Decision details

(1)  The proposed parking charges set out at Appendix 1 to Report ES18090 are agreed.

(2)  The proposed permit charges set out at Appendix 2 to Report ES18090 are agreed.

(3)  The proposed dispensation and suspension charges set out at Section 5 of Report ES18090 are agreed (this includes a parking suspension fee increase to £20 per day from a £10 per day fee for suspension per bay; paragraph 5.4 of Report ES18090 incorrectly refers to a proposed parking suspension fee increase to £20 per week and a current £10 per bay suspension per week.)

(4)  The proposed changes to Bromley Zone A Controlled Parking Zone, set out at Section 6 of Report ES18090, are agreed subject to consultation with Ward Members on roads at the edges of the scheme.

(5)  A decision on the proposed changes to parking controls in the Sundridge Park Village car park and surrounding streets (set out at Section 7 of Report ES18090) is deferred subject to further information being provided to Ward Members and Members of the ECS PDS Committee (see minutes of the ECS PDS Committee meeting held on

5^th February 2019).

(6)  A decision on the proposed changes to parking controls in Biggin Hill (set out at Section 8 of Report ES18090) is deferred subject to further information being provided to Ward Members and Members of the ECS PDS Committee (see minutes of the ECS PDS Committee meeting held on 5^th February 2019).

(7)  The decision regarding detailed design of the proposed changes to Bromley Zone A Controlled Parking Zone post-consultation be delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, in discussion with the Portfolio Holder and Ward Members.

(8)  That the increased income projected in respect to decision (2) above as shown in section 11.2 of report ES18090 be used to support the ongoing design and management of CPZs across the Borough.

In taking account of comments from Members and Officers since publication of Report ES18090, a revised schedule of Pay and Display Charges was tabled as Appendix 1 to the report.

Parking charges have been reviewed borough-wide (in line with the agreed Parking Strategy) covering on and off street parking fees, parking permit fees, and changes to Bromley Zone A. Officers have also proposed changes to parking controls in Sundridge Park Village car park and Biggin Hill. The proposed charges had been benchmarked against inflation since the previous increase in 2015.

Report ES18090 proposes:

·  a 10p increase per hour to all on and off-street pay and display tariffs with the minimum charge increasing from 40p to 50p per hour;

·  a 20p increase at premium locations with a higher demand where the charge is currently £1.50 or more;

·  that charges in the Lebanon Gardens Car Park, Biggin Hill are not included in the increase (following a recent petition), leaving the charge at 40p per hour (to be the cheapest in the borough). 

Details of charges for all on and off street parking bays to be implemented by this decision are appended to the report.

For parking permits, prices are based on the cost of scheme management including administration and level of enforcement needed (related to hours of operation for permit bays). Prices for all permits have been frozen since 2015. Any restriction of four hours or less is currently charged at £40 for an annual permit; any restriction over four hours is charged at £80. The charging differential covers extra costs of enforcement by Civil Enforcement Officers.

Charges for Resident, Business and Visitor Vouchers to be implemented by this decision are:

For Visitor Vouchers, a charge will be implemented for residents in Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) restricted for four hours or less and another will be implemented for CPZs restricted over four hours. As such, the cost of a pack of 15 visitor vouchers for residents in a CPZ of four hours or less increases from £35.00 to £45.00 (increasing each voucher from £2.33 to £3.00) and for residents in a CPZ of more than four hours, the cost of a pack (of 15 visitor vouchers) increases from £35.00 to £55.00 (increasing each voucher from £2.33 to £3.66). A second pricing tier adds fairness and equality for residents of all CPZs. Currently, a visitor in a lesser-enforced CPZ pays the same for a two-hour restriction as a visitor parking in a ten-hour restriction. CPZs affected by the £55.00 visitor voucher cost are:

(Residents in other Town Centre/Community shopping centre areas are excluded from buying visitor vouchers and this will remain unchanged.)

