Agenda item

The Committee had before it the minute of the meeting of the Controlled Parking Areas Working Party of 24 February, 2011 which presented the following recommendations regarding a wide range of issues relating to on and off-street parking policies in Aberdeen for consideration:-

(1)       That the introduction of exclusively residential bays in the most central zones (where they did not exist at the moment) would be detrimental to the economy of the city centre and should not be progressed.

(2)       That city centre residential permits be able to be used within Chapel Street, West North Street, Mearns Street and lower ground floor of Denburn off-street car parks during off-peak hours (i.e.  1800-0800 hours).

(3)       That residents of developments specifically put forward as low or no car housing developments should not be able to purchase on-street permits.

(4)       That any resident/business with access to off-road parking as part of a development should not be able to purchase an additional on-street parking permit.

(5)       That a review of the entire parking charges set by other Council services, and the value judgements implicit in it, be reported to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee, in the first instance to allow that Committee to assess it from the point of view of transportation strategy.

(6)       That an emissions-based permit system for the city centre, with incentives for the lowest emitting cars and a financial disincentive for the highest not be established at this time, but to affirm that, in the longer term, the principle of emissions-based incentives and disincentives was a coherent proposal.

(7)       That a revised city centre parking boundary be established (i.e.  for the one-permit per household zones) on the basis of a single subdivision into east and west parking zones, which would be simpler to understand, and formalise the existing tendency for drivers to stray into neighbouring zones (which was outwith the rules but often made the subject of discretion on the part of parking attendants).

(8)       That the price of city centre residential permits (ie those released in the areas where only one permit per household was allowed) should not be increased from £80 per year to £160 per year, that an intermediate zone immediately beyond the city centre should not be established (for the purposes of pricing policy only) in which the first of two permits would cost £120 (instead of £80) and the second of two permits £180 (instead of £120), but that prices further out, in the peripheral zones, remain unchanged.

(9)       That Sunday charging hours applicable in central areas from 1.00pm until 5.00pm at the moment should not be extended to run from 11.00am until to 5.00pm, to match Sunday retail hours.

(10)     That the recently-introduced overnight charge of £1.50 in off-street car parks be removed, and that it be replaced by extended operational hours in the most straightforward sense (ie 8.00am until 10.00pm instead of 8.00am until 8.00pm).

(11)     To decline to comment on the proposal that the price of parking vouchers in the Foresterhill and Garthdee on-street zones(where pay and display did not apply) be increased to £1.50 for up to two hours and £4.50 for the whole day.

(12)     That residential parking bays be established between 6.00pm and 8.00pm at locations where pay and display bays now applied until 8.00pm but single yellow lining nearby ceased to apply at 6.00pm.

(13)     To drop the recommendation that the introduction of exclusively residential parking provision in Albert Terrace was unnecessary.

(14)     That 2-hour maximum stay pay and display bays be established in Bon Accord Crescent.

(15)     That proposals to introduce one-way regulations on Rose Street, Chapel Street and Marischal Street be assessed further and made the subject of a report back to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee.

(16)     That the priority listing for future controlled parking zones be revised in line with the ordering indicated in the report; namely (1) Palmerston Area,
(2) Mearns Street area, (3) Ashley / Brighton area, (4) Holburn / Hardgate area, (5) Carnegie Crescent area, (6) Seaforth Road area and (7) Elmbank area.

In relation to recommendation 10 above, the Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved:-

that the recommendation be approved and referred to the Finance and Resources Committee for ratification.

As an amendment, Councillor Adam, seconded by Councillor Young, moved:-

that the recently-introduced overnight charge of £1.50 in off-street car parks be removed, and that the operational hours in off-street car parks be from 8.00am to 6.00pm and to refer to the Finance and Resources Committee for ratification.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (11) – the Convener;  the Vice-Convener;  and Councillors Boulton, Cormie, Greig, Jaffrey, McCaig, Milne, Penny,  Robertson and Wendy Stuart;  for the amendment (3) – Councillors Adam, Crockett, and Young.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to adopt the motion in relation to recommendation 10;

(ii)     to approve recommendation 1 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party;

(iii)    in relation to recommendation 2, that city centre residential permits be able to be used in Chapel Street, West North Street and Mearns Street off-street car parks during off-peak hours (i.e.  1800-0800hrs) and that officers report back to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee on the use of the lower ground floor of Denburn car park in the same regard as the above car parks;

(iv)    to approve recommendations 3 and 4 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party;

(v)     in relation to recommendation 5, to agree that a review of parking charges and entitlement set by other Council services be undertaken and reported to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee for consideration and possible revision;

(vi)    in relation to recommendation 6, to request officers to submit a detailed report on the possibility of establishing a city wide emissions-based permit system, on the proviso that such a proposal would be revenue neutral to the Enterprise, planning and Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on
13 September, 2011;

(vii)   to approve recommendation 7 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party;

(viii)  in relation to recommendation 8, to request officers to submit a detailed report on the price of city centre residential permits per year and also on the creation of intermediate parking zones, with differential permit prices reflecting the premium for parking spaces to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee;

(ix)    to approve recommendation 9 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party;

(x)     in relation to recommendation 11, to request officers to submit a detailed report on the price of parking vouchers in the Foresterhill and Garthdee on-street zones, and that this include information on the financial implications, comparable charges, new payment technologies and the existing prices to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee;

(xi)    to approve recommendation 12 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party, and to request officers to investigate and report back to the Committee on the issue of loading bays in the Green;

(xii)   in relation to recommendation 13, to agree to request officers to submit a detailed report on possibility of introducing exclusively residential parking provision in Albert Terrace, including updated survey figures if possible, to a future meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee; and

(xiii)  to approve recommendations 14, 15 and 16 from the Controlled Areas Parking Working Party.