Agenda item

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Equalities and Leisure]

 

This report sets out the policies and processes that will be used in the delivery of the Councils School Street Programme.  It then lists the schools that will be prioritised with measures.

[ The meeting paused for Cllr Chandwani to re-enter at 7.17pm]

 

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Equalities and Leisure introduced the report which sought approval for the School Streets Plan policy framework, and how School Streets would be implemented outside the schools across the borough.The report further set out the schools that the Council would focus on with its capital and match funding to deliver this over the next 4 years.

 

The Cabinet Member highlighted that London’s air pollution was particularly harmful to children and young people in Haringey. Poor air quality was also an issue of inequality, with those in the east of Haringey suffering the worst effects of poor air quality. As well as this, children were more likely to be the pedestrian casualties in traffic accidents and were put at more risk by cars than other groups.

 

The Cabinet Member noted that some parents were weary of using public transport during the pandemic which was understood. However, it was hoped that this situation would change. People would be encouraging to walk, cycle or take the bus to school.

This action would hugely benefit children’s health and wellbeing, and peace of mind.

 

At the start of the COVID pandemic, it was quickly realised that air quality and health levels played a part in the ability to fight the virus. There was also a need to create space, where people could socially distance safely while dropping off and picking up children. As a result of COVID, many measures were put in place to assist students and their parents to socially distance.

 

The Council considered 20 streets to designate as school streets before the end of the financial year and another 10 in the next few years after that. That was half the total number of primary schools in the borough.

 

The Council were actively engaged in looking at sources of funding so that it could continue to do more School Streets. As there was a move towards low traffic neighbourhoods there would also be an opportunity for schools, in these streets, to become School Streets.

 

The administration would endeavour to explore very possible opportunity to fund School Streets as it believed this was extremely important for children in the borough.

 

The Cabinet Member set out the reasons for prioritising junior schools which was because young lungs were more damaged by terrible air and it was hoped that one day all the borough’s schools would have School Streets.

 

In response to questions from Cllr Cawley - Harrison and Cllr Morris, the following was noted:

 

• The first 20 School Streets would aim to be completed by the end of the financial year, March 2021.

 

• The report set out the criteria considered when prioritising the School Streets.

 

• In relation to the proposed number of School Streets in 5 years, it was acknowledged that this was not high enough but, as set in the report, the Council would be pursuing as many funding sources as available to increase this number. Some funding had been created out of the capital programme and the Cabinet Member was constantly pursuing additional funding. As set out above, School Streets could be delivered through low traffic neighbourhood schemes which the Council would hopefully be developing.

 

• It was noted that high car usage, outside schools, indicated that the school may not be engaged in the active travel programme. The Council would want the school to have completed all that was within its powers to support active travel and education for parents before a School Street was taken forward.

 

• With regards to the one-way traffic increasing road speeds outside specific schools and enforcement. The ambition is to close streets and this would be enforced through ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras.  These cameras would support taking forward enforcement action and help in reducing speeds in the area. In noting the wider traffic management systems around Schools Streets, which may propose one way roads.  The individual designs for each of the schools in the Project Centre Report is a recommendation.  Before final design is confirmed there would be wider community engagement undertaken to ensure local objectives were achieved. With the aim of final measures being supported by the schools and the local community.

 

Cllr Morris highlighted some discrepancies in the data  contained  in the appendix concerning school numbers:

 

• The number of pupils at Highgate primary school which was listed as 1724 pupils, but this number was 420 pupils
• The number of Bounds Green Primary school students was noted in the report as 268 but this number just seemed to only indicate the infant school and not the junior school numbers
• The DFE website indicated that there were a third more pupils at Stroud Green school than the figures indicated in the report.

 

Agreed this information would be considered and rectified.

 

• With regards to vulnerable residents that live in a School Street and  that need to be visited by carers, there was a query of whether they would receive an exemption to park in the street at the time the street was closed. It was noted that in the first School Street implemented, there was work completed to understand the residents living in the street that might need some support and how to put these actions in place. There were exemptions offered in relation to who can come in and out of the School Street. This did include blue badge registered holders and it could also be explored, adding in to the ANPR vehicle registration system, the number plates of carers that need to come in and out of the School Street. But the ambition is to stop all traffic around the school at opening and closing.  

 

• There was a query on how the estimates on children being driven to schools were arrived at. In response it was noted that all schools, that were engaged in active travel, did hands up surveys on how they got to school so this was a reliable source of information and the survey was undertaken at least  once a year and provided to the Council. This also  fed into the Transport for London funding package applications. Schools were encouraged by the Council to undertake active travel behaviour and awareness raising.

 

In relation to the timing of bringing this report forward in November instead of March 2020, there were some issues that could not be resolved in time for the March meeting and this report was then planned for the June Cabinet meeting, after the Mayoral elections. However, at that time the pandemic response was prioritised.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

1. To approve the policy, management, and delivery approach to school streets as laid out in this report.

 

2. To adopt the recommendations as set out in the plan and agree to deliver the School Streets programme over the next 4 years, based around designs within the School Streets Report (appendix 1).

 

3. To agree to fund these measures on the schools listed in Section 7.12.2 and 7.12.3, from the Councils Capital Programme, and secure external funding sources to compliment this funding. If external funding cannot be secured, then the project will be scaled back to fit within the available funding envelope.

 

4. To give the Director for Environment and Neighbourhoods, authorisation to sign off the final designs of the school streets and the associated Traffic Management Orders, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

 

 

 

Reasons for decision

 

Delivering the School Streets Plan will contribute to outcome 9, objective c of the borough plan – specifically the commitment to improve air quality around schools. It will also contribute to outcome 10, objective an of the borough plan, which aims to make Haringey a more attractive place for active travel.

 

The School Streets Plan was created in response to a motion passed by Full Council in March 2019.

 

The plan has been created so that Haringey Council can target school streets at those schools most in need.

 

The plan sets out a standard framework to understand Haringey’s school streets programme, allowing for consistent, successful and efficient delivery of these measures.

 

Alternative options considered

 

Do Nothing

 

Not approving the school streets plan.

 

This was rejected as it would mean the Council failed to deliver on the motion passed by Full Council in March 2019. And failure to deliver school streets would not achieve the objectives in the Borough Plan.

 

Implement school streets without a plan in place

 

This was rejected as school streets are targeted measures aimed at improving specific issues. To do this would mean that resources were not targeted in the most effective ways and that schools could receive school streets on an unfair basis.

 

This would mean that the Council was not doing everything it can to improve air quality at schools, improve road safety and increase levels of active travel.