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5.1     
Experimental Traffic Order Scheme between Kingswood Avenue &
Salusbury Road
 
Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the
Council) welcomed Sanjay Nazerali (as lead petitioner) to the
meeting who he advised was attending to present a petition
regarding the Experimental Traffic Order scheme between Kingswood
Avenue & Salusbury Road.
 
In thanking the Leader of the Council for the
opportunity to present the petition, Sanjay Nazerali advised that
the representations followed the presentation of a previous
petition to Cabinet by Alastair Balfour a year ago which included
reference to the ETOs between Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury
Road.  Given the exclusive focus of the
current petition on the Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road scheme,
he felt this represented Part 2 of the same process, highlighting
the similar number of signatures within the current petition as
evidence that the issues had not disappeared.
 
In outlining the concerns being raised, Mr
Nazerali advised that the ETOs between Kingswood Avenue and
Salusbury Road had created deep division within the local
community, resulting in what petitioners saw as a two-tier ward
whereby the relief enjoyed by the few as a result of the ETOs
corresponded with equal levels of nuisance for their neighbours,
reflecting not just an issue related to traffic but also on wider
community cohesion.  As such, it was not
felt the Council had listened to the concerns being raised, with
concern expressed that the most recent report published relating to
Queens Park Healthy Neighbourhoods had stated the 1,400 signatories
to the previous petition ‘welcomed the scheme’, which
he confirmed was not factually accurate. As a result of those
comments, residents had made a formal complaint seeking amendment
to the report with further concerns raised from a governance
perspective around the process followed in relation to the
investigation of that complaint involving the officer who had
prepared the original report.
 
Concern was also expressed at the process of
engagement with local ward councillors in Queens Park given what
the petitioners felt to have been a lack of response when they
queried them about the representation of constituents’ views
in the report, which had subsequently been escalated to the Leader
of the Council.  Given the number of
signatures across both petitions which had now been presented to
Cabinet, concerns were also highlighted at the view expressed by
one local councillor that the sentiment being expressed in
opposition to the scheme was only held by a small group of
residents.
 
In summarising the impact of the ETO scheme on
the community, Mr Nazerali felt that it represented a socially
regressive policy that had caused division in the community and
eroded trust in the Council’s commitment to
transparency.  As a way forward, given
the strength of feeling represented by the number of signatures
across both petitions which had been presented to Cabinet, he
advised the petitioners were calling on the Council to cancel what
was felt to be the divisive and unfair ETO scheme between Kingswood
Avenue and Salusbury Road and to develop a more holistic solution
that would benefit the many rather than a few in a way that would
restore trust in the Council.
 
In response, Councillor Krupa Sheth (as
Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Enforcement) thanked Sanjay
Nazerali and others for attending Cabinet to ensure the views of
residents in Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road and the
surrounding area were represented. In noting the content of the
petition and presentation, Councillor Krupa Sheth assured the
petitioners that the Council welcomed all feedback and felt it
important to highlight the extensive engagement from the community
on the scheme, including 575 emails. 
This had generated wide ranging feedback with strong views
expressed for all options with residents raising objections as well
as expressing support for the scheme and its
principles.  In seeking a way forward,
the petitioners were advised that all feedback would be considered
alongside evidence-based traffic monitoring data such as traffic
surveys, air quality results and the impact of other planned
improvements, in order for the Council to develop a well-balanced
and evidence-based recommendation, working with both local
residents and councillors to ensure the best outcomes for Queens
Park.
 
The Leader then invited Councillor Nerva to
speak (as a local Queens Park ward councillor) who highlighted the
challenge of managing traffic in inner city areas. Whilst
recognising the nature of ETOs as experimental he was keen to
ensure that a final way forward and recommendation on the future of
the ETO scheme in Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury Road was reached
as soon as possible.  The opportunity
was also taken to welcome the funding secured for a traffic study
on the area to the west of Chamberlayne Road, which he felt would
also provide important insights as to the impact of traffic in the
area. In concluding his response, he highlighted the balance local
councillors were required to strike between listening to residents
and their expectations in one area with a wider area and was
pleased to note the commitment made to the use of an evidence-based
process to ensure an informed decision could be reached on the
future of any scheme affecting Kingswood Avenue and Salusbury
Road.
 
As a final contribution and in summing up,
Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) also took the
opportunity to thank Sanjay Nazerali and the other residents
present for attending the meeting to present the
petition.  Whilst recognising the impact
of the scheme on the local community and views expressed within the
petition, the opportunity was taken to once again assure the
petitioners of the commitment made by the Cabinet Member for Public
Realm and Enforcement to ensure a fair and evidence-based approach
was taken in relation to any final decision on the future of the
scheme.
 

5.2   Addressing the mess and
nuisance being caused by pigeons under the Network Rail Green
Bridge, Kilburn Station
 
Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the
Council) advised that following consultation with the lead
petitioner, the petition had been withdrawn from presentation to
Cabinet.