Issue - meetings

To receive and consider the report of the Director of Planning and Development.

The Committee welcomed Zoe Whiteside, Service Lead for Spatial Planning, who provided a monitoring update on Sustainable Public Transport.

21 recommendations were made by the Task Group. In the report, there was a table detailing the update for each recommendation. It was acknowledged that Covid-19 had impacted the progress of some updates.

Key points taken from the report include:

-       Canal and Rivers Trust had progressed with work since the publication of the report with meetings arranged to improve certain tow paths in Chorley, which included bridge 74 and 85a.

-       Methods of funding had been explored, with options included the strategic Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), but the Council would not fully fund projects and expected funds to be matched.

-       The Council had engaged positively with Andrew Varley, Public Transport Manager at Lancashire County Council and was consulting with the bus strategy on behalf of the Council, a further update expected with the next Monitoring Report.

-       In preparation for the County Council’s new Highway’s Master Plan, expected Spring 2022, Chorley’s preparation was further ahead than both South Ribble and Preston.

-       The Covid-19 pandemic impacted public transport and other methods of transport such as Dial a Ride.

-       The Local Plan due to be published Summer 2022, but dependent on evidence gathering and site work assessments.

-       The Cycling task group stalled due to lack of response from Members.

Councillor Kim Snape, as Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Task Group: Sustainable Public Transport, praised the work of Alison Marland and Zoe Whiteside. She raised that for recommendations 12 and 13, it was positively acknowledged that a relationship had been formed with the County Council although the Task Group wanted the Council to be proactive, rather than reactive and wait for the consultation to have been completed. She adding that Adlington lacked trains, and the options put forward would impact the service to the station. There was also confusion as an email was received from the County Council claiming to be unaware of Coppull’s rail development aspirations.

Zoe Whiteside informed the Committee of her surprise about the email, as Coppull was mentioned by the County Council representative and was happy to write on behalf of the Task Group of the concerns raised, and noted that Coppull Station was in the third round of the Department of Transport Restoring Railways Fund, but there were 89 other stations that had bid for funding.

Councillors raised that there were worse tow paths than the ones raised, including 73, 75 and 78. It was agreed for an appeal to appear on both ‘In the Know’ and ‘In the Boro’ for feedback relating to towpaths in need of repair or upgrading.

Decision: The Monitoring Report was noted.