Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Economy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 14th January, 2025 10.00 am

Venue: Council Antechamber, Level 2, Town Hall Extension. View directions

Contact: Rachel McKeon 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 113 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 3 December 2024.

Minutes:

Decision

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 December 2024 be approved as a correct record.

2.

Improving Journeys Engagement Outcomes pdf icon PDF 4 MB

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development)

 

The Improving Journeys programme, funded by the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), aims to improve bus, active travel, and street infrastructure in Manchester. With a budget of £74 million, the programme will address barriers to bus travel such as journey time, reliability, comfort, and safety and access to and from surrounding neighbourhoods. An engagement exercise conducted from 23 September to 20 October 2024 gathered feedback from residents and businesses through surveys and in-person events. The survey received 1,819 responses, highlighting the need for more frequent and reliable buses, safer walking and cycling infrastructure, and better parking options for cars. The feedback will inform the development of the programme, ensuring it meets the needs of the community.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) which provided information on the engagement undertaken for the Improving Journeys programme.

 

Key points and themes within the report included:

 

  • Methodology in relation to:
    • Response methods;
    • Promotion; and
    • In-person events;
  • Reach;
  • Responses broken down by mode of transport; and
  • Location-specific responses.

 

The Strategic Director (Growth and Development) informed Members that the draft City Centre Movement Plan would be brought to the Committee within the next few months.

 

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

 

  • The travel experiences of people living outside of the city centre including:
    • Challenges pedestrians faced, such as pavement obstructions, poor quality and icy pavements and being soaked by cars driving through water; and
    • The need for orbital bus services, in addition to bus services into the city centre;
  • Passenger safety on public transport;
  • Survey responses and further consultation;
  • Recognising the links between the different strategies on the meeting’s agenda; and
  • The opportunities presented by bringing buses back under public control.

 

In response to Members’ comments, the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport informed the Committee that the local Bee Network Committee was being set up, which would enable Manchester Councillors to feed into the wider network.  Members welcomed the opportunity to engage in this work, in order to reflect the needs and experiences of residents across all wards.  The Executive Member advised that there was already a commitment to improving, as well as decluttering, pavements and she recognised the importance of supporting active travel.  She outlined some of the initiatives to improve passenger safety, including the Strut Safe app, increasing the number of TravelSafe Officers and making it easier to contact Greater Manchester Police (GMP) through the Bee Network app.  In response to a Member’s comments, she recognised the importance of reaching all communities, using previous learning and Ward Councillors’ local knowledge.

 

The Strategic Director (Growth and Development) clarified that the Improving Journeys programme encompassed journeys across Manchester and Greater Manchester, not only the city centre.  In response to a Member’s comments, she explained how the Strategic Oversight Board would ensure that the strategies being considered at today’s meeting were aligned with one another.

 

The Chair requested that, when the Committee next received a report on Improving Journeys, it include a diagram of all the relevant strategies and who was responsible for them.

 

Anthony Murden from TfGM confirmed that there had been a good response to the autumn 2024 engagement exercise from a diverse range of communities.  He outlined the plans for the next consultation, which would inform the public how the feedback from the previous engagement exercise had been used to shape proposals, present those proposals and invite further feedback to further shape the proposals.  In response to a question from the Chair, he confirmed that data from previous consultation and engagement exercises had been considered.  He informed Members that network review processes were underway in areas that were part of tranche one of bus franchising (Wigan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

Road Safety Strategy pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Report of the Head of Network Management

 

This report sets out the Council’s approach to Road Safety, focussing on Manchester City Council’s new draft Road Safety Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Head of Network Management which set out the Council’s approach to Road Safety, focussing on Manchester City Council’s new draft Road Safety Strategy.

 

Key points and themes within the report included:

 

  • Background information, including data on collisions in the city;
  • The Safe System approach;
  • Completed Road Safety projects; and
  • Evolving future plans.

 

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

 

  • Ensuring the hierarchy of road users was fully reflected in the Strategy;
  • Concern that increasing numbers of pedestrians and cyclists were being killed or seriously injured and that reducing this should be an objective in the Strategy, noting the equality and environmental implications of this;
  • The reliability of the road collision data, noting that many collisions were not reported and whether data could be obtained from other sources, such as insurance companies;
  • The importance of identifying near-misses, noting the intelligence that could be provided by local residents or Ward Councillors;
  • Whether School Streets would be extended to all schools;
  • Addressing pavement parking;
  • Moving Traffic Offences;
  • Requesting a breakdown by ward of the collision data in the table at 2.2 in the report;
  • That the commitment to investigating collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists which resulted in death or serious injury should be strengthened;
  • The importance of good maintenance of lane markings and signage;
  • Ensuring that the location of pedestrian crossings met people’s needs; and
  • That the Strategy should take into account the different road safety environment at night.

 

The Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport acknowledged the Member’s point about the hierarchy of road users and stated that she would look into this.  She advised that School Streets were not appropriate in all locations but explained that this initiative was part of a broader suite of measures to improve road safety, including 20 mph speed limits on local roads and bringing about behaviour change.  

