Agenda item

(Housing Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-024-2016/17).

(1)        That, for the foreseeable future, off street parking schemes be only constructed at the following sites, which were already committed, and funded from the existing 5-year combined Housing Revenue Account and General Fund Off Street Parking Capital Programme Budget (which currently had a budget provision of £1,855,000 available):

 

            (a)        The four sites agreed by the Council Housebuilding Cabinet             Committee in February 2015which had all progressed to the point of        planning applications being submitted and if approved, would commit around             £605,000 from the Off Street Parking Capital Programme Budget, namely:

 

(i)               Paley Gardens, Loughton;

 

(ii)              Torrington Drive, Loughton;

 

(iii)       Etheridge Green, Loughton; and

 

(iv)       Alderwood Close, Abridge;

 

(b)        The two sites where the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee had already agreed to fund the cost of demolishing the existing garages and to create off street parking spaces at an estimated cost of £40,000:

 

(i)         Springfield, Epping; and

 

(ii)        Loughton Way, Buckhurst Hill

 

            (c)        The four sites within Phases 1 and 3 of the Council Housebuilding   Programme, for which the relevant Area Planning Sub-Committees had   attached a condition to the planning consent to undertake a parking study and             to provide off street parking (if there was sufficient local resident support and          planning approval granted) at an estimated cost of £235,000:

 

(i)         The Roundhills Red Cross Site, Waltham Abbey;

 

(ii)        Roundhills Site 4, Waltham Abbey;

 

(iii)       Stewards Green Road, Epping; and

 

(iv)       Centre Avenue, Epping;

 

(2)        That, for future off street parking schemes (not including the above schemes in 1(a) and 1(c)), charges be made for the use of the off street parking bays through either one, or a combination, of the following options (as considered appropriate by the Director of Communities, in consultation with the Housing Portfolio Holder):

 

(a)        the sale of Residents Parking Permits in line with other Controlled Parking Zones in the District;

 

(b)        the provision of a hinged lockable bollard, rented to local residents at a cost of:

 

            (i)         £500 in the first year after implementation or re-instatement;             and

           

            (ii)        £250 per annum thereafter; or

 

(c)        through a Pay and Display Scheme, in line with other similar schemes on Highway Land around the District;

 

(3)        That the charges for the use of parking bays at future off-street parking schemes be added to the Annual Schedule of Fees and Charges for Housing Related Services and reviewed annually;

 

(4)        That the additional cost of monitoring the Controlled Parking Zones and/or Pay and Display bays for future schemes be met from the Off Street Parking Budget, with the income used to help fund any future maintenance costs or the construction of future schemes;

 

(5)        That any further off street parking schemes to be undertaken in the future be considered by the Cabinet on an annual basis;

 

(6)        That, prior to any Council Housebuilding planning application being submitted, transport studies be undertaken to assess the parking stress in the locality caused by any loss of garages and, because each planning application had to be determined on its own merits, the provision of separate off street parking schemes in the locality only be considered where transport studies had identified a lack of parking provision as a result of the new development, and that this previous automatic link between the two programmes be discontinued; and

 

(7)        That the following sites were unable to proceed be noted, since they had either failed to gain the support of local residents or there was insufficient Council-owned land available in the vicinity to develop a scheme:

 

(a)        Watermans Way, North Weald;

 

(b)        Sycamore House, Buckhurst Hill; and

 

            (c)        Tillingham Court, Waltham Abbey.

The Housing Portfolio Holder presented a report on the review of rankings for future schemes and capital expenditure during 2016/17 for the construction of off street parking schemes on Housing land.

 

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that 182 off street parking bays had been provided since 2009 at 12 streets across the District with the greatest need for off street parking, at a total cost of approximately £800,000 split between the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and General Fund Capital Programmes. The completed schemes had resulted in very high resident satisfaction, reduced the parking congestion in those streets and were used by residents free of charge.

