Agenda item

(Item 10 – Report by East Kent Divisional Manager)

(Cllr N Collor, Chairman of Dover JTB, was present for this item)

(1)       On 18 September 2006 a report was tabled to the Dover Joint Transportation Board (JTB) concerning a proposal to improve the South Street area, Deal to provide better and safer bus interchange facilities. The report recommended approval to a scheme drawing for consultation.  The JTB did not support the recommendation and thus an improvement to South Street could not now be considered further.

(2)       At a subsequent Highways Meeting of the Dover County Members on 24 October 2006, the opportunity was taken to better understand the reasoning behind the decision.  After considering the discussion that took place at the JTB and in recognition that public consultation was still appropriate, the four local Members present gave their unanimous support to seeking approval to overturn the JTB decision.

(3)       Over the last 3 years, there had been a protracted debate locally about plans to improve the South Street area to cater for the various competing needs, particularly buses.  A number of options had been subject to public consultation previously and the latest proposals had been drawn up, taking into account all the comments from the previous consultations.  It was considered that the new proposals provided the best practical balance between the various needs of South Street, and thus the original report to the JTB recommended approval to go to public consultation to share this openly with the public and all interested parties.

(4)       Most of the JTB Members who commented on the proposal expressed some concern about various aspects of them, acknowledging the difficulty in satisfying all the competing needs, thus concluding that it would probably be better to “do nothing”.  One local District Member representing Deal felt that the scheme promoted a sensible arrangement to enable progress towards introduction and was openly disappointed at the lack of support in just seeking the publics view at this stage.

(5)       It remained particularly important to improve interchange facilities here for the new “Diamond” buses that had been introduced earlier this year as a result of a successful ‘Kickstart’ bid.  It would also demonstrate support for the proposed Quality Bus Partnership in Dover that was to be progressed following the approval of the Dover JTB at their most recent meeting on 13 November 2006.

(6)       The opportunity to implement the scheme this financial year had now gone.  The associated timescales with the progression of a consultation could now be slightly more relaxed in recognition of the concern that was expressed at the JTB.  A bid for funding an improvement to South Street as an Integrated Transport Measure for implementation in 2007/8 was being made.

(7)       The complex use of South Street and the current layout still gave significant cause for concern and the identified need to make improvements had not gone away.  Despite the challenge of trying to find an ideal solution it was important that the position reached was shared openly with the local community and that their assistance was gained in a final endeavour to develop and promote a scheme that on balance provided the improvement that County and District Members, the Town Council and the wider public all recognised the need for at the outset of consideration some three years ago.  The new proposal attempted to balance up the various hopes, aspirations and concerns in a way that achieved the optimum scheme to enable progression.  If this did not emerge now, then disappointingly the JTB recommendation could be duly enacted.

(8)       Member approval was now sought to approaching the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste with a view to concluding the formal process to overturn the JTB recommendation and thus undertake a formal public consultation.

(9)       The Board agreed not to support the proposal for recommendation to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste that a public consultation on the improvement scheme proposal for South Street be undertaken, contrary to the advisory recommendation of the Dover Joint Transportation Board.