Breaking. Parking suspensions along the energy pipe route SUPERSEDED – SEE ABOVE

Residents have contacted us because they are concerned about the parking suspension notices that the County Council has put up along the whole of the energy pipe route.

It’s standard practice for the Council to blanket cover the whole area where works will take place. This is ensure that parking is suspended should the works on one section finish earlier than expected and gives the contractor the facility to get work done more quickly.

In this case, the project will continue for four and a half months, so blanket coverage of suspension signs is causing needless concern.

We have discussed this with the Civil Enforcement Manager at the County Council and have secured an undertaking that superfluous parking suspension notices will be removed until needed, provided that Vital Energi undertakes to give 5 clear working days notice before moving works from one section to another. The Vital Energi project manager is happy to give that assurance but we are waiting to get official confirmation before we send out emails and street letters to that effect.

Councillors will discuss parking suspensions in Lime Walk (which will become one way after Christmas) at a meeting with County Networks and Vital Energi tomorrow.

This post will be updated later today

Energy pipe works set to start on 28 November in Highfield

Conditions attached to the planning consent have now been signed off. Letters are being distributed today by the Oxford University Hospitals Trust outlining the schedule of works. A 12 page booklet will be distributed mid-November giving fuller details e.g. the times of day works will be carried out, how to obtain visitors’ parking permits when the works are immediately outside your property, and other useful information. The proposed dates for works are always provisional at the start of a major project because of external circumstances – a protracted period of bad weather for example. If dates are delayed, residents will be notified of the revised timetable for works but we hope this eventuality will not arise.

From Monday 28 November to Friday 16 December, there will be three-way traffic lights at the Lime Walk/All Saints junction, and the 4th arm of the crossroads will be closed off between the midpoint of the entrance to Barrington Close and the above junction. Lime Walk will remain two way during that period, and access to Barrington Close will be from Bickerton Road and Stapleton Road. The planters at the junction will be removed and stored until the works are completed and will then be returned. Some bollards may be removed and stored temporarily during the works.

From Monday 28 November to Friday 16 December, the top of Latimer Road will be closed as far as the midpoint of the entrance to Latimer Grange.  There will be no entry to Latimer Road from London Road. Those wishing to access Latimer Road from London Road will need to take a different route, either via Gipsy Lane/Old Road/Bickerton or Stapleton Roads; or via Lime Walk and a wait at the three way lights, Old Road, and either Bickerton or Stapleton Roads.

Works affecting Sandfield Road will not start until the New Year.

Contact numbers for information

Daytime: Jo Lennon 07342 086843 (9am – 4.30pm)

Email: hospitalenergyproject@ouh.nhs.uk

Website: www.ouh.nhs.uk/about/developments/energy

Twitter: OUH_Estates #OUHEnergy

More details will be made available in the Trust’s booklet which is currently being printed. Ruth, Roz and Altaf have ensured that the County’s Networks, Access to Headington and Parking Teams have been fully involved throughout. Vital Energi, the contractors for the Trust, are working co-operatively with Winvic, the contractors for the Beech House development, over access to the Beech House site from Latimer Road.

If you require further information, please contact Jo (number above) or your local councillors Roz, Ruth and Altaf

How to contact your councillors

By phone:

Roz: 07584 257156

Altaf: 07931 345554

By email:

Ruth: ruth.wilkinson@oxfordlibdems.org.uk (email preferred)

Twitter:

Ruth

@ruthwilk

 

 

Headington sewer capacity

Here are some notes from a meeting with Thames Water, following sewage spills in and around London Road and Brookside.

Pipe capacity

  • There is a 150 mm pipe down London Rd
  • This joins a 300 mm pipe in All Saints Road
  • Capacity has been checked in and around the junction of Headley Way, London Road and Brookside and this is OK.
  • If capacity were a problem then the sewer would block up daily.
  • Sewer pipes need to be fairly full as they are self-cleaning so require steady flow

Monitoring capacity

  • Growth forecast  is considered every 6 months so incremental change is spotted.
  • They have just finished plotting capacity across the City and Headington is OK. (evidence shown for this)
  • London Road sewer (incl Brookside) is on the 1 year planned maintenance list because of the frequency of incidents but the latter have all been due to a build-up of fat and grease

How to contact Thames Water

Thames Water enquiry number is 0800 316 9800 to report drainage issues

Responsibility for sewers

Thames Water look after shared sewers. As soon as a sewer leaves your land then Thames Water looks after it

  • If a sewer pipe runs past no. 1, 3, 5, 7 then the owner of no. 1 is responsible for sorting out problems with the pipe inside his/her curtilage but when it gets to no. 3 and thereafter it’s the responsibility of TW
  • If unsure whose responsibility it is, ring Thames Water enquiry number