 

The Portfolio Holder stated that, against the backdrop of the need to make savings or generate additional income across the Council’s budgets, it was clear there would need to be savings made to the HRA and General Fund Capital Programmes in future years. Therefore, it was proposed that future schemes would only be constructed where residents had clearly indicated they would be prepared to pay for use of the spaces, thereby generating an income to offset the high construction costs. Charges would be made for the use of the parking bays by way of Parking Permits, rented bays with lockable bollards or through a Pay and Display arrangement. The Council already operated a Residents Parking Policy, and where parking spaces were rented by residents then the charge would be £500 for the first year and £250 per annum thereafter, with an annual review. Any costs for monitoring Controlled Parking Zones would be met from the Off Street Parking Budget, and any income received would be used to fund future maintenance costs and/or the construction of future schemes.

 

The Portfolio Holder informed the Cabinet that it was being proposed that the Council should only undertake the currently committed off street parking schemes for the time being and that any future off street parking schemes would be considered in 2017 during the next annual review of the Programme. It was highlighted that there were ten schemes which had already been agreed which the Council was committed to constructing where charging would not be introduced. These were in Loughton, Abridge, Epping, Buckhurst Hill and Waltham Abbey.

 

The Portfolio Holder explained that off street parking for seven sites had been agreed by the Cabinet in February 2015; however, the schemes at Watermans Way in North Weald, Sycamore House in Buckhurst Hill, and Tillingham Court in Waltham Abbey had failed to gain the necessary support or surveys had established that there was insufficient Council-owned land available. Appendix 1 of the report listed all the schemes that had been registered, assessed and ranked.

 

The Portfolio Holder added that, in respect of the proposed scheme at Torrington Drive in Loughton, 72% of residents had been in favour of a scheme and 57% had been in favour of the scheme that had been submitted for planning approval. The contract for the construction of the scheme had been let and work would begin at the site next week, although the scheme had been slightly amended to provide 58 spaces and not the original 64 spaces proposed.

 

Cllr Philip welcomed the report as it represented a sensible balance, however he felt that residents should be charged for the use of spaces at the ten sites listed in recommendation 1 as well, this would also protect the spaces for their use. The Portfolio Holder understood the need to protect spaces for residents, but felt that it was fair not to charge residents for the use of spaces at these ten sites as it had not been declared during the planning approval process. Cllr Philip highlighted that charging for parking spaces was not a planning consideration, and that the two sites at Springfield in Epping and Loughton Way in Buckhurst Hill were replacing garages which the Council had previously rented out. The Portfolio Holder accepted this and requested that the recommendations be amended accordingly.

 

Cllr Wixley requested that Pyrles Green be added to the list of potential schemes, and whether the current level of on street parking in Pyrles Lane encouraging ‘road rage’ incidents could be added to the list of criteria? Cllr Stallan also expressed his disappointment that Queens Road in North Weald had been removed from the list of future potential schemes. The Portfolio Holder reassured both Councillors that the list of schemes would be reviewed again in 2017, possibly as early as April, but there were no plans currently to review the criteria for ranking potential future schemes.

 

The Portfolio Holder explained that the cost for the provision of a parking space with a lockable bollard was higher in the first year to contribute towards the cost of installing the bollard. The Council would review whether residents who rented the space in future years would also pay £500 in their first year of leasing; the Leader reminded the Cabinet that all fees levied by the Council were reviewed annually. Cllr Philip suggested that residents should pay £500 in the first year after both installation and re-instatement.

 

Cllr Brookes was concerned that the first year cost of £500 would be too much for some residents, and Cllr Waller suggested that the additional cost for the first year could be regarded as unfair; could not the cost be spread over future years, for example £275 per annum. The Portfolio Holder understood the concerns raised by the Councillors, but residents would be accustomed to paying for parking at every other location and the exact payment details could be reviewed, possibly with the provision of staggered payments. Cllr Philip added that £500 was not unreasonable, payment for which could easily be spread over 10 or 12 months, and it would contribute to the construction cost of £4,400 per space.

 

In response to further questions from the Members present, the Portfolio Holder stated that possible measures to prevent resident parking spaces being sub-let to commuters, and whether electric charging points would be added to a small number of spaces would be considered, and also that The Gladeway in Waltham Abbey was on the list of possible schemes and would be ranked accordingly.

