Agenda item

Councillor Janet Gardner and Mo Khursheed attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns and suggestions from petitioner included the following:

• Local roads were overcrowded by commuter parking and there was little parking available for residents.
• Residents requested that a parking management scheme be introduced and for this to operate Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and for there to be free parking on Saturday and Sundays.
• Residents were aware that vouchers were used to allow persons other than the householder to park within the scheme for a limited period i.e delivery drivers or trades people. A request was made that all day parking should be free for visitors.
• It was hoped that the introduction of a parking management scheme would reduce crime locally.
• A request was made for double yellow lines to be introduced at either side of the gateway so that residents could perform a three point turn which could be included as part of a future detailed design if appropriate.
• A request was made that where parking bays were introduced, the bays should be laid out in a diagonal pattern to maximise the number of spaces available.

Councillors Gardner and Khursheed both spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues.

• Local parking was very problematic and needed to be addressed.
• Local roads were used by commuters
• Flight crew and employees at Heathrow Airport were known to park locally and leave their vehicles for long periods.
• Local crime would be addressed with the introduction of a parking management scheme as this would limit vehicular movements.
• The most affected roads within the proposed area of the scheme included Black Rod Close, Albert, Keith and Clayton Road, Nestles Avenue and Dallas Terrace.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. The Cabinet Member agreed that Black Rod Close and the surrounding area was used by people to park and use the nearby train station and he asked for to area to be added to the Council’s overall parking programme for investigation. Councillor Burrows also requested that Dallas Terrace also be included in the consultation.

Councillor Burrows explained that it was essential for all residents to respond to the consultation so that he would have a clear mandate to take action. Officers advised that the usual timeframe for a consultation was about 6 months. However, in this case, he confirmed that as the proposed area was relatively small he would have further discussions with officers to see whether this could be done sooner.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1.                  Meets and discusses with petitioners their request for a Parking Management Scheme.

2.                  Subject to the outcome of the discussions with petitioners, asks officers to add the request to the Council’s overall parking programme for subsequent investigation in an area agreed with ward councillors.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

Discussions with the petitioners will allow the Cabinet Member to fully understand the concerns and whether it is considered appropriate to add the request to the Council’s Parking Programme.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were discussed in greater detail with petitioners.