To confirm the Minutes of the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee held on 15 November 2023.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 15 November 2023 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive the Minutes for meetings of the Traffic Management Sub-Committee held on 13 November 2023 and 11 January 2024.

The Minutes of the meetings of Traffic Management Sub-Committee held on 13 November 2023 and 11 January 2024 were received.

To receive the Minutes for meetings of the:

·                Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Local Liaison Committee on 9 November 2023; and the

·                Joint Waste Disposal Board on 21 September 2023 and 11 January 2024.

The Minutes of the following meetings were received:

·                Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Local Liaison Committee on 9 November 2023; and

·                Joint Waste Disposal Board on 21 September 2023 and 11 January 2024.

Questions submitted pursuant to Standing Order 36 in relation to matters falling within the Committee’s powers and duties which have been submitted in writing and have been received by the Assistant Director of Legal & Democratic Services by no later than 12 noon, four clear working days before the day of the meeting.

A question on the following matter was asked in accordance with Standing Order 36.

(The full text of the question and reply was made available on the Reading Borough Council website).

A report seeking Committee approval to publish the draft Christchurch Conservation Area Appraisal for public consultation. A short presentation will also be given by representatives of the Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC).

The Committee considered a report that sought approval of the draft Christchurch Conservation Area Appraisal for public consultation between March and May 2024. The following documents were attached to the report:

The report explained that, following discussions over its approach to the historic environment, the Council had agreed to support the setting up of a Reading Conservation Areas Advisory Committee (CAAC). One of the primary concerns of the CAAC was the length of time since many conservation area appraisals had been prepared and adopted. According to best practice appraisals should be updated every five to ten years and many of these appraisals were therefore in need of review. It was subsequently agreed that the CAAC would lead on reviews of conservation area appraisals in consultation with local communities. The Christchurch Conservation Area had first been designated on 19 November 1987 under the Town & Country Planning Act 1971 (as amended) and the most recent full conservation area appraisal had been produced in 2010.

The report explained that the draft Christchurch Conservation Area Appraisal was the third review to be completed, following the St Peters Conservation Area review in 2018 and the Castle Hill/Russell Street/Oxford Road review in 2020. The draft Appraisal had been prepared by the CAAC, with assistance from Council planning officers and from interested local community representatives. The draft Appraisal contained various recommendations for boundary extensions, that included:

·                The addition of 1-81 (odd) and 70-72 Whitley Street;

·                The addition of the mainly terraced properties at 114-128 (even) Whitley Street and 2-34 (even) Basingstoke Road;

·                The addition of Reading Hindu Temple on Whitley Street;

·                The addition of 2-40 (even) and 1-27 (odd) Milman Road;

·                The addition of 1-11 Glebe Road (odd) and 23-25 (odd) and 12 Christchurch Gardens;

·                The addition of 8-26 (even) and 11 Cintra Avenue as well as the green to the east and 32-34 Christchurch Road.

The draft Appraisal and associated documents also included maps that showed the proposed boundary extensions (see above), a Statement of Special Interest that summarised the area’s character and justified its designation as a Conservation Area, a detailed appraisal of the area that described its particular historical and architectural character, a section highlighting the area's negative features including various issues of concern and opportunities for enhancement and, a section that made recommendations that were set out in an Action Plan.It also included details of the results an initial public consultation that had been conducted by the CAAC in 2022.

The report asked the Committee to approve the draft Appraisal to go out for public consultation which would take place over an eight week period in March and May 2024. The results of the consultation would feed into a revised final version of the Christchurch Conservation Area Appraisal which would be adopted later in 2024.

At the invitation of the Chair, Evelyn Williams, Chair of the Reading CAAC and Richard Bennett, Vice-Chair of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

A report updating the Committee on the changes made to the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) following the conclusion of the public consultation and seeking Committee approval to adopt and endorse a final version of the AQAP to be submitted to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to allow formal adoption.

Further to Minute 16 of the meeting held on 15 November 2023, the Committee considered a report that provided an update on the outcome of the public consultation that had been held in order to obtain feedback in relation to the proposed Air Quality Action Plan 2024-2029. The report asked the Committee to consider the comments that had been received during the consultation process and sought its approval to adopt a final version of the Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). The following documents were appended to the report:

The report explained that whilst air quality (NO2) in Reading had improved there were still some locations in the town where air quality levels were above UK and World Health Organization (WHO) limits. The draft AQAP (attached to the report at Appendix 4) aimed to target those locations to achieve compliance with UK and WHO limits and sought to further improve air quality across the Borough as a whole. The new AQAP would continue to focus on reducing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in order to achieve compliance and would also target the reduction of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) which new evidence had suggested was extremely harmful to health. Measures to address PM2.5 emissions had therefore been given considerable weight throughout the new draft AQAP.

