Agenda item

To consider the outcomes of initial engagement and approve public consultation on proposals during 2018.

The Joint Assembly considered the report which provided an update on the progress of the creation of a network of Greenways and set out a programme designed to deliver short term improvements to the Greenways network.

Joint Assembly members indicated their broad support for the Greenways initiative. Whilst supporting the initiative however, concerns were raised regarding the maintenance of Greenways and the importance of schemes coming forward with a maintenance plan was highlighted. 

Wendy Blythe was invited to ask her public question, the details of which and a summary of the response given are provided in Appendix A to the minutes.

Councillor Rod Cantrill was invited to address the Joint Assembly. In response to Councillor Cantrill’s concerns regarding respect of the existing streetscape, Councillor Cantrill was assured that the Greater Cambridge Partnership was committed to there being no removal of verge trees on Barton Road.

Mike Davies presented the report which provided an update on the progress of the creation of a network of Greenways and the key issues. Funding had been allocated over a two year period to develop 12 Greenways. A bottom up approach was being used in order to maximise buy-in. 25 public events had been held to inform the routes for public consultation. Barton and Haslingfield would be the first route for consultation. Assurance was provided that there were no proposals to remove cobbles or historic features.

Joint Assembly members discussed the report and raised the following points:

·         Councillor Kavanagh welcomed the Greenways initiative. He welcomed the reference to The Tins path route and bridge on this route, highlighting that the bridge had been a significant danger to cyclists and pedestrians particularly in freezing conditions. A possible new bridge was welcomed.

·         Councillor Williams raised the maintenance of greenways as an issue. The path at the back of Fulbourn Tesco was given as an example where low hanging trees and undergrowth coming from Network Rail’s side of the fence, had made the path virtually impossible to negotiate. Councillor Williams highlighted that it had been very challenging trying to get Network Rail to do anything about this. Councillor Williams highlighted that there was no money in the budget to maintain routes and asked that it was ensured that budget was assigned to the maintenance of greenways and suggested that a maintenance plan was needed.

·         Councillor Williams requested that a safe crossing at Yarrow Road and the roundabout be ensured, as there were no safety facilities for cycling here and it was dangerous for cyclists to negotiate the roundabout. Officers provided assurance that this would be looked at.

·         Councillor Williams suggested that a decent cycle route from Cherry Hinton North to the greenway was needed. In response to this, officers advised that Section 106 negotiations regarding Cherry Hinton were underway, covering cycleways and greenways.

·         Councillor Topping queried whether the GCP was confident that cycle paths would not need to be widened in future, as this would raise issues with budget and land ownership. In response to this officers advised that path width was a matter for public consultation. It was likely that there would be a 3.5m wide tarmac path with a green strip alongside for horse riders and ramblers.

·         Councillor Topping welcomed safe cycleways linking villages, which were needed in order to encourage mode shift.

·         Councillor Sollom welcomed the public engagement that had taken place with villages regarding the Barton/Haslingfield greenway, however pointed out that Grantchester had not felt sufficiently involved. Villages in between routes needed to be engaged with. Councillor Sollom highlighted that a connection to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus via the greenway was also needed. Councillor Sollom suggested that Comberton and Barton would be well served by the link to Trumpington in order to access the Biomedical Campus and asked if this could be considered in future phases.

·         Councillor Wilson raised flooding of the St Ives Greenway and queried the action taken to mitigate this. Officers advised that the Busway had been prone to flooding and the issue was recognised.

·         Dr Wells pointed out that the quick wins map showed that infrastructure was being built that was not on the master plan.

·         Councillor Bick expressed concern on behalf of Cambridge Past Present and Future, regarding minimal consultation taking place on quick win schemes. Cambridge Past Present and Future requested assurance that paths could not be widened without a planning application.

·         Andy Williams suggested that more thought was needed regarding short term journey interconnectivity and the interconnectivity with travel hubs. The Joint Assembly was informed that AstraZeneca sponsored additional cuts of the greenways that its employees used, with other cuts carried out by local rangers led by Councillor Susan van de Ven. The need for greenways maintenance plans coming forward was re-iterated.

In response to the points raised, Mike Davies informed Joint Assembly members that:

·         The Gough Way link could be included in the Comberton Greenway link, options for which were being formulated.

·         The Tins Path bridge was owned by Network Rail; initial discussions with Network Rail had taken place.

·         Maintenance of greenways was one of the project workstreams. It was recognised that this was an important element of the project. Commuted sums were being looked at for this and local ranger networks were being encouraged. Any sponsorship activities would be welcomed.

·         S106 negotiations were underway for Cherry Hinton North.

·         Path width would be looked at during public consultation.

·         A 3.5m wide tarmac path with a grassy strip running alongside it for walkers and horse riders, was being considered for the Waterbeach Greenway.

·         There was scope to suggest other routes as part of the public consultation.

·         A consultation event had not been held in Cottenham.

·         Flooding of the Busway was recognised as an issue, however addressing this was complex in relation to the Environment Agency.

Joint Assembly members indicated their broad support for the Greenways initiative.