Issue - meetings

Andy Thomas, Traffic Manager (Head of City Development), will give an update on the Westcotes Residents Parking Scheme

Andy Thomas, the City Council’s Head of City Development, explained that the Council had received feedback from a substantial number of residents in the Westcotes Ward that they were unable to park outside of their own homes.  To try to respond to this, the Council was undertaking consultation with the residents of the Ward on whether they would like a residents’ parking scheme introduced.  Mr Thomas then gave a presentation, showing some of the parking problems encountered in the Ward, a copy of which is attached at the end of these minutes for information.

Mr Thomas explained that the Council wanted to offer increased parking capacity to shops in the area, particularly during the current economic recession.  It therefore was not proposed that the current capacity on Narborough Road would be reduced, as parking there already was limited.  However, day-time commuter parking in the side streets was causing problems for people trying to find places to park, so it was hoped that commuters could be encouraged to park further out of the City, for example at the new Park and Ride facility in Enderby.

Mr Thomas stressed that the current consultation was on an idea of how parking problems could be alleviated, as formal proposals had not been drawn up yet.  However, any final scheme would give priority to residents to park in the area and ensure that appropriate parking capacity was provided for people using the shops in the area.  There was a view amongst some people that the same parking restrictions should apply across the whole City, but this would not be appropriate to Westcotes, which had a unique mix of shops, residents, businesses, religious and other institutions and organisations. 

As no formal proposal for any scheme, or schemes currently existed, when the consultation exercise was complete, the results would be examined to see if residents supported a parking scheme and, if they did, whether it was favoured for the whole Ward, or just part of it. 

One way of testing any scheme introduced could be through using an experimental Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).  Although an experimental TRO previously had not been used for a residents’ parking scheme, there was no reason in law why this could not be done.  It would be valid for up to 18 months, which was the maximum period allowed for an experimental Order, and would then have to be either confirmed or cancelled.  It was thought that, if an experimental TRO was to be used, it could be ready to start in the later part of 2010.

An experimental TRO could be cancelled or confirmed any time during its operation, but the Council expected that it would run for the full 18 months.  If it was cancelled, the parking situation would return to how it had been before the TRO was introduced.  As an experimental TRO, it could be amended during its first 6 months of operation, so different initiatives could be tested if needed. 

In reply to questions from people present  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6