Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/076

Contact: Hugh Potter, Group Manager – Area Operations Hub Tel: 07766 998704

Report by Director for Community Operations (Interim) (CMDE5).

In June 2018 and April 2019 the Cabinet Member for Environment approved a programme of new CPZs in Oxford to address numerous local issues and help support the delivery of wider transport initiatives across the City. This report presents responses to a formal consultation on a new CPZ in the Marston North area (previously referred to as the New Marston area).

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve the proposals as advertised for a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the Marston North area, but with the times and days of week  of the CPZ restrictions in Horseman Close, Clay Close, Jessops Close  and Dents Close being amended so as to align with those for the other parts of the CPZ.

The Leader of the Council considered (CMDE5) responses received to a formal consultation on a new Controlled Parking Zone in the Marston North area (previously referred to as the New Marston area)

James Poole a local resident stated that the consultation responses showed clearlythat this parking zone proposal was deeply unpopular with only 29% of residents in support and even then the majority support had been confined to only 9 of the 30 streets affected and in 3 of those, from the sole respondent. The primary concern raised by residents had been lack of need as parking for residents was not an issue. The report had stated that it should be stressed that the proposals sought to alleviate problems associated with commuter parking and overflow parking from adjacent CPZs. However, that concern was clearly not shared by the majority of residents who were querying the actual need for controlled parking in any form, citing that parking pressures in the area were not especially severe and that the scheme would instead cause unnecessary inconvenience and expense for existing residents and their visitors. Residents did not want this CPZ and did not see any need for it and were objecting to its imposition against their wishes. The recommendation that it should go ahead contradicted the results of the consultation. The report’s primary reason for overturning the wishes of residents seemed to be that CPZs would become increasingly important if policy proposals such as demand management mechanisms e.g. traffic restrictions, or promoting higher density development in the city, were agreed. Those proposals were themselves subject to consultation with the outcome  unknown and, even if implemented, their impact on the Marston North area was uncertain seeming very likely that any impact would be low and well within the tolerance of residents, rendering the CPZ unnecessary. Like other residents, he had not expressed his full objection at the consultation stage since he as presumably had others assumed that the council would determine to press ahead regardless which had now been confirmed by the report.  If it was decided to go ahead against the clear response of residents, he urged that the recommendation to align Horseman Close, Clay Close, Jessops Close and Dents Close with the rest of the CPZ be accepted otherwise, the small amount of football-related parking at weekends would be pointlessly displaced to other streets less able to cope with it and the loss of the 2hr visitor parking would be extremely damaging to community life, unnecessarily constraining after school playdates and the visiting of elderly relatives. It was clear from the consultation that the most disliked aspect of this unwanted proposal was the application of stricter restrictions to these streets with only 9.7% of residents in favour. He asked that this unnecessary CPZ should not be imposed on residents who had clearly demonstrated did not support it but if it was to go ahead against the wishes of residents, then the need to align those four roads referred to above with the rest of the CPZ needed to be addressed.

City Councillor Mary Clarkson spoke as a Marston Ward City Councillor. The Old Marston area was virtually the only area on the North East side of Oxford with no parking restrictions and, being close to both the Headington hospitals and Oxford Brookes University, meant that parts of the area had suffered from commuter parking for many years making it difficult and sometimes dangerous for residents to leave their own driveways and side roads. So, while broadly welcoming the scheme, she wished to raise a number of points to improve it and hopefully make it more acceptable to residents. Firstly, she welcomed the response which had been made to the high number of objections from residents in Horseman Close and Clays Close and agreed that the CPZ restrictions of 0900-1700 Monday to Friday should be the same for them as for the rest of the area. Since residents rarely saw a problem with commuter and football parking, there was no need to place weekend restrictions on them, which would impact on family and friends who wished to visit. Marston had a relatively high proportion of single elderly people and so having visitors was particularly important for them and she made a plea for a large number of shared use spaces, which would make it easier for family and friends to park nearby. That could be done on a detailed street by street basis to establish where the need was greatest.

Raymund Road suffered from inconsiderate and dangerous parking by parents of pupils at St Nicholas School. This problem was at the start and end of the school day only and the best way to resolve this was through a School Zone and she intended to press for that as a separate measure.

Many respondents to the consultation hade pointed out that since lockdown, far more people had been working from home which had meant that far more residents’ cars were parked in the streets with far fewer commuter cars. That pattern could well turn out to be long term and she wondered if the County Council had carried out any research to see what the impact of changing work patterns had been since March? It might be that if these changes became permanent, then a CPZ may not be the answer with residents paying for a permit which was no longer needed.

Her final concern was that the Marston North scheme excluded Old Marston Village. There was no timetable for introducing a scheme there and if there was a long gap between the introduction of the Marston North scheme and one for Old Marston Village, then there was a danger that Old Marston Village would suffer from displacement parking in its narrow roads. Cars already parked dangerously in Oxford Road near Mortimer Hall and this would only get worse if the Village had no restrictions. She suggested that the two schemes be contiguous thereby allowing time to assess parking need post COVID and protect Old Marston Village from excess parking, with which it was singularly ill equipped to cope?

The Leader of the Council noted written submissions from Brian Welby who had referred to the 2 to 1 majority against the scheme. Mr Welby considered that those residents who, for whatever reason, had decided not to respond and Oxfordshire County Council should abide by the responses of those that had, respect the democratic vote and cancel the proposals.

Officers advised that there was no expectation that there would be displaced parking to Old Marston as there was no direct road link. The Marston North scheme had been identified as a key element in the programme to deal with commuter parking in an area of identified future growth, which included the Swan School.

Acknowledging that the majority of respondents had objected to the proposals the Leader of the Council felt that the interests of Old Marston village also needed to be recognised. Therefore, having regard to the information in the report before him and the representations made to him at the meeting including that given by officers that the scheme had been identified as a key priority in the programme confirmed his decision as follows:

To approve the proposals as advertised for a Controlled parking Zone in the Matrston North area subject to the times and days of the restrictions in Horseman Close, Clay Close, Jessops Close and Dents Close being amended so as to align with those for the other parts of the scheme but that implementation be deferred to allow consideration of an Informal Consultation for Old Marston.

Signed……………………………………

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing…………………………..