Agenda item

To receive and answer any questions from Surrey County Council electors within the area in accordance with Standing Order 66.

Question 1 was submitted from the Royal Holloway & Bedford University represented by Mr Michael Berry.

His suggestion is to set up a working group between the local authority and the university in order to manage on street parking around the residential areas surrounding the campus.  Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) are suggested as a way forward.

His supplementary question was to ask whether there were any plans for a cohesive, and sustainable strategy for the local area.

In responding to the questions, it was reported that residents were  consulted in 2014 regarding the option of having a CPZ implemented in the area but this was not  a popular solution. The rise in housing of multiple occupancy seen in recent years has exacerbated the problem as this has meant that more people live in the area and in turn, there are more vehicles. Much of the housing in the area was built before car ownership was the norm and as modern cars get bigger, they take up more space.

If a consultation was to be held with residents now, it may be that the option for a CPZ might be more popular but this would be a costly and labour intensive exercise  and this needs to be considered with regard to the council’s current financial limitations. In addition, it can take 2-3 years to fully implement parking measures under current practices and this means that a full solution may be some time away.

It is recognised that as there is more development in places like Egham, this is likely to bring in additional car usage and compound the problem. The borough council has sought to alleviate this by refurbishing car parks to maximise existing facilities.To truly address the issue, plans need to be made that consider the next 10-15 years.

The idea of a working group was supported by the committee and it is suggested that this is attended by the Chairman, Divisional Member and a representative from the university. The Cabinet Member for Highways who was also present at this meeting, offered to attend the inaugural meeting to ensure that the most appropriate personnel could be assigned to it.

This will be looked at as part of the next parking review.

Nick Prescot left the meeting, giving his apologies.

Questions 2-5

These questions were taken together as they related to the same issue. There is a shortage of parking on Herndon Close in Egham which is causing problems with access, an example of which is refuse collections being missed because the vehicle cannot enter and exit the close. There is also a concern about emergency access. This has recently been compounded by a property owner who has taken down a wall to the rear of his property on Herndon Close and made a drive which takes up space previously available for on-street parking.

Mr Thomas Wells attended on behalf of himself and neighbours who had submitted questions.

As a supplementary question, Mr Wells stated that he was pleased to see that the issues are being addressed but was aware that this might take some time. Are there any temporary measures that can be taken in the interim?

The Area Highway Manager advised that it was not possible to implement any temporary measures but that in the case of any obstruction to vehicles, these should be reported to the police who can take enforcement action, particular in the case of ‘repeat offenders’.

The Divisional Member stated that she would be happy to work with residents to bring common issues to the attention of the police.

The Chairman closed the item by saying that whilst the committee cannot advise over the actions of any one individual house owner, they would be happy to keep a watching brief over this item to monitor the issue.