To receive and consider the above report.

The Panel was addressed by James Blunden, a student from Holyport College. The main points included:

Ø  James was a 14 year old student at Holyport College.

Ø  In 2016 he had addressed the Council on the dangers of walking to school

Ø  Despite improvements, the route was still not fit for purpose

Ø  He thanked the Council for progressing action

Ø  He was aware that it was not just a footpath that was required, but also street lighting and safe crossings

Ø  He appreciated the new route would cause disruption while it was being implemented

Ø  Safety of students was paramount and students wanted to get to school safely.

Ben Smith, Head of Highways & Transport stated the route was subject to a significant petition. The Council was very supportive to help improve the walking route to Holyport College. The Council had looked at different origins and routes to school. There were issues with land and who owned it, street lighting, there were drainage issues and ditches as well as concerns from residents regarding the possible urbanisation of the area.

The Head of Highways & Transport stated the recommendations were for Cabinet to approve construction of a footway along Ascot Road from the school so that students did not have to cross the road and for Cabinet to approve a budget of £140,000. He added that this would make it safer and better than the current situation.

The Head of Highways & Transport confirmed he had received feedback from one of the Ward Councillors who was concerned about a possible urbanising effect. The Council had fitted what it could with the constraints. He had tried to address concerns and the footpath would have a rural surface such as gravel type and not concrete of tarmac.

The Head of Highways & Transport stated that points A – E on the map within the report set out which routes were looked at. The recommendation is not to do all of them but to implement the route with the most value and use. The Vice-Chairman stated it was something that must be encouraged. Due to the rural location of the College, it was a great initiative and would encourage more people to walk and cycle and it will promote health benefits. The Council was duty bound to provide a safe access to school and he fully endorsed the recommendations.

The Head of Highways & Transport stated he was unable to confirm how many students currently walked to Holyport College. One of the mums set up the petition as there were at least 40 children within the vicinity that could use the footpath. Cllr Hunt stated she was keen to see the number of children walking increase as the Council was looking to spend £140,000 on a safe walking route.

The Chairman stated it was the first time he had seen a school contributing to a scheme like this. The school were contributing £83,000 so the Borough only needed to spend £57,000 and it was worth spending that to ensure the safety of the children. Cllr Beer stated he had a concern over the funding because the planning permission for the school included that the school provide transport for its students because the Maidenhead Development Control Panel raised concerns over access. The School had £12m of public money to make it work so they should have done what it took to make it work in the first place. If Cabinet approves the scheme, it will set a precedent to other free schools and academies. The Chairman stated he felt it was money well spent and there was a petition with over 1,000 signatures. The Head of Highways & Transport stated it was a highways issue and a contribution was provided by the school. Holyport College was happy to vary the conditions of their permission so they could make the contribution rather that waiting for traffic volumes to be reached before implementing congestion reduction measures. The School were happy to have their planning conditions amended so they could contribute to the funding of the footpath. It was a Council decision to make and the S106 money was for junction improvements but could be diverted to this scheme instead. Cllr Beer stated he did not feel it was wise to mess with the original planning permission conditions. The Vice-Chairman stated the Panel could make a recommendation to Cabinet that any contribution from the school should not be from their S106 money but should be new funding.

Resolved Unanimously that: The Panel fully endorsed the recommendations to Cabinet:

That Cabinet:

1.    The new footway link along Ascot Road (between Holyport Green and Holyport College) forms the basis of consultation on the recommended scheme detail with residents, Members, Bray Parish Council and Holyport College;

2.    Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the new footway link be delivered at the earliest opportunity;

3.    The approved capital programme 2016/17 be increased by £140,000 to deliver this project (Note: a contribution secured from Holyport College of £83,000 is available to part fund the scheme), but the money to implement the scheme should be new money and not come from the S106 money that was meant for something else.