The Action Plan had identified the areas where the Council needed to work together with businesses, the public and across Council departments such as Transport, Planning, Public Health and Sustainability in order to improve air quality. The Action Plan set out a range of measures (Table 5 of Appendix 4 refers) that officers had identified for implementation, and which would be worked towards by the Council over the next five years.

The report explained that a consultation exercise had been carried out on the content of the draft AQAP between 6 December 2023 and 17 January 2024. The Council had received a total of 217 consultation responses which had included feedback from residents, an appraisal of the draft AQAP from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and feedback from other interested groups such as Friends of the Earth. A summary of the feedback and recommendations that had been received following the consultation exercise was set out in the report with a further detailed analysis of the consultation results provided in Appendices 1 to 3. Overall, the public consultation had found there to be strong approval for most actions but low confidence in them being effective in addressing air pollution.

As a result of the consultation exercise, some minor changes had been made to the content of the AQAP. A recommendation had been received from Defra to include, in instances where the data  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

A report providing the Committee with an overview on progress towards the delivery of the current programme of strategic transport schemes in Reading.

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the progress that had been made towards the delivery of the current programme of strategic transport schemes in Reading. The programme included several major enhancements to public transport and active travel facilities, aimed at encouraging more healthy lifestyles and helping to address the Climate Emergency. The programme included the following schemes and initiatives:

·                Bus Service Improvement Plan Programme;

·                South Reading Bus Rapid Transit;

·                Reading West Station Upgrade;

·                Tilehurst Station Upgrade;

·                Shinfield Road Active Travel Scheme;

·                Bath Road Active Travel Scheme;

·                Active Travel Behavioural Change Programme;

·                School Streets Programme.

The report provided a summary of the position concerning the delivery of the individual schemes and initiatives listed above. At the meeting the Strategic Transport Manager provided an update in respect of the BSIP programme noting in particular the continuation of the bus ticket discount scheme and the successful instruction of ‘Tap on Tap off’ payment technology onboard buses operating in the town. In relation to the bus lane programme.  The Committee heard that construction work had begun on the of the Oxford Road scheme (the section between Zinzan Street and George Street) and that work to deliver the next phase of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit Scheme was expected to start in two weeks.

The Strategic Transport Manager also provided an update on the work carried out by the Council, Network Rail and First Great Western to enhance passenger facilities at Reading West Station. The Committee heard that, since the report had been published, all of the approvals to sign-off the upgrade works at the station had now been obtained and that the new station building was expected to reopen for train passengers in a week’s time. The Committee also heard that works by Network Rail to install lifts at Tilehurst Station had also started.

The Strategic Transport Manager also highlighted that, at its meeting on 6 March 2024, the Traffic Management Sub-Committee had approved an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to create an experimental School Street scheme on Great Knolly Street for Civitas Academy (Minute 50 refers).

Resolved –  That the progress made towards the delivery of the current programme of strategic transport schemes, as summarised in the report, be noted.

A report updating on the changes made to the draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy following the completion of a public consultation and seeking the approval of the Committee for the Council to adopt the final version of the strategy.

Further to Minute 6 of the meeting held on 29 June 2023, the Committee considered a report on the changes that had been made to the draft Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) Strategy following the completion of the associated public consultation. The report also sought the Committee’s approval to adopt a final version of the Strategy. A copy of the proposed Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy was attached to the report at Appendix A.

The report stated that that EVCI Strategy would become a sub-strategy to the emerging Local Transport Plan (The Reading Transport Strategy 2040) which aimed to address environmental, air quality, and health and wellbeing issues associated with the Council’s transport choices. The overarching aim of the EVCI Strategy was to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) for necessary travel in Reading doing so within the wider context of the Local Transport Plan and its aspirations to reduce the need to travel by vehicle, reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and promote sustainable and active travel.

The Strategy set out the background relating to the delivery of EV charging infrastructure and described the future pathway the Council would look to take to support the increased uptake and use of electric vehicles by residents, visitors and local businesses in the town. It included detail on the national policy context relating to EVs, provided a description of existing charging infrastructure in the town, set out the options available to the Council in terms of delivering infrastructure in orderto encourage EV take up (both in terms of the types of charging technology to be installed and the funding options and opportunities available to deliver it) and included a delivery plan that detailed how the Council planned to deliver the necessary charging infrastructure in the short, medium and long term. The Strategy also included references to the charging infrastructure needs of other types of electric vehicles (not just cars), including electric buses, car clubs, e-bikes and e-scooters.

The draft Strategy had been built around five key objectives. The first objective was to build a Reading wide approach, working with residents and stakeholders to facilitate and encourage the increased use of EVs as an alternative to necessary petrol and diesel car trips, the second objective was to deliver a safe, reliable and equitable charging network, the third objective was to seek to provide renewable energy sources for EV charging, the fourth objective was to embrace and deliver innovation that benefited Reading’s residents and the fifth objective was for the Council to lead by example with the electrification of its own fleet.

