Laura Hampshire, Regeneration Project Officer will provide the Forum with an update.
Minutes:
The Regeneration Project Officer was present at the meeting and provided a response to the comments made by the Forum following their visit to the bus station:
· The works were substantially complete and a review of the project would be carried out.
· Additional signage had now been erected.
· The Regeneration Project Officer explained that the taxi rank sign was not flush to the wall of the car park and instead it stuck out so that it was visible from Albion Street and the Museum.
· One of the aims of the project was to declutter the area, following responses made via the public consultation the amount of street furniture had been investigated.
· The Regeneration Project Officer was in contact with the supplier of the notice boards which were currently leaking and the issue would be rectified.
· The real time information which was displayed on the screens was dependent on information being passed from the bus operators to Norfolk County Council. Work was ongoing to encourage bus operators to submit information to be displayed.
· The Regeneration Project Officer reminded those present that they had raised issues regarding a bottleneck at the entrance to Sainsburys car park. The Regeneration Project Officer commented that this had not been reported before, so if the Forum were aware of any particular times when there were issues to let her know so that she could investigate and check CCTV if required. The Bus Station Officer was also working to discourage people from smoking in the area.
· In response to a question from Genene Henshaw, the Regeneration Project Officer explained that there was currently one Bus Station Officer, but a second Officer had now been recruited. The purpose of the role was to be out and about in the bus station assisting customers and enforcing the no smoking and no cycling rules. Feedback from passengers was that some would prefer the Officer to remain in the information office so they knew where to find him and some would prefer him to be out and about in the area. It was suggested that a pager mechanism be placed in the information office, so that if a member of the public was unable to find the Bus Station Officer they could page him back to the office. The Regeneration Project Officer agreed to investigate.
· Councillor Mrs Fraser commented that she still felt the bus station was an intimidating place, especially in the car park. She commented that there were often groups of people congregated in the car park area. The Regeneration Project Officer explained that CCTV had been upgraded in the area and whilst she acknowledged that this did not prevent anti-social behaviour, the CCTV team had a direct line through to the Police to report any incidents. The Regeneration Project Officer explained that two types of CCTV coverage were available; static cameras and point, tilt and zoom cameras. In response to a question from June Leamon, the Regeneration Project Officer explained that the Police did patrol the Bus Station area as part of their beat, but agreed to pass on the comments of the Forum in that they would like to see an increased Police presence.
· The Regeneration Project Officer informed those present that further work had been planned to approve the appearance of the car park and included painting, replacing uneven slabs and improved lighting. She explained that this work had to be separate from the King’s Lynn Transport Interchange Project as it could not be funded by Section 106 money. Work would be carried out after the Mart in February, which was considered to be a quieter period and hopefully cause less disruption. The Chairman asked if there was a temporary solution to improving the lighting until the improvement works were completed and the Regeneration Project Officer agreed to investigate.
· The Regeneration Project Officer explained that, to try and prevent anti-social behaviour, no seating had been placed in the car park near the taxi rank. Seating was available in the bus station which was undercover. Councillor Mrs Fraser explained that some people were unable to stand and wait for a taxi, so it would be beneficial to have seating in this area. The Regeneration Project Officer agreed to pass the comments on to the KLTI Project Board.
· The Regeneration Project Officer informed the Forum that there were three sets of cycle racks located in and around the bus station. A new cycle rack had been installed in the car park so it was undercover and would be opened in the next few weeks.
· Genene Henshaw asked about the colour differentiation on the pavements to assist people with visual impairments. The Regeneration Project Officer explained that the departure points used different coloured pavement. Genene Henshaw did not feel that there was enough of a contrast between the colours used and the Regeneration Project Officer agreed to pass on the comments to the Board.
· Councillor Bambridge referred to the taxi rank sign and asked if it would be possible to have an additional sign up which was flush to the wall so that it could be seen from all directions.
· The Regeneration Project Officer explained that discussions were ongoing to see if it would be possible to utilise some blank wall space in the bus station area to display a map of King’s Lynn. If this was not possible, additional signage could be investigated.
· Pat French commented that the West Norfolk Community Transport drivers had raised concerns that the bays were not big enough for their buses. The Regeneration Project Officer asked Pat French to provide her with details of which bays they were referring to so she could investigate.
· The Chairman asked if the drop off point outside of the Lord Kelvin could be designated as a pick up and drop off point specifically for people with disabilities.
· Councillor Bambridge commented that the bollards around the ticket machine in the car park could become a trip hazard and the Regeneration Project Officer agreed to investigate.
· The Regeneration Project Officer explained that Ivy Panels had recently been installed at the Pullover roundabout, it if was proven that they did have a positive impact on air quality, the use of them in the bus station area could be investigated.
The Regeneration Project Officer agreed to pass on the comments of the Forum to the relevant officers and provide an update at the next meeting of the Forum.