease periods.

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Streetscene regarding the Commemorative Bench Seat Policy.

Officers advised the Board how many benches were in situ, vacant, and how many were on the waiting list for each area, and agreed to update Members on the length of time people have been waiting.

Officers advised that the damaged benches removed from Grove Park would be replaced within the current financial year, subject to budgets.

Members welcomed the policy as a way to manage waiting lists in the popular areas.

RESOLVED: That the Board approved the Commemorative Bench Seat Policy and provided delegated authority to the Head of Streetscene to:

I.              Cease the provision of bench seats where sites are deemed exhausted or unsuitable.

II.            Determine fees based on supply, installation and maintenance costs each financial year.

III.           Agree that the provision of income for maintenance purposes is transferred on an annual basis.

IV.          Manage the service provision in accordance with the policy.

To update the Board on the progress of the predetermined actions and the Community Trigger Action Plan for Beach Road Car Park. To obtain Board approval for the aforementioned actions yet to be completed and facilitate their implementation. To obtain a strategic decision on the locking of the car park due to the serious consequences involved.

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Streetscene regarding the Beach Road Car Park.

The Board were advised there were no updates.

Mr White was invited to address the Board. He advised that the vast majority of Lee on the Solent residents chose to live there for its safe and low key resort atmosphere, and felt that the there was an element who take over the car park at night who were oblivious to people’s right to live in peace.

He felt that the car park was unsafe at night with accidents waiting to happen.

Mr. White said that assurances had been given in 2019 that the Policy & Organisation Board had approved the recruitment of additioanl officers to cover the locking of the car park and questioned why those assurances had not been honoured.

He advised that the closing of the car park previously during construction of the Splashpark, and during lockdown had provided respite from the problem.

Mr. White said that there had been incidents of air rifles being used to target properties but noted that these were not mentioned in the report.

Mr. White felt that the current CCTV provision was not fit for purpose, and that victims felt obliged to provide their own video footage. He also felt that noise monitoringdevices needed to be deployed in the car park, not just in in houses.

He felt that closing the toilets but not the car park was nonsense

Mr. White suggested that the 1.5m hedge proposed would not stop cars shining their headlights into the flats and wild grass or a bank would be more effective.

In conclusion, he advised that the MP and Police supported the closure of the car park, which in his opinion was the only way to make it safe.

In response to a Member’s question, Mr. White clarified that he was representing the AVAG-BRCP Action Group, not the Lee on the Solent Residents Association.

In response to a Member’s question Mr. White stated that although key personnel were not present at the Community Trigger meeting on 22 June 2021, members of the Action Group agreed to proceed with it.

In answer to a Members’ question Mr. White advised that it was not strictly true that residents had declined the use of noise monitoring equipment in their home, but had requested similar equipment be placed in the car park to correctly identify the vehicle playing the music.

Members wondered if the offered demonstration of noise monitoring equipment had taken place and how evidence of breach of noise would give substance to the complaints.

In response to a Member’s question, Mr. White advised that there had been 29 101 reports during October 2021 an increase on the previous October.

There were no further questions from Members to Mr.White

Members were advised by Officers that there had been over 100 complaints, but it was not possible to determine how many of the 200 residents had made complaints as many were left anonymously.

Officers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104.