Infrastructure Services Committee round-up 21.8.14

The first meeting of Infrastructure Services Committee (ISC) following the vacation period began with a presentation by Roads Quality and Resources Manager Bill Lennox, who spoke about the operation of the council’s three quarries – at Craiglash, Pitcaple and Balmedie. The committee heard details about how they operate and some of the challenges and opportunities for the future.

Mr Lennox explained how the majority of material quarried at the three locations is used for the maintenance and repair of local roads – 3,400 miles of carriageway, the equivalent distance from Aberdeenshire to Damascus.

Annually they produce 200,000 tonnes of material valued at around £7-8million, with around a third being sold to external customers. Council services can buy materials at significantly lower cost than they can externally, saving around £800,000 a year.

Mr Lennox told the committee the building of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) and the subsequent demand for quarried materials is likely to have an impact on the council’s quarries, as local customers seek alternative suppliers to their normal commercial sources, which may be supplying AWPR construction teams.

He said the council’s quarries still have 30-50 years of production remaining and will continue to deliver benefits to Aberdeenshire for some time to come.

Following the presentation, ISC approved planning permission for two separate applications relating to land at Blue Lodge on the Ury Estate in Stonehaven. They heard the applications for a total of 51 houses are part of the wider enabling development proposed for the redevelopment and restoration of Ury House. Route Improvement Strategy for the A947 Aberdeen to Banff roadThe committee heard details of some of the work done to date on reducing accidents on the A947 Aberdeen to Banff road.

It also approved the development of a long term Route Improvement Strategy for the 38-mile stretch of road, while welcoming a reduction in accident levels.

Following the publication of a Route Accident Study in 2011, a partnership approach to improving safety, focussing on Engineering, Enforcement and Education, was proposed to help reduce the number of accidents. Although the overall accident rate was below the national average, fatalities were 50% higher, with around half of all accidents occurring on bends.

A strategy for the placement of signs and hazard markers has already been implemented on most of the route, and this work continues.

Work has also been developed with the North East Safety Camera Partnership (Nescamp) and improvements have been made to town and village gateways and road markings.

Road surface and drainage improvement works have been carried out at specific sites along the route where work was deemed necessary.

In terms of enforcement, a strategy was developed with the agreement of Police Scotland, to focus mobile speed camera activity on locations where there was evidence of speeding, linked to an accident history.

In 2012 and 2013 Nescamp carried out 305 and 258 hours of enforcement on the road respectively with 102 and 84 offences recorded, around 3 per hour. This work will continue in the years to come and its effectiveness will be monitored.

The committee was given a summary of the route’s accident history, with information on accidents before and after engineering and enforcement action.

Transport Strategy Manager, Mark Skilling, told the committee statistics show £300,000 of spending on improving the route has already saved the economy £2million in terms of the cost of accidents.

Councillors heard there is still concern about the number and severity of accidents on the Fyvie-Turriff section and work is ongoing to tackle this.

In addition to the work which continues on the route, the long term strategy agreed by the committee will cover the next 20 years.

The key aim will be to have a route which is fit for purpose in terms of connecting local communities in a safe, effective and sustainable manner while supporting regeneration in the north of Aberdeenshire.

The strategy will also support continued accident reduction objectives, such as improved overtaking opportunities, which should lead to reduced driver frustration and improved journey times.

While work to date has focussed on rural sections, the overall strategy will have to take into account traffic movements within settlements on the route.

Following approval of the development of the long term strategy, modelling and traffic surveys will be carried out and Aberdeenshire Council officers are in discussion with the team taking forward the A9 dualling project.

It is hoped some of its analytical work around driver perception and behaviour can be applied to the A947 scheme.

A draft strategy is expected to be available early next year, at which point a consultation will be undertaken to help refine it.

A programme of projects to deliver the strategy would then be produced, to allow bids for funding. Initial work will be paid for from existing budgets.

A request from ISC chair, Peter Argyle, for local councillors to be more involved in the development of the project in future was accepted by officers.

In discussion, concerns were raised by councillor Michael Roy (Banff and District) and Rob Merson (Ellon and District) that calls made at an earlier public meeting in Turriff for more passing places do not seem to have been addressed.

Cllr Roy expressed disappointment at the rate of progress of improvement plans.

Director of Infrastructure Services, Stephen Archer, noted the comments and said he would ensure the project moves forward.

Councillor Anne Robertson (Turriff and District) welcomed a decision to involve local area committees more in the project.

She added: “Using the road every day, in some cases it’s not the road – it’s the way people drive on it. I’m not sure how we tackle that part of it.”

You can see the report to committee, including the analysis of recent accident statistics on the A947, on our website

.Aberdeenshire Regeneration Update 2014-15ISC endorsed progress made on the delivery of the council’s Regeneration Action Plan for Fraserburgh.

In May 2013, Aberdeenshire Council agreed its regeneration strategy would be focussed on Fraserburgh, as the area of most need within the region.

In August 2013 the Action Plan was agreed and officers began working on a range of environmental, economic and social projects with a range of public and private sector partners.

The Plan uses the Action Themes identified as part of the Strategy and develops them into a series of actions, projects and sub-projects.

Members were presented with and endorsed a report which showed good progress continues on the plan as a whole.

A summary of actions, progress, outputs and outcomes, as well as financial commitment and spending, is contained in appendix one to the committee report

. Grampian Food ForumThe committee considered a review of the Grampian Food Forum, which Aberdeenshire Council is the lead partner of.

The Food Forum is a partnership between the public sector and the food and drink industry in the Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray areas.

Established in 1993, it advises the public sector organisations on the needs of the food and drink industry so that programmes and projects can be put in place which are focused on the actual needs of the industry in order for it to remain competitive nationally and internationally.

Its purpose is to provide a platform for companies to discuss common issues, share experience and best practice and to encourage cooperation and collaboration where opportunities arise.

During 2012, research was commissioned to establish the effectiveness of the forum and councillors were presented with the findings, including information on economic impact.

Hearing that the Grampian model has been used as a template to roll the format out nationally, ISC chair Peter Argyle said: “There’s no doubt in my mind it’s an extremely useful part of our work.”

The committee agreed Aberdeenshire Council should remain the lead partner in the Forum and to maintain existing staffing and financial commitments.

Additional funding is obtained from partner organisations including Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen City Council, Moray Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

You can see the review of the Grampian Food Forum and the report to committee online

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