Agenda item

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation submits a report which explains that a petition has been received which asks the council to retain a safe parking / drop off for users of the Jain Centre, York Road LE1 5TT.

The Committee is recommended to consider the petition and note the provision in place to accommodate the parking requirements of the Jain Centre congregation.

The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation submitted a report which explained that a petition had been received which asked the Council to retain a safe parking / drop off for users of the Jain Centre, York Road.

The Committee were recommended to consider the petition and note the provision in place to accommodate the parking requirements of the Jain Centre congregation. 

The Chair introduced the petition and explained that it was also being referred to the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee on 19 February, where consideration would be given to the comments made by the Overview Select Committee.  The decision on the Traffic Regulation Order would be taken by the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation after considering all the comments from Members.

Mr Madhani, the lead petitioner, at the invitation of the Chair addressed the Committee. Points made included the following:

·      Sunday access to York Road was welcomed, but access was also requested for all vehicles after 6 pm on weekdays and at weekends. These were the most popular times for people to visit the Jain Centre.

·      It was recognised that people alighting and embarking on the loading bays on York Road was not allowed and therefore a safe space near the junction to Oxford Street was requested as a drop off / pick up point.

·      A request was made for blue badge holders to be given three spaces for parking in York Road. It was understood that these could not be reserved for the users of the Jain Centre.

·      Mr Madhani said that he had not been aware until recently that there had been an informal arrangement for Jain Centre users to park at the Oxford Street Industrial Units. He asked for a formal arrangement to be put in place for off peak use.

Councillor Kitterick, at the invitation of the Chair addressed the Committee. Points made during the Councillor’s submission included the following points:

·      Councillor Kitterick said that confirmation had been received that the Oxford Street Industrial Unit were happy for the Jain Centre congregation to continue to use its car park at evenings and weekends. Councillor Kitterick asked the Committee to note and welcome this.

·      In the effort to help pedestrians and cyclists, people with disabilities and mobility issues should not be disadvantaged.

·      Currently, Blue badge holders might take advantage of parking on yellow lines on Grange Lane, but if the scheme was implemented, Grange Lane and York Road would no longer be available for any blue badge Parking.

·      The only on-street parking would be pay and display parking which was heavily used. There was a multi-storey car park on Newarke Street, but some people were reluctant to park there because they found it to be intimidating, particularly during the hours of darkness.

·      Councillor Kitterick requested that York Road be opened up after 6pm for Jain Centre users as there would be little impact on pedestrians and cyclists after this time.

·      Councillor Kitterick requested that further consideration be given to grant access to York Road for pick up and drop off points and blue badge provision.

·      The scheme was tipped too far towards cyclists and pedestrians and if implemented would lose all blue badge parking on Grange Lane and York Road without providing a single extra blue badge space.

The Chair invited Barry Pritchard, the City Centre Streets Programme Manager to respond to the submissions.  Points made included the following:

·      Amendments had already been made to the Traffic Regulation Order to allow for access onto York Road on Sundays and for blue badge holders at all times. Officers could look at this again if the Committee so recommended.

·      Officers considered that it would be difficult to achieve a reasonable scheme and put blue badge parking spaces on York Road. The maximum spaces that could be provided would be three, possibly two but this would have a significant impact on the width of the footpath.

·      The Council had worked to make Newarke Street Car Park as user friendly as possible and it was also opening earlier on Sundays to allow for users of the Jain Centre to park there in time for worship. Arrangements had been made for the De-Montfort University car park to be available for special events.

·      All places at the Oxford Street Industrial Units were leased by tenants so they could not specifically allocate spaces for the Jain Centre, but an informal agreement had been in existence for over 11 years and that arrangement still existed.

During the ensuing discussion, comments from Members included the following:

·      A Member expressed a view that the Jain Centre’s requests were completely reasonable and that at times the Council could be inflexible.  The needs of elderly worshippers and people with disabilities should be given a higher priority than a thoroughfare for university students who were likely to be young and able bodied.

·      The proposals to remove blue badge parking were unacceptable.

·      Over 1500 people had signed the petition and it was crucial that those views were taken on board.

·      The City Mayor challenged the view that the Council were inflexible. He understood the concerns of the Jain Centre and acknowledged that over the years, some of the congregation who might have walked or caught a bus to the Centre had aged and now might be less mobile. The Council over the years had worked hard to ensure that people would still be able to attend the Jain Centre for worship. 

The Council had agreed to the informal agreement to park at the Oxford Street Industrial Unit. He had noted on two Sundays recently that the unit was being very heavily used by the Jain Centre congregation. The Council had also made special arrangements with the Newarke Street Car Park.

Officers had made some amendments to the Traffic Regulation Order to accommodate the Jain Centre’s concerns. The decision would be taken by the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation and the City Mayor said he was certain that the Director would take due regard of the comments made.

·      A Member commented that needs changed over time and the City had worked to make provision for those people with mobility issues. Leicester was a unique city and for some people their spirituality was very important. Leicester needed to ensure their needs were taken into account. Access to the Jain Centre should be encouraged. He added that he would like to ensure that there was provision for blue badge holders, which it was acknowledged, could not be reserved exclusively for the use of the Jain Centre, on York Road along with evening and weekend access.

·      It was confirmed that the Newarke Street Car Park had the names of 13 drivers along with their vehicle registration numbers, from the Jain Centre, who were allowed to park for free because they or their passenger had a blue badge.

·      In response to a question from the Chair, it was confirmed that the scheme would allow for disabled passengers to be dropped off on York Road.

·      The Chair referred to the parking arrangements in place and expressed a view that the petitioners’ request for the Council to retain a safe parking / drop off space for users of the Jain Centre on York Road had been adequately responded to. However, in relation to the Traffic Regulation Order he suggested that the comments made be forwarded to the Planning and Development Control Committee and that they be requested to pay due regard to the sympathy of the Committee to the requirements of the Jain Centre. The Chair also suggested that constructive dialogue should took place between the Director and the Jain Centre prior to the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee.

Following some discussion, some Members emphasised that all the comments made, especially the requests for additional blue badge provision and greater access to York Road, be captured and taken forward for consideration.

AGREED:

1)    that the Overview Select Committee note the current provision in place to accommodate the parking requirements of the Jain Centre congregation;

2)    that the Committee have sympathy with the concerns of the Jain Centre and endorse all the comments and concerns raised at the meeting; that these are taken on board prior to the Traffic Regulation Order being considered at the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee on 19 February 2019 and the decision being taken by the Director; and

3)      that constructive dialogue, particularly in relation to blue badge holders and parking, takes place between the Director and the Jain Centre prior to the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee on 19 February 2019.