Issue - meetings

Agreed

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered (CMDE7) objections received to a formal consultation on proposals to amend parking restrictions in part of Corn Street in Witney.

Councillor David Harvey, Environment Portfolio Holder, West Oxfordshire District Council had in a written submission expressed disappointment at the amended proposals for Corn Street without any discussion with him or officers at West Oxfordshire District Council. After several years the present proposals to use a short length of the quite wide pavement for ‘partial pavement parking’ had been put together by professionally qualified officers and discussed with local residents to provide parking on both sides of the road with no hindrance to the flow of traffic in either direction, including buses. The proposals had been supported by Thames Valley Police and additional car parking spaces in Corn Street would also help to alleviate some of the parking congestion in neighbouring streets such as The Crofts and Holloway Road as well as Queen Emma’s Dyke. He understood that the proposals had been criticised by some members of the public who were not Corn Street residents and, as a result, County officers had taken the decision to remove the partial pavement parking and he was disappointed that he had found this out informally. This change to the plan would result in eleven fewer, much needed, parking spaces being available and he requested that the Cabinet Member reconsider this situation and return to the original proposal to include the partial pavement parking on the north side of Corn Street.

Councillor Laura Price supported the amended proposals.  Concerns had been expressed locally regarding walkway parking and the precedent that that might set for elsewhere in the town.  Enforcement in the area was light touch and as free parking was planned nearby she could not see the need for the 11 extra spaces here.  The responses to consultation appeared to bear out her concerns and she was not aware of much support for it.

Mr Tole confirmed that the revised proposals had been the result of further consideration in the light of comments received to the consultation.

Having regard to the arguments and options set out in the documentation before him, the representations made to him by local members and the further considerations set out above the Cabinet Member confirmed his decision as follows:

To approve the proposed parking restrictions for part of Corn Street, Witney as advertised but amended as described in the report CMDE7.