Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting the introduction of yellow lines or a residents permit parking scheme.  A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

·         Church Close was a narrow road with a one-sided pavement.

·         Residents from nearby roads often used Church Close as parking for long periods.

·         Church Close was a popular location to park due to its close proximity to a local park.

·         There had recently been an incident where the ambulance service had difficulty accessing the road due to its narrowness and obstructive parking.

·         Residents had difficulties parking their vehicles due to the lack of space on the narrow road and driveways were often difficult to access due to inconsiderate parking. 

·         The situation had become worse due to ongoing building work and the increase of larger vehicles on the road. This reduced the already limited amount of space available.

·         Church Close was also used as commuter parking and people travelling to and from Heathrow Airport.

·         There had been a knock-on effect on the residents of Church Close as a result of parking management schemes in other nearby roads.

Councillor Stuart Mathers attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and supported the petition and comments made by the petitioners. He added that that there was increased parking pressure on the road as result of nearby roads that had parking management schemes in place. Councillor Mathers noted that that there was a car park in close vicinity of Church Close which was cost effective and secured.

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects considered that it would be sensible to progress a bespoke parking management scheme for this road alone, which would include signage making it clear that Church Close was only available for resident parking. Placing parking bays within the road would be impractical as they would take up too much space and cause a further reduction to the footway.

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. Councillor Riley acknowledged that Church Close was a narrow road and noted the knock-on effect neighbouring parking management schemes had had. The new developments in the area had also impacted the amount of available parking and Cllr Riley confirmed that Church Close would be added to the future parking scheme programme for informal consultation. The present financial constraints involved with funding from Transport for London (TFL) were noted, although the Council has sought alternative funding to mitigate the delays that would otherwise ensue. 

In considering the matters, Councillor Riley made the following decisions. 

RESOLVED:

Meeting with the Petitioners, the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

1.    met with petitioners and listened to their concerns over non-residential parking in Church Close, West Drayton.

2.    asked officers to add this request to the Council’s extensive Parking Management Scheme Programme for a possible informal consultation.

Reasons for decisions

The petition hearing provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners on their concerns and suggestions.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None at this stage.