Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Strategic Director Place.

The Strategic Director for Place introduced the item and the Programme Manager City Wide - Net Zero who presented the report making the following points:

·        the report highlighted the collaborative efforts with partners, especially the university, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the city;

·        there were many initiatives including sustainable travel and biodiversity;

·        the new stakeholder group had been successful with goof attendance and engagements from the public sector, businesses and community groups and there was a desire and enthusiasm to work together;

·        priorities had been identified in March and in June it had been agreed to focus on active and sustainable travel and a meeting next week would focus on nature and biodiversity;

·        links would be made with the county nature recovery strategy; and

·        funding from GWR Customer and Community Improvement Fund had enabled a successful project improving signage and way finding to railways stations from the Green Circle.

The Strategic Director for Place and Programme Manager City Wide – Net Zero responded to Members’ question in the following terms:

·        the civic sustainable travel group was led by the university therefore questions regarding their minutes would need to be put to the university

·        Exeter Partnership notes were shared on the council website but no minutes were taken;

·        Phase 1 of the bike hubs project was focused on secure staff bike parking on a variety of council sites and some on council-owned housing;

·        proactive work with others to place bike hubs was in the scope of the project but not in Phase 1 or 2;

·        the planning pre-application service, for which there was a cost, could be utilised for those wishing to put in bike hubs;

·        at present there wasn’t a timescale for this work but a report would go to SMB and the Executive in due course;

·        the new maps made it clear where the railway stations were and there were new maps available as well as maps at the railway stations showing how to get to the Green Circle;

·        a response would be given outside the meeting as to whether the new electric double-decker buses were in service;

·        the net zero team were working closely with the Live and Move team who were on the steering group delivering the Green Circle project;

·        promoting to stakeholders was an important aspect of the project, an article had been included in the Citizen and there would be more activity towards the end of September;

·        the new maps and way finding focused on the Green Circle areas adjacent to the stations of St David’s, Marsh Barton and Polsloe Bridge;

The Chair stated that she had worked with a community group to put in a bike hub and the planning team had been amenable and explained the process.

Councillor Vizard, as Portfolio Holder for Climate, Ecological Change and Communities stated that his report to the committee explained the Phases of the bike hub project and that logistics and potential providers would be part of this work. Devon County Council had a role to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15