Agenda item

Councillors noted that, in January 2018, the Executive had approved a proposal to extend parking restrictions to Council-owned parks, including Kingston Meadows Car Park in East Horsley. These measures had been taken to improve access to parking for local clubs and societies, in particular the village hall, and users of the park’s facilities.

On 8 July 2019, an e-petition was launched on the Council’s website requesting the Council to immediately suspend the ‘no return same day’ restriction at Kingston Meadows Car Park. This e-petition received in excess of 500 signatures and under the Council’s adopted Petition Scheme required the Council to debate the matter raised by the e-petition and to indicate to the e-petition organiser what action, if any, the Council proposed to take in response.

In accordance with the Council’s petition scheme, the e-petition organiser Susan Murray, made a statement to the Council in support of the e-petition. 

The petition had stated the following:

“We the undersigned petition Guildford Borough Council to immediately suspend the Kingston Meadows Car Park 'no return same day' restriction, which is unfairly restricting genuine users of the Medical Practice, East Horsley Village Hall and Kingston Meadows Park from using these facilities in the manner for which they were intended. These new restrictions are causing unnecessary hardship to individuals, young families, surgery patients, U3A, Wheel of Care and other local interest groups.”

In her supporting statement accompanying the e-petition, the e-petition organiser had stated:

“We believe that further consultation is needed between GBC, EHPC, WHPC and local interest groups to determine a suitable and proportionate parking order that prevents commuters from using the car park, whilst simultaneously ensuring that the needs and interests of local residents are met.”

The Lead Councillor for Waste, Licensing, and Parking, Councillor David Goodwin proposed and the Lead Councillor for Finance and Asset Management, Customer Service, Councillor Joss Bigmore seconded the following motion for the purpose of the Council’s formal response to the e-petition:

“That the Council’s response to the e-petition is as follows:

That the Executive be requested to consider the following:

(1)     To ask officers to review the parking order through the statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process as soon as practicable

(2)     To agree that the existing TRO remains in place until it is replaced

(3)     To implement a parking control that safeguards the use of the car park for park users

(4)     To agree that a revised control considers the following parameters:

(a)     Removal of the no return element

(b)     One free period of 4 hours each day per visitor within the hours of control (including allowing returns at no charge within the free period) and the ability to charge for additional hours for any time in excess of the free period or for any separate parking event outside of the free period in the same day

(c)     Restrictions that apply Monday to Friday (not at weekends and bank holidays)

(d)     Enforcement times of 9am to 6pm

with the final TRO to be issued for consultation being agreed by the Director of Environment, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Countryside, Rural Life, and the Arts and the Lead Councillor for Waste, Licensing, and Parking”. 

Before the vote was taken on the motion, Susan Murray exercised her right of reply on the debate.  The Council

RESOLVED: That the Council’s formal response to this e-petition, as set out above, be approved.