Agenda item

Show and Tell - Environment Directorate

Meeting of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Tuesday 10 July 2018 6.45 pm (Item 8.)

Graeme Kane, Executive Director Environment.

Committee will receive two updates from the Environment Directorate:

1. An update on the Air Quality Action Plan from Trevor Dixon, Environmental Protection Manager, and Victoria Fletcher of Oxfordshire County Council Highways (report attached)

2. Ed Potter will give a short presentation on the work of the Environmental Services department ‘Keeping the District Clean’

Decision:

Resolved

(1) That the Keeping the District Clean presentation be noted

(2) That the Air Quality Update be noted

(3) That the following items/issues be discussed with relevant officers with a view to more detailed consideration at future meetings of the Committee:

a. Update on Travellers across the district

b. Communications Strategy in relation to the Air Quality Management Plan

c. Further details regarding the number of planning conditions relating to the infrastructure for home charging points for electric vehicles in new build properties

d. How air quality is considered during the planning process

e. Consideration of the emissions plan for HS2, and inviting HS2 representatives to address the Committee on this matter

f. Request Executive to look at the feasibility of a Community Travel Planner for Banbury and Kidlington as well as Bicester

Minutes:

The Executive Director – Environment gave a brief overview of the Environment directorate, and introduced the Assistant Director – Environmental Services who gave a brief presentation on the work of the Environmental Services team, which concentrated on the work it does in keeping the district clean.

The presentation covered: Overall Strategy; Street Cleansing Team; Vehicle Fleet; Scope of work; Performance; and Enforcement

In response to questions from the Committee, the Assistant Director – Environmental Services explained that any enforcement action taken in relation to flytipping was driven by the quality of evidence. He added that flytips were usually cleared within 24 -48 hours of being reported, but it did depend on the nature of the rubbish that needed removing.

In response to members’ questions regarding the clean ups that took place after traveller encampments had moved on, the Assistant Director – Environmental Services explained that the involvement of the team depended on who the landowner was. If it were private land it was the responsibility of the landowner to clear the site. The Executive Director – Environment suggested that, if the Committee agreed, officers could request an update from the Travellers Unit for submission to a future meeting, to go through processes and procedures in more detail.

The Executive Director – Environment introduced the Cherwell and South Northamptonshire Environmental Protection Manager, and Victoria Fletcher of Oxfordshire County Council Highways, who gave an update on the Air Quality Action Plan.

The Environmental Protection Manager explained that where levels of Nitrogen Dioxide exceeded recommended levels, an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) had to be declared. There were currently four AQMA’s across the district, two in Banbury, one in Bicester and one in Kidlington.

The AQMA was reviewed every year, with actions being updated as required. The location of the diffusion tubes which collected the data was also kept under review.

The Committee commented that the health impact of poor air quality was an issue that was being raised more often in some of the AQMAs, and asked if it would be possible for officers to discuss with the Communications Team a Communications Strategy, in order to reassure residents that action was being taken.

The Environmental Protection Managed explained that with the increasing interest around electric vehicles, the department had started to request that conditions be applied to planning permissions for new homes that required infrastructure for at home charging points to be included in the build. This would then allow subsequent residents the capability to charge vehicles more easily. The Committee requested that further information regarding the number of such conditions applied, and consideration of Air Quality in the planning process as a whole, be submitted to a future meeting.

The Committee expressed concern that the work on the AQMA could be affected by construction of HS2, as Hennef Way in Banbury had been identified as a route for construction traffic. The Executive Director – Environment said that there would be an impact, but suggested that the Committee may wish to invite representatives from HS2 to a future meeting of the Committee to discuss the emissions plan for development.

With regards to the Bicester specific measures in the Air Quality Action Plan, the Committee asked if it was possible for the role of Community Travel Planner to be extended to cover Banbury and Kidlington. Victoria Fletcher explained that a Bicester specific role had been created due to the amount of growth that was taking place in the town, and the Assistant Director – Law and Governance suggested that the Committee could ask the Executive to look at the feasibility of a similar role for Banbury and Kidlington.

The Committee thanked the officers for their attendance and informative presentations.