Grade II Bridge, Kings Road, LLANDYBIE
Dear Carmarthenshire Council,
All present at a PACT meeting were told by our representative on the floor of the chamber on Jail Hill, Carmarthen that a recent survey and site meeting was carried out on the Grade II listed bridge essential for pedestrians and vehicles in gaining access to services in Llandybie.
Absent of personal and political pecuniary interest and only in the interest of welfare and safety:
1. I require ALL data printouts to include reports and minutes that Highway and Bridges Engineers hold from ALL site visits / monitoring / at separate points along and at both ends of this bridge to the lower end of Kings Road, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire.
2. Copy of ALL current and previous criterias and calculations relied upon that prohibits residents, services and seasonal traffic to prime tourism locations using this bridge at Kings Road, Llandybie from enjoying an improved road safety initiative.
3. What lawful instrument is Carmarthenshire County Council relying upon in preventing an improved road safety initiative from taking place over this Grade II bridge Kings Road, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire.
4. It is said that a pedestrian bridge paid from the public purse is located on land belonging to an Ammanford based Construction Company surplus to requirement. Is this fact, and if so, can it be utilised at this bridge location?
5. With potential developments originally seen on eplanning and then removed / sidelined in the planning process for Kings Road, Llandybie I require the Planning Officer and Forward Planning Officer to release quantum of proposed dwellings currently held and not yet released for general use on the Carmarthenshire eplanning website to be disclosed.
Yours faithfully,
M Bowen
Dear Mr Bowen,
Thank you for your request for information, which was received on 10th April, 2017 and is being dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We are therefore required to provide a response within 20 working days, which will be on or before 10th May, 2017.
If we require clarification we will also contact you as soon as we can – please note that the timescale for response specified above may be subject to change if this is the case.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries, remembering to quote the reference number above in any communications.
Yours sincerely
John Tillman
Swyddog Gwybodaeth a Diogelu Data
Tîm Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth a Chwynion
Adran y Prif Weithredwr
Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin
Information & Data Protection Officer
Information Governance & Complaints Team
Chief Executive's Department
Carmarthenshire County Council
Dear Mr Bowen
Further to your request for information dated 10th April re: question 5
5. With potential developments originally seen on eplanning and then removed / sidelined in the planning process for Kings Road, Llandybie I require the Planning Officer and Forward Planning Officer to release quantum of proposed dwellings currently held and not yet released for general use on the Carmarthenshire eplanning website to be disclosed.
We require further clarification regarding what information you are seeking here?
Yours sincerely
John Tillman
Swyddog Gwybodaeth a Diogelu Data
Tîm Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth a Chwynion
Adran y Prif Weithredwr
Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin
Information & Data Protection Officer
Information Governance & Complaints Team
Chief Executive's Department
Carmarthenshire County Council
Mewnol/Internal: 4127
Allanol/External: 01267 224127
Dear Mr Tillman,
FOIA,
I am relying on FOIA having reasonably asked for information based on Planning Application[s] that is [are] believed to be sidelined until post election in respect of proposed developments that will require access on to Kings Road, Llandybie.
I have reasonable cause to believe that we have a situation that mirrors previous pre election periods where planning applications as per The Wind Turbine in Caerbryn, and development at Llandovery as well as at other locations did not see the light of day until post elections.
My reasonable request to Carmarthenshire County Council passes the test of not intending to be vexatious or scurrilous but based on historical events and culture. Therefore my reasonable Q5 that qualifies as being of public interest deserves a reasonable transparent reply.
[5. With potential developments originally seen on eplanning and then removed / sidelined in the planning process for Kings Road, Llandybie I require the Planning Officer and Forward Planning Officer to release quantum of proposed dwellings currently held and not yet released for general use on the Carmarthenshire eplanning website to be disclosed.]
I fail to see what part of Question 5 that the Planning Authority fails to understand. I am guided by an apply qualified ex Planning Authority employee that brought this issue before the Capel Hendre, Saron and Llandybie PACT meeting having seen a development plan for Kings Road that was then removed from Carmarthenshire eplanning website. It was met with agitation and remains a wall of silence.
All I reasonably required was a statement of fact from a person of public function in command and Control of Planning / Forward Planning to disclose forecasted - "quantum of proposed dwellings currently held and not yet released for general use on the Carmarthenshire eplanning website."
Yours sincerely,
M Bowen
Dear FOIA,
With non pecuniary interest apart from public safety, I simply require your Planning Department to apply transparency to reveal all planning applications that are on the desks of Planning Officers to include that of Forward Planning Officers in relation to Kings Road, Llandybie.
This reasonable request is made on information that was released by the Planning Authority and then taken down from public view.
Notwithstanding the impact these undisclosed developments will have on speed dangers and users of the Grade II listed bridge that serves the area in question.
Now that the local elections have passed, which have been reasons to withhold information in the past: I fail to understand why this reasonable overdue request requires yet more time by professionals to be answered.
