Agenda item

Democratic Services introduced the item and outlined the proposal to initiate a review of footway parking within the Borough. It was reported that this proposal had been agreed in principle by Councillors Bridges and Farley during prior discussions.

Given the extensive list of roads, it was deemed impractical to review them all, therefore, the review would focus on selecting approximately 20 roads where specific issues had already been reported by residents or identified by Ward Councillors. Councillors were invited to suggest additional roads from the list that they considered priority areas. It was noted that the intention was to complete the review within the current municipal year, acknowledging the limited time available.

Councillor Bridges added that the approach would be phased, beginning with a small number of roads. Emphasis would be placed on reviewing roads that had been suspended for several decades, some dating back to the 1980s. It was considered that the continued designation of these roads as “pending review” was inappropriate and required urgent attention. It was noted that the selected roads would be primarily located in areas of economic activity, such as shopping districts, where effective schemes could support economic growth.

It was confirmed that some suggestions for review items, such as funfairs, were being addressed internally and therefore deferred, while others had been added to the Committee’s work programme as information items for future scrutiny.

With regard to the Footway Parking review, Members emphasised the importance of ensuring a fair geographical spread across the Borough to obtain a representative understanding.

The Committee noted that there might be a higher concentration of suspended roads in the southern part of the Borough, but a balanced approach could be achieved, particularly in areas with shopping facilities.

Councillors queried the timeframe for the review, referencing a proposed site visit mentioned on page 34 of the report, scheduled for December. Councillors highlighted that certain estates within the Borough had been constructed during periods that did not accommodate on-street parking, which had led to pavement parking arrangements. Members stressed the importance of formalising these arrangements and understanding their legitimacy and requested clarity on how the list would be agreed upon, particularly in relation to areas with historical infrastructure constraints.

The Committee cautioned against an overly rigid equal split, which could result in the exclusion of significant roads—such as long roads near schools in the north—that had been suspended. It was suggested that one option would be to use the Borough’s gritting map, as a model to identify priority roads for the review. It was agreed that the list should remain precise but focusing on road length and strategic importance was recommended.

Councillors referred to a school safety review conducted in July 2024, which had included presentations from schools and residents concerning pavement parking near educational establishments. They recommended revisiting that review to identify any relevant roads.

It was agreed that Democratic Services would reach out to relevant officers to obtain a suggested list of roads. This list could then be compared with the current proposals before seeking further input from councillors.

RESOLVED: That the Committee agreed to embark upon Footway Parking in Priority Areas (Phase 1) as their next review topic and agreed the draft Terms of Reference, scope of review and review structure as set out in the scoping report.