Causes of sewer blockage

Fat and grease clings to non-biodegradable wipes – these are everywhere now, not just baby wipes but surface wipes, make-up wipes etc

New technology to detect blockage

Echo system technology is newly available – don’t have to dig up major roads to put cameras down from now on, can send down an echo finder and get a reading from that

Further action agreed

  • TW to send posters/leaflets/.pdf link to Cllrs to promote what can and can’t go down sinks/toilets
  • TW to establish whether promotion dept is working with Oxford Brookes and Headington School
  • Cllrs to contact Thames Water if we think street traders are pouring grease into the sewers

Experiencing flooding or sewage spills? This meeting is for you

Residents of Oxford and the surrounding areas are invited to The Oxford Area Flood Partnership 2016 OPEN FORUM at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday 1 November 2016 from  7 – 9pm.

After a short presentation on the OAFP’s work, you will have the opportunity to put your questions to the Partners themselves:

  • Environment Agency
  • Oxfordshire County Council
  • Oxford City Council
  • Vale of White Horse District Council
  • Thames Water
  • Network Rail

For more information email flooding@oxford.gov.uk

Visitor permits link for those affected by energy pipe works

The link is now live on the County’s website for those people wishing to request visitors permits in advance of energy pipe work outside their houses. You can find it here

You will be prompted to choose which CPZ area you would prefer.

HE covers Central Headington from Lime Walk  – New High Street and all points east

HB covers Highfield – Latimer Road and Stapleton Road and all points west

HA covers the area north of London Road around the Sandfield Road area

Your application will go straight to the County Parking Team in Kidlington where a dedicated member of staff will be able to help you and fast track your visitor permits back to you. Information to this effect will be included in a leaflet posted through your letterbox two weeks ahead of the works.

We have made sure that the change of pipe route has been taken into account.

We expect details of timings of each phase of the works to be published next week – this has had to be revised following publication of the Access to Headington works phase 1 in Roosevelt Drive

Latest news on Brookside spillage

We have received another bulletin from Thames Water regarding sewer capacity in Brookside and dated yesterday. It reads as follows:

I am pleased to confirm our Technical Specialist has assessed the footage from the recent clean of the sewers in London Road and Brookside. He has confirmed that the sections of sewer which have been cleaned are now free-flowing and fully operational. 

There is a final section of the foul sewer in London Road which we now need to clean and camera survey to ensure the sewer is operating at full capacity. This has been scheduled for 4 October. 

Further to our discussion about sewer size in the area, our Asset Management team have confirmed that they recently completed a catchment wide hydraulic modelling study using flow monitors. This did show a degree of hydraulic incapacity in the London Road – Brookside area but our Sewer Flooding History Database shows the last flooding caused by hydraulic overload was in 2010. 

All of the recent flooding incidents have been caused by blockages of fat and grease, so there is insufficient history of a capacity issue to justify further studies or a network upgrades at this time. They have also confirmed that increasing the size of the sewers is not the right solution for sewer flooding relating to blockages as even with a larger size sewer, blockages will still occur.

Once the clean of the sewer in London Road has been completed I will ask the local Field Operations Specialist to consider placing the sewer in London Road and Brookside on our Planned Maintenance programme. This will mean they are cleaned regularly to prevent flooding caused by blockages from happening.       

I hope this information is useful, I will continue to monitor our progress and will contact you with a further update by 7 October to confirm the final section of sewer was cleaned as planned.

Energy pipe given planning go ahead…with conditions

The East Area Planning Committee met tonight to discuss the energy pipe application 16/01565/FUL

It granted consent subject to 20 conditions, some of which were amended or added during the meeting*. There are also 6 informatives. Provisionally we noted these as follows (but are subject to change as minutes not yet available):

Conditions

  1. Development begun within time limit.
  2. Develop in accordance with approved plans.
  3. Materials.
  4. Tree Protection Plan (TPP) 2.
  5. Arboricultural Method Statement (AMS) 2.
  6. Monitoring and Supervision of Trees.
  7. De-compaction of RPAs.
  8. Noise mitigation measures.
  9. Temporary Car Park. *Extra lighting
  10. JR Compound.
  11. Churchill Compound.
  12. Welfare Compound.
  13. Visitor Permits.
  14. Construction Traffic Management Plan. *To be a living document with sign off by the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services in conjunction with the Chair of the East Area Planning Committee and the four ward councillors in the affected wards
  15. Hours of Work.
  16. Arch – Implementation of programme.
  17. Use of Pipework.
  18. Air Quality Measures.
  19. Communications* to include leaflet, web updates, disability provision, clear instruction on how to claim for damage arising from works, residents to be leafleted promptly if unexpected delays to works occur
  20. Charging point for electric vehicles* – check availability at hospital sites to ensure facility is available

