The Strategic Director, Place, will present a report (Document “B”) which considers a petition the signatories of which claim the Steeton with Eastburn permit parking scheme is too restricting to residents and should be either abandoned or amended.

Recommended –

1.    That the petitioners’ concerns be noted and no further action be taken.

2.    That the petitioners be advised accordingly.

(Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Simon D’Vali – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place, presented a report (Document “B”) which considered a petition the signatories of which claimed the Steeton with Eastburn permit parking scheme was too restricting to residents and should be either abandoned or amended.

The petition had been referred for consideration by the Committee at the Council meeting held on 25 January 2022.  The petitioner addressed the meeting to report a call by residents for the scheme to be amended.

She explained the difficulties which had arisen following the scheme’s implementation including that residents were unable to have more than one visitor at a time to their properties regardless of the availability of parking places.  She referred to incidents at Christmas or other celebratory occasions; the inability of friends to call and subsequent isolation caused and the number of residents requiring assistance from professional services and carers who were suffering because of the limitations on visitors to their homes.

It was stressed that the online system for permits was not helpful for people who could not access the internet or at times when the computer systems had failed. Residents were unsure if they would be charged for the permits and it was felt that the scheme, in the whole, had not been dealt with well.  

In response to the reference to parking by station users it was reported that this was not a problem in the area.

It was suggested that officers should visit the area to review the scheme and gather feedback from residents and Members were urged to amend the scheme.

The Strategic Director, Place, in attendance at the meeting, explained that the Council’s Highways Service had installed the scheme but it was Parking Services which had written the policy.  It was confirmed that the scheme had been in place for nine months and the rationale for the scheme was that parking from the local hospital was impacting on residents’ ability to park in the area.  It was agreed that a review of the scheme could be undertaken but amendments would be required to the parking policy resolved by the Council’s Executive Committee.

A Member familiar with the area acknowledged that there was a need for parking issues to be addressed, however, he felt that the way the scheme had been administered was problematic.  Parking Services had not sought the views of local residents and the scheme needed to be amended to be fit for purpose.  He urged the committee to consider increasing the number of visitors that the permits allowed and amend the hours of operation.  It was requested that a sum of £7,000 be allocated to amend the existing Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)and improve the scheme.

In response the Strategic Director confirmed that the committee could allocate resources to amend the TRO through its’ devolved budget but could not make changes to the district wide parking policy.  Those changes would need to be referred to the Council’s Executive Committee.

Resolved –

1.    That, in light of the issues raised by residents in Steeton with Eastburn, the Executive be requested to amend the Parking Policy to increase the number of visitors permitted to park at any one time.

2.    That a sum of £7,000 be allocated from devolved budgets to allow the amendment of the Traffic Regulation Order permitting parking in Steeton with Eastburn.

3.    That the Strategic Director, Place, be requested to review the existing Traffic Regulation Order to increase the hours of permitted parking in the Steeton with Eastburn parking scheme. 

OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: Regeneration and Environment

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place