The Highways and Transportation Area Manager for Area 6 to be in attendance.
Minutes:
The following statement was read out by John Birkenshaw:
“The following three streets on Springfield Avenue.
1. Spring Grove (HG1 2HT)
2. Spring Mount (HG1 2HX) and
3. Springfield Mews (HG1 2HT)
Are all cul-de-sac streets (not through roads), where parking for
residents has become critical, and is now at a premium.
There are ‘Access Only’ signs at the entrance of the streets; however,
and bizarrely
the streets are designated for free, 3-hour Disc Parking, which is in
direct contradiction with the ‘Access Only’ signage. This contradiction could
possibly lead to legal action if a motorist appealed a parking ticket.
Guests staying at nearby hotels, (Majestic Hotel, Crown Plaza, and
Premier Inn),
together with visitors to the Conference Centre and Royal Hall regularly
park in these
streets, often overnight, in order to save car
parking fees at the venues, that provide
ample parking for guests and visitors.
Residents living in these streets purchase parking permits to enjoy the
privilege of
parking their own vehicles on these streets; together with books of
visitor permits for
visitors to park their vehicles when visiting. However, residents
regularly find there are no parking spaces for their own, or their visitors’
vehicles, (especially after 6pm at the end of the parking disc time
restrictions) and have to park many hundred yards
away, which becomes a serious safety issue for residents, having to content
with inclement weather, dark nights and uneven pavements.
Sixty-one households out of then ninety in these streets have signed a
petition
requesting that the free parking ‘Disc Parking’ signage be replace with
‘Resident Only’ parking, to ensure there are parking places for residents and
stop abuse of parking by users of the nearby hotels and conference centre.
I wish to stress that this matter has become worse over recent years at
the expense
of residents who not only pay council tax, vehicle tax, residents
parking permits and
separate permits for visitors, to find they cannot gain the benefit of
the paid for permits”
Mark Codman (Democratic Services) read out the following statement on
behalf of Melissa Burnham (Area 6 Highways Manager):
“Officers acknowledge the statement of support by Councillor Lacey and
would draw the committee’s attention to both the Residents Parking policy
documents and the Champion’s Guide. Links of which can be provided to members.
The stages within the guidance states that the support of the ACC chair
is sought for in stage one, after which an appropriate resource will be
allocated, and necessary reviews would be carried out by the local team. It
states in stage 5 that if a recommendation identifies a proposed Traffic
Regulation Order with a wider area impact it would be presented to the ACC by
officers for feedback, in advance of the final recommendation to go to
Environment Exec meeting for a final decision.
The local team would be happy to pick this up separately with Cllr
Lacey, to identify next steps with this particular case”.
The Chair noted that Members were unanimously supportive of the public
statement and Melissa Burnham’s response.