Issue - meetings

(i)       to note that Aberdeen City Council controlled parking zones and car parks do not have consistent operational hours on every day of the week;

(ii)       to note that people’s reasons for visiting the city centre and public transport provision have changed significantly since the current on-street and off-street city centre parking arrangements were agreed; and

(iii)      to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services following consultation with the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning  to explore the feasibility of undertaking a review of on-street and off-street parking and report back with a timeline and resource implications, to the next Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee.

With reference to article 6 of the minute of its meeting of 9 May 2023, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which set out the feasibility of changing the current pay and display policy with options and estimated cost implications included.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that Aberdeen City Council controlled parking zones and car parks did not have consistent operational hours on every day of the week;

(b)      agree that there were vehicle trips generated throughout a longer period of a typical Sunday, where greater use of controlled parking measures would be beneficial in terms of providing a turnover of parking, protecting residential parking amenity and encouraging sustainable travel alternatives; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to commence the statutory process to introduce charged parking times on a Sunday of 8am to 8pm, in all restricted parking zones and car parks where Sundays were currently charged from 1pm to 5pm, and to report back to this Committee with any objections raised.

At this juncture, Councillor Malik, as the originator of the notice of motion on which the report was based, advised that he wished to move an amendment to the recommendations.  Having then had sight of the Partnership motion, Councillor Malik withdrew his amendment.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved:-

That the Committee:-

(a)              note that Aberdeen City Council controlled parking zones and car parks do not have consistent operational hours on every day of the week;

(b)              note that people’s reasons for visiting the city centre and public transport provision have changed significantly since the current on-street and off-street city centre parking arrangements were agreed; and

(c)               instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services following consultation with the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning  to explore the feasibility of undertaking a review of on-street and off-street parking and report back with a timeline and resource implications, to the next Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee.

Councillor Massey, seconded by Councillor Farquhar, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      proposes to do nothing; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Operations and Protective Services to carry out a detailed review of the ‘do nothing’ option to ensure the policy remained fair and up to date with current legislation and policies.

As a result of discussion which arose during the debate, Councillor Ali advised that he was a member of Aberdeen Mosque, however he did not consider that this amounted to a declaration which would require him to withdraw from the meeting.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (10) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Ali, Fairfull, Henrickson, Hutchison, Malik, Macdonald and McLellan; for the amendment (2) – Councillors Farquhar and Massey.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.