Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2019/146

Contact: Hugh Potter, Team Leader – Area Operations Hub Tel: 07766 998704

Report by the Interim Director for Community Operations (CMDE4).

New Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) are being proposed across Oxford to address parking pressures for residents due to commuter parking. In addition to the difficulties residents face in finding a parking place, such excess parking demand can result in the roads (in particular near junctions), footways and accesses being obstructed by parked vehicles to the detriment of road safety and the movement of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users including the emergency services.

The Cabinet Member for the Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve  the proposals as advertised for a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the Hollow Way North area, but to review specific suggestions for minor adjustments as raised in the consultation responses as noted in paragraphs 11 and 17 of the report CMDE4.

Following approval by the Cabinet Member for Environment in June 2018 and April 2019 of a programme of  new CPZs in Oxford she now considered (CMDE4) responses to a formal consultation to introduce a new CPZ in the Hollow Way North area.

Stephen Creed (resident of Cranmer Road/Hollow Way). Since the opening of Parade Green in James Wolfe Road there had been persistent parking of student cars in Cranmer Road at various times including overnight and weekends.  On occasion his driveway had been blocked.  Also, his car tyres had been slashed in December along with about 4 student cars being similarly damaged. There was also the noise disturbance from cars doors slamming in the late evening as students parked their cars. He considered the proposed CPZ hours for Cranmer Road (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) insufficient as it would still allow students to park in Cranmer Road in the evenings, overnight and weekends. The existing problem in Cranmer Road would also be exacerbated further because Cranmer Road only had daytime restrictions, whereas nearby roads James Wolfe Road, Hundred Acres Close and other roads had evening, overnight and weekend restrictions and only allowed permit holders in the evening and overnight (6.30pm-8am - 7 days week).  That would cause significant displacement of student parking onto Cranmer Road exacerbating the existing problem in Cranmer Road.   Students would also be able to park overnight in Cranmer Road but not other roads. One of the roads with these overnight restrictions was Hundred Acres Close which was approximately the same distance from the Parade Green main entrance as Cranmer Road. So it seemed to him sensible for Cranmer Road to have the same restrictions. As he was likely to pay for a permit anyway (for 9am-5pm) then the CPZ hours might as well be extended in Cranmer Road to evening, overnight and weekends and he asked for this to be considered.

Responding to the Cabinet Member officers confirmed that the situation in Cranmer Road could be monitored and if appropriate included in a later consultation.

Councillor Brighouse expressed her concern over student parking with their cars used predominantly for recreation left sometimes for weeks.  She had been disappointed with the level of response to the consultation but confirmed a number of residents had been in touch with her supporting implementation as soon as possible and before September.  She empathised with Mr Creed but felt many residents would speak against that change.  There was a high multi occupation in this area with upwards of 1200 students and it needed to be monitored carefully.

The Cabinet Member acknowledged the points made by Mr Creed and echoed the point by Councillor Brighouse on the desirability for priority implementation. 

Other written representations had been received from:

Darryl Ross who saw no need to implement a controlled parking zone for Hollow Way north. The majority of residents had voted against this proposal and if there was a problem at all from increased traffic or parking it was due to the increased number of students from Oxford Brookes. Oxford City Council had granted planning permission for thousands of new accommodation places in the area, with conditions that students were not allowed to bring cars to Oxford. Those conditions were not policed by the Council neither did Oxford Brookes take responsibility to deter or penalise students who brought cars to the city and parked on adjacent residential streets.  He asked why should local residents pay for the duties that Oxford Brookes and the city council are neglecting and be taxed for the privilege of parking outside their homes? Why should local residents have to incur financial penalties on top of the further noise, congestion and anti-social behaviour caused by the unsustainable density of student accommodation that has been forced upon the area. He asked for an alternative proposal to be considered where either Oxford Brookes was required to act upon its duties in terms of policing students with cars or were forced to pay for a scheme where residents could apply for 2 vehicle permits per household, plus a provision for annual visitor permits. Then the council will be able to raise revenue from "foreign" cars that were illegally parked.

William Reed a local resident felt that there had been scant analysis of local peoples’ views and suggested that there was a reason to depart from the policy. There was virtually no non-residential parking in the Close before the opening of Parade Green with almost no non-residential parking in the Close now. Clearly there was no demonstrable need for a CPZ in East Field Close.

Parking Permit Costs had not been justified in the report with reference only being made to the proposed charges being the same as those which applied to many other CPZs.  One letter of comment (6) argued that any first permit should be free with another arguing, in effect, that as CPZs pursued a policy objective of benefit to the wider community then the cost of the scheme should be funded generally.  He supported those views arguing that if a scheme was introduced then charges should be lowered because of the economies of scale derived from the number of CPZs now in existence.

Regarding the hotel and guest house permit scheme he had commented in his response that whilst the draft Order contained provisions for a hotel and guest house permit scheme, neither the public notice nor the Statement of Reasons referred to the proposed introduction of such a scheme.  The draft Order contained an entire section (Part) on this element.  Therefore this element could not be introduced because local people had not been told about it or invited to give their views.

More residents had objected to the CPZ proposals than had supported them and this balance of objection needed to be borne in mind when deciding if the policy objectives outweighed the objections.  He did not think they did and had  suggested in his comments that the money available for the Hollow Way North scheme could be used to better and wider effect and not used specifically and solely for residents’ parking.

She acknowledged the representations made to her at the meeting and the strong written objection from Mr Ross regarding student vehicles. It had to be remembered that although Oxford Brookes could, if aware of a particular problem, approach that tenant but had no powers to enforce matters on the highway. She acknowledged the point raised by officers regarding the rationale behind limiting parking in Hollow Way to daytime parking as opposed to 24 hours was that Hollow Way was primarily a residential zone unlike, for example, Cowley Marsh. With regard to the points raised by Mr Reed pressures did vary in the zone and if some roads were omitted then other roads would suffer from displaced parking. 

Therefore, having regard to the information set out in the report before her and the representations made to her at the meeting the Cabinet Member for Environment confirmed her decision as follows:

to approve proposals as advertised for a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the Hollow Way North area, but to review specific suggestions for minor adjustments as raised in the consultation responses and noted in paragraphs 11 and 17 noting that there would continue to be monitoring of parking particularly in the Cranmer Road area where there was significant student parking and review the opportunity to extend the scheme to evenings. Part of the monitoring would need to gauge impact on limited daytime where there could be more parking evenings and weekends regarding problems of displacement.

Signed……………………………………..

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing……………………………