Grove Park CPZ moves a step closer |
Residents' petition leads to new plans for a scheme Continued complaints from Grove Park residents about parking problems have prompted a rethink over a possible Grove Park controlled parking zone. Two years ago a proposal from Transport for London for a scheme was overwhelmingly rejected by local residents but since the implementation of schemes north of the A4 parking problems in the area have been exacerbated. A petition by residents has prompted a preliminary investigation by the Council and a recommendation is to be made to the executive that residents be consulted about the scheme. However, even if there is a positive response the scheme may not proceed as there are insufficient funds in the parking reserve account to set up the new scheme. Following the implementation of the West Chiswick parking scheme in summer 2003, complaints were received about the displaced commuter parking that had moved south of the A4, into parts of the Grove Park Area. At the September 2003 Chiswick Monitoring Committee meeting, there was a Public Forum item on issues raised following the introduction of the West Chiswick CPZ, and a resident raised the issue of excessive parking in Elmwood Road and Wolsey Gardens. At the following Chiswick Area Planning Committee (CAPC) on 22/10/03 the Committee considered a report based on a number of issues which had been raised at the September’s Monitoring Committee. Members also requested that consideration be given to the parking problems in the areas around Wolsey Gardens and Elmwood Road. Parking levels in this area had begun to increase with the introduction of the Central Chiswick Parking Scheme and have further increased since the completion of the West Chiswick scheme. This area has not previously been considered for a parking scheme and it is not currently included on the Council’s approved list of possible schemes. At the Chiswick Area Monitoring meeting on 23rd June 2004, in the Open Forum session, a resident of Elmwood Road presented a petition requesting the Council consider a parking scheme for their area. This petition was then forwarded to the Traffic Section for reporting in accordance with Council practice. In addition to the petition and inquiries from Wolsey Gardens, several phone calls and emails have also been received from residents in Eastbourne and Chesterfield Roads, all complaining about the current commuter parking levels. 36 households have signed the petition, which states ‘ I endorse the sentiments expressed in the attached letter to Mr N Woods’. The letter questions the Members’ previous decisions and statements and asks the Traffic Section to consider consulting a wider area in Grove Park to determine the true feeling towards the introduction of a parking scheme. The area has been visited by Council Officers on several occasions to observe the current level of parking. The visits showed that there was intensive parking in the areas area Elmwood and Chesterfield Roads. Further to the south there was more parking availability but it was concluded that if a new CPZ was confined to just the areas currently worst affected, a displacement effect would soon mean parking in other areas became difficult. Therefore the officers recommended a wider area be consulted about inclusion in the scheme. A further complication for this area is in defining a logical boundary for a possible scheme. However, a possible area that could be considered would lie to the south of the A4 and be bounded by the District Line railway, Gordon Road, Fauconberg Road, Sutton Court Road, Chesterfield Road, and Park Road. It is now being recommended that the Executive is requested to include this area on the Council’s future programme of schemes and that initial feasibility studies commence once a suitable source of funding is identified. An initial consultation exercise usually takes the form of a letter explaining from where this issues/request arose. The letter would continue to outline the basic principles of a parking scheme together with the pricing structure, before asking each household to vote on if this issue should be progressed further to design and full consultation exercise. It is thought likely that this scheme, like all the other Chiswick based schemes in Hounslow borough, would pay a premium over other schemes. The current charge for a first resident's parking permit is £65. The Section 106 list of any available funds for use towards this proposal only indicates the surplus from the West Chiswick parking scheme. However, this remaining funding is, or was, earmarked for the proposal linked to the Stile Hall Area parking scheme. If the Stile Hall Area is progressed next year then very limited funds would remain for this part of Grove Park. Possibly an initial consultation exercise, comprising of a letter drop with voting form and return pre-paid envelope, could be absorbed by these remaining funds, but not anything further. The only avenue available for the necessary major funding would be the Parking Reserve Account. However, there are a number of The current recommendation is that initial consultations be conducted to determine if the majority of residents would support the introduction of a parking scheme in the area in Grove Park, Chiswick. This area is bounded by the A4 in the north, the railway line in the west, then eastwards along the railway line to a point just east of St Thomas's Road, then northwards to the junction of Sutton Court Road and Staveley Road, then eastward along Staveley Road, and then northwards from a point eastward of Park Road north-eastwards to meet the A4. A report on the issue of the Grove Park CPZ will be presented to councillors at the planning meeting of the Chiswick Area Committee on 13th October. October 5, 2004 |