The Board received information from Councillor
Dick Tonge, Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, on the
outcome of the consultation process.
The review had been carried out because prior
to the formation of a unitary Council, the four districts had run
their car parking in four different ways. As there were many issues
to consider, the council had to look at the whole scheme to find a
more rational approach.
The consultation on
Mouchel’s report was
open from 12 July to 3 September 2010, during that
time 600 responses had been received. Some of the findings
were:
Residents’
parking:
- Significant support for more
pragmatic approach to residential parking in new housing
developments
- Overwhelming support for policy and
process on residents’ parking zones
- Large majority support for policy on
overspill parking in residential areas
Other policies and
issues:
- Overwhelming majority supported the
council’s approach to parking enforcement
- Small majority saw the kerb space
hierarchy as reasonable
- Large majority stated that council
should continue to offer season tickets
South West
Wiltshire Responses
- 313 Total respondents (with South West Wilts
Postcode)
- Over 50% of the responses received
across the whole of Wiltshire were from Mere.
- Mere – parking issues in Castle Street,
Castle Hill Lane, Church Street and Salisbury Street; residents
were using public car parks due to limited options for on street
parking.
- Mere – Salisbury Car park was used for access to the doctors surgery and
should not be chargeable to patients.
- Tisbury – residents of Sutton Mandeville had
no bus service so had to use their cars to access Tisbury for
essential shopping.
- Tisbury – Very few people in
Tisbury had a parking problem and to introduce charges, especially
in the High Street or Nadder Close
would solve a problem which did not exist.
- Vast majority of comments were directed towards
the effect parking charges would have on the fragile local economy
and trade in both towns.
The Chairman asked what percentage of people
responded in support of no charges to car parking on the smaller
towns and villages. The answer was that 74% had responded in
support.
Comments from the floor included:
- After sitting at the computer for
over an hour and a half and only reached question ten out of a
possible thirty five, the consultation process was considered to be
too difficult for people to complete.
- A Parish Councillor asked what
weight his response on behalf of the parish had been given. There
was concern that those who had completed the consultation online on
behalf of a parish or a group would only be counted as one
person’s comments.
- The council should publish
information on how responses are interpreted.
- There was a need to refine the
process of consultation to allow more people to take part.
Councillor Tonge added that the consultation
had to be detailed enough to provide all the factual information
required and that someone had been appointed to look at the
consistency of consultations.
A report would be produced and submitted to
Cabinet on 14 December 2010, followed by:
·
Jan-Mar 2011: Statutory procedures
- Apr 2011: Implementation of
changes