Agenda item

To receive and consider any petitions for which notice has been provided, in accordance with Standing Order 66.

Members are asked to note that the following petition is due to be presented at the meeting:

(a)       Opposition to the Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) scheme between Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road.

The supporting details on the petition have been attached, for reference.

(Members are asked to note this petition was approved for presentation following the original agenda having been published)

(b)       Addressing the nuisance being created by pigeons under the Network Rail Green bridge, Kilburn Station.

(Members are asked to note that presentation of this petition has now been withdrawn from the agenda)

5.1      Experimental Traffic Order Scheme between Kingswood Avenue & Salusbury Road

Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) welcomed Sanjay Nazerali (as lead petitioner) to the meeting who he advised was attending to present a petition regarding the Experimental Traffic Order scheme between Kingswood Avenue & Salusbury Road.

In thanking the Leader of the Council for the opportunity to present the petition, Sanjay Nazerali advised that the representations followed the presentation of a previous petition to Cabinet by Alastair Balfour a year ago which included reference to the ETOs between Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road.  Given the exclusive focus of the current petition on the Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road scheme, he felt this represented Part 2 of the same process, highlighting the similar number of signatures within the current petition as evidence that the issues had not disappeared.

In outlining the concerns being raised, Mr Nazerali advised that the ETOs between Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road had created deep division within the local community, resulting in what petitioners saw as a two-tier ward whereby the relief enjoyed by the few as a result of the ETOs corresponded with equal levels of nuisance for their neighbours, reflecting not just an issue related to traffic but also on wider community cohesion.  As such, it was not felt the Council had listened to the concerns being raised, with concern expressed that the most recent report published relating to Queens Park Healthy Neighbourhoods had stated the 1,400 signatories to the previous petition ‘welcomed the scheme’, which he confirmed was not factually accurate. As a result of those comments, residents had made a formal complaint seeking amendment to the report with further concerns raised from a governance perspective around the process followed in relation to the investigation of that complaint involving the officer who had prepared the original report.

Concern was also expressed at the process of engagement with local ward councillors in Queens Park given what the petitioners felt to have been a lack of response when they queried them about the representation of constituents’ views in the report, which had subsequently been escalated to the Leader of the Council.  Given the number of signatures across both petitions which had now been presented to Cabinet, concerns were also highlighted at the view expressed by one local councillor that the sentiment being expressed in opposition to the scheme was only held by a small group of residents.

In summarising the impact of the ETO scheme on the community, Mr Nazerali felt that it represented a socially regressive policy that had caused division in the community and eroded trust in the Council’s commitment to transparency.  As a way forward, given the strength of feeling represented by the number of signatures across both petitions which had been presented to Cabinet, he advised the petitioners were calling on the Council to cancel what was felt to be the divisive and unfair ETO scheme between Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road and to develop a more holistic solution that would benefit the many rather than a few in a way that would restore trust in the Council.

In response, Councillor Krupa Sheth (as Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Enforcement) thanked Sanjay Nazerali and others for attending Cabinet to ensure the views of residents in Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road and the surrounding area were represented. In noting the content of the petition and presentation, Councillor Krupa Sheth assured the petitioners that the Council welcomed all feedback and felt it important to highlight the extensive engagement from the community on the scheme, including 575 emails.  This had generated wide ranging feedback with strong views expressed for all options with residents raising objections as well as expressing support for the scheme and its principles.  In seeking a way forward, the petitioners were advised that all feedback would be considered alongside evidence-based traffic monitoring data such as traffic surveys, air quality results and the impact of other planned improvements, in order for the Council to develop a well-balanced and evidence-based recommendation, working with both local residents and councillors to ensure the best outcomes for Queens Park.

The Leader then invited Councillor Nerva to speak (as a local Queens Park ward councillor) who highlighted the challenge of managing traffic in inner city areas. Whilst recognising the nature of ETOs as experimental he was keen to ensure that a final way forward and recommendation on the future of the ETO scheme in Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road was reached as soon as possible.  The opportunity was also taken to welcome the funding secured for a traffic study on the area to the west of Chamberlayne Road, which he felt would also provide important insights as to the impact of traffic in the area. In concluding his response, he highlighted the balance local councillors were required to strike between listening to residents and their expectations in one area with a wider area and was pleased to note the commitment made to the use of an evidence-based process to ensure an informed decision could be reached on the future of any scheme affecting Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road.

As a final contribution and in summing up, Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) also took the opportunity to thank Sanjay Nazerali and the other residents present for attending the meeting to present the petition.  Whilst recognising the impact of the scheme on the local community and views expressed within the petition, the opportunity was taken to once again assure the petitioners of the commitment made by the Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Enforcement to ensure a fair and evidence-based approach was taken in relation to any final decision on the future of the scheme.

5.2   Addressing the mess and nuisance being caused by pigeons under the Network Rail Green Bridge, Kilburn Station

Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) advised that following consultation with the lead petitioner, the petition had been withdrawn from presentation to Cabinet.