Agenda item

Councillors Allan Kauffman and Judy Kelly attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillors in support of the petition.

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting by the Lead Petitioner included the following:

·         Local residents can't park down their road due to non-residents using the road for parking, including staff from companies that car-share and leave their cars on the road all day;

·         Two car sales companies work nearby and often cars are left along Glebe Avenue overnight, causing parking problems twenty-four hours a day, which affects residents who are shift workers;

·         Glebe Avenue is a small road and when residents don't have on-street parking, they often have to park far from their homes. Furthermore, non-residents parking on the street often block driveways. A new block of flats has recently been built too, but with one parking space per residence, many residents are parking their second cars on Glebe Avenue too as the parking allocation is not enough for many owners of the flat.

·         The local Gaelic Athletic Association is currently undergoing renovation, and club events often lead to an overspill of parking which has been exacerbated further by the renovation works.

Councillor Kelly confirmed that the local Ward Councillors were fully supportive of the petitioners' request, as they currently have a struggle to find anywhere to park. As the last road before the A40, it is important for them to have a Parking Management Scheme. Councillor Kauffman reiterated his support for the petition, and expressed his hope that once the GAA refurbishment was complete, parking issues that arose from GAA events would no longer be a problem.

The Cabinet Member confirmed that some neighbouring roads did not wish to be part of the Parking Management Scheme when it was introduced, and stated that when a consultation is sent out to local residents, neighbouring roads would be consulted as well following discussions with Ward Councillors over which roads should be included in the consultation. Councillor Burrows confirmed that if neighbouring roads did not want to become a part of the Parking Management Scheme, this would not impact upon the residents of Glebe Avenue, as long as a majority of residents wished to be included in the scheme.

Councillor Burrows commented that previously, there had been a preference from residents to not paint parking spaces on the road, and suggested that if a parking management scheme was to be introduced in Glebe Avenue following the consultation, signage is put up at the entrance to the road stating that the road allows residents' parking only. The lead petitioner was receptive to this suggestion, and the Cabinet Member confirmed that this option, as well as timings, would be included in the consultation. Councillor Burrows encouraged all the local residents to respond to the consultation.

RESOLVED: Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Discussed with petitioners their concerns with parking in Glebe Avenue, South Ruislip; and,

2.    Decided that the request to introduce a residents' permit parking scheme in Glebe Avenue, Ruislip, should be added to the Council's future parking scheme programme for further investigation and more detailed consultation when resources permit.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

The petition hearing will provide a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners of their concerns and suggestions.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

None at this stage.