Issue - meetings

Report by Corporate Director, Environment and Place

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management is RECOMMENDED to approve the advertised proposals for the introduction of paid parking bays; permit parking areas; limited waiting bays; and “No Waiting at Anytime” amendments in Woodstock, subject to the following changes:

1.     The proposed free parking period within the 3 hour paid parking bays is extended from 30-minutes to 1 hour.

2.     The proposed max stay duration in the ultra-short stay bays is extended from 20-minutes to 30-minutes.

3.     The proposed 2 hour limited waiting bay on New Road is amended to a 3-hour limited waiting bay.

4.     A further assessment by officers is undertaken to consider the introduction of permits for visitors to Guest Houses, Hotels and Holiday Lets within the scheme. This will require further public consultation.

5.     A further assessment by officers is undertaken to consider the best use of the existing 2-hour bays on Park Lane. This will require further public consultation.

6.     To amend the schedule of permit eligibility to include 1-11 Oxford Street.

The Cabinet Member for Highway Management, Councillor Gant, considered a report by the Corporate Director, Environment and Place, which recommended approval of the advertised proposals for the introduction of paid parking bays, permit parking areas, limited waiting bays, and no waiting at any time amendments in Woodstock, subject to the following changes –

(i)        The proposed free parking period within the 3-hour paid parking bays is extended from 30-minutes to 1 hour.

(ii)       The proposed max stay duration in the ultra-short stay bays is extended from 20-minutes to 30-minutes.

(iii)     The proposed 2-hour limited waiting bay on New Road is amended to a 3-hour limited waiting bay.

(iv)     A further assessment by officers is undertaken to consider the introduction of permits for visitors to Guest Houses, Hotels and Holiday Lets within the scheme. This would require further public consultation.

(v)      A further assessment by officers be undertaken to consider the best use of the existing 2-hour bays on Park Lane. This would require further public consultation.

(vi)     To amend the schedule of permit eligibility to include 1-11 Oxford Street.

Councillor Gant, having received a few representations on the proposals which he had taken into consideration ahead of today’s meeting, then heard several presentations by speakers present at the meeting both for and against the recommended proposals.

Having heard the speakers, and having taken into consideration the written representations, Councillor Gant made the following comments.

(a)  He noted that the officer’s report that was before the meeting today extended to over 300 pages including responses to an extensive consultation. Having read the report and the responses to the consultation, he thanked officers for their work in in preparing the report.

(b)  As there had been a significant response to the consultation, it was appropriate to address some of the issues that had been raised in response to the consultation, as follows –

(i)         That there was no such thing as “free parking”. The question was, who paid, that is, the user or the authority providing the parking space. It was his view that it was not unreasonable to tilt the balance such that it was the user who met the cost of using the space, as was the case with several local authorities.

(ii)        Whether a parking regime helped or hindered local businesses was a key issue and was addressed in Paragraph 20 of the report, which stated –

When considering options to manage on-street parking, there is often concern about the impact that this can have on the economy of town centres and that any increase in the types of control may discourage visitors to the town centre and reduce trade for businesses. However, there is no direct evidence that this is the case and careful kerbside management has proven to support parking for local retail centres in Oxfordshire including Abingdon, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames

(iii)      The results of poll undertaken by the District Council under the Parish and Community Meeting (Polls) Rules 1987[1], asking whether residents wanted free  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4