Agenda item

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/012

Contact: Hugh Potter, Group Manager – Area Operations Hub Tel: 07766 998704/Jim Whiting, Principal Officer – Parking Tel: 07584 581187

Report by Corporate Director, Environment and Place (CMDE5).

The report presents the results of an informal consultation on 13 proposed CPZ areas in Oxford which took place between 5 February and 5 March 2021. Based on the outcomes of the informal consultation and other factors including likely future parking pressures e.g. planning permissions and introduction of other demand management proposals in Oxford the Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED to approve carrying out further scheme development and formal consultation on the proposed South Oxford (Extension) Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Oxford.

While noting that the Cabinet Member for Environment is not being asked to make any decisions regarding the implementation of the South Oxford (Extension) CPZ, rather this would be subject to a separate decision and following the outcomes of a formal consultation.

The report presents the results of an informal consultation on 13 proposed CPZ areas in Oxford which took place between 5 February and 5 March 2021.

Estella Wild (Response Organization) advised that Morrell Crescent specifically was a street of supported accommodation for people with mental health issues, a workplace for 18 members of staff, most of whom travelled from out of the area, on shift patterns where it would not be possible to use public transport to arrive on time to run a reliable and safe service and if within a controlled parking zone with resident permits it would be impossible to run this service as people would not be able to afford to pay the inevitable fines. They also discouraged residents from purchasing cars as they were often not at a place in their recovery where they could take on this responsibility and often not in an economic situation to buy and run a car without hardship.  Morrell Crescent needed to remain as work parking for their staff and also a large number of different visitors who attended their residents including nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals as well as family members.

Councillor Glynis Phillips (Barton, Sandhills & Risinghurst spoke in support of the officer recommendation to progress to formal consultation later for Barton & Risinghurst. As background she advised that informal consultation had resulted in 63% in Barton and 67% in Risinghurst opposing the proposals and those views needed to be respected. However, if that recommendation was approved she sought an assurance that the CPZ in Sandhills would continue to be on hold as per the decision by the Leader of the Council in the Cabinet Member’s absence which had been despite 69% opposing the scheme to approve the proposals as advertised but defer implementation to try and align the Sandhills scheme with the introduction of a CPZ scheme for the Barton & Risinghurst area subject to funding being available for the latter.  These areas were all interdependent when it came to parking and it was important to avoid issues of displacement parking by either all 3 areas becoming CPZs or none as was the case now.  She supported the status quo until such time as there was a majority from all three communities to become CPZs.

The following written representations were noted.

Peter Baker who understood the need for a CPZ in the South Oxford Extension area being so close to the City Centre but the surrounding estates were just that, housing estates with no commuter or other parking concerns and in some of the proposed areas there were already parking bays for residents to use so it seemed a CPZ could only be required to boost Council coffers and not serve any purpose to the residents of these areas. As a council employee along with every other employee be it Councillor or worker had a duty to the people of Oxford not to make lives less enjoyable and he felt that the proposal had upset a lot of the residents.

An anonymous written representation from a resident of Oxford raising a number of concerns regarding need for CPZs despite overwhelming objection and the informal consultation process. Given the overwhelming rejection, consultation failures, and considerable concerns in relation to validation for ALL CPZs, he believed it reasonable to reject all current CPZ proposals, find alternative solutions, including the re-evaluation of current practices elsewhere as to do otherwise would be to further ignore and disrespect the people of Oxford.

Richard Kelly who expressed disappointment that a CPZ had been rejected for London Road particularly those houses stretching from Collinwood Road to The Larches. He understood the reluctance of residents of Risinghurst to a CPZ as he suspected that most of the cars parked in that area belong to them whereas the vast majority of daytime parkers in his road commute to London via Thornhills as this was the closest point to Thornhills leading to bad daytime congestion with great difficulty getting in and out of our drives and larger vehicles unable to pass.

Nikki Spencer on behalf of PALS (Parking around Lake Street) a recently formed action group of residents who were concerned about the deteriorating car parking situation in the area bounded by Lake Street to the north and Vicarage Road to the south requested that the PALS area be considered separately from the rest of South Oxford when further consultation and development took place.Although the PALS area is only a small proportion of South Oxford (Extension), parking is considerably more strained than there in the reminder because of its proximity to the city centre and Hinksey pool with narrower streets and cul de sacs. There was overwhelming support in the PALS area for a CPZ.

Responding to the Cabinet Member officers advised that the consultation process had been carried out correctly.

Acknowledging the stated policy of the County Council to put in CPZs in Oxford she thanked all those who had submitted representations to her and having regard to the information set out in the report before her and the representations made to her at the meeting confirmed her decision as follows.

(a)          to approve carrying out further scheme development and formal consultation on the proposed South Oxford (Extension) Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Oxford.

(b)          to progress to formal consultation later, possibly following the implementation of the above and other programmed CPZ schemes, and after carrying out further informal consultation as required, and subject to funding being available:

·           Barton

·           Blackbird Leys

·           Donnington

·           Greater Leys

·           Iffley

·           Jordan Hill

·           Littlemore North

·           Littlemore South

·           Lower Wolvercote

·           Risinghurst

·           Rose Hill

·           Upper Wolvercote

Signed…………………………………..

Cabinet Member for Environment

Date of signing…………………………