Croydon Council

REPORT TO: / TRAFFIC MANAGEMENTCABINET COMMITTEE
9February 2011
AGENDA ITEM: / 18
SUBJECT: / Croydon Controlled Parking Zone (Outer Permit Zones), Proposed 8am to midnight, Monday to Sunday Controls Objections to the Public Notice
LEAD OFFICER: / Executive Director of Community Services
CABINET MEMBER: / Councillor Phil Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways
WARDS: / Addiscombe, Broad Green, Croham, Fairfield, Selhurst and Waddon
1.RECOMMENDATIONS
The Cabinet Committee is recommended to:
1.1Consider the objections and petitions received in response to the formal consultation on the proposal to extend parking controls in the Croydon Controlled Parking Zone (Outer Permit Zones)to an 8am to midnight, Monday to Sunday operation and district off-street car parks ‘At any time’ operation.
1.2Agree not to extend the parking controls in the East Inner, East Outer, West, South and southern part of the North Permit Zone all forming part of the Outer Permit Zones.
1.3Agree to only increase parking controls to an 8am to midnight, Monday to Sunday operation in the northern part of the North Permit Zone in roads surrounding CroydonUniversityHospital shown on Plan PD – 097 and detail of the boundary in PD – 098.
1.4Agree not to extend the operational hours of the district off-street car parks to an ‘At any time’ operation.
1.5Authorise the Executive Director of Community Services to make the necessary Traffic Management Orders under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended) in order to introduce the above proposal.
CORPORATE PRIORITY/POLICY CONTEXT:
This report is inline with objectives to improve the safety and reduce obstructive parking on the Borough’s roads as detailed in:
  • The Parking Plan, Part III – Local Strategy and Parking Controls.
  • The Croydon Plan; Transport Chapter.
  • The Local Implementation Plan; 3.6 Croydon Transport policies
  • Croydon’s Community Strategy; Priority Areas 1, 3, 4 and 6

LOCAL AREA AGREEMENT (LAA) TARGETS:
This report is in line with objectives to promote public transport and reduce congestion on the Borough’s roads as detailed in:
  • Croydon’s New Local Area Agreement GOL Reference 34

FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
These proposals can be contained within available budget.
FORWARD PLAN KEY DECISION REFERENCE NO.: 90

For general releaseThis is a Key Decision as defined in the Council’s Constitution. The decision may be implemented from 1300 hours on the 5th working day after it is made, unless the decision is referred to the Scrutiny & Overview Committee by the requisite number of Councillors.

2.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1This report outlines the objections and petitions received to the proposals to extend the hours of operation of the Croydon Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) outer permit zones from 9am – 5pm, Monday – Saturday to an 8am – midnight, Monday to Sunday operation and a proposal to increase the hours of operation of the district car parks so that they operate ‘At any time’.

2.2Due to the level of the objections it is proposed to retain the operational hours of the outer zones to a 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday operation except in roads surrounding the CroydonUniversityHospital in the north section of the North Permit Zone shown in Plan No. PD - 097. It is also proposed to retain the operational hours of the district car parks so that they remain operating from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

  1. BACKGROUND

3.1At the meeting held on 23 November 2010 the cabinet committee agreed a report to amend the charges for on and off-street parking, permits and miscellaneous charges. Also agreed was a proposal to formally consult on an increase in the operational hours of the Croydon Controlled Parking Zone (outer permit zones) from a 9am – 5pm, Monday to Saturday operation toan 8am – midnight, Monday to Sunday operation.

3.2Public notices were also placed in all the districtcar parks proposing to increase the operational hours from 7am – 6pm, Monday – Saturday to ‘At any time’.

3.3On 8 December 2010 street notices were placed on lamp columns throughout roads within the North, South, East Inner, East Outer and West Permit Zones (making up the Outer Permit Zone) and advertised in the Croydon Guardian and London Gazette. Members of the public had until 4 February 2011 to comment or object to the proposals. This equates to 9 weeks consultation period which considerably longer than the usual 3 weeks required by statutory legislation.

  1. DETAILS

Objections

4.1There has been a considerable response to the formal consultation on the proposed 8am to midnight, Monday to Sunday proposals and increase in operational hours of all Council run Car Parks to ‘At any time’. In total 3943 objections (e-mails and letters) and 15 petitions have been received. The most frequent objection points most of which form part of a pro forma response (in the region of 95%) are summarised below:

a)The proposal is unfair, unreasonable and particularly discriminates against us as residents living within a Croydon Parking sub-zone.

b)There are insufficient parking bays for the number of households requiring them. Residents and their visitors have come to rely on using single yellow lines to park in the evenings and at weekends when they are mostly at home.

c)Friends and family visiting on Sundays and evenings will have to pay to park in a bay if they are fortunate to find one nearby. This will have a detrimental effect on our quality of life.