There is ongoing demand for CPZs in the Borough to be modified and for new zones to be created and as such, in light of reduced funding available from TfL via the LIP process, additional income projected to be derived from the increase in the permit prices will be used to help fund this work.

Full details of charges for all resident permits, business permits and visitor vouchers are appended to Report ES18090.

The cost of parking dispensations (permitting organisations to park on a single yellow line during restricted times) also increases from £12.50 per week to £20 per week. Similarly, for parking suspensions (permitting workmen of organisations or residents to park vehicles in a restricted parking bay during restricted times e.g. permit bay, pay and display, or limited waiting bay) the suspension fee increases to £20 per day from £10 per bay suspension per day. However, the administration fee for parking suspensions is retained at £25.00. 

A review has also been undertaken of Zone-A of the Bromley Town Centre CPZ with the aim of ensuring: (i) that signs within the Zone are clearly understood by permit holders and town centre visitors; (ii) a balance exists between parking needs of residents and visitors; (iii) flexibility or alternative options for drivers in the evening visiting the town centre; and (iv) consistency of parking controls on roads within the CPZ. As a result of the review a new Zone-AA will operate from 8am - 8pm in Ravensbourne Road, Ringers Road, Ethelbert Road, Aylesbury Road, Newbury Road, High Street, Elmfield Road, and Elmfield Park. The detailed design includes:

·  reallocating approximately 12 Shared Use bays on Ravensbourne Road, Ethelbert Road and Ringers Road to Permit Holder Only;

·  extending the enforcement hours of bays in Aylesbury Road and Newbury Road to 8am-8pm and reallocating approximately ten Permit Holder Only bays to Shared Use bays;

·  removing 6.30–8pm restrictions on Church Road and South Street, which remain in Zone-A;

·  increasing the cost of resident permits where Zone-C roads become Zone-A roads, due to extended hours of CPZ; and

·  new Permit Holder Only bays on Hayes Road and Sanford Road to replace some of the Shared Use bays.

Consultation is continuing with Shortlands and Bromley Town Ward Councillors with the next stage being to consult with the public following which further changes might be necessary. As such, the detailed design of the scheme, post-consultation, is delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, in discussion with the Portfolio Holder and Ward Members. Implementation is expected to be July 2019. Consultation with Ward Members on roads at the edges of the scheme will also take place. 

Within Plaistow and Sundridge Ward, a New Pay and Display Scheme has been proposed at Sundridge Park Village Car Park, Cooden Close. Following a decision in 2013 to remove charges for use of the car park (and revert the facility back to free use), it has, for some time, been heavily used by commuters using Sundridge Park station. A free car park serving commuters is unusual and maintenance costs for the Car Park continues (the car park is in need of re-surfacing). Car parks need to be self-financing so that repair costs are paid by users of a facility. 

As such, a Monday to Friday only tariff was recommended at the car park at 50p per hour, £2.50 maximum per day (the same tariff as commuter car parks at Penge East and Lennard Road). Although additional parking controls have been put in nearby residential streets to address commuter parking, a review of parking in the vicinity will take place before implementing any charges at the car park. Final design for both parking controls in residential roads and details of the car park charging will be delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, after discussions with the Portfolio Holder and Ward Members. However, for the present, and following the Environment and Community Services PDS Committee meeting on 5^th February 2019, further information will be provided to the Committee and to Ward Members. As such a decision on this scheme is deferred.   

Additionally, a new Pay and Display Scheme was also proposed for Main Road, Biggin Hill. Although the current time-limited parking controls can assist turnover for the benefit of local shops, they are difficult to enforce, resulting in long-term parking in many bays by shops and drivers moving from one bay to another over a daily period (not allowing turnover). To assist the position at Main Road, Biggin Hill, a Pay and Display scheme was recommended for consultation (with 45 bays currently proposed) - final design of a scheme again recommended for delegation to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, following discussions with the Portfolio Holder and Ward Members. However, following the Environment and Community Services PDS Committee meeting on 5^th February 2019, further information will be provided to the Committee and to Ward Members. As such, a decision on this scheme is also deferred.