Consultation on Parking Charges -ends December 5th

joannaedmunds
3 days ago
4 min read

The council is proposing to implement a significant change in parking restrictions in the SPRA area and surrounding roads. Full details are given in the leaflet which you should have received in the post. If not, it is replicated below.

You can choose to keep the existing parking controls OR to extend them from 8.30am to 10pm, seven days a week, with a two hour maximum stay. There are some exemptions for visitors.

A number of residents have already expressed concern at the impact of this proposed change on shops, service providers and local businesses in the SPRA area and along King Street, the churches and cultural facilities, POSK, etc all of which need business from outside the immediate area to thrive. St Peter’s church and school are particularly concerned about the impact and the school letter to parents is copied at the end of this article.

As background, the council’s logic is that adjacent parking zones have recently changed their controls and thus may create overspill into Zone M. The changes to Zone A was implemented on 15th September, due in part to the imminent completion of the redevelopment at Olympia. Zones B and C have also had their parking controls tightened. Zones L and K have not been changed but we know that Zone K have been experiencing overspill from King St in the southern end of their zone since the changes. Changes to parking in Chiswick happened 3 years ago. Below is an image of the different zones as background.

SPRA asked the council to provide us with the data they had used to identify the risks they outline in their published leaflet. The council was unable to supply specific evidence beyond ' feedback from some residents' and their response is provided in full below.

Whatever your point of view, please ensure you comment on the consultation at www.lbhf.gov.uk/zoneM

You will need to register to comment but this is easily and quickly done and will help ensure that only those entitled to comment can do so.

There is a small comment box (200 words max). Please note there is no further opportunity to comment beyond this.

You can also write to our councillors Liz.Collins@lbhf.gov.uk and Patrick.Walsh@lbhf.gov.uk . Your email will have more impact if it is personalised rather than just a copy and paste email.

Also please encourage your neighbours to register and to comment - the more people who do this will mean they have to take our opinions into account.

The consultation closes on December 5th.

LBHF parking control zones

Response from LBHF to the SPRA request for data to support the change

Subject: St. Peter’s Residents’ Association: Information required to assess the Proposed Changes to Parking Zone

Dear SPRA,

Thank you for your email and for sharing your feedback.

While parking may not present significant challenges in the St Peter’s Square vicinity, we have received feedback indicating that it is considerably more difficult in other areas within the zone. For this reason, the Council considers it essential to engage with residents and local businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation across the entire zone.

We greatly value the positive role that local churches and schools play in the community, and there is no intention to cause hardship. Our responsibility is to ensure that residents and businesses have the opportunity to share their views on whether additional support is needed to address parking issues within their zone.

In some cases, zones have chosen to extend their hours to manage parking pressures, and we have implemented those changes. We are aware that this can sometimes lead to displaced parking in adjacent zones. In other cases, zones have opted to retain their existing hours, and we have respected that decision.

Our approach is to work through all zones to give everyone a fair opportunity to have their say. We carefully consider feedback from consultations, including input from local church groups, and aim to find fair and reasonable solutions for all parties if an extension is agreed.

To ensure decisions are evidence-based, we use tools such as street-by-street analysis at the end of the consultation to identify whether certain areas require extended controls and should be considered separately. This helps us address patterns where additional measures may only be needed in specific locations.

The potential risk has been communicated to residents based on the possibility of displacement from surrounding zones that have accepted extended hours of control, as well as feedback from concerned residents.

Please note that any decision following the consultation will not take effect until the new year. Residents and local businesses will be notified well in advance via individual letter drops, regardless of whether changes are implemented or not.

Thank you again for your input. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us ensure that any decisions are fair and considerate of the needs of the entire community.

Kind Regards

Parking Services

Place Department

Parkingpolicy@lbhf.gov.uk