This meeting was scheduled to consider a call-in of a decision made by Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, to proceed with a trial of a new traffic scheme in West Greenwich and East Greenwich. The call-in was requested by five Councillors, who raised a number of concerns about the scheme, including its potential impact on traffic, air pollution, and access for residents and businesses. The Sub-Committee was scheduled to consider the Councillors' concerns, and decide whether to refer the scheme back to the Cabinet Member for reconsideration or to Full Council.

West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management Project – Trial Scheme

The report pack included for discussion a decision report prepared for the Cabinet Member on 8 March 2024. This report recommended that the Cabinet Member trial a new traffic scheme in the West and East Greenwich areas, intended to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This recommendation was based on the results of two stages of public consultation, as well as close liaison with the emergency services.

The consultation results showed there was support for the overarching vision of reducing through-traffic and improving air quality, however significant concerns were raised about the proposals, including:

• Less direct routes for local residents and businesses.
• Concerns that traffic would be displaced to other areas.
• Questions about the enforcement of proposed traffic management measures.
• Concerns about the effectiveness of the proposed traffic management measures in addressing through-traffic, air quality, and road safety issues.
• Fears that the proposals may limit access to public transport.

In light of this feedback, the decision report recommended that the Cabinet Member trial a version of Option A with a number of amendments. The amendments included to:

“Replace hard closures with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera-enforced closures wherever feasible.”

“Extend the exemptions proposed in the consultation options (emergency vehicles, refuse vehicles, taxis and Blue Badge holders who have applied for an exemption) to also incorporate:

• Organisations which qualify for a Blue Badge (with a free permit);
• Individual circumstance exemptions (with a free permit); and
• Private Hire Vehicles.

“Include part-time operation of camera controlled restrictions (such as modal filters and bus gates). These would operate:

• weekdays only; and
• peak hours only, between 07:00-10:00 (AM) and 3:00-7:00 (PM).”

The report pack also included an Equality Impact Assessment, which considered the impact of the scheme on different groups of people, including those with protected characteristics. The assessment concluded that it was not anticipated that the scheme would result in any unlawful discrimination against any group.

The report pack also included the two call-in notices that had been submitted by Councillors.

Councillor Matt Hartley and Councillor John Hills call-in notice stated the following reasons for calling-in the decision:

• “There is a widespread perception that the consultation process was flawed, resulting in a lack of public confidence.”
• “The results that have been obtained have not been sufficiently taken into account in coming to this decision.”
• “Not all options have been consulted on.”
• “The impact on boundary roads and neighbouring areas has not been fully taken into account.”
• “There are no details of plans to monitor the impact of the proposed scheme on air pollution, before and after implementation.”
• “Other requested data”

Councillor Maisie Richards Cottell, Councillor Leo Fletcher and Councillor Lakshan Saldin call-in notice stated that the decision should be called-in because of local concern about the following:

• “Park Vista”
• “Langton Way”
• “Gloucester Circus”
• “Cade Road”
• “Maze Hill”
• “Impact on Charlton”

The report pack included a response to the call-in notices, which addressed each of the Councillors' concerns and provided additional information about the scheme.

The call-in response report also considered the implications of a set of recently published draft central government guidance for the decision, the most significant point of which would be to introduce a new requirement that:

"Via its engagement and consultations an authority should be confident that a scheme is capable of carrying the support of a majority of the community before introducing it.”

The report pack concluded that the decision was not contrary to the Budget and Policy Framework, and recommended that the Sub-Committee note the decision of the Cabinet Member and agree to take no further action.

The report pack also included a number of appendices, which provided further details about the scheme, the consultation results, the modelling, and the impact on protected groups.