Archived decisions

Contact: Dominic McGrath, ext 6054 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The report sets out the County Council's response to a request for consent for variation to the Parking Order covering Gosport town centre car parks. The County Council is required to respond to such requests under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

2. Background

2.1 Parking charges were introduced in Gosport Borough in November 2004. Pay and display charges are currently in place for town centre and seafront locations in Gosport town and in Lee-on-the-Solent. Off-street charges are enacted and governed by a Parking Order, (The Borough of Gosport Parking Order (Off-Street Parking Places) (Gosport and Lee-on-the-Solent) 2004 (as amended).

2.2 Following a review of the first year of operation, minor revisions were made to the Order in January 2006, which were reported to the former Executive Member for Environment: South Hampshire and Resource Management at that time.

2.3 All District and Borough Councils are required by legislation to seek consent from the County Council for the introduction or variation of Parking Orders. The relevant provisions for off-street car parks are under Sections 35(1) and 39 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The County Council can issue such consents with conditions or restrictions attached.

2.4 On 22 September 2006 Gosport Borough Council wrote seeking consent for further variations to the Order. The proposed changes are discussed below.

Proposed Changes to the Order

2.5 The principal change sought is for the removal of charges from short-stay car parks in Gosport town centre. If introduced, the revision would apply to 9 of the 15 car parks in Gosport town. More specifically, it would apply to approximately 310 of the 1,055 spaces in the town, representing nearly 30% of the town's parking stock.

2.6 Currently the car parks affected are operated in one of two ways. The majority (seven of the nine, representing 250 spaces) are subject to a three-hour maximum stay and charged at 50p per hour. The remaining two (60 spaces) are subject to a maximum one hour stay and charged at a flat rate of 50p.

2.7 Under the proposed Order, all of these car parks would be subject to a maximum two hour stay (no return within two hours) and would be free of charge.

2.8 The proposed charges are justified by the following comment:

"The removal of car park charges... is to encourage local shopping trips therefore helping to minimise the number of longer journeys and reduce congestion on the wider highway network.".

No further information has been supplied to support this statement.

2.9 The draft order also makes provision for minor modifications relating to parking for disabled users and permit holders in certain car parks. These are considered to be very minor in nature and are not discussed further in this report.

Assessment

2.10 The proposal to remove charges from town centre car-parks represents a substantial change to the current regime and could be viewed as potentially incompatible with Hampshire County Council policy principles in relation to demand management. There would also be other concerns about possible knock-on implications, such as parking in residential areas arising at times when the free car-parks fill up.

2.11 On the other hand, there is a potential argument that charges for parking could be undermining the commercial viability of Gosport town centre, as is asserted in the Borough Council's statement of justification. However, at this point little specific information has been provided to properly assess the impact of parking charges on the town centre. The County Council will also wish to be seen to be responding appropriately to local views and aspirations.

2.12 It is considered that fuller information would need to be provided on the likely impact of removing charges before a long-term decision can be made on the permanent removal of charges.

2.13 It is disappointing to note that the proposal to remove charges has been developed without the input of the County Council, in its capacity as Highway Authority and as the body responsible for providing consent for the changes. The recommendations below suggest a more formalised working arrangement for the future, to secure effective input from the County Council to the ongoing process.

Recent Developments

2.14 The proposed revisions to the parking Order were submitted by the Borough Council in September. A meeting of the Borough Council on 29 November 2006 overturned this decision and, at the time of writing, the Order is not being promoted. However, an Extraordinary Meeting of the Borough Council is planned for 8 December, where the issue will be further debated and the original decision may be reinstated. The outcome of that meeting will be reported orally at the Executive Member for Environment's Decision Day on 12 December 2006.

2.15 The possibility of temporarily removing charges for the pre-Christmas period was discussed at the Gosport Borough Council meeting on 29 November, and is likely to be discussed again on 8 December. This may be seen as opportunity to test the impact of such changes on a short-term temporary basis.

Suggested Ways Forward

2.16 The way forward will, to a large extent, be dependant upon the outcome of the Extraordinary Gosport Borough Council meeting on 8 December.

2.17 In the event that the Borough Council wishes to pursue the ongoing removal of charges, it is recommended that it be informed that the County Council has reservations about the proposal, and would wish to see a fuller justification prior to giving permanent consent. It is recommended that the County Council, if required, gives a temporary consent for a period of up to12 months, subject to the carrying out of baseline monitoring prior to the implementation of any changes. It is suggested that officers of the two Councils jointly assess the justification for possible permanent removal of charges and oversee monitoring of the impacts of such changes.

2.18 An alternative scenario is that the Borough Council decides not to promote the removal of charges. In these circumstances, the Borough Council could be expected to withdraw the proposed modification to the Order and no specific response would be required. In this case the Borough Council should be encouraged to work jointly with the County Council in developing any future proposed changes, where these have a potentially significant impact.

2.19 If the pre-Christmas alternative is promoted, Gosport Borough Council would need to identify appropriate powers to implement such changes. However, in light of the above discussion on a time limited consent, the County Council could have no fundamental objection to such an approach.

3. Conclusions

3.1 The outcome of this issue will be dependant upon the decision of Gosport Borough Council at its meeting on 8 December. The report sets out a series of recommendations to cover the likely eventualities. It proposes joint working on the development of future proposals.

4. Impact Assessments

4.1 There are no direct implications for disabled or minority groups arising from the decision. Blue badge holders are exempt from parking charges and have designated bays in a number of the affected car parks. Other minority groups are subject to the same charges as all other users.

Recommendation

That Gosport Borough Council be informed that the County Council would wish to see a full justification for removing parking charges prior to considering any permanent consent for an enabling revision to the Gosport and Lee-on-the-Solent Parking Order.

In the event that a change to the current Order is sought, to allow free car parking and a maximum two hour stay in certain town centre car parks, the County Council consents to the scheme, on a temporary basis and subject to conditions as follows:

(i) the consent would be for an initial 12 month period; and

(ii) the carrying out of baseline surveys prior to the introduction of the scheme and ongoing monitoring to properly assess the effects of the scheme is required.

1167Rpt/DMcG