Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet:

1)    Agrees that public consultation will be undertaken on the introduction of a Public Spaces Protection Order prohibiting private hire vehicle and taxi vehicles waiting on the roadside near Heathrow Airport.

2)    Receives a further report when the consultation has concluded and an equality impact assessment has been prepared to decide whether to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order and, if so, the scope of that Order.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services introduced a report on options to reduce the impact of taxis and private hire vehicles waiting in residential streets near Heathrow Airport. The Cabinet Member outlined the plan for a consultation on a proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to improve the lives of residents in the wards surrounding Heathrow Airport by controlling the waiting of private hire vehicles in this area. This issue had been a long-standing nuisance, with 4,775 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued for other offences by these vehicles in the last 12 months, and 93 complaints received since April via the Heathrow Nuisance Portal. The Cabinet Member noted that the problem had grown since private hire vehicles began obtaining business via apps, and that now included some licensed taxis. Both groups had waiting facilities within the Airport’s boundary, but often chose not to use them.

The Cabinet Member explained that the proposed PSPO would prevent private hire vehicles from waiting in the three wards surrounding the airport: Heathrow Villages, Pinkwell and West Drayton. This approach was preferred over extending parking controls, which would impact residents and require an observation period. The PSPO would make it an offence for any vehicle used for hire or reward purposes to park or wait within the restricted area unless collecting or dropping off passengers, residing in the area, or if the business was based there. The PSPO would require no observation period and could be enforced by fixed or mobile cameras. The results of the consultation would return to Cabinet for a final decision. The Cabinet Member thanked Richard Webb, the Director of Community Safety & Enforcement, for his work on the paper.

Cabinet agreed to the consultation and the Leader of the Council welcomed the development, noting the significant impact of waiting vehicles on residents and the limitations of current enforcement methods.

Alternative options considered / risk management

Alternative options considered by the Cabinet, but discounted, were to maintain the status quo, more engagement with the taxi trade or further parking restrictions on vehicles waiting in streets near the airport.