Agenda item

To answer any questions from residents or businesses within Spelthorne borough area in accordance with Standing Order 14.2.  Notice should be given in writing or by email to the Partnership Committee Officer by 12 noon four working days before the meeting.

Questions 1-5

Mr Hirsh presented his questions to the committee. There were taken together as they all related to the allocation of parking in consideration of planning permission. The questions and responses have been added as an annex to these minutes.

Mr Hirsh stated that he disagreed with some aspects of the answers he received.

Firstly, he disputed the officer’s position that the parking standards are not enshrined in law and quoted the Localism Act 2011 and the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2012 which he believes gives the most recent legislation on this. The example he provided was  regulation 14, which states that a council can adopt planning guidance without the need for independent examination provided usual publicity and consultation conditions are observed.

 Secondly, he noted that the officers response stated that there was no formal mechanism for assessing cumulative impact of parking and therefore means that this cannot meaningfully be factored in at a mid –morning site visit as claimed in the written answer.

With regards to parking on the pavement, he does agree that causing any highway obstruction is illegal and therefore enforceable by the police but points out that it is the local authority that determines whether parking on the pavement prohibited in their area and that Spelthorne had not made this determination.

For his supplementary question, Mr Hirsh asked if the whether the local authority as a statutory consultee will recognise the primacy of parking and comment on residential applications in the future.

Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley was invited to speak as both the chairman of the Spelthorne planning committee and a joint committee member. He explained that the parking standards were introduced because there was no minimum standard that existed before that and so developers were not compelled to make adequate parking provision. There are sometimes difficulties in doing this as it is the county council who are the County Highways Authority not the borough council and the county’s recommendations might not align with those of the borough’s planning committee.

Furthermore, whilst police enforcement of highway obstruction would be welcome, it is recognised that as vehicles are constantly arriving and departing, it can be difficult to ticket them at the appropriate moment.

The committee felt that the answers given to Mr Hirsh’s questions were not satisfactory and expressed a desire for these to be followed up with the officers concerned. It was therefore suggested that officers from the county’s Transport Development and Planning department to address the committee to add some clarity. In addition, it was requested that the police stance on pavement parking was clarified along with the stance taken by the borough’s planning team.

Question 6

Mr Andrew McLuskey asked about the River Thames Scheme and what update there was on the financial status of the project. The written answer that was provided is annexed with these minutes.

Mr McLuskey expressed that he was concerned about the lack of detail in the answer as it was now four years since the last serious flooding. This has a drastic effect on residents’ lives and in one case contributed to a loss of a life. It also has an impact on land values and property. As a follow up question, he asked if the committee was following this up with the MP and any other influential people.

The Chairman reported that Spelthorne has a steering group on this scheme which is chaired by Cllr Williams and which exists to monitor and influence the progress of this project. Spelthorne Borough Council is being asked to contribute £20million to the project and as this is a substantial amount, residents will be consulted on whether they think this contribution should be made on their behalf.

Mr Islam left at the end of this item.