Agenda item

Councillors Jonathan Bianco and Duncan Flynn attended the meeting and each spoke as Ward Councillors.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner in SUPPORT included the following:

·         The petitioner highlighted the Council's slogan of 'Putting Residents First' and requested that it introduce a Parking Management Scheme as set out in the petition.

·         A Parking Management Scheme was needed to deter commuters.

·         The petition in support had been signed by more than 2,500 residents, which represented a quarter of the people in the Ward.

·         95% of the residents living within a 500m radius, as shown in Appendix B on page 7 of the agenda had also signed the petition in support.

·         Car parking in and around Northwood Hills Tube Station was a major problem for residents.

·         Northwood Hills was the only Ward with a Tube station which did not have a Parking Management Scheme.

·         The issue was exacerbated as Northwood Hills Tube station did not have a dedicated car park.

·         The petitioner was convinced the Council had the funding available to it to introduce a Parking Management Scheme should it be minded to do so.

·         The Schools expansion programme and UTC College had created additional congestion in Northwood Hills.

·         Given the overwhelming support for the introduction of a Parking Management Scheme, there should be no need to consult with local residents before it was implemented.

·         Residents currently suffered from displaced parking and in particular blocked driveways. A Parking Management Scheme would help reduce this problem.

·         Northwood Hills was advertised as the station to use for visitors to Wembley Stadium and so it encouraged parking in and around the station.

·         The Officer report was correct and the right balance needed to be struck in order to benefit residents.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner in OBJECTION included the following:

·         The petitioner explained he was speaking in his capacity as the Vice-Chairman of the Northwood Hills Residents Association.

·         While he was not opposed to the principle of a Parking Management Scheme, the rationale behind his petition was to ensure residents were fully aware of what the implications would be if a scheme was implemented.

·         The gentrification of Northwood Hills meant it had become a more vibrant area and the occupancy of shops had increased from 75% to 95% recently. The petitioner also confirmed that 100% of Argyle House was in use.

·         The petitioner confirmed that from a personal point of view, he had not experienced displaced parking in his road.

·         Based on figures provided by the Council, he confirmed that if a Parking Management Scheme was introduced, local roads would lose a total of 186 parking spaces.

·         As a result of the lost spaces, the immediate vicinity outside the 500m radius would begin to suffer from displaced parking.

·         The elderly and less mobile would lose out if the scheme was introduced.

·         Northwood Hills was the fastest growing station in the Borough and so the parking issue needed to be resolved.

Ward Councillors spoke with regard to the petitioners’ requests and raised the following issues:

·         The Ward Councillors commended the petitioners for their petitions and the information provided.

·         This was not the first time the issue had been considered. It had been the subject of an Officer report back in 2003.

·         It was correct that Northwood Hills was the only station in the Borough without a Parking Management Scheme.

·         If a Parking Management Scheme was introduced there would be less space.

·         The Council was prepared to issue as many parking permits (under a Parking Management Scheme) as possible but there was no correlation between the number of permits and the number of parking spaces.

·         Councillors confirmed that all the roads outside the 500m radius would suffer from displaced parking.

·         The last time a Parking Management Scheme was considered by residents, less than 50% voted for its introduction.

·         Although the Councillors present did not live in the immediate vicinity of the station, it was their role to ensure the views of the entire community were considered before a decision was made whether or nor not to introduce a Parking Management Scheme.

·         Reference was made to the Schools Building Programme and that NorthwoodHills School was being rebuilt at present.

·         It was essential that all local businesses had an opportunity to feed their views into any proposed changes.

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns raised, noting that the officer's report had been written to address the specific issue raised by the petitioners. Reference was made to a series of emails and letters as well as the importance of residents returning their feedback forms. It was noted that in 2009, only 245 forms were returned which was an insufficient mandate on which to take a decision.

When considering the recommendations, the Cabinet Member chose to reject recommendation three and replace this with one instructing Officers to conduct a parking stress survey which would be used to inform any future decision making.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member:

1.    That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling discusses with petitioners their concerns with parking in the roads close to Northwood Hills Station.

2.    That the Cabinet Member notes the contrasting petitions and the points made by the respective petitioners. 

3.    That the Cabinet Member instructs Officers to undertake a parking stress survey in the area identified and, before any decision is made, report back to the Cabinet Member in consultation with Ward Councillors