Agenda item

Report of Senior Head of Regeneration, Planning and Assets.

Council considered the report of the Senior Head of Regeneration, Planning and Assets on progress to amend the cycling-related promenade byelaw. 

Council at its meeting on 7 May 2014 had authorised officers to obtain approval from the Secretary of State for an amendment to the current byelaw to enable the Council to allow, where appropriate, both un-segregated and segregated shared use of the seafront promenade by cyclists and pedestrians. 

Council was advised that approval was now sought for the continuation of the legal process and proceed with the formal amendment of the byelaw which had been granted provisional approval by the DCLG.  It was noted that confirmation by the DCLG would be required following a statutory one month consultation period. The DCLG would take account of representations made and the Council’s responses, and if satisfied give a commencement date, which would usually be a calendar month after the date of confirmation.

Council had received for consideration three representations from local residents received after the publication of the agenda.  These would be passed to the DCLG as part of the consultation process.

Council was advised that the amended byelaw would enable the implementation of the proposed new seafront route along the promenade between the Wish Tower and Fisherman’s Green.  There were no plans to change existing cycling arrangements from the Wish Tower to Holywell or from Fisherman’s Green to Sovereign Harbour.  It was noted that the subsequent detail and design of how this route would be implemented falls under the remit of East Sussex County Council and would have full regard to safety issues.

The DCLG had acknowledged that changes to its provisional approval procedures had made the process more complex and generated additional work for officers.  Council took the opportunity to thank officers for their considerable work to get to this stage of the process

Ms Felicity Goodson on behalf of Bespoke cycle group and Mr Stephen Kittoe, resident of Eastbourne addressed the Council on this matter.

It was proposed by Councillor Wallis, seconded by Councillor Tutt and:

Resolved: (By 15 votes to 8 with 1 abstention) (1) That the Assistant Director of Corporate Services (Legal and Democratic) for the shared Lewes and Eastbourne Legal Services be authorised to make and seal the Amending Byelaw in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (the ‘DCLG’) provisionally approved format.

(2) That the Senior Head of Regeneration, Planning and Assets be granted delegated authority to respond to any queries that may be raised with the Council by the DCLG, following any representations being made to the DCLG during the period of public consultation after the byelaw is made by the Council and before it is confirmed by the DCLG.

Note: As a result of a proposal from Councillor Taylor and seconded by Councillor Tutt, it was agreed that the above vote should be named. The voting record was as follows:

For: Councillors Bannister, Choudhury, Dow, Hearn, Mattock, Miah, Rodohan, Sabri, Salsbury, Shuttleworth, Swansborough, Tester, Tutt, Ungar and Wallis.

Against: Councillors Belsey, Blakebrough, Di Cara, Freebody, Jenkins, Murdoch, Smart and Taylor.

Abstain: The Mayor