Lisa to Draft Report on the Appointment of Council Rep to HARC

Rother District Council Additional Agenda Item: 11

Report to-Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Date-28 March 2011

Report of-Councillor Mrs Sue Prochak

Subject-Problems regarding Rother’s Car Park in Robertsbridge

Recommendation: It be RESOLVED thatthe Committee decides what action to take on this matter, if any, as requested at paragraph 6 of the report.

Residents understand Rother District Council’s (RDC’s) efforts to maximise income by enforcing car parking regulations. Indeed I've always urged this action in the Pay and Display car parks. Extending this to the rural car parks has had an extremely adverse effect in Robertsbridge.

There are 23 two-hour bays and only 12 nine-hour bays. This balance was decided many years ago when Robertsbridge had many more shops and there was a much stronger need for short-term parking. Over recent years the car park has been used by residents, by people using various services, by workers employed in the village, by walkers using the car park as a starting point, etc. This has worked well and there has rarely been unavailable spaces.

Now with residents aware of the enforcement of the regulations, the nine-hour spaces are always full and the two-hour spaces are hardly used at all during the day indicating that previous users need more than two hours. A petition protesting against the existing parking rules is gaining momentum locally. Users are now using any available on street parking leading to congestion and giving the police unnecessary work. One of the principles governing Rother's car park is to relieve congestion on the road.

There are individual cases which cause great problems. For example one very disabled resident used to park her car within easy reach of the bus stop to catch the bus to Jempson's;now she is unable to do this.

In consultation with officers, I am given to understand the review of all Rother car parks is being undertaken now, but that any changes in regulations will not be decided until the late summer and that any variation in the Byelaws will not come into effect until later in 2012. Meanwhile there are immediate ongoing problems. The Parish Council sees the way forward as reversing the balance of two and nine hour bays. They are interested in taking on the car park, but regard this as a long-term project to give ample time for full costings and consideration of financial implications.

giving a parking enforcement amnesty in Robertsbridge until the review is complete; or

varying the Byelaw immediately to reverse the balance of restrictions to 23 nine-hour bays and 12 two-hour bays.

Would you also work with the police on advising residents where to park should the parking regulations continue to be enforced? It can do RDC's reputation no favours to have a car park which is predominantly empty during the day to the increasing frustration of residents, who wish to abide by the out-of-date car parking regulations.

Councillor Mrs Sue Prochak

Risk Assessment Statement

No risks are associated with this report.

Appendix A

s110328 – Robertsbridge Car Park