Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 111 e-signatures which is being supported by Councillor R Bailey, a Cheylesmore Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 111 e-signatures which was supported by Councillor R Bailey, a Cheylesmore Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting along with Mrs Hazel Hill, the petition organiser and they spoke on behalf of the petitioners. The petitioners were requesting that the City Council landscape the land at Whitley Common and the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Bridge over the A444.

The report indicated that the petition was referring to two areas of land, the first being an area of land on Whitley Common which had been used by Costain under an agreement as a temporary depot. The second area of land included a number of slip road verge embankments on the A444 constructed as part of the JLR bridge construction. Planning approval for the scheme at Whitley junction was approved in February, 2014 and included a condition regarding landscaping. Following completion of the main works, the site was handed back to the City Council in July 2015. The Council committed to ensuring that the landscaping scheme was undertaken and the remedial works to site compound area were executed. The Council pursued Costain to carry out the works which never transpired. Both parties later entered into a contractual dispute over a large number of items which took over six months to resolve.

In March 2017 a Settlement Agreement was entered into which removed the requirement of Costain to complete the landscaping works which would now be undertaken by the City Council. Unfortunately the planting season which ran from October to March had just ended. It was agreed that the landscaping scheme along the A444 involving over 2,600 trees and 1,500 ground cover shrubs would be undertaken during the following planting season. In addition the grounds maintenance of the A444 verge areas was also handed back to the Council and some tractor failing was carried out to maintain site lines.

The Cabinet Member was informed that preparation works to prepare the steep banks for planting had been undertaken during December 2017. The remaining verge areas were to be cut using a tractor mounted flail. The planting of the trees and shrubs would be undertaken between January and March 2018.

It was proposed that the area of land on Whitley Common was to be cultivated and planted with wild flowers. Preparation works started in December with wild flower seeding being planned to take place in April and early May 2018.

Hazel Hill expressed support for the proposed works then provided a detailed timeline for all her dealings with the City Council over the previous two years which had led her to write to her local MP, Jim Cunningham. She outlined her concerns about a number of issues including receiving no responses to e-mail enquiries and, on a few occasions, being told that works would be undertaken only for nothing to happen. Councillor Bailey detailed his concerns about the frustrating situation and the lack of communication with the petition organiser.

Councillor Innes, Cabinet Member apologised for the delays in the works being undertaken and for the personal upset caused to Hazel Hill but clarified that the delays had been caused by the complicated contractual issues with Costain. She indicated that information regarding start dates had been passed on in good faith.

Councillor Sawdon, Shadow Cabinet Member, and Councillor Lakha, Deputy Cabinet Member expressed concerns about the lack of responses to e-mails from the petition organiser. Councillor Sawdon asked whether Costain had been removed from the Council’s list of contractors and the Cabinet Member indicated that this would be investigated.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The work that has recently been undertaken to control vegetation growth on the A444 slip road verges be noted.

(2) The landscaping works proposed to be undertaken on the A444 slip road verges and the time scales for undertaking these works be noted.

(3) The proposed landscape renovation works to be undertaken on Whitley Common and the time scales for undertaking these works be noted.