 

In response to a Member’s question, the Director of Highways clarified that this was the first version of the Strategy, that it would be periodically reviewed and that Members’ comments would be taken into consideration.  He acknowledged a Member’s point that road collision data would not capture all collisions and advised that other information, such as information from Highways Maintenance on minor damage to guard rails, could be used to build up a fuller picture.  He recognised a point from the Chair about the location of road crossings, while highlighting the challenges of balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and cars.  In response to comments from the Chair about innovations in road safety, he advised that local authorities in this country were reluctant to use measures which were not approved by the Department for Transport (DfT) due to the risk of claims being made against them but that the Council, along with TfGM, had introduced some innovations such as the floating bus stops on Oxford Road.  In response to comments about near-misses, he advised that a technological solution might be required, for example, using Artificial  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Approach to Parking Management pdf icon PDF 98 KB

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

 

Large areas of street space and land within the city centre are currently used for private car parking. The amount of parking available is surplus to current and forecast future demand, offering an opportunity to make public realm improvements and implement improved walking and cycling facilities through a gradual reduction of total parking supply. Modelling and analysis is underway to better understand the extent of the parking supply surplus, how this space could be re-allocated for other uses that benefit residents while supporting local businesses, and to develop a strategic approach to parking management particularly in the city centre.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) which provided an overview of issues relating to surplus parking provision, kerbside space management and pavement parking, and the development of a Parking Strategy

 

Key points and themes within the report included:

 

  • Background information;
  • Understanding current parking supply and estimated demand; and
  • Creating a Parking Strategy.

 

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

 

  • To welcome the development of a Parking Strategy which aimed to align with the Council’s strategic aims and the transport strategy for the city centre;
  • Noting that the report focused on the city centre and raising issues affecting wards neighbouring the city centre, in particular:
    • That there might be surplus parking in the city centre because commuters were choosing to park for free in wards neighbouring the city centre, rather than paying for city centre parking, creating problems in these areas; and
    • that planning permission was being granted for new housing developments in these areas without taking into account the parking implications;
  • The methodology for determining that parking in the city centre might be under-utilised;
  • The role of Parking Officers and how they interacted with the public;
  • Households which owned cars but did not have off-street parking or did not have sufficient off-street space for the number of cars they owned;
  • Pavement parking;
  • The importance of reducing car use in the city centre;
  • The need to consider the placement of city centre car parks, for example, in relation to major roads and the free city centre bus routes; and
  • The need to consider loading and unloading spaces for deliveries, as well as cycle parking facilities.

 

The City Centre Transport Lead outlined the data sources used in calculating the parking surplus, advising that some of the data was from 2019 and some was more recent, and he clarified that it was based on an average across the year.  He reported that further work was now taking place looking at variances across events and different times of the year, as well as on obtaining more accurate data on usage now that this was settling down, post-pandemic.  He advised that the city centre was the area where this data was currently available but work was taking place to gather data on parking across the city, noting that the issues in other areas would be different to the city centre and that the Strategy would also need to address these, with the approach varying depending on local circumstances.  He advised that this could include measures such as improved integration with public transport and park and ride facilities.  In response to the point raised about new housing developments without parking provision, he advised that this was being looked at as part of the refresh of the Local Plan and that his team was pushing for transport to be considered at an earlier stage of new developments.  He advised that the Parking Strategy would incorporate both behaviour change and enforcement, where needed.  He highlighted that off-street car parking included  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Strategic Transport Update - Rail pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure

 

This report provides Members with a strategic update on rail infrastructure developments and long-term rail plans. It highlights progress on key programmes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the Manchester and North West Transformational Programme (MNTP), and ongoing challenges resulting from the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2.

 

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure which provided a strategic update on rail infrastructure developments and long-term rail plans. It highlighted progress on key programmes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the Manchester and North West Transformational Programme (MNTP), and ongoing challenges resulting from the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2.

 

Key points and themes within the report included:

 

  • HS2 and future rail connectivity;
  • Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Liverpool to Manchester Railway;
  • Manchester and North West Transformation Programme (MNTP);
  • Oxford Road Station remodelling and the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF);
  • Rail devolution in Manchester;
  • Developing a strategic long-term rail plan for Manchester; and
  • Priorities for Manchester.

 

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

 

  • To welcome and support the priorities set out in the report;
  • Capacity issues on the network;
  • Plans for Oxford Road Station;
  • Timescales for improvements;
  • The importance of a good railway service for the economy and the environment;
  • The importance of step-free access;
  • How the Council’s role on the Railway Board was being used to influence the Department for Transport (DfT) and secure improvements for Manchester’s rail infrastructure and services;
  • Victoria Station, including improving the commuter experience, accessibility and air quality;
  • The closure of Deansgate Station during the Christmas Markets:
  • The Avanti West Coast Sunday strike action and its impact on weekend visitors and Manchester’s economy; and
  • Proposals for additional platforms adjacent to platform 1 at Manchester Piccadilly.

 

Simon Elliot from TfGM outlined the importance of Oxford Road Station due to both its location at the core of the Castlefield Corridor and capacity issues related to the station itself.  He advised that the proposals for the Station were intended to address both the capacity of the station itself and operational capacity through the station.  He acknowledged a Member’s point about the importance of public confidence in the railway, advising that a reliable service was needed so that people did not turn away from using rail and the benefits of investing in improvements were realised.  In response to a Member’s comments, he acknowledged that some improvements would not come to fruition until the 2030s but advised that work was taking place to improve capacity over the next few years, including improvements at Victoria Station and network improvements in north Manchester; however, these shorter-term improvements would only restore capacity to the position it was in in 2019, so more still needed to be done.  He informed Members about the development of a Greater Manchester Vision for the rail network, advising that a report on this was being submitted to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) at the end of January.  He also informed Members about improvements in rolling stock which would potentially be introduced over the next five years, advising that the region had some of the oldest rolling stock in the country and highlighting the environmental benefits of replacing older stock.

 

In response to a Member’s question, the Leader explained that capacity issues related to both capacity for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Overview Report pdf icon PDF 200 KB

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

 

This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.

Minutes: