Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity to submit a report highlighting key variations to the proposed Off Street Car Parking Order and setting out the implications associated with the proposals.

Appendix 1 is to follow.

1)    Cabinet APPROVED the draft Melton Borough Council (Off Street Parking Places) Order 2020 as shown at Appendix 1 and the commencement of statutory consultation;

2)    Cabinet DELEGATED authority to the Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity to consider and address any objections and amend the proposed Order if necessary following statutory consultation;

3)    Cabinet NOTED that any additional income received from the two additional chargeable parking bays at St Marys Way shall be used to fund initiatives in support of the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency.

Reason for decisions

      i.        To ensure the order and charging schedule is reasonable and proportionate for residents and visitors to Melton Borough.

    ii.        To ensure the content of the parking order enables proper enforcement within MBC owned car parks. 

   iii.        To cover the increasing costs of car parks to the Council following the freeze in prices over the last 4 years.

   iv.        To enable the introduction of cashless payment systems throughout Council owned car parks increasing choice for residents and visitors.

KEY DECISION

Councillor Leigh Higgins, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to highlight key proposed variations to the proposed Off Street Car Parking Order following the period of public consultation and set out the implications associated with the proposals as set out in the report, which would be effective from April 2020.

Councillor Higgins provided further information regarding proposed amendments to the Order which he would exercise under the delegation if approved by Cabinet. He confirmed that following discussion internally it had been decided that it would be prudent to bring the cattle market southern section car park within the car parking order. This would be to enable enforcement on the site should the Council wish to do so. Inclusion within the order did not mean we have to employ the area as a pay and display car park but gives us the option of doing so should we wish to over the course of the car parking order. Parking in car parks assigned for social housing by those who were not residents was becoming a more consistent problem. These car parks were currently listed within the car parking order which gave the Council  the ability to develop a permit system for residential use only, the feasibility of developing such a system was currently being looked into.

Councillor Higgins also confirmed that Scrutiny Committee had expressed they were in favour of the equalisation of car parking fees at their meeting on 21 January 2020.

During discussion the following points were noted:

• The proposals had been largely supported by respondents to the recent consultation, but there would be a review following implementation to evaluate the outcomes;
• Clarification was provided that the proposed Order would provide greater powers to ensure that the Wilton Road Car Park was not misused by school buses.

DECISIONS

1)    Cabinet APPROVED the draft Melton Borough Council (Off Street Parking Places) Order 2020 as shown at Appendix 1 and the commencement of statutory consultation;

2)    Cabinet DELEGATED authority to the Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity to consider and address any objections and amend the proposed Order if necessary following statutory consultation;

3)    Cabinet NOTED that any additional income received from the two additional chargeable parking bays at St Marys Way shall be used to fund initiatives in support of the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency.

Reason for decisions

1. To ensure the order and charging schedule is reasonable and proportionate for residents and visitors to Melton Borough.
2. To ensure the content of the parking order enables proper enforcement within MBC owned car parks. 
3. To cover the increasing costs of car parks to the Council following the freeze in prices over the last 4 years.
4. To enable the introduction of cashless payment systems throughout Council owned car parks increasing choice for residents and visitors.