The report explained that a six-week public consultation on the draft Strategy had taken place between 8 August and 18 September 2023. The Council had received 64 responses, which had included responses from private residents, from local groups such as the Caversham and District Resident’s Association (CADRA) and responses from industry bodies such as the Energy Savings Trust.The key feedback that had been obtained from the consultation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

A report updating the Committee on the intention to tender for a suitably qualified and experienced partner to roll out an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging programme within Reading and to assure the Committee that any planned installation will be in line with the outcome of Reading’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.

The Committee received a report on the intention to tender for a suitably qualified and experienced partner in order to roll out an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging programme within Reading. The report stated that any installations carried out as part of the resultant programme would need to be in line with and adhere to the requirements set out in the Council’s Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy that had been approved by the Committee earlier in the meeting (see Minute 28 above).

The report stated that the Council recognised that the move to Electric Vehicles (EVs) would result in the need to charge electric and hybrid vehicles on the public highway. The Council had already installed 15 lamp column and six other public 22kW EV charging points in the town and needed to find, through a tendering process, a suitably qualified, approved and experienced partner in order to deliver and expand the provision of EV charging points across the Borough.

The report explained that the tender would call for experienced contractors to deliver a range of EV charging solutions, including lower energy power charging from streetlighting columns or from bespoke charging bollards to various fast to rapid charging solutions within Council car parks or on other Council-owned land with potential charging speeds of 5 to 350kW. It was expected that the delivery programme would commence in Autumn 2024 and would take two-years to fully roll out. The programme would not require any direct funding from the Council, part of the funding for the project would come from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Grant money (£860K) that had been secured by the Council with the other part being provided by the successful tenderer, either privately themselves or by them having successfully secured grant funding from Government-backed schemes such as the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF).

A long-term, concession-based contract would be sought that would last up to 15-years in order to provide financial stability for both the Council and the successful tenderer. The successful tenderer would own the above ground and below ground infrastructure and would be responsible for its operation and maintenance costs for the duration of the contract. At the end of the contact asset ownership would revert to the Council. Successful tenderers would be required to enter a contract with the Council that would include conditions requiring them to maintain any equipment and apparatus at their own cost. As a part of the bidding process, successful tenderers would also be required to put forward a long-term revenue/profit share or equivalent option for the Council to consider and would also need to demonstrate social value as well as a strong commitment to sustainability targets and carbon reduction principals in line with the Council’s Carbon Net Zero pledge and the Reading Climate Emergency Strategy. Furthermore, the Council would also review bids to ensure that its priorities and strategic aims were being met, such priorities included the provision of charging points in socially deprived parts of the town as well as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

A report updating the Committee on the outcome of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging on the public highway trial that commenced in April 2021. The report also seeks the Committee's authorisation to permit the Assistant Director of Environmental & Commercial Services to enter into ‘Electric Vehicle Charging Across the Public’ licences with applicants under the terms of the licence described within the report.

The Committee received a report on the outcome of the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging on the public highway trial that had commenced in April 2021. The report also sought the Committee's authorisation to formally permit the Assistant Director of Environmental & Commercial Services to enter into ‘Electric Vehicle Charging Across the Public’ licences with applicants using the terms and conditions described within the report. The following documents were appended to the report:

The report explained that encouraging private vehicle owners to move from higher polluting petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles would contribute towards achieving the ambitions set out within the Reading Climate Change Strategy. However, the nature of Reading’s urban environment and its high number of narrow and terraced residential streets meant that, in many parts of the town, many residents did not have any off-street parking which in turn presented a challenge in relation to the provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It recognised that in order to encourage more residents to use EVs there needed to be options for those residents whose electric vehicles would be parked on the street outside their homes. This necessitated the need to plan for and allow charging on or across the public highway.

The Council had conducted a trial that enabled residents to enter into a licence agreement with the Council to allow them to privately and safely charge their electric vehicle whilst it was parked on the public highway outside their home. The trail had garnered 71 expressions of interest following which eight properties had entered into a licence agreement with the Council. Of the eight trial properties two had opted for a cable protector solution, two had chosen a drainage channel solution and four had opted for the ‘Kerbo channel’ slot drain solution. Details of two of the solutions were set out in Appendix 1 attached to the report. The main reasons given by the enquirers who had not proceeded to the trial stage were that they were either still in the process of purchasing an electric vehicle and so were not yet able to proceed and/or that they were conscious that the licence did not secure a parking space in front of their house to guarantee that they could charge their vehicle overnight.

The report sought the Committee’s permission to formalise the process for the issuing of Electric Vehicle Charging Across the Public Highway licences. The terms of the licence included a range of criteria and conditions to reduce the risk to the public and to the applicant. A copy of the proposed conditions were included within Appendix 2. The cost of the licence would be borne by the applicant, with the Highway fee for the application set to match the vehicle crossing application fee, which was currently £75. The fee would be reviewed regularly as part of the annually ‘fees & charges’ review.

The cost of the channel installation and/or cable protector options would initially be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.