Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered in public.

Councillor Burrows stated that this petition came to a Petition Hearing last month, but was deferred for further information.

Concerns and suggestions at the meeting included the following:

·         The petitioner commented that the parking restrictions introduced in part of Copthall Road East have been detrimental to local residents and the local village, as it is now very difficult to park in the town and use the shops there. Visitors to the village are now parking in local roads which do not have parking controls, and this is affecting residents.

·         A local survey of the 39 residents in the affected road was carried out by petitioners, and of the 34 residents who responded, two out of three residents stated that they preferred waiting restrictions to the parking management scheme.

·         It was suggested that waiting restrictions that prevented cars parking on the road for an hour would be welcomed, as it would stop commuters using the road as all-day parking, but also allow visitors to use the local shops.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised.  It was confirmed that the Borough aimed to be consistent in its use of 9am to 5pm as timings for an area-wide parking management scheme, but accepted that only one hour of waiting restrictions in the middle of the day would be enough to prevent commuters from parking in the area. The parking management scheme currently in place was implemented after the majority of residents in Copthall East Road requested parking restrictions be put in place through a previous petition which Councillor Burrows had heard, and the subsequent process, including both informal and formal consultations, was the current scheme.

At the previous meeting, there were discussions regarding a potential Freedom of Information Act (FIO) request, and Councillor Burrows confirmed there was no record of any FOI having been received. Councillor Burrows also confirmed that, following an allegation that an Officer did not provide information to a petitioner, the information in question was not withheld, but was spontaneously requested when the petition was submitted to the Council and the information was not readily available to hand at that moment in time.

Councillor Burrows commented that another petition had recently been submitted for a neighbouring road, and that was awaiting validation. As a result, it would be sensible to wait to see if the new petition is valid, and if so, go out to consultation with the residents of the area at the same time to see what the overwhelming opinion of all the local residents was. This could provide an opportunity for the views of the residents in Copthall Road East to be considered in this context.

The Cabinet Member encouraged all residents to respond to the consultation to ensure their voices were heard and considered.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Noted that the petition had been previously considered at the October petition hearing and that a decision had been deferred so that further information  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Councillor John Oswell attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Although not present at the meeting, Councillor Neil Fyfe had provided a written statement in support of the petition, which was read out by Councillor Keith Burrows.

Concerns and suggestions at the meeting included the following:

·         The petitioners commented that the extension of the double yellow lines was not beneficial to residents, and would impact on residents' parking.

·         Traffic flow on the road had been monitored by an independent survey which found the road was quiet between the hours of 8-10am and 3-4pm on Friday, 10am-12pm on Saturday, and 7-9am and 5-6pm on Monday with a maximum of 11 cars both entering and exiting Westacott during those hours.

·         Residents stated that the junction was wide and accessible, which meant cars parking on either side of the road was not an issue, but it was suggested that high-sided vehicles be banned from parking on the road as an alternative, which would improve visibility.  

·         The petitioner commented that the report noted several signatures on the petition were from residents who lived on Park Lane, and not Westacott, however, some of those properties ran along Westacott despite the different address.

Councillor Oswell commented that Westacott was a very quiet road, and questioned if it was worth making a change that residents were opposed to, while on-street parking often narrows the traffic down to a single lane, but that was very common in the Borough. Councillor Oswell confirmed his support for the residents' petition.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. The potential extension of the double yellow lines was a result of a Road Safety Form being submitted to the council, which compels the Council to look at the listed area in case changes to parking arrangements are required. It was confirmed that a ban on high-sided vehicles was not a possibility, as vans are not above the overnight weight limit in London, but it was noted that this remains a problem in the Borough. Councillor Burrows confirmed that emergency access to Westacott was his greatest concern, and before any decision was made, the emergency services would be asked to ensure that they can access the road, and once this issue is determined, the Council could make a decision on the proposed extension of the double yellow lines.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Considered the issues / concerns raised regarding the proposed waiting restrictions;

2.    Noted that although the waiting restrictions concerned were in Westacott, the vast majority of signatures to the petition were from another road;

3.    Asked officers to seek the views of the emergency services; and,

4.    Asked officers to report the outcome of this meeting and the comments received to the formal consultation of proposed waiting restrictions on Westacott and to include all these views in a separate subsequent report for his consideration.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To allow the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Councillor Nick Denys attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Although not present at the meeting, Councillor Catherine Dann had provided a written statement in as Ward Councillor support of the petition, and Councillor Douglas Mills, as Ward Councillor for the neighbouring Manor ward, also submitted written comments on the petition.

Concerns and suggestions at the meeting included the following:

·         Comments in the petition suggested that parking permits were requested from residents, but the lead petitioner confirmed that residents were not intent on parking permits and were happy with another reasonable solution that would help solve the issue of non-resident parking.

