Lead Member – Councillor Steve Davenport – Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport

Report of the Director of Place and Enterprise TO FOLLOW

Contact: George Candler   Tel: 01743 258671

            RESOLVED:

i)             That, including the increase in permit costs, the proposed On-Street Residents Parking Policy detailed in Appendix 1 to the report be adopted;

ii)            That the requests for Residents Parking Schemes detailed in Appendix 2 to the report be assessed and a programme for implementation be developed that best fits with the implementation of both parts 1 and 2 of the new Parking Strategy framework;

iii)           That consultation with local Members be maintained throughout the process.

The Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport presented a report from the Director of Place and Enterprise outlining the conclusions and recommendations for a new On-Street Residents Parking Policy.

In response to a Member’s concerns, the Portfolio Holder gave assurances that the Parking Strategy (Part 2) would be cost neutral to the local authority as no profit could be made on the resident parking scheme.  Members noted that the implementation of Residents Parking Schemes would be driven by local demand and would not be imposed in areas where the majority of residents were not in favour.  The extensive consultation process was explained in detail together with information on the assessment of individual areas that would take place.

Some Members commented on the current level of ignorance on Residents Parking Schemes by members of the public who held the misguided belief that the scheme would provide a free parking space to their household.  The level of desire for these schemes fluctuated dramatically in different parts of the county and this variance would probably become more apparent as the consultation process progressed.  It was noted that some areas were greatly in favour of Residents Parking Schemes and others were not.  A Member urged that an ongoing dialogue should be maintained with the appropriate local Member/s throughout the consultation process; this was agreed.

            RESOLVED:

i)             That, including the increase in permit costs, the proposed On-Street Residents Parking Policy detailed in Appendix 1 to the report be adopted;

ii)            That the requests for Residents Parking Schemes detailed in Appendix 2 to the report be assessed and a programme for implementation be developed that best fits with the implementation of both parts 1 and 2 of the new Parking Strategy framework;

iii)           That consultation with local Members be maintained throughout the process.