Yours sincerely,
M Bowen
Dear Sir,
Your email to Mr Tillman of the 13^th May regarding this matter has been
passed to me to deal with given that it makes specific reference to an
‘internal review’ in the context of your original information request.
I will aim to conduct this review within 20 working days that is by the
14^th June.
Yours Faithfully
Robert Edgecombe
Dear Sir,
I write further to your request for information, which was received on
10^th April, 2017 and your subsequent email dated 13^th May 2017.
Your request has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.
The specific information you requested was as follows:
1. I require ALL data printouts to include reports and minutes that
Highway and Bridges Engineers hold from ALL site visits / monitoring /
at separate points along and at both ends of this bridge to the lower
end of Kings Road, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire.
I attach for your attention a copy of the Bridge Inspection forms for the
last two cycles, these inspections having been carried out on 14 May 2014
and 16 November 2016.
I would also advise that a structural assessment of the bridge was carried
out in 2009 and the assessment concluded that the structure has an
assessed live load capacity of 40 tonnes.
With respect to maintenance work, three number work orders were issued on
08.05.15, 29.07.15 and 12.01.16; all of which relate to re-setting
dislodged coping stones to the upstream masonry parapet.
2. Copy of ALL current and previous criterias and calculations relied
upon that prohibits residents, services and seasonal traffic to prime
tourism locations using this bridge at Kings Road, Llandybie from
enjoying an improved road safety initiative.
Please click on attached links:
[1]http://online.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/age...
[2]http://online.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/age...
3. What lawful instrument is Carmarthenshire County Council relying upon
in preventing an improved road safety initiative from taking place
over this Grade II bridge Kings Road, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire?
The 1980 Highways Act places a duty on the local authority (the highway
authority) to maintain the highway. The 1988 Road Traffic Act makes
provision for the local authority to undertake studies into accidents, and
to take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents. The County Council is
required to take reasonable care of the highway to protect the safety and
wellbeing of road users. The extent and nature of the County Council's
road safety improvement programmes depends upon the availability of
finance, staff, facilities and time. Limited budgets place restrictions on
the road safety improvement programmes that the County Council is able to
implement.
On the 27th Feb. '17, the Council's Executive Board approved revised
criteria for the assessment and prioritisation of requests for highway
infrastructure and road safety improvements. Please click on the
attached:
[3]http://democracy.carmarthenshire.gov.wal...
The prioritisation of such requests consists of a 2 stage process; the
first stage considering numbers of accidents in last 5 years, the nature
of the accidents, number of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists,
and traffic volumes; schemes which achieve the required score then proceed
to the second stage which considers practical factors such as
deliverability, cost, match funding, likely impact of measures - these
combine to provide a ranking of all requests held so limited resources can
be targeted most effectively.
The Road Safety and Footway Prioritised List is periodically reviewed to
consider new scheme requests as well as existing requests on an exception
basis in the event of changes in local circumstance; please be assured
that, in accordance with the site meeting discussions, the request has
been recorded (as detailed below) for inclusion in our current Road Safety
and Footway Prioritisation Review exercise:
C2138 Kings Road Llandybie: request for pedestrian safety improvements on
approach to and over the river bridge (together with footway provision
from No.2 Kings Road towards river bridge)
I would advise that the undertaking of the current review exercise is
ongoing and includes all recorded requests for such improvements currently
held throughout the County –
4. It is said that a pedestrian bridge paid from the public purse is
located on land belonging to an Ammanford based Construction Company
surplus to requirement. Is this fact, and if so, can it be utilised at
this bridge location?
In recent years the contractor have undertaken a number of bridge
replacement / strengthening schemes that have required the erection of
separate pedestrian footbridges to maintain access whilst the new bridges
were constructed and it is for this purpose that these 'temporary' bridges
have been used.
These bridges are the property of the Contractor and the Council has
effectively paid for the use of them for the specific durations that they
were required. They remain the property of the Contractor and are not
surplus to requirements as they are not the property of the Council.
5. With potential developments originally seen on eplanning and then
removed / sidelined in the planning process for Kings Road, Llandybie I
require the Planning Officer and Forward Planning Officer to release
quantum of proposed dwellings currently held and not yet released for
general use on the Carmarthenshire eplanning website to be disclosed.
Two residential sites have been allocated in the Local Development Plan
(LDP, adopted in 2014) in the King's Road area of Llandybie:
- GA3/h29 Land off Llys Y Nant, which is allocated for 9 units;
- GA3/30 King's Road, which is allocated for 22 units
Please note that sites allocated in the LDP relate to allocations of 5 or
more dwellings.
Recent site visits have revealed that no development has so far taken
place on either of these sites.
Yours sincerely
Robert Edgecombe
Legal Services Manager
References
Visible links
1. http://online.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/age...
2. http://online.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/age...
3. http://democracy.carmarthenshire.gov.wal...
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now