d)Shopping habits since 2002, when similar changes were last proposed, have not caused more shoppers to park farther out in the outer parking sub-zones.

e)There is no evidence to support the view that the lack of parking spaces is due to extra traffic – the majority of vehicles parking in bays or on single yellow lines outside the controlled hours display permits.

f)Expecting a small percentage of Croydon residents, their friends and families to help plug a Council revenue gap, when the cost of permits is increasing from £48 to £70 from April 2011 is also unfair.

g)Increasing the hours of operation of off-street council run car parks to 24/7 will not help residents to park. These car parks are not within easy reach of most residents in the sub-zones and the security of residents when making a long walk back in the evenings will be at risk.

h)Sunday parking controls will have a significant detrimental impact on worshippers of the 10+ churches within the outer Croydon permit zones.

4.2Appendix A gives details of where the objections have been received with tables for each of the 5 outer permit zones (East Inner & Outer, North, South and West Permit Zones) and a table showing objections received in roads outside the Croydon CPZ and outside the Borough.

4.3Objections have been received across the Croydon CPZ with the majority being received from residents within the outer permitzones.

PETITIONS

4.4Fifteenpetitions have been received which are detailed below:

Petition 1

4.4.1A petition has been received signed by 685 residents mainly of South Croydon and states:

‘We the undersigned, Residents, Businesses and Visitors do strongly oppose and object to the increases in parking charges across the Borough, increasing the current hours of operation of the controlled parking zones from 9am – 5pm to 8am – Midnight, EVERY DAY.

We further object to the lack of public consultation, provision of adequate parking in mitigation, the inevitable financial losses to all, due to the very likely increase in consequential penalty charges and further downturn in the local economy, in implementing these unrequited plans.’

Petition 2

4.5An e-petition has been signed by 622 residents on Croydon’s public web site. The petition states:

‘Parking Charges and Hours - No Increase - Onstreet Pay & Display, Onstreet Permits, Onstreet CPZ Hours, Offstreet Charges, Offstreet Hours, Other Charges

We object to Croydon Council's recent announcements that it intends to increase parking charges and we object in particular to the proposed increase in the hours they apply.

We call on the council to drop these planned increases.

We note that the council routinely makes substantial profits from both its onstreet and offstreet parking operations.

By law as confirmed by a High Count ruling, the council may not use onstreet parking charges as a source of revenue.

However it has done this for many years, by using parking profits to offset money it would otherwise have to spend, and the recently announced increases in charges and hours will increase the profits it makes from parking.

We object to the increases proposed in onstreet Pay & Display parking charges.

We object to the increases proposed in onstreet parking charges for businesses, residents and visitors permits.

We object to the proposed increased hours of operation of the Controlled Parking Zones around central Croydon from the present Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm to 8am to midnight every day.

This will impose real inconvenience and extra costs on residents there and harm the evening economy.

We object to the proposed increase in charges to park in council car parks.

We object to the proposals to increase the hours for which charges apply in council car parks to all day every day from the present system where there are generally no charges in the evenings or on Sundays.

We object to increased miscellaneous charges, for example parking dispensations, and for a new permit.

These increase in parking charges can only be an added burden on the residents and businesses who have to endure CPZ controls by living or working there, and discourage visitors from coming to work or shop, so harming the local economy with increased parking taxes.

We note the government has recently urged councils to cut parking charges - as per news reports in the Daily Mail dated 3-1-11

We note the council has only allowed until 4-2-11 to submit formal objections to Parking Services, and there has been little publicity of these proposed changes.

We say there is no justification for these proposed increases in charges and increases in the hours they apply, and we call on the council to drop these plans.’

Petition 3

4.6A petition has been received from residents of Addiscombe which has been presented to the Council by Councillors Mark Watson and Patricia Hay-Justice signed by 585 residents in Addiscombe. The petition states:

‘We, the undersigned, oppose Croydon Council’s plans to extend the hours and days of the Croydon Controlled Parking Zone in Addiscombe’s residential roads to 8am to midnight Monday to Sunday.

We also oppose the increase in cost of residents’ parking permits from £48 to £70 and the cost of visitor permits from £3.40 to £3.70.

Petition 4

4.7A pro forma petition has been received from the Croydon Advertiser signed by 450residents of the Borough titled ‘Parking Mad’. There are no other details on the petition apart from the addresses of the signatures and a space where comments can be included.

4.8These changes are unnecessary and will have a significant detrimental impact on Addiscombe residents, their friends and families who will now have to pay to visit them.

Petition 5

4.9A petition has been received from the Croydon Bowling Club which is based in Nottingham Road, signed by 263 club members. The petition states:

‘We the undersigned members of Croydon Bowling Club, request that Croydon Council re-consider its proposals with regard to parking controls and charging during evenings and weekends. The ability to park in meter bays each evening and on Sundays without paying is a valuable facility for our members, visiting teams and their visitors at times when the club is running at full capacity.’

