Agenda and minutes

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

It was noted that Councillor Mrs M Sartin was substituting for Councillor T Boyce.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items of the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview and Scrutiny members are asked to pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an Overview and Scrutiny Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub-Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub-Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an Overview and Scrutiny meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such  a matter.

(1)        Pursuant to the Member’s Code of Conduct, Councillor J Wyatt declared a non pecuniary interest regarding the following item of the agenda. The Councillor advised that as a London Borough of Enfield Councillor for several years, until May 2006, he had taken account of all the relevant considerations at that time and voted in favour of the proposed road. However, he was now looking at the matter afresh in the light of current circumstances and had taken account of all the information provided and would now be supporting the decisions taken by this Panel to Enfield’ s consultation document. The Councillor indicated that he would participate in the discussion and voting thereon:

• Item 6 Northern Gateway Access Package (NGAP) Proposed by London Borough of Enfield

(2)        Pursuant to the Member’s Code of Conduct, Councillors R Bassett, Mrs M Sartin and J Wyatt declared a non pecuniary interest in the following item of the agenda by virtue of being District Council representatives on the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The Members indicated that they would remain in the meeting for the duration of the discussion and voting thereon:

• Item 6 Northern Gateway Access Package (NGAP) Proposed by London Borough of Enfield

(3)        Pursuant to the Member’s Code of Conduct, Councillors K Angold-Stephens and Mrs C Pond declared a non pecuniary interest in the following item of the agenda by virtue of being members of Loughton Town Council. The members indicated that they would remain in the meeting for the duration of the discussion and voting thereon:

• Item 6 Northern Gateway Access Package (NGAP) Proposed by London Borough of Enfield

(4)        Pursuant to the Member’s Code of Conduct, Councillors Mrs R Gadsby, Mrs H Kane, Mrs E Webster and J Wyatt declared a non pecuniary interest in the following item of the agenda by virtue of being members of Waltham Abbey Town Council. The members indicated that they would remain in the meeting for the duration of the discussion and voting thereon:

• Item 6 Northern Gateway Access Package (NGAP) Proposed by London Borough of Enfield

To agree the notes of the last meeting held on 12 June 2012 (attached).

RESOLVED:

That the notes of the last meeting of the Panel, held on 12 June 2012, be agreed.

The Terms of Reference are attached.

The Panel’s Terms of Reference were noted.

(Director of Planning and Economic Development) To consider the attached report.

The Panel received a report from the Director of Planning and Economic Development regarding the Northern Gateway Access Package (NGAP) proposed by London Borough of Enfield within its consultation on the North East Enfield Area Action Plan.

The Northern Gateway Access Package was included within a consultation by London Borough of Enfield (LBE), the package included a scheme which was previously called the Northern Gateway Access Road (NGAR), and had been considered at a major public inquiry ten years ago, where it was rejected.

LBE had aspired to a direct or indirect route using the North South Road (A1055) Mollison Avenue to the M25 for many years. The North South Road served many employment sites and activities within the northern part of Enfield and allowed access to a variety of residential communities. It passed through a residential area around Bullsmoor Lane before the lane met with the A10 south of Junction 25 of the M25. The A1055 was mostly a single carriageway in the same direction. There was also a rather limited and complex access from a continuation of the North South Road where it met the North Circular Road A406. The A1055 continued south serving mainly employment areas to the east just to the north of the North Circular Road, but also served employment areas running down to Tottenham Hale.

The case for NGAR was that existing congestion held back economic development across a large area of London. For economic reasons, a new route for traffic to get into and out of this part of London could be achieved by utilising the A121 to the south of Waltham Abbey to achieve access and egress at Junction 26 of the M25 rather than only at Junction 25.

The North East Enfield Area Action Plan

The document was currently at consultation stage with the closing date for comments being 8 November 2012. It was advised that the document contained many proposals of merit, for example in seeking to improve the public realm around many shopping parades or centres, or increasing the green links between the area covered by the plan and adjacent areas including those within Epping Forest district.

The Director of Planning and Economic Development felt that NGAR was a fundamentally flawed proposal and it was not understood how these flaws could be resolved, for example:

(a)        The proposal was still within the Green Belt,

(b)               The proposal was still within the Regional Park,

(c)               There was no new traffic model to overcome all the previous points; and

(d)               The proposal would still disgorge Enfield traffic into parts of Waltham Abbey before that traffic could reach the M25 at Junction 26.

Its basic purpose was unchanged, and its disadvantages were not overcome with the passage of time.

It was advised that:

(i)         There was no recognition within the consultation that the junction of the continuation of the North South Road where it met the A406 North Circular, lying in a very built up area, might be capable of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

There was no other business for discussion.

The next programmed meeting of the panel is on Tuesday 11 December 2012 at 7.30p.m. in Committee Room 1 and thereafter on:

Tuesday 16 April 2013

The next programmed meeting of the Panel was on 11 December 2012 at 7.30p.m. in Committee Room 1.