Agenda item

Mick Barber (Chair of LTP), and Caroline Coyle-Fox (Vice Chair of LTP):

a.    presented members of Housing Scrutiny Sub Committee with a report initially presented to Policy Scrutiny Committee on 24 November 2020 raising concerns that tenants were parking their cars on grass verges in  city estates

b.    advised that all estates in Lincoln suffered from a lack of parking space available for cars, this caused a number of issues including blocked roads, junctions and parking on grass verges

c.    referred to paragraph 2.3 of their report explaining the number of different solutions to address the problem and advised that before any solutions were decided, an equality and diversity impact assessment would be carried out as part of the options appraisal

d.    reported on a pilot survey proposed by LTP on Hartsholme to gain a better understanding as to the scale of the problem and capture residents’ views on possible solutions

e.    added that the survey could possibly be extended into other areas of the City if it was successful

f.     highlighted the questions that the survey aimed to answer as detailed at paragraph 3 of the report.

g.    reported on the 3 main methods to be used as part of the consultation:

·         An online survey advertised through Facebook but conducted through the City of Lincoln Council’s website

·         Postal surveys sent out if a low response rate was received from online surveys

·         Zoom calls with residents conducted by LTP as part of a public meeting

h.    advised that the LTP would consult with residents of Hartsholme Estate and other local stakeholders such as local schools and the police

i.      advised that the next steps following the survey would be to report the  results back to Policy Scrutiny Committee once collated and analysed

j.      invited member’s questions and comments.

Members discussed the survey proposals in further detail. The following comments emerged:

·         Comment: A hard standing for residents’ cars had been installed in Woodfield Avenue, Birchwood which was a great improvement compared to Dellfield Avenue just around the corner where unsightly grass verge rutting could be viewed for 100’s of yards.

·         Comment: It was doubtful what the survey would achieve as the potential solutions were already outlined within the report. An online survey would not be truly representative of public opinion.

·         Comment: Parking on grass verges was a real issue across the city. Warning notices should be issued then vehicles towed away that didn’t take heed.

Mick Barber, Chair of LTP emphasised that parking on verges on council estates in terms of risk to health and safety was a long established problem which was in need of attention. LTP members did not have all the answers however the survey was the most it could do at the present time due to the pandemic.

LTP members asked whether there were any available funds to address the issue of people parking on grass verges.

Daren Turner, Director of Housing and Investment advised that the Council had resorted to fencing off areas with bad parking problems in the past although there were no specific pots of capital money available.  The proposal to hold a survey in Hartsholme was a good data finding exercise to understand the level of responsibility communities would like to see, data which members could then evaluate.

Members highlighted that the Highways Authority were happy to install dropped kerbs to people’s properties if they were willing to fund the cost themselves, which was an option.

Daren Turner added that the City Council would offer financial assistance for dropped kerbs to people with disabilities under the aids and adaptations budget.

RESOLVED that members of LTP would discuss options to address issues of parking on grass verges further with Chris Morton, Resident Involvement Manager in order to seek a majority view regarding any potential further action.