Council Extends Grove Park Traffic Exemptions to Carers

A permanent barricade will be installed at the junction by Burlington Lane

May 14, 2023

Hounslow Council has released more details of additional exemptions to be given to drivers including carers in the South Chiswick Liveable Neighbourhood (SCLN).

The councillor in charge of transport in the borough promised more widespread exemptions when an attempt to open up access to the area by ending the restrictions at the junction of Burlington Lane and the A316 failed.

This proposal had been introduced by the council in an attempt to deal with the complaints of residents that carers, delivery drivers and other visitors were having difficulty driving into Grove Park. However, concerns that the reopening would mean that there would be a significant increase in rat running in the area saw objections to the proposal raised at an Overview and Scrutiny Committee review which led to a reconsideration.

Now the council intends to make the Burlington Lane closure permanent, both in the sense that a new permanent traffic order will be issued to replace the experimental one under which it has been enabled, and with the installation of new permanent barriers to replace the current plastic ones.

The new exemptions will allow both professional and non-professional carers for people with a disability to get an exemption which will allow them to access the SCLN through Staveley Road and Hartington Road and avoid the need to travel via the Hogarth Roundabout which can often lead to a significantly increased journey time.

Exemptions can be obtained by providing a copy of the resident’s Blue Badge, a recent letter from the DWP confirming that you receive Carer’s Allowance for the resident, a letter from the resident’s GP or a letter from an employer confirming that you are a Care Worker and regularly visit clients in the area.

We asked Hounslow Council about how this scheme would operate including whether or not exempt carers were also exempt from parking restrictions, how long the turnaround for applications would be, how many carers would be allowed exemptions for an individual resident and whether care companies could make block applications for all staff for exemption. We were referred back to the information on exemptions published on the council’s web site which does not cover these points.

People working within the area but not resident can also apply for exemption by submitting a letter from their company or a non-domestic rates bill or utility bill for the area.

Community Nurses, GPs and pharmacists were already allowed to apply for exemptions.

The council now insists that this is the final scheme design despite the reservations of local resident groups. It says that the scheme has succeeded in reducing air pollution and congestion in the area without a significant increase in traffic on surrounding main roads. Opponents claim that the data available is inadequate to reach firm conclusions on the success of the scheme and the main motivation is the huge revenue been generated by PCNs from drivers caught unawares by the restrictions. The council itself admits that falls in traffic on the A4 and A316 may have been due to drivers avoiding the area due to extended roadworks on the A4.

A permanent Traffic Management Order that will be implemented by 1 July for the Burlington Lane restriction. A letter explaining the implementation of this decision is now being sent to homes and businesses in south Chiswick.

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet member for Climate, Environment and Transport Strategy, said, “We are aware that there are a range of views across the spectrum on these measures and we are committed to making the liveable neighbourhoods work for residents in Chiswick.”

“These measures are just one part of our wider strategy to increase sustainable travel across the borough, tackle the climate emergency and make our roads safer.”