Informatives

  1. All works to be noticed in accordance with the NRSWA Act including applying for Section 50 licence….
  2. All works must comply with the code of practice for NRSWA, namely chapter 8 Signing and Guarding, and reinstatements
  3. Traffic management associated with the proposed work to be agreed …with County Council officers….
  4. Any Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders or Temporary Traffic Signals required must be duly applied for in a timely manner..
  5. City Council’s legal position re ownership of land affected*
  6. Additional maintenance work may require planning permission*

Minute

To include the willingness of the applicant to make available a community contribution

Before sign off of CTMP, clarification/action needed for:

  • road sweeper will be hired to clean roads as required  – required by whom?
  • highways condition survey must be done and recorded for the entire route prior to commencement

The draft minutes will be produced by Friday afternoon 9/9/16 and any 12 councillors may call in the decision for deliberation by a further planning committee Tuesday 13/9/16.

If unchallenged, the decision notice is likely to be sent out before the end of next week.

Technically, the County Council requires three weeks notice before works can start so works could theoretically begin as early as 10th October, however work will need to be done to satisfy certain conditions first. The start date for works will also need to fit around the Access to Headington works which are due to start at the Roosevelt Drive/Old Road junction the following week. No energy pipe work can be carried out in Churchill Drive till the Access to Headington works finish in Roosevelt Drive so the phasing of works will need to be revised.

 

Energy pipe latest

The situation currently is that the energy pipe works cannot proceed until
consent has been given by the County Council as local highways authority for
Vital Energi to break open the highway surface (this takes the form of street
licences) and planning consent has been granted by the City Council as the
planning authority.

A small but informed group of residents and councillors attended the County’s
Planning and Regulations Committee meeting yesterday, raised issues that still
need resolving, and fought for improvements to conditions. There was a proposal
to defer the decision until after planning consent was given and to allow time
for further discussion of other issues to take place but that was voted down
7-5. On the second vote along the lines of the officer recommendation (with one
slight change to one condition which is covered in the Construction Traffic
Management Plan already) councillors voted 9-0 to permit the licences with
several abstentions.

Following that meeting, the small but informed group re-assembled at the Town
Hall to ask questions of City Council officers and Vital Energi about legal
issues. Vital Energi gave a presentation in which for the first time slides
were presented showing workings for costs and energy efficiency that are not
included in the documentation submitted with the application on the planning
website, but explained they cannot display this more widely as it is
commercially sensitive.

The issue of whether to grant planning consent will be discussed by East Area
Planning Committee at the Town Hall on Wednesday 7th at 18:00 and is the first
item on the agenda. Members of the public speaking for or against need to fill
in a speaker’s form ahead of the start of the meeting. The Chair has discretion
to allow longer speaking time but it is likely not to exceed 10 minutes in
total for all speakers put together.

Any decision taken by East Area Planning Committee is subject to a call-in
period of 48 weekday hours following publication of the minutes. If the
decision is not called in, it will stand.

If the application is agreed subject to a long list of conditions and
informatives, works could start as early as three weeks after the decision
notice is sent out by the planning authority. (required lead-in time for the
County Council to publicise street works/TTROs)

However there is another external factor. We have been advised that Access to
Headington works will start in Roosevelt Drive mid October (date to be
confirmed) so the timing and sequence of energy pipe works may be affected by
this. The County Council is giving priority to its own project with regard to
road closures so there are lots of meetings going on to work out the logistics
of it all.

Timetable for determination of the energy pipe application

Residents have asked about speaking rights at the various meetings to be held w/b 5 September about the energy pipe application.

The County Council’s Planning and Regulatory meeting is at 14:00 on Monday 5th September at County Hall. There is a slot for petitions and public address, please contact the Clerk for more details.

The legal briefing for councillors in public will take place at 16:30 on Monday 5th September in the Long Room at the Town Hall. The agenda will be published ahead of the meeting but is not yet available – as above, please contact the Clerk if you have any enquiries about speaking rights.
The East Area Planning Committee meeting will be held in the Long Room at the Town Hall on Wednesday 7th September at 6pm and there is a long agenda in preparation.
The agenda will be displayed the week before the meeting and the Chair will allow speaking time to those for and against the application. It is likely that speaking time may be extended from 5 minutes in total to ten minutes in total at the Chair’s discretion. But that will be ten minutes shared by all those who wish to speak. For more details on speaking rights, please contact the Clerk listed on the web page.