Agenda and minutes

The Democratic Services Officer asked for nominations for role of Chairman of the Scrutiny Board.

RESOLVED

That Councillor Dave Pinwell be elected Chairman of the HS2 Implementation Advisory Group for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

(Councillor Pinwell in the Chair)

Nominations were sought for role of Vice-Chairman of the Scrutiny Board.

RESOLVED

That Councillor Howell be elected Vice-Chairman of the HS2 Implementation Advisory Group for the 2021/22 Municipal Year.

Apologies were received from Councillor Brain who joined the meeting virtually.

To receive declarations of interest from Members.

There were no declarations of interest.

To deal with any questions or deputations received.

Mr Richard Lloyd on behalf of Open Spaces Society made a deputation in relation to Public Rights of Ways affected by HS2. The Interim Head of Engagement (HS2 Ltd) confirmed he would respond to the points raised outside of the meeting.

Mr Andrew Burrow on behalf of Berkswell Parish Council made a deputation which covered three long term issues in relation to HS2:

·  Engagement over the HS2 Viaduct which would go through the village

·  Design over the permanent Greenway

·  Detailed design of footpaths to ensure they were suitable for the local community.

The Head of Highways Management confirmed they would liaise with Mr Burrow to respond to the points raised.

To receive the minutes of the previous meeting held on 1^st March 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1^st March 2021 were presented for approval.

RESOLVED

The minutes of the meeting held on 1^st March 2021 were approved.

To outline the communication and engagement work undertaken by HS2 Ltd and to receive comments from the Group.

The Interim Head of Engagement, North Area (HS2 Ltd) introduced the item and explained that within Solihull, HS2 Ltd works with the Council, stakeholders and other partners to ensure communications and engagement was targeted and effective. Looking forward, HS2 Ltd aimed to get messages out collaboratively through different platforms to communities across the Borough. They then explained a number of different methods they used to engage with the local community. As a result of COVID-19 there had been a rise in virtual meetings which replaced face to face meetings.

The Interim Head of Engagement also explained the process to retain oversight of how enquiries and complaints were managed. A Local Authority report was produced which flagged the volume and content of enquiries and reports. This would be made available to the Group.

The Community Engagement Lead (LM) produced an example of how they had worked alongside a number of stakeholders to run a successful collaborative communication campaign on the installation of the bridges over the M42 and A446. This would be replicated in the future to ensure that the information was targeted, packaged correctly and consistent across all organisations.

Members made comments and asked the following questions:

·  Members raised concerns about the focus of the conversations with the Leader of the Council and asked how the Group could be kept informed of these discussions. The Interim Head of Engagement explained that there were a number of conversations about the strategic issues in relation to HS2, the delivery of the project and the links with wider Council objectives. Members requested that this would be considered in future updates.

·  A Member queried whether a rolling plan could be organised to confirm the dates and details of the engagement activities. The Interim Head of Engagement confirmed that this could be arranged and explained that a three month construction look ahead was already produced.

·  A Member highlighted that there was a lack of communication by HS2 Ltd and contractors about the smaller projects, and requested they were more proactive about this. The Interim Head of Engagement agreed that HS2 Ltd and contractors should be more proactive. However, there were security concerns (direct action) which led to constraints about the engagement which could take place. Alongside this, there were some sections of the project which would not involve consultation, and would instead residents would just be informed of the action which would take place.

·  A Member noted that there was dissatisfaction locally which had not been picked up in the helpdesk statistics. The Interim Head of Engagement concurred that the use of the helpdesk was vital to help understand local problems and queries. They encouraged people to use the helpdesk to ensure problems were recorded.

Councillor Rolf explained that as part of her Cabinet Member position, she would be expected to work with HS2 Ltd to ensure that concerns of local residents were raised.

To receive a programme update from HS2 Ltd.

The Interim Head of Engagement, North Area (HS2 Ltd) introduced the item and provided a broader update on the HS2 project. This covered Phase 2b of the project, the procurement process for a contractor would commence in 2021 and that there were plans to produce Elected Members contact cards.

Interchange Area Update

The Community Engagement Lead (LM) gave an overview of the Interchange Area and flagged the latest updates which included:

·  There would be overnight lane closures in July and August 2021 over the M42 to complete street lighting work and on the A446 for barrier reorientation. The usual notification process would be followed to promote these works.

·  A number of works had taken place in the Interchange Area to connect the network which included new routes, footpaths, kerb lines and central reservations. The next weekend closure would take place in August 2021.

·  It was planned to complete all of their work in the Interchange Area in advance of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

·  From 19^th July until 26^th August 2021, there would be significant changes to Northway Island. Drivers would still be able to access all routes but there would be diversions. A collaborative communications campaign strategy had been implemented to highlight the changes.

·  Vegetation clearance started on 8^th July and would be completed by 16^th July on a short section of the A446.

·  There would be a temporary phased lane closure in specific dates in July on sections of the A446, A452 and A45 to conduct bat surveys.

A number of steps had been taken to communicate these changes to stakeholders within the Interchange Area and nearby locations.

Enabling Works Update

The Community Engagement Manager (LM) noted that there were outstanding planning applications in relation to the Temporary Greenway which could not be discussed at the meeting. The points raised included:

·  A number of small community projects were planned with local groups and schools.

·  The Green Corridor continued to progress as ecological mitigation sites. This would happen alongside the necessary vegetation clearance. Some of these sites were near to public rights of ways, and they continued to engage with the local community in relation to this.

·  The Park Lane roundabout had been mobilised again, with the intention to create a central running lane by the end of August 2021.  There had been local engagement over the construction of the roundabout. The compound near the Park Lane area had been handed over to BBV.

The Community Engagement Lead explained that LM had been involved in nine community investment initiatives in the Interchange Area.

Main Works Update

The Head of Stakeholder Engagement (BBV) highlighted the following points as they prepared for the construction phase of the project:

·  A compound would be constructed in the Coleshill Heath Road area which would include laboratory facilities, assurance of concrete workshops and a concrete batching plant.

·  Earthworks and stockpiling were taking place in the Interchange Area, which they had taken over responsibility for from LM. There were also earthworks for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive an update of the HS2 project from Solihull Council’s Highway Services Division.

The Head of Highways Management introduced the item and provided an overview of what Schedule 4 Applications were. It was noted that the HS2 Road Safety Fund consultation was due to begin on 19^th July. Members and other stakeholders would be kept informed on this.

To provide an update on the current version of the Key Issues Tracker.

The Key Issues Tracker was presented for information.

Councillor Rolf updated the Group on Heath Park. Conversations had taken place with Love Solihull and local stakeholders to identify what HS2 Ltd could do to support the local area. The most likely use for the area chosen was a skate park, however this was subject to further investigation. Once this investigation had concluded, a formal application would be submitted to HS2 Ltd. The Group would continue to be kept informed on this.