·         While commuter parking was the main cause of the parking issues in Old Hatch Manor, the issue was exacerbated by pick-up and drop-off of children at Warrender School. This is turn leads to a risk to children, as visibility is very poor on the road due to the cars parked on the road, and children are often walking up and down the road. Furthermore, the primary school would be expanding next year to double the number of intakes.

·         The lead petitioner confirmed commercial vans have been using the road for parking and cars are often parked on the road for a couple of days or more. Cars often park across driveways too, causing further inconvenience and decreased visibility.

Councillor Denys spoke in support of the petition and commented that concerns regarding the covered driveways, narrow road, and particularly the safety of school children were reasons the issue needs resolving. Councillor Denys stated that over half the houses in the street had signed the petition but it was preferable that a solution be reached for the whole area, including roads in Manor ward.

Councillor Burrows confirmed that discussions between the ward councillors for Manor and Eastcote and East Ruislip were helpful, and any approach would need to be holistic so it did not just displace the parking problem. With this in mind, Councillor Burrows would be seeking a steer from the ward councillors who represented both Eastcote & East Ruislip and Manor Wards to reach a shared understanding of the area to be consulted, which may cover both wards.

It was confirmed, therefore, that the area would be added to the Hillingdon Parking Management Scheme programme for further investigation and consultation, and the residents were encouraged to respond to the consultation when it appears in order to ensure their opinions were heard and considered.

RESOLVED: Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Listened to their request for the introduction of Parking Permits for Old Hatch Manor, Ruislip;

2.    Noted that although within Eastcote and East Ruislip ward, Old Hatch Manor was near the boundary and Manor Ward; and,

3.    Decided that the request for a parking scheme should be added to the Council's future parking scheme programme for further investigation and more detailed consultation when resources permit.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns, and, if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

No petitioners were present for the consideration of this item. Councillor Burrows confirmed that the road would be added to the Parking Management Scheme.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Considered their request for a residents' parking scheme to be introduced on part of Bury Street, Ruislip;

2.    Noted the existing proposals and consultation for a possible extension of the existing Parking Management Scheme in Sharps Lane, which may have a bearing on any proposals in Bury Street;

3.    Noted the different times of operation for the scheme proposed in Sharps lane and the times suggested in the present petition; and, 

4.    Decided that a request for a Parking Management Scheme along part of Bury Street should be added to the Council's future parking scheme programme for further investigation and more detailed consultation when resources permit.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns and, if appropriate, add their request to review restrictions on to the parking schemes programme.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Options were discussed with the petitioners.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioners included the following:

·         Parking on both sides of the road, and parking over driveways, have caused problems for residents using the road, but it also causes problems for larger vehicles that need access to the road.

·         Wallis House retirement home is also situated on Cottage Close, and this requires access from a number of larger vehicles, including ambulances and fire engines. There has been one occasion when a fire engine was not able to access Wallis House due to the parking on the road. Furthermore, both the mobile library vehicle and a Dial-a-Ride vehicle have been unable to access Wallis House and this resulted in them turning around and leaving the road.

·         The lead petitioner confirmed residents would be happy with a system similar to those implemented on neighbouring roads, but would prefer a scheme that was solely for the residents of Cottage Close.

·         It was also mentioned that Cottage Close's pavement is made up of part-tarmac, part-paving slabs. However, of the 280 paving slabs, 65 are broken, uneven or raised. This causes concern for local residents, particularly for those elderly or disabled residents as wheelchairs cannot be properly guided on the paths and many are being pushed around cars on the road due to the poor quality of pavement.

·         Residents confirmed that they were happy for the entire pavement to be tarmac as long as it was smooth.

·         The lead petitioner stated that residents were happy with any scheme, and were comfortable with it being implemented quickly; parking bays were not necessary and residents were happy with just signage.

Councillor Burrows stated that the Principal Accessibility Officer and Highways Officers would investigate the concerns regarding the broken pavement and concerns for disabled residents. It was also recommended that officers investigate pavements in Cottage Close under the Disabled Access Programme for potential funding.

Furthermore, Cottage Close would be added to Hillingdon's Parking Management Scheme and there would be consultation with residents, Wallis House and emergency services over what situation would best suit all parties.

The Cabinet Member encouraged all residents to respond to the consultation to ensure their voices were heard and considered.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Listened to their request for a residents' parking scheme to be introduced in Cottage Close, Ruislip;

2.    Decided that the request for a Parking Management Scheme in Cottage Close should be added to the Council's future parking scheme programme for further investigation and more detailed consultation when resources permit;

3.    Instructed officers to pass petitioners' concerns and the condition of the pavements in Cottage Close, Ruislip, on to Highways for further investigation; and,

4.    Instructed officers to investigate pavements in Cottage Close under the Disabled Access Programme for potential funding.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns and, if appropriate, add their request to review restrictions on to the parking schemes programme.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Options were discussed with the petitioners.