Petition 6

4.10A petition has been received signed by 258 residents across the Borough which states:

‘We, the undersigned customers and/or residents in Croydon, strongly oppose the proposed changes to parking controls in our area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 7

4.11Apetition has been received from the South End Traders’ Association signed by 125 traders of South Croydon. The petition states:

‘We, the undersigned traders of South Croydon, strongly oppose the proposed changes to parking controls in our area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 8

4.12A petition has been received from Bagatti’s Restaurant in South End. The petition states:

‘We, the undersigned customers and residents in Croydon, strongly oppose the proposed changes to parking controls in our area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 9

4.13A petition has been received from MalcolmJohnRestaurants of South End signed by 120 traders of South Croydon. The petition states:

‘We, the undersigned traders of South Croydon, strongly oppose the proposed changes to parking controls in our area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 10

4.14A petition has been received from the Broad Green Residents Association signed by 108 residents mainly of the Grafton Road and Sutherland Road areas.

‘We, the undersigned residents in Croydon, strongly oppose the proposed changes to parking controls in our area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 11

4.15A petition has been received from members of SouthCroydonUnitedChurch in Aberdeen Road signed by the congregation. A letter with the petition points out that 7 groups meet in the church and hall during the week and these would be affected by the proposals. The petition has been signed by 75 of the congregation and states:

‘We, the undersigned members of the Congregation of South Croydon United church congregation group who meet at the South Croydon United Church premises, strongly oppose the changes to parking controls in this area from 8am to midnight every day, including Sunday.’

Petition 12

4.16A petition has been received from the Purley United Reformed Church at no.906 Brighton Road, Purley signed by 65 of the congregation. The petition states:

‘We as the a church feel this proposal will have a serious impact on the use of our premises, which are open every day from 9am to 10pm (Sunday 9.30am to 7.30pm) for use by a wide cross-section of the local community. A number of these groups involve vulnerable people supported by voluntary leaders.

Our other main concern is that it will lead to increased street parking which is already causing congestion around the front of our church, with cars parked so close to our entrance/exit that sight lines of the main road are seriously compromised. This is a particular problem in the evenings due to the proximity of The Rectory pub. A situation that will only get worse if the proposed extension charges come into force.

In our opinion this proposal of extending charges will have a detrimental effect on this key part of Purley town centre.’

Petition 13

4.17A petition has been received from the Croydon Philharmonic Choir who are based in St Matthews Church, Chichester Road, South Croydon. The petition has been signed by 65 members of the Choir and is summarised below:

‘We the undersigned members of the croydon Philharmonic choir, wish to object to the proposed extension of parking restrictions in Chichester Road to midnight every night, on the following ground:

  • There is no need for evening controls in Chichester Road due to its location.
  • It is ridiculous to have parking restrictions outside a church with all the activities.
  • The road already has daytime controls to manage commuter parking – evening parking causes no inconvenience to residents.
  • The Choir uses the church for their rehearsals. These are amateur choirs making little or no profit and should be encouraged by the Council not discouraged.

Petition 14

4.18A petition has been received from the Croydon Bach Choir who are based at St Matthew’s Church in Chichester Road, South Croydon. The petition which is signed by 50 members of the Choir states:

‘The Croydon Bach choir makes a major contribution to the artistic life and reputation of the London Borough of Croydon. We the undersigned express our objection to the suggested extension of parking charges.

We have a weekly evening rehearsal at St Matthew’s in the South Permit Zone. Our membership is borough wide (and beyond) and the way that the new system would work is bound to have an adverse effect upon our membership.

We also use St Matthew’s (and St Mary’s in the East Outer Permit Zone) as concert venues. The changes would discourage attendance and throw our financial viability further into question.’

Petition 15

4.19A petition has been received from a resident of Coulsdon signed by 18 residents of various locations. The petition has a number of points objecting to the planned changes in hours of operation and charges and finally states that there is no justification for these proposed increases in charges and increases in the hours they apply, and call on the Council to drop these plans.

Response to objections and Petitions

4.20Objections have been received to the proposed increase in the cost of permits which are proposed to increase from 28 March 2011. This proposal did not form part of the Public Notice and was subject to a Notice of Variation. There is no right to formally object to increases in parking charges.

4.21The increase in the hours of operation of the Croydon CPZ outer zones was proposed due to the changes in traffic and demand in kerb space since the early 1990s when the residents parking scheme was first introduced. The Central Permit Zone was increased to a 7am to midnight, Monday to Sunday operation in 2002 as a result of the increasing demand in parking especially due to the Sunday shopping and the growing evening economy. This zone was later amended to an 8am start.