Minutes:
Appendix
Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability
Comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Commission
at its meeting on Monday 4 June 2018
OSC/269
Broadfield Residents Parking Petition – To have more grass verges for parking
at Halley Close, Eddington Hill, Broadfield
A petition submitted to the Council in March 2018 documented concerns and issues with the current parking situation in the above area.
The Commission considered report HCS/06 of the Head of Community Services, which provided evidence in response. The key areas for consideration and recommendation within report HCS/06 were:
· To enable creation of additional parking spaces in Halley Close, green amenity open space would be permanently removed from the area, including a significant number of mature trees being felled, and potentially the children’s playground removed.
· The options proposed within the petition are costly, approximately in the region of £700,000-£800,000.
· WSCC are currently undertaking a Road Space Audit for Crawley and this Council is currently updating its sustainable transport plan.
· The Council will have further powers as a result of legislation coming into force on 1st October 2018 to extend the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) under the Housing Act 2004 to include two storey HMOs with five or more occupants forming two or more households. However, parking is not a consideration for this licensing.
Comments and Recommendations
During the discussion, Members made the following comments:
· It was noted that the WSCC Road Space Audit was progressing and hotspots were being identified. Contact could be made to the WSCC Parking Manager to request the area as a hotspot. A Road Space Audit seeks to provide essential technical data that identifies and assesses the current demands upon the road network and parking stock, whether these demands are actually being met as well as residents and users views.
· It was recognised that the outcome of the Road Space Audit was to inform the design for a particular place that defines how parking, various alternative travel solutions, infrastructure improvements, safety considerations and future development can be integrated so that the road network is used and managed in the most efficient way possible.
· Concerns were expressed that there were parking issues throughout the town and it would be necessary to seek to acknowledge these rather than merely an isolated case.
· A multi-agency approach was discussed as an effective method in order to assist in exploring possible options.
· Acknowledgment that although many residents may be happy to replace grass verges with parking spaces, many residents were equally likely to want to retain their green open spaces and trees.
· Concerns were raised regarding the removal of the children’s play area and the impact of children’s obesity together the felling of mature trees.
· It was felt further consultation would be beneficial between officers, the Cabinet Member and residents to establish creative options and a potential way forward to address issues.
· It was recognised that the residential environmental improvement scheme was no longer available.
Having considered all the matters in detail, and as a result of the comprehensive discussion and subsequent voting, the following recommendations were to be referred to the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability:
1. That the Commission requests that the Cabinet Member, the Cabinet and the Budget Advisory Group give consideration to reintroducing the Residential Environmental Improvement Scheme for the 2019/20 budget.
2. That the Commission urge the Cabinet Member to work with officers to engage with the Principal Petitioner and the local residents to ascertain the issues in detail and work to identify potential solutions.
3. That the Head of Community Services liaise with Miles Davey (Parking Manager, Transport and Countryside Services, WSCC) – via the Broadfield County Councillor if required – to request the area as a hotspot within the Crawley Road Space Audit.
RESOLVED
That the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability consider the Commission’s comments and recommendations and provides the Principal Petitioner with a response.
Councillor Tina Belben
Acting Chair, Overview and Scrutiny Commission
4 June 2018