Agenda item

The report by the Director of Transport, Environment and Business Support is to provide the consultation responses to the proposals under TRO 58/2016 to enable informed decisions to be made.

RECOMMENDED that the proposals are approved as advertised:

(1)       White Swan Road proposed loading ban to accompany the 'no waiting' 6pm-8am

(2)       Isambard Brunel Road proposed change from police bays to Pay & Display

(3)       Reduce the operating times in 10 off-street locations from 10pm to 9pm

(4)       Increase the operating times in 56 on-street locations from 6pm to 9pm

DECISIONS:

The Cabinet Member agreed that the following two proposals be approved as advertised:

(1)       White Swan Road proposed loading ban to accompany the 'no waiting' 6pm-8am

(2)       Isambard Brunel Road proposed change from police bays to Pay & Display

The Cabinet Member approved an amendment:

(3)       To reduce the operating times in 10 off-street locations from 10pm to 8pm

And decided NOT to approve

(4)       Increasing the operating times in 56 on-street locations from 6pm to 9pm

(Councillor Fleming varied the order of business to consider this item earlier in the meeting due to the number of people who were attending to participate.)

Alan Cufley, Director of Transport, Environment & Business Support, introduced this item.  There had been a high level of response to the advertised order but there had been no objections to the parts relating to White Swan and Isambard Brunel Road. He explained that the proposed changes of the charging regime for evening pay and display sought a consistent approach across the city as well as to assist the evening economy.

Before hearing the deputations Councillor Fleming announced that in considering the results of the consultation and representations received (including written deputations) he was not minded to increase the hours from 6pm to 9pm but wished to hear from the deputations present before making a decision.

i)          Mr R Adair spoke to object regarding the impact on Southsea, whose points included: residents were penalised who were not in the Residents' Parking Schemes and there would be displacement into their roads making it hard for them to park near their homes and they should therefore be able to park via the street meters free of charge, and hoped the proposal would be rejected.

ii)         Mr J Brown objected (and had made a written submission), whose points included: he did not feel this would support the evening economy as this was not evidenced, he had asked for the financial implications and was told that it would be raising £56k p.a. but more than 50% of parking was in residential streets; he had undertaken his own survey and only 1 person had told him they were in favour of it and 74 were against; there would be displacement into residential streets and it was unwelcome by businesses; the proposal was open to challenge.

iii)       Mr Sweasey objected as a resident of Hilsea and regular visitor to Southsea, whose points included:  he was against extending the charged hours until 9pm as this will deter people visiting and there would be a knock-on effect on businesses' livelihood, and the seafront was used by local residents for evening walks and swims and people should be encouraged to keep fit; councils in Gloucester and Newcastle had abolished evening parking charges in their own car parks to encourage the evening economy.

iv)       Mr Hayward spoke to object as a businessman using the common for fitness courses and spoke of the detrimental effect the charges would have on the membership of a club that promoted fitness in the city, so he hoped the proposal would not be implemented.

v)         Mr Watkins spoke as the Secretary of Pembroke Bowling Club to oppose the extended parking hours and he explained the detrimental effect it would have on their membership and for visiting club members as well as those attending other meetings on-site.

vi)       Councillor Lee Hunt spoke to object whose points included that the proposals on extending operating hours in Southsea should not have got so far; these would cause enormous displacement; MB/MC residents' parking zone should be reinstated and would bring in money as well as ease parking problems for residents and residents elsewhere were waiting for schemes; businesses such as the Pyramids would also suffer.

vii)      Councillor Julie Bird spoke to object on behalf of Fratton residents and also regarding her experience as former chair of the EDCL Scrutiny Panel in 2014/15 which sought to encourage the revitalisation of the local retail areas and easing evening parking charges was one of the recommendations to encourage the evening economy.

viii)     Councillor Matthew Winnington spoke to object and also felt that the parking proposals for Southsea and the Seafront should not have got this far, and there would be displacement north into residential areas by visitors not wanting to pay for parking.

ix)       Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson spoke to object as he felt that 6pm had been a sensible cut-off time so that residents would not be penalised by charges for the seafront or suffer from displacement parking. He disagreed regarding the 'harmonisation' of parking times which varied across the city; he questioned why the information given in a deputation about the financial implications had not been provided in the report.

Alan Cufley responded to some of the issues raised in the deputations: the proposals were not about raising income.  The establishment mentioned in the deputation could use scratch-cards for visitors staying overnight as it was designated an hotel; Appendix A of the report set out the current and proposed rationalisation of parking times.

Councillor Stagg, spokesperson, outlined her concerns and she had only been aware of the proposals when she attended the briefing.  When she had been the Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation she had introduced dropping charges after 6pm to boost the evening economy so disagreed that the proposals would help with this.  She felt people should be encouraged to stay longer at the Seafront and visitors should not use residential parking spaces.

Councillors Stagg and Potter were pleased that the Cabinet Member had indicated that he would not be pursuing the extension of evening parking charges.

Councillor Fleming, as Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation, stressed that the proposal had come from the Parking Manager and it was right for this to go out to consultation.  The representations had covered the concerns of the impact on local residents and the evening economy.  It was not a request to raise income and some other local authorities, such as Brighton & Hove, had increased charges to operate 24 hours. Comments had been made about residents' parking zones and there was a list of requests that would be looked at and there was the need to encourage the use of public and sustainable transport too.  He was also keen to support the evening economy.

Councillor Fleming thanked everyone for their representations. Having given the above reasons Councillor Fleming approved recommendations (1) and (2) of the report but amended recommendation (3)  for off-street locations to be until 8pm to make the best use of the civil enforcement officers who would then operate in the residential streets rather than car parks, and he decided not to approve recommendation (4) of the report.

DECISIONS:

The Cabinet Member agreed that the following two proposals be approved as advertised:

(1)       White Swan Road proposed loading ban to accompany the 'no waiting' 6pm-8am

(2)       Isambard Brunel Road proposed change from police bays to Pay & Display

The Cabinet Member approved an amendment:

(3)       To reduce the operating times in 10 off-street locations from 10pm to 8pm

And decided NOT to approve

(4)       Increasing the operating times in 56 on-street locations from 6pm to 9pm