Agenda item

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 and guidance could be provided;

2.    Listened again to the petitioner's concerns regarding the recent introduction of the Ickenham Parking Management Scheme in part of Copthall Road East, Ickenham;

3.    Noted that the present measures had arisen only following consideration of a previous petition, and subsequent extensive investigation and consultation, both informal and formal; and,

4.    Decided that a review of the Parking Management Scheme should be carried out with the residents of Copthall Road East, as and when resources and programming permit.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

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

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Options were discussed with the petitioners.