Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2013/136

Contact: Jim Daughton, Highways & Transport Service Manager Tel: (01865) 815083

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy (Commercial) (CMDE4).

The Cabinet Member for the Environment considered the results of a formal consultation on a proposal to introduce a new parking restriction to remove a parking bay on Lime Walk in the Headington Central CPZ which had been required as a result of an adjacent development site.

Mr McKenna on behalf of the Highfield Residents Association lodged a strong objection.  The Residents Association had, in conjunction with the local authority had partially implemented a self-funded traffic management scheme. This area formed a principle part of that and this change could compromise that scheme, traffic safety and present a loss of amenity to local residents.  Having looked at the original planning proposal it was not felt necessary to remove the bay or change current arrangements on the street and the status quo should be maintained.

Councillor Roz Smith endorsed the points made by Mr McKenna. Removal of the parking bay completely would mean everyone would lose.  Residents currently suffered from speeding traffic at this very busy junction and as parked bays did have some beneficial effect on speeding vehicles that would undoubtedly worsen if this proposal went ahead.  Pedestrians would also be able to cross safely and local residents and visitors able to continue to park as there were few houses with off road parking facilities.  She suggested provision of a white line to help with the ‘blocking in’ issue which would allow retention of the parking bay. There were places further down Lime Walk where visitors could park for 2 hours but one bay should at least be retained.

Mr Tole expressed some sympathy with the views expressed but the county council’s hands were effectively tied by the terms of the original planning permission retaining a single space.   There had been complaints by residents in the new development that they were getting blocked in and the local authority could not allow a situation where an on street space was blocked by an off street space.  There could possibly be provision of some replacement measures to allow residents to get in and out and to narrow the road to maintain some kind of traffic calming but with regard to white lining he could not recall a situation where this had been done where residents of a property were unable to park as they didn’t have a permit to do so and so the blocking issue could in effect continue.

With regard to traffic calming he confirmed there was currently no funding although it could conceivably form part of a locally funded scheme, work for which was currently ongoing although no formal design had yet been agreed.

Responding to the Cabinet Member he did not believe that one space could be retained.

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

Defer the proposal to introduce a new parking restriction to remove a parking bay on Lime Walk to enable further consideration to be given and if necessary reconsider at the 21 November meeting.