Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment, which sought to review the Council’s policy in relation to residents only parking schemes.  The Boards comments on the scheme were requested prior to being considered by the Executive Board.

 

The Board was advised that parking on Halton’s roads was free and open to all highway users on an equal basis, provided their vehicles were street legal. The highway, it was reported was for the passing and re-passing of traffic and not for parking.

 

         The Board was further advised that in Halton, there was no charge levied for the use of the limited number of Council owned car parks and thus there was no income from these facilities.  In this respect, they represented a financial liability to the Council, due to their ongoing maintenance costs. Most parking provision associated with the town centre and supermarket shopping was in private ownership and again carried no charge, currently. However, there was charging by the owners of car parks at some locations such as the hospital and at Runcorn mainline railway station. It was noted, however, that the Council had commissioned parking studies in Runcorn and Widnes Town Centres and in Halton Lea. These studies provided the base data and analysis to enable consideration by the Council, in conjunction with private car park operators, of a future car parking management policy.

         In addition, enforcement of on-highway parking restrictions is the responsibility of Cheshire Police. Cheshire Police had been consulted to ascertain if they would be prepared to enforce a Residents Only Parking (ROPS) scheme in Halton, if one were introduced. The request had been declined as the Police indicated that the "Force’s position on residents only parking is that it was solely a local authority issue.

 

         It was reported that using powers introduced by the Road Traffic Act 2004, it would be possible for Halton to take on responsibility for enforcing on-street parking restrictions instead of the Police, including any ROPS. These Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) powers would mean that the majority of parking offences, including parking on yellow lines and misusing disabled person parking bays, would no longer be criminal offences. A total of 247 local authorities had taken on CPE powers to March 2009, freeing some Police resources to tackle more serious crime.

 

It was reported that Council were in the process of considering the feasibility for introducing CPE in Halton and would include an assessment of the financial implications as well as any enforcement benefits.  However, it was highlighted that the Council had no parking income against which it could offset the cost of a Resident Only Parking Schemes within a Civil Parking Enforcement regime.

 

            It was noted that many of The Holloway’s residents saw the introduction of ROPS as a simple solution provided that the restrictions were enforced robustly. However, it was also noted that based on the reported experiences of other local authorities available via the internet, such schemes had a number of associated problems and impacts that would need to be taken into account.

 

            In conclusion, it was reported that the Council’s ability to introduce Residents Only Parking Schemes within the Borough at this time was dependent on the viability of it adopting Civil Parking Enforcement powers. However, there also remained a substantial number of disadvantages to agreeing to the introduction of Residents Only Parking Schemes within the Borough associated with: inflexibility in the provision of licenses and parking spaces; the inability to guarantee parking spaces for individual residents; the inconvenience to residents and visitors; the displacement of parking problems; the potential reductions in the availability of parking space; and costs. It was therefore considered inappropriate to introduce Residents Only Parking Schemes in the Borough at this time.

 

   The following points arose from the discussion:-

 

·        It was noted that the view of the Board would be included in the report to the Executive Board for consideration at its meeting on 24 September 2009;

 

·        It was reported that there were problems caused by parking on The Holloway (adjacent to Runcorn rail station) and that they were getting worse. It was suggested that parking was being displaced from the station’s multi-storey car park as the charge was considered expensive (£6 before 10.00am). Residents had to compete/share parking with train travellers;

 

·        It was agreed that Residents Parking schemes need to be self financing and not funded via additional Council tax, suggesting that it could be put out to private contract or neighbouring authorities. It was also suggested that the Council apply for Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) Powers once the results of the CPE feasibility study were known;

 

·        a Member of the Board reported via email that he had lived and worked in a residents parking scheme area. He thought it was an excellent idea but clarity was sought on who would police it, who would administer it and how it would be funded. In addition, it was reported that the scheme had worked when there was only one car per household, but that it was not a workable option when residents had more than one car. It was highlighted that the parking bays were less than 11 metres long and there was no provision for visitors who had to park up to three quarters of a mile away;

 

·        It was noted that there was a parking problem across the Borough and the country and that ROPS would have to be introduced everywhere at a substantial cost if a parking scheme was introduced;

 

·        It was suggested that the report was a useful document as background but the key to it was the proposed Civil Parking Enforcement Powers Feasibility Study.  In addition, it was not only Holloway which was experiencing parking problems but other areas of the Borough also, i.e. the New Town area;

 

·        In respect of East Runcorn station, it was highlighted that there had always been a problem in the surrounding streets for different reasons i.e the car park was not perceived as ‘safe’,  In addition, it was felt that a Borough-wide view would need to be taken and firm comments obtained from Network Rail / Virgin on the potential for reducing their charges or amending the times at which different rates were charged. 

 

·        The Board supported a recommendation that a report be brought back to the Board outlining the outcomes and conclusions of the CPE feasibility study as and when it was completed;

 

·        It was noted that the timescale for the project would be presented to the Executive Board; and

 

·        It was reported that there had been a parking problem in Victoria Avenue, Farnworth and that the Council had introduced a restriction of 1 hour in each 24 hours, on one side of the road.  Some of the vehicles had been booked and it had been successful, but it had displaced some cars onto another road.  It was suggested that ROPS were not the only answer and that any scheme would need to be self financing, possibly costing as much as £800 per permit to cover the administration costs.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

(1)               the conclusions in the report and comments made be noted; and

 

(2)       a report be brought to the Board outlining the outcome and conclusions of the feasibility study as and when the study is complete.