 

Decision:

 

(1)        That, for the foreseeable future, off street parking schemes be only constructed at the following sites, which were already committed, and funded from the existing 5-year combined Housing Revenue Account and General Fund Off Street Parking Capital Programme Budget (which currently had a budget provision of £1,855,000 available):

 

            (a)        The four sites agreed by the Council Housebuilding Cabinet             Committee in February 2015which had all progressed to the point of        planning applications being submitted and if approved, would commit around             £605,000 from the Off Street Parking Capital Programme Budget, namely:

 

(i)               Paley Gardens, Loughton;

 

(ii)              Torrington Drive, Loughton;

 

(iii)       Etheridge Green, Loughton; and

 

(iv)       Alderwood Close, Abridge;

 

(b)        The two sites where the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee had already agreed to fund the cost of demolishing the existing garages and to create off street parking spaces at an estimated cost of £40,000:

 

(i)         Springfield, Epping; and

 

(ii)        Loughton Way, Buckhurst Hill

 

            (c)        The four sites within Phases 1 and 3 of the Council Housebuilding   Programme, for which the relevant Area Planning Sub-Committees had   attached a condition to the planning consent to undertake a parking study and             to provide off street parking (if there was sufficient local resident support and          planning approval granted) at an estimated cost of £235,000:

 

(i)         The Roundhills Red Cross Site, Waltham Abbey;

 

(ii)        Roundhills Site 4, Waltham Abbey;

 

(iii)       Stewards Green Road, Epping; and

 

(iv)       Centre Avenue, Epping;

 

(2)        That, for future off street parking schemes (not including the above schemes in 1(a) and 1(c)), charges be made for the use of the off street parking bays through either one, or a combination, of the following options (as considered appropriate by the Director of Communities, in consultation with the Housing Portfolio Holder):

 

(a)        the sale of Residents Parking Permits in line with other Controlled Parking Zones in the District;

 

(b)        the provision of a hinged lockable bollard, rented to local residents at a cost of:

 

            (i)         £500 in the first year after implementation or re-instatement;             and

           

            (ii)        £250 per annum thereafter; or

 

(c)        through a Pay and Display Scheme, in line with other similar schemes on Highway Land around the District;

 

(3)        That the charges for the use of parking bays at future off-street parking schemes be added to the Annual Schedule of Fees and Charges for Housing Related Services and reviewed annually;

 

(4)        That the additional cost of monitoring the Controlled Parking Zones and/or Pay and Display bays for future schemes be met from the Off Street Parking Budget, with the income used to help fund any future maintenance costs or the construction of future schemes;

 

(5)        That any further off street parking schemes to be undertaken in the future be considered by the Cabinet on an annual basis;

 

(6)        That, prior to any Council Housebuilding planning application being submitted, transport studies be undertaken to assess the parking stress in the locality caused by any loss of garages and, because each planning application had to be determined on its own merits, the provision of separate off street parking schemes in the locality only be considered where transport studies had identified a lack of parking provision as a result of the new development, and that this previous automatic link between the two programmes be discontinued; and

 

(7)        That the following sites were unable to proceed be noted, since they had either failed to gain the support of local residents or there was insufficient Council-owned land available in the vicinity to develop a scheme:

 

(a)        Watermans Way, North Weald;

 

(b)        Sycamore House, Buckhurst Hill; and

 

            (c)        Tillingham Court, Waltham Abbey.

 

Reasons for Decision:

 

To comply with the Cabinet’s wish to receive an annual report on the progress made in delivering the off street parking programme, and to agree the next set of sites to progress to the design, consultation, planning and then build stage. However, with a need to make savings or generate additional income across the Council, it had been identified that income could be generated that would benefit both the General Fund and the HRA in funding future off street parking schemes.

 

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

 

To not charge for parking spaces at future schemes.

 

To charge for the use of parking bays in the committed schemes listed in the recommendations

 

To not undertake any of the schemes previously committed.

 

To set a different charge for the parking spaces on HRA land other those already established elsewhere in the District, or the proposed charges for renting individual parking bays.