Shrewsbury & Atcham
Borough Council

Decision Number and Matter

The Mayor (Councillor Evans)

Minute 45/06 – Traffic and Transport Proposals for the Town Centre – Personal interest in that he was a member of the County Council’s Transport Innovation Fund Working Party.

Minute 45/06 – Traffic and Transport Proposals for the Town Centre - Personal interest in that he was a member of the Shrewsbury Transport Partnership.

Councillor Moore

Minute 45/06 – Traffic and Transport Proposals for the Town Centre – Personal and Prejudicial interest in that he was an employee of the Royal Mail and the Shrewsbury Sorting Office was being looked at as a possible site from which the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury could operate. He left the room and took no part in the consideration of or voting on the issue.

Councillor Tandy

Minute 45/06 – Traffic and Transport Proposals for the Town Centre – Personal and Prejudicial interest in that he was an employee of the Royal Mail and the Shrewsbury Sorting Office was being looked at as a possible site from which the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury could operate. He left the room and took no part in the consideration of or voting on the issue.

Agenda Item

Minute/Action

45/06

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT PROPOSALS FOR THE TOWN CENTRE

Following a walking tour of the town centre consideration was given to traffic and transport proposals for the town centre.

Mr Neil Spence addressed the Committee on the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury as the solution to future transport arrangements for the town centre. Mr Spence advised members that in order to improve both the environment and the transportation infrastructure within the town centre it was essential that an innovative transport system was introduced.

The 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury was based on terminal points for buses and cars in the areas of English Bridge, Welsh Bridge and the Railway Station, with pedestrianisation of High Street and a hopper bus service linking the 3 terminal points.

Mr Spence indicated that he wished the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury to be adopted by the Borough Council as the future access plan for the town and for discussions to be held with the County Council on it being a feasible option.

Members were informed that there was the opportunity of £100 million funding available through the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund. 7 local authority’s, of which Shropshire County Council was one, had secured pump priming moneys to prepare bids. Shropshire County Council were required to submit its bid by June 2007 which meant that timescales were extremely tight.

Members were advised that where similar schemes had been implemented in other city centres, a marked increase in visitor numbers had been experienced with the schemes proving a great success.

A Member requested that the Council consider the reinstatement of the County and Borough Councils’ Transport Liaison Group for the County and Borough Council’s to work more closely together on highway matters such as the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury. The Senior Committee Services Officer advised the Committee that Council had implemented alternative arrangements for liaison on highway and transport issues through the respective transport portfolio holders from each authority.

The Committee agreed that in the first instance it should obtain first hand experience of similar schemes and it would be beneficial to visit York and Worcester where such schemes had already been implemented. Members also felt it would be beneficial to ensure that all political groups from the Borough Council were represented on the visits and the Portfolio Holder for transport at the County Council and other leading County Councillors be invited to joint the Committee.

The Chairman summarised that in taking the matter forward the Committee needed to:

• Identify the issues which needed to be taken on board in order to influence the Borough Council’s future Planning Policies;
• Establish precise terms of reference for what the Committee expect to achieve from the County and Borough Council’s Transport Liaison Group; and
• Identify how best to present recommendations on the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury to Cabinet and Council.

The Committee’s aim was for the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury to be seriously evaluated and for it to be determined or not as the solution to access for Shrewsbury.

The Committee thanked Mr Spence for his input into the evening’s discussions.

That with a view to making recommendations to Cabinet in November 2006 in regards to the 3 point Access Plan for Shrewsbury arrangements be made for the Committee to view the transport system in operation in York accompanied by relevant officers from York City Council.

Committee Services Officer