Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Northwood Hills Parking Management Scheme Extension - Report on Formal Consultation in Highland Road
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Democratic Services Location: Phase II Ext: 0693 DDI: 01895 250693 CMD No: 631 To: COUNCILLOR JONATHAN BIANCO CABINET MEMBER FOR PROPERTY, HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORT c.c. All Members of the Property, Highways & Select Committee c.c. Gordon Hill, Place Directorate c.c. Perry Scott, Corporate Director of Place c.c. Ward Councillors for Northwood Hills Date: 01 November 2022 Non-Key Decision request Form D NORTHWOOD HILLS PARKING MANAGEMENT SCHEME EXTENSION - REPORT ON FORMAL CONSULTATION IN HIGHLAND ROAD Dear Cabinet Member Attached is a report requesting that a decision be made by you as an individual Cabinet Member. Democratic Services confirm that this is not a key decision, as such, the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 notice period does not apply. You should take a decision on or after Wednesday 09 November 2022 in order to meet Constitutional requirements about publication of decisions that are to be made. You may wish to discuss the report with the Corporate Director before it is made. Please indicate your decision on the duplicate memo supplied, and return it to me when you have made your decision. I will then arrange for the formal notice of decision to be published. Steve Clarke Democratic Services Officer Title of Report: Northwood Hills Parking Management Scheme Extension - Report on Formal Consultation in Highland Road Decision made: Reasons for your decision: (e.g. as stated in report) Alternatives considered and rejected: (e.g. as stated in report) Signed ………………………………………………………Date…………………….. Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 1 Part 1 - Public NORTHWOOD HILLS P ARKING MANAGEMENT S CHEME EXTENSION - REPORT ON FORMAL CONSULTATION IN HIGHLAND ROAD Cabinet Member(s) Councillor Jonathan Bianco Cabinet Portfolio(s) Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport Officer Contact(s) Gordon Hill – Place Directorate Papers with report Appendix A - Location Plan Appendix B - Comments Received During Consultation HEADLINES Summary To inform the Cabinet Member of the outcome of the formal consultation undertaken in Highland Road, Northwood, on changing the agreed ‘Signs and Lines’ type parking scheme into a ‘Past This Point’ parking scheme in the road. Putting our Residents First This report supports the Council objective of Our People . The request can be considered as part of the Council’s annual programme for on-street parking controls. Financial Cost The costs for the implementation of this scheme were outlined in a previous report and there are no additional charges associated with the recommendations in this report. Relevant Select Committee Property, Highways and Transport Select Committee Relevant Ward(s) Northwood Hills RECOMMENDATIONS That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport: 1) N otes the responses received to the formal consultation undertaken in Highland Road, Northwood regarding changing the agreed ‘Signs & Lines’ parking scheme to a ‘Past This Point’ parking scheme in Highland Road; and, 2) I nstructs officers to implement a ‘Past This Point’ parking scheme in Highland Road, Northwood Hills. Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 2 Part 1 - Public Reasons for recommendations These recommendations are in line with the views expressed during the informal and formal consultations. Alternative options considered / risk management None at this stage. Select Committee comments None at this stage. SUPPORTING INFORMATION 1. The Cabinet Member will recall that, in 2019, a Parking Management Scheme was installed in the Northwood Hills area following petitions from residents, a subsequent informal consultation, and a further formal consultation. 2. The scheme was introduced following complaints raised by residents indicating that they were experiencing problems with all day non -resident vehicles being parked in the area. A new Monday to Friday 1-2pm Parking Management Scheme was installed and has been well received by the local community as it appears to have resolved many of the parking issues residents were reporting. 3. The Cabinet Member will also recall that, during the formal consultation and installation of the new Resident Parking Scheme in Northwood Hills, additional petitions were received requesting that the scheme be extended into nearby roads including Harlyn Drive, Highland Road and Winchester Road. 4. The petitions received were signed under the following headings: Harlyn Drive e- Petition (29 sigs) - 'We the undersigned petition Hillingdon Council to include Harlyn Drive in the proposed parking restrictions consultation. In the event of the proposals being implemented, Harlyn Drive must be included. Justification: Harlyn Drive is affected by the proposed parking restrictions and the residents should have been consulted.’ Highland Road Petition (47 sigs) - 'That Highland Road be included in the proposed parking management scheme as the four immediate surrounding roads (Lichfield, Winchester, Colchester and York) are all included and therefore commuter traffic will inevitably creep into Highland thus making the residential parking intolerable.' Harlyn Drive Petition (38 sigs) - 'I write on behalf of all the signatories who have signed the petition attached to this letter. The residents of this road were not originally consulted with regard to an informal consultation in the Northwood Hills area relating to the problems being caused primarily by 'commuter' traffic parking in our area as Northwood Hills, unlike neighbouring Northwood and Pinner, does not possess a station car park. We understand that the initial Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 3 Part 1 - Public consultation included roads within 500 metres of Northwood Hills station. Having been passed a letter received by a resident in neighbouring Tolcarne Drive we are now aware of plans to introduce a parking management scheme in this neighbourhood that will not include this road, even though we are situated nearer to the station than some roads included in the scheme, both Winchester Road and Waverley Gardens being examples. Furthermore, other roads, whilst the entry to the road is indeed within the 500 meter s "boundary", have been included by total length and thus the restriction will spread much further than our own road, for example Potter Street and neighbouring Tolcarne Drive. Harlyn Drive is about 700 meters from the tube station, and so the inevitable result of the proposed restrictions is that the 'commuter' traffic will now park in our road, a road with maisonettes which do not have their own driveways as well as many houses that do possess such. We already have traffic and parking problems because of the expanding Harlyn Primary School which is right on our "doorstep" so our being excluded from these proposed restrictions will only make our traffic situation worse and, with small schoolchildren in the area, far more dangerous. We urgently request a review of these proposals; any changes being proposed should include this road, and we urge that the Council takes another good hard look at this scheme. The fact that Harlyn Drive has been excluded in the first place is inexcusable.' Winchester Road Petitio n (47 sigs) - 'Since the introduction of the Northwood Hills Parking Management Scheme there has been a significant detrimental impact on residents' parking in Winchester Road during the hours of 08:00am and 6:30pm. It is now almost impossible for residents to park in the road during these hours. We the undersigned residents of Winchester Road request the Council to extend the above parking scheme to Winchester Road as a matter of urgency.’ 5. Due to the significant level of local interest and the number of similar petitions raised , it was agreed, by residents, local Ward Councillors and the Cabinet Member of the time that, in order to expedite the process with maximum efficiency , the matters would be dealt with under ‘intelligent intervention’ and actioned without the need for the petitions to be considered at a formal Petition Hearing. 6. Further discussions were also undertaken with the local Ward Councillors prior to the informal consultation to decide if any additional roads should be included in the consultation, based on their local knowledge and feedback from residents. They confirmed that Alandale Drive (including Dale Close and Valley Close), Henley Gardens and Pinner Road (24- 30 evens & 43- 103 odds) should also be included in the informal consultation area. 7. Every property in the area was delivered a consultation pack consisting of a letter explaining the proposals, a plan showing the area being consulted, a questionnaire and a reply- paid return envelope. The consultation packs were sent to approximately 450 properties with 242 returns, meaning a return rate of 54%. 8. The informal consultation gave residents two options of either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question ‘Would you like the Northwood Hills (NWH) Parking Management Scheme extended into your street?’, the results are tabulated overleaf: Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 4 Part 1 - Public Yes No Alandale Drive 38 14 - Dale Close 5 3 - Valley Close 10 2 Harlyn Drive 41 10 - Henley Gardens 3 1 Highland Road 55 10 Pinner Road (24-30 evens & 43-103 odds) 16 2 Winchester Road 30 2 Total 198 44 9. The results of this consultation were shared with the local W ard Councillors, who agreed that, where the residents have expressed a preference for the scheme to be extended into their road, then a formal design should be developed for a subsequent formal consultation. 10. Following the above, a detailed Parking Management Scheme was prepared, and a formal 21-day consultation was undertaken. During this time a letter explaining the operational aspects of the proposed scheme along with detailed plans showing the relevant area was delivered to every premise within the proposed scheme area. 11. In Highland Road, there were five responses in favour of the scheme, two objections and four comments. During the consultation a petition was also received from residents of H ighland Road, asking that the scheme layout be changed from the usual scheme design with the associated parking bays, signs and yellow lines to a ‘past this point’ style scheme. In conversations with the lead petitioner, it was agreed that this could also be dealt with under the informal process known as ‘intelligent intervention’ rather than having the petition having to be formally heard, and that it would be investigated and subsequently implemented, if supported and viable. 12. Due to the impact of Covid on its funding, TfL withdrew funding that would normally have been used to proceed with these schemes meaning this report was delayed in completion until Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 5 Part 1 - Public funding could be found. Considering these delays and the level of support for the proposed scheme in Highland Road, officers discussed with local Ward Councillors and the Cabinet Member the option of conducting the informal consultation prior to the completion of this report . 13. This was agreed and a 21- day informal consultation w as subsequently undertaken in Highland Road offering residents the choice of either a ‘Past this Point’ scheme or a ‘Signs and Lines’ scheme as originally proposed. During this consultation period, a letter explaining the two options and pointing out the operational differences was sent to every household in Highland Road along with a questionnaire and a postage paid reply envelope so that every household had a chance to make their feelings known. 14. The result of this informal consultation was that 40 households returned their questionnaire giving a return rate of 43%. Of the responses returned, 25 indicated support for a ‘Past this Point’ scheme whilst 15 indicated that they preferred the originally proposed ‘Signs and Lines’ scheme. 15. It was therefore recommended that the proposed ‘Signs and Lines’ scheme was approved as originally proposed subject to the outcome of a further formal consultation be undertaken in Highland Road to change the approved scheme to a ‘Past this Point’ scheme. If supported, then the new scheme would be implemented but , if not approved, then the original ‘Signs and Lines’ scheme could be installed at the same time as the wider scheme. 16. The Cabinet Member made the decision to extend the scheme into all roads consulted in the formal consultation as proposed, a plan showing the new scheme boundary is attached to this report as Appendix A. 17. Following the Cabinet Member decision to proceed with the scheme, a formal consultation in Highland Road to change the new ‘ Signs and Lines’ scheme into a ‘ Past This Point’ scheme was prepared. 18. This formal consultation lasted 21 day s, during which time a letter was sent to every property within in Highland Road explaining the operational aspects of a ’Past This Point’ scheme and the potential difficulties. Street notices were also erected locally, and a notice appeared in a local paper and the London Gazette. 19. The Council received four objections and 17 responses in support of the proposed changes, and also received a letter signed by 30 households, five of which also responded in an individual capacity. A breakdown of the responses can be found attached to this report as Appendix B. 20. The main objection residents had to this change was the possibility that their driveway may be blocked by other permit holders . Whilst this may be an issue, thi s scheme only operates Monday to Friday 1-2pm and, from experience of other similar schemes , this has not presented a significant problem in the past. However, should the hours of operation be extended in the future this may need to be considered during any consultation phase. 21. Another concern that was raised was that the lack of signage may cause people to park without realising there is a scheme in force leading to receiving parking tickets in error . In order Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 6 Part 1 - Public to make this less likely to occur, in addition to the legally proscribed signs at the entry to the scheme area, additional ‘repeater’ signs will be added to every lamp column within the area. 22. Based on the results of this formal consultation and the previous informal consultation, it is recommended that the scheme in Highland Road is changed to a ‘Past This Point’ scheme as proposed and implanted as soon as funding can be confirmed. Financial Implications The charges for the implementation of this scheme were included in the previous Northwood Hills Extension formal report at an estimated cost of £30k, there are no additional costs associated with the contents in this report. The £30k is to be funded through the Parking Management Schemes approved 2022/23 capital programme of £120k, which was approved for release on the 26 September 2022, with effect from 3 October 2022. RESIDENT BENEFIT & CONSULTATION The benefit or impact upon Hillingdon residents, service users and communities To change the parking measures requested by residents following consultation. Consultation carried out or required Residents were informally consulted previously to see if they would like t he Northwood Hills Resident Parking Scheme extended into their road. Based on the positive responses to that consultation, this formal consultation was undertaken. CORPORATE CONSIDERATIONS Corporate Finance Corporate Finance has reviewed this report and concurs with the financial implications above, noting that there are no costs associated with this report and the estimated cost of £30k associated with the recommendations in the previous Northwood Hills Extension Formal report detailed above w ill be fully funded from the Parking Management Scheme 2022/23 capital programme. Legal Legal Services advised that there were no legal impediments to the Council agreeing the recommendations set out in the report, which are in accordance with the outcome of the statutory consultation. Cabinet Member Report – 01 November 2022 Page 7 Part 1 - Public Infrastructure / Asset Management None at this stage. Comments from other relevant service areas None at this stage. BACKGROUND PAPERS Northwood Hills Petition for Residents Parking Scheme - Report Northwood Hills Petition for Residents Parking Scheme - Minutes Northwood Hills Report on Informal Consultation Northwood Hills Report on Formal Consultation TITLE OF ANY APPENDICES Appendix A - Location Plan Appendix B - Comments Received During Consultation Comment Response Support. Support. Support. Support 'Past This Point', but would prefer no scheme. Support. But would rather leave things as they are. Support. A past his point scheme will allow home owners to park infront of their own drive at all times. However, I am concerned that the scheme will prevent Council enforcement of driveway blocking during the scheme hours, surely it is still obstruction. Support. While both options have pros and cons, I am happy with the past this point scheme. Support. Support. Support. Support. But would prefer the scheme was only at the end of the scheme closer to the station rather than the whole road. The proposed double yellow lines on the junction of Cranbourne Road and Highland Road are not needed. Also, I would like the Council to direct resources to mitigating the cost of living (like reducing Councl Tax) rather than scheme like this. Support. Parking is becoming a joke in the road and a 'Past this point' will maximise the available parking. Support. Support. Did not suport a scheme previously, but support the 'past this point' scheme. There has been an increase in parking associated with the football classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Support. Support. The traffic increase post-pandemic has shown the need for a scheme. I had previously preferred the signs and lines but would like the ability to park on front of my own driveway at any time. Could we also have a new sign and yellow lines for the park gates to remind people not to park there, the access is often blocked at weekends. The Council Parking Services Team will be made aware of this issue and asked to make more visits as it is already an offence to park in front of this dropped kerb. Vehicles parked in front of the gates may also be reported to the Council's parking enforcement hotline on 01895 271 418 . If this continues to be a problem then further restrictions may be considered. Support. Object. I am in favour of the 'Signs and Lines', and am worried about the risk of my driveway being blocked during the 1-hour period with the past this point scheme. Experience from other similar schemes has shown that blocked driveways is very rare, and if it does become a problem then the scheme will be reviewed. Object. We support the 'Signs and Lines' scheme, we cannot use our driveway because people park opposite meaning there is no space to turn. Object. Whilst I support a parking management scheme, as the surrounding roads have a scheme, I do not support the past this point scheme, I prefer ths signs and lines as without bay markings people will continue to park as badly as they do at the moment. Object. Concerned that the lack of road markings and signs will mean that non- residents will not be aware of the scheme and may end up getting parking tickets by mistake. Also concerned that 'permit holders' will be able to block across someones driveway legally. Along with the signs at the entrances to the scheme there will also be signs on each lamp column to indicate the presence of a scheme. Experience from other similar schemes has shown that blocked driveways is very rare, and if it does become a problem then the scheme will be reviewed.
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Executive Decision Notice – 09 November 2022 Page 1
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE DECISION NOTICE
PUBLISHED BY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
Notice is hereby given that the following decision(s) have been made today by Cabinet
Members at the London Borough of Hillingdon:
Title of decision
NORTHWOOD HILLS PARKING MANAGEMENT SCHEME
EXTENSION - REPORT ON FORMAL CONSULTATION IN
HIGHLAND ROAD
Reference No. 631
Date of decision 09 November 2022
Call-in expiry date Wednesday 16 November 2022
Relevant Select
Committee
Property, Highways and Transport Select Committee
Relevant Wards Northwood Hills
Decision made
Cabinet Members
making the decision
Councillor Jonathan Bianco – Cabinet Member for Property,
Highways & Transport
Approved
That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and
Transport:
1) Noted the responses received to the formal
consultation undertaken in Highland Road,
Northwood regarding changing the agreed ‘Signs &
Lines’ parking scheme to a ‘Past This Point’ parking
scheme in Highland Road; and
2) Instructed officers to implement a ‘Pas t This Point’
parking scheme in Highland Road, Northwood Hills.
Reason for decision
This decision was in line with the views expressed during the
informal and formal consultations.
Alternative options
considered and
rejected
None.
Classification Part 1 – Public
Link to associated
report
Report
Relevant Officer
contact & Directorate
Gordon Hill – Place Directorate
Any interest declared
by the Cabinet
N/A
Executive Decision Notice – 09 November 2022 Page 2
This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk
Member(s) /
dispensation granted
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Wednesday 16 November 2022
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