No. | Item | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Question from: County Councillor Iain McIntosh Subject: Palmentydd peryglus yn Aberhonddu / Dangerous pavements in Brecon
Question:
I would like to raise an issue that has been a growing concern amongst the local community and business owners in Brecon town centre, The Watton and Ship Street areas. The pavements in these locations become extremely slippery during wet weather conditions. This has not only led to numerous expressions of concern from members of the public to local business owners but has also been a recurring topic social media over the last couple of years. My County Council ward is directly outside Brecon, but members of the public have directly asked me to raise this issue as a matter of concern.
Despite these repeated expressions of concern, it appears that no visible action has been taken to address this issue, which raises significant safety concerns for pedestrians in these areas. As such, I would like to request the Council to provide clarity and responses to the following queries:
• Has this issue been formally raised with the Council by local County Councillors? If so, what measures were advised or taken to acknowledge and address the severity of this issue?
• Can the Council confirm whether there have been any formal incidents reported or concerns raised by members of the public regarding the safety of the pavements in Brecon during wet weather in the past?
• At the time of the installation of the current paving slabs, what advice was sought and given regarding their suitability for public pedestrian use, especially in terms of slip resistance during wet weather?
• Most importantly, what plans or measures does the Council intend to implement to mitigate the slipperiness of the pavements and ensure the safety of the public going forward?
The safety of residents and visitors to Brecon is of paramount importance, and addressing this issue should be a priority to prevent potential accidents and injuries. We believe that timely and effective action from the Council will greatly enhance public safety and the overall well-being of the community.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response and to hearing about the steps the Council plans to take to resolve this pressing concern.
Minutes: Response by the Cabinet Member:
Thank you for your questions, which I have repeated for ease of reference: 1. Has this issue been formally raised with the Council by local County Councillors? If so, what measures were advised or taken to acknowledge and address the severity of this issue? Yes, several of Brecon’s County Councillors have raised this issue and actions have been taken as outlined within question 4.
2. Can the Council confirm whether there have been any formal incidents reported or concerns raised by members of the public regarding the safety of the pavements in Brecon during wet weather in the past? There have been a total of 15 incidents at 6 different located within Brecon reported to Powys County Council.
3. At the time of the installation of the current paving slabs, what advice was sought and given regarding their suitability for public pedestrian use, especially in terms of slip resistance during wet weather? The choice of materials were made in conjunction with the then National Parks and Brecon Town Council to enhance their grant aided project to upgrade town properties and shop fronts. These slabs were also used in other parts of the county in Presteigne and Llanfyllin in other refurbishments so has been considered popular and appropriate for other Town Centre schemes.
4. Most importantly, what plans or measures does the Council intend to implement to mitigate the slipperiness of the pavements and ensure the safety of the public going forward? Powys County Council with agreement of the National Parks have reduced the pollarding on the trees in the Watton which produce sap at certain times of the year which increases the risk of slipping from 5 years to 3 years to help control this. We have also increased the treatment of the pavements with a substance which controls the algae and moss forming on the pavements. We have increased the sweeping / scrubbing of the pavements with a new pedestrian sweeper which was funded by a levelling up scheme from central government. Finally, we are now also entering into a new external partnership with Brecon Town Council to see if we can increase the sweeping element even further with the use of their Brecon Caretaker.
|