Agenda and minutes

Venue: COUNCIL CHAMBER, KILMORY, LOCHGILPHEAD

Contact: Hazel MacInnes Tel: 01546 604269 

Items
Note No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Sir Jamie McGrigor, Aileen Morton and Gary Mulvaney.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

There were none intimated.

3.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee held on 7 December 2017.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee held on 7 December 2017 were approved as a correct record.

4.

DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES PERFORMANCE REPORT FQ3 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 311 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

The Committee gave consideration to a report which presented the Development and Infrastructure Services departmental  performance report with associated scorecards for performance in financial quarter three 2017-18 (October to December 2017).

 

Decision

 

The Committee noted the Development and Infrastructure Services departmental  performance report and associated scorecards for performance in financial quarter three 2017-18 (October to December 2017).

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated March 2018, submitted)

 

5.

NATIONAL ROADS STRATEGIC ACTION GROUP RESPONSE TO AUDIT SCOTLAND pdf icon PDF 166 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report advising the Committee on the National Roads Strategic Action Group’s published response to the Audit Scotland Report – Maintaining Scotland’s Roads: A follow Up Report of 2016.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee -

 

1.    Noted the significant capital investment in Argyll and Bute roads of £40m over the past six years, in the context of reducing local authority funding. 

 

2.    Acknowledged that this level of investment means that the roads network in Argyll and Bute is among the fastest improving in Scotland.

 

3.    Welcomed the additional capital investment of almost £15m in Argyll and Bute’s roads network agreed unanimously at the council budget in February 2018.

 

4.    Noted that the Leader, as outlined in her budget speech, plans to write to the Scottish Government calling for additional investment in Argyll and Bute’s trunk roads network and would ask this to include:

 

·         Recognition of the importance of roads to the economy of Argyll and Bute, and Scotland, with regards to the whisky, renewables, timber, marine and tourism industries.

 

·         The urgent requirement for funding to address the additional burden on roads budgets caused by severe weather.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated February 2018, submitted)

6.

FESTIVE LIGHTING UPDATE pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which summarised the work in relation to festive lighting following on from the previous update given in September 2017. 

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

 

1.    Noted the successful delivery of festive lighting across Argyll and Bute by the council and by community groups in 2017.

 

2.    Agreed the draft principles/template heads of terms at Appendix One to the submitted report, and delegated authority to the Head of Roads and Amenity Services to progress agreements on that basis.

 

3.    Agreed the draft methodology for disposal of lighting assets at Appendix Two to the submitted report and delegated authority to the Head of Roads and Amenity Services to progress matters on that basis.

 

4.    Agreed the strategy for use of any unspent funds at the end of 2018/19 outlined at 4.3.2 of the submitted report.

 

5.    Noted that the final accounts were yet to be settled and that final figures would be reported to the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee in June.

6.    Noted the advice of officers at paragraph 4.4 of the submitted report and agreed that costs to provide single switch-on points were prohibitive and that no further work should be done in this area, but that any future public realm projects should consider the inclusion of the required cabling improvements to enable single switch-ons as part of their overall scope, with individual decisions to be made on a case by case basis in the context of any overall future project.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated 31 January 2018, submitted)

 

*

7.

POLICY ON INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES AND HARMFUL NATIVE PLANTS pdf icon PDF 77 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report which set out the Council’s responsibilities in regard to invasive non-native species and harmful native plants was given consideration.  The report asked the Committee to recommend to the Council adoption of a Policy in relation to this.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee agreed to recommend to the Council adoption of the Policy for Control of Invasive Non-Native Plants and Injurious Native Species.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated 9 February 2018, submitted)

8.

UPDATE ON TOURISM ACTIVITIES pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

A report which provided the Committee with an update on recent tourism activities and achievements was given consideration with a particular focus on Argyll and Bute Council staff working in partnership with Argyll and the Isles Tourism Co-operative Ltd (AITC).

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the report.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated 5 February 2018, submitted)

9.

SCREEN INDUSTRIES REPORT UPDATE pdf icon PDF 99 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

A report which provided an overview of current screen industry activity and development in Argyll and Bute was given consideration.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the report and the positive economic impacts the screen industry has had on Argyll and Bute; and congratulated the team on such effective delivery within Argyll and Bute.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated 1 February 2018, submitted)

10.

ROADS CAPITAL RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 94 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which provided details of the proposed roads reconstruction programme for 2018/19.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Services Committee endorsed the proposed programme of capital works for 2018/19 and agreed that details of each Area Committees programme would be forwarded to individual elected members.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated March 2018, submitted)

11.

ROADS AND AMENITY SERVICES - CREATING A CULTURE OF CUSTOMER CARE pdf icon PDF 232 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

A report which updated Members on the overall aims of, and progress with, the operational project to improve customer service within Roads and Amenity Services was before the Committee for information.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the report.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated February 2018, submitted)

12.

RECYCLING PERFORMANCE pdf icon PDF 96 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

A report which provided details on the Council’s recycling and landfill diversion performance along with national policy, targets and regulations which were likely to impact on future performance, was before the Committee for information.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the details as outlined in the submitted report and the national policy drivers which would likely impact over the next few years.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and infrastructure Services dated March 2018, submitted)

13.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES FUND pdf icon PDF 111 KB

Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services

Minutes:

A report which provided detail on the grants awarded from the Sustainable Community Initiatives Fund and which detailed the progress of the projects was before the Committee for information.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the report, the progress made by funded projects and the achievements of the Environmental Wardens.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director – Development and Infrastructure Services dated February 2018, submitted)

14.

ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE WORK PLAN pdf icon PDF 50 KB

Minutes:

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee Work Plan as at March 2018 was before the Committee for information.

 

Decision

 

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the Workplan as at March 2018.

 

(Reference:  Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee Work Plan as at March 2018, submitted)