Agenda item

Cabinet:

·       Agreed the Parking Strategy at Appendix A of the report;

·       Agreed the Highways Resurfacing Policy at Appendix B of the report;

·       Delegated to the Director of Neighbourhoods in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment authority to take all necessary steps to enable and complete the strategy documents including minor revisions to the Parking Strategy and the Highways Resurfacing Policy and the future introduction of the service Parking Operation Plan. 

Councillor Osman Dervish, Cabinet Member for Environment presented the report to Cabinet for decision.

Everyone in Havering is affