Agenda item

(Housing Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-003-2015/16).

(1)        That the off-street parking scheme at Torrington Drive, Loughton be brought forward for inclusion in the 2015/16 off-street parking programme to coincide with the Council Housebuilding development, subject to resident consultation and planning approval; and

(2)        That any new off-street parking spaces be provided as a Residents Parking Scheme, consistent with other schemes across the District with permits limited to one per household.

The Housing Portfolio Holder introduced a report concerning the timing of the off-street parking scheme at Torrington Drive in Loughton.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that, at its meeting in February 2015, it had delegated authority to the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee to consider the benefits of providing off-street parking spaces in areas in close proximity to housebuilding sites at the same time as when the associated housebuilding feasibility study was considered and recommend to the Cabinet if and when any off-street parking sites were to be included in future years’ programmes. When the Cabinet Committee on 5 March 2015 considered the housebuilding development site at Burton Road in Loughton, consideration was also given to the provision of an off-street parking scheme in Torrington Drive in Loughton. The Cabinet Committee recommended that the scheme be progressed, subject to a public consultation with residents, and that the Director of Neighbourhoods be requested to include the new off-street parking spaces in a Residents Parking Scheme.

The Portfolio Holder stated that an evaluation of the Scheme had concluded it was possible to provide 64 parking spaces, which would enable one space to be allocated to each of the 64 west facing flats that overlooked the Central Line. Permits would be offered for these spaces at a cost of £43 per year and it was suggested that such permits should initially be limited to one per household. The total cost of the Scheme was estimated at £215,000, and the budget for off-street parking schemes currently stood at £1.9million. The proposed Scheme at Torrington Drive was already top of the ranking list for 2016/17, so the construction of the Scheme now would bring it forward by approximately nine months.

The Cabinet heard from a public speaker on this item who stated that residents had been requesting a solution for the parking issues in this area for some time now. The member of the public also requested that the new parking spaces be reserved for the residents of the west facing flats only; that none of the spaces should be made available to other residents in the area, such as Burton Road; and that the surrounding green areas be landscaped as part of the construction of the Scheme. Finally, the resident enquired as to why residents were being asked to pay for parking permits?

The Portfolio Holder responded that the Council would initially offer one space per household to cover all 64 of the west facing flats in Torrington Drive. The fee would enable the parking bays to be managed and enforced and, although the bays would not be numbered, only 64 permits would be issued for the 64 spaces. The local ward Councillors had been consulted upon each of the proposed off-street parking schemes and further public consultation would be undertaken as part of the process to determine the necessary application for planning consent. The Cabinet was reminded that a majority of the residents in the flats had to be in favour of the scheme for it to proceed.

The Assistant Director of Housing (Housing Property and Development) confirmed that the area around the west facing flats was heavily congested, and hence the proposed scheme before the Cabinet. If the remaining parts of Torrington Drive become equally congested then this would be examined at a later date. The Assistant Director confirmed that a Road Traffic Order would be required for the proposed scheme.

A local Member for Loughton Broadway welcomed the scheme, but was concerned about a possible lack of parking available for the proposed development in Burton Road, and highlighted a more general problem concerning parking in the area.

The Portfolio Holder reassured the Cabinet that the issue of parking in the Burton Road area would be considered when the planning application was determined by the District Development Management Committee. Visitor permits would be available for the proposed bays, and the Council would liaise with the North Essex Parking Partnership over enforcement issues in the area.

Decision:

(1)        That the off-street parking scheme at Torrington Drive, Loughton be brought forward for inclusion in the 2015/16 off-street parking programme to coincide with the Council Housebuilding development, subject to resident consultation and planning approval; and

(2)        That any new off-street parking spaces be provided as a Residents Parking Scheme, consistent with other schemes across the District with permits limited to one per household.

Reasons for Decision:

The Cabinet Committee had agreed that a report be submitted to the Cabinet recommending that priority be given to the provision of an off-street parking scheme in Torrington Drive, Loughton being undertaken, subject to a resident consultation; and that the Director of Neighbourhoods be asked to give consideration to including any new off-street parking spaces being provided as a Residents Parking Scheme.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not bring forward the off-street parking scheme at Torrington Drive. However, this would not offset the fears of local residents that any new housing development would create a parking problem in the future.

To not provide the parking spaces as a Residents Parking Scheme. However, this would create free parking for commuters and would not benefit the local residents.

To allow residents to apply for more than one parking permit on a first-come-first-served basis. However, this would mean some residents would not be able to park their car and the offer of a permit should be made accessible to all residents.