Agenda item

This report informs the Committee of a petition requesting a review of the controlled parking zone in Fernbank, Maybank and Rosebank Avenues, Sudbury.

(i)            That the contents of the petition and the issues raised be noted;

(ii)          That the allocation of £10,000 of LIP capital funding to undertake a review of the operational times of  CPZ SH in Sudbury during the 2014/15 financial year be approved, subject to approval of the 2014/15 LIP programme;

(iii)         That the Head of Transportation be instructed to proceed with a review of the controlled parking zone SH during the 2014/15 financial year, subject to the outcome of the Local Implementation Plan capital funding submission;

(iv)         That subject to the outcomes of a review of CPZ SH during 2014-15, authorised the Head of Transportation to undertake any necessary non-statutory and statutory consultation, to consider any objections or representations and to implement the necessary Traffic Management Orders and associated signing and road marking works required to implement the changes;

(v)          That the main petitioner be informed of the outcome of the Highways Committee decision in regard to this matter.

Members considered a report that responded to a petition requesting a review of the controlled parking zone in Fernbank, Maybank and Rosebank Avenues in the Sudbury area.  In setting the background, Paul Chandler, Head of Transportation stated that the controlled parking zone SH (CPZ SH) was introduced principally to remove commuter and long term non-residential parking, improve road safety by removing obstructive parking at junctions, regulate on-street parking and by allowing greater turnover in parking spaces, attract more customers to local businesses. He continued that the operational times of 8:00am to 6:30pm Monday to Saturday excluding bank holidays were agreed with residents and local businesses.  Members heard that the request for review had been assessed and considered to meet the criteria explained in the report. 

Paul Chandler informed members that the cost of undertaking the review would include resources involved in undertaking a consultation as well as amending traffic orders and implementing signing changes if residents desire a change. Total costs could be up to £10,000. As there was no budget provision for this review, it was proposed to use funding available via the Local Implementation Plan (LIP during 2014/15 to review CPZ SH. 

In response to other parts of the petition, Paul Chandler stated that the prices of resident and visitor permits were consistent across all parking zones and that the request to re-introduce scratch cards would have Brent-wide cost implications that could not be considered as part of a local CPZ review.

Councillor Lorber stated that majority of the residents endorsed the current operational hours from 08:00am-6:30pm which had deterred commuter parking, non-residential long term parking and improved road safety. Councillor Lorber added that residents had however expressed genuine concerns about the charges for permits.

Councillor Daly stated that whilst there was an urgent need for a review, any review should be tailored to the needs of individual roads and should also take into consideration the needs of particular groups especially disabled persons.  Councillor Daly also expressed concerns about the telephony system which she added made it more difficult for residents to use the on-line parking system.

Whilst members agreed that there could be potential for a separation of operational hours tailored to suit individual roads, they felt that in addition to the cost implications there were practical difficulties involved in that approach.  

RESOLVED:

(i)        that the contents of the petition and the issues raised be noted;

(ii)       that the allocation of £10,000 of LIP capital funding to undertake a review of the operational times of  CPZ SH in Sudbury during the 2014/15 financial year be approved, subject to approval of the 2014/15 LIP programme;

(iii)      that the Head of Transportation be instructed to proceed with a review of the operational hours of controlled parking zone SH during the 2014/15 financial year, subject to the outcome of the Local Implementation Plan capital funding submission;

(iv)      that, subject to the outcomes of a review of operational hours of CPZ SH during 2014-15, authorise the Head of Transportation to undertake any necessary non-statutory and statutory consultation, to consider any objections or representations and to implement the necessary Traffic Management Orders and associated signing and road marking works required to implement the changes;

(v)       that the main petitioner be informed of the outcome of the Highways Committee decision in regard to this matter.