Agenda item

Purpose of Report

To provide details of a formalised process to the extension and/or creation of Residents Parking Zones within the city and seek recommendation for approval.

Decision

That Executive approve the formalised Resident Parking Scheme process, subject to

·       Minor amendments to the format of the final policy document as agreed with the Director of Communities and Environment to incorporate wraparound text and an explanatory flow diagram on existing County Council working criteria.

·       Final feedback on the policy document being requested from the County Council once drafted.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not having a formalised process for Residents Parking Schemes clearly publicised meant that ward members and officers could be subject to ad-hoc pressure to respond to isolated complaints and that this could be repeated multiple times creating abortive work whilst raising expectations.

Reasons for the Decision

The provision of adequate and efficient parking in the City was crucial in helping ensure Lincoln successfully continued in its role as the key urban centre for Lincolnshire and the wider area. Resident Parking Schemes (RPS) were a key component to balancing the requirement to provide visitor parking whilst safeguarding adequate provision for residents of a number of our more central wards.

A formalised process for the extension and/or creation of a new zone was required to provide clarity to both elected Members and residents of the city.

The city already had a number of RPS zones which were administered by the Parking Services team on behalf of the County Council.

Following several enquiries from both Ward Members and local residents regarding the potential extension of some Residents Parking Schemes (RPS) in Lincoln it had highlighted the requirement to establish a more formalised and systematic approach so that all parties had more clarity on the process.

Whilst as a City Council we administered such schemes through our Parking Services team the ultimate responsibility and decision making for any schemes as well as their enforcement rested with the County Council as the Highway Authority.

There was a set criteria that the County Council worked to before agreeing to implement a new RPS. Firstly, there needed to be evidenced support of at least 50% of the residents in the proposed zone and secondly there needed to be evidence of a measurable problem of non-resident parking on the effected streets. They also screened out streets which had at least 50% provision of off-street parking within the curtilage of a property or within 30m already in place.

The County Council would also consider whether an appropriate level of enforcement could occur to ensure effectiveness and that the scheme would not create wider impacts on the highway network.

In addition to this there would also be an assessment of resource allocation by the County Council to establish whether such a proposal could be accommodated given the officer work required. Likewise, the process required significant resource allocating within the Council’s Parking Services team and so the Assistant Director – Planning and City Services would also need to review available resource at the time of any request. As a result, a clear process was necessary so that the County Council received what they needed and to avoid abortive efforts from local residents and ward members alike.

The proposed formalised process for extending and/or creating an RPS was detailed at paragraph 5.1 of the officer’s report.

Members commended officers for their detailed work on formulating a streamlined scheme.