Agenda item

The petitioner addressed the Cabinet Member, and highlighted the following points:

·         The reasons for the petition were set out in the covering letter to the petition, and had been reproduced in the subsequent officer report.

·         There were concerns that the parking stress survey carried out in Harlyn Drive had been carried out during a period when parking was light (i.e. during school holidays).

·         Tolcarne Drive, like Harlyn Drive, bordered Harlyn School. When consulted, 46% of the residents of Tolcarne Drive responded. Of those respondents, 60% were in favour of some kind of scheme. This equated to just over 1 in 4 residents of the road being in favour of a scheme, however the Council had concluded that Tolcarne Drive should be included, and Harlyn Drive should not.

·         Harlyn Drive will be adversely affected by vehicle creep, should the proposed scheme be introduced, particularly those residents at the northern end of Harlyn Drive.

·         While the majority of residents in Harlyn Drive would likely prefer no scheme, in the event of one being introduced for the roads shown on the Council plans, then Harlyn Drive should also be included.

Councillor Burrows read a statement from Ward Councillors, who were unable to attend in person. Points highlighted included:

·         Parking in Northwood Hills has been a hot topic for a considerable amount of time, with strong views on all sides on this issue. Ward Councillors had therefore encouraged the Council to pursue an evidence-based, balanced approach, which put the needs of residents first while ensuring that action was only taken if it had the support of a majority of residents.

·         It is likely that creep from commuter or resident cars parking in Highland Road will be a consequence of introducing a parking scheme into a road where parking was previously possible.

·         Ward Councillors support the petitioner in their aims to be included in a scheme, as long as two fundamental criteria are met, namely;

o   A majority of the residents in the street must be in favour of the proposals; and

o   The implementation of the main scheme must not be delayed.

The Cabinet Member listened to the petitioner, and addressed their points as follows:

·         The parking surveys were always carried out at peak times to ensure results would explicitly show any problems.

·         The decision to implement a parking scheme excluding Harlyn Drive was based on resident demand following the informal consultation carried out, and was supported by Ward Councillors at the time.

·         Having listened to the petitioner,it was agreed that residents of Harlyn Drive should be re-consulted and provided with details of any proposed scheme, before implementation.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling:

1.            listened to their request for the inclusion of Harlyn Drive in the proposed Northwood Hills Parking Management Scheme; and

2.            asked officers to add the request for Harlyn Drive to be included within the proposed Northwood Hills Parking Management Scheme to the Council’s future parking scheme programme for an informal consultation, when resources permitted.

Reasons for recommendations

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

Alternative options considered / risk management

These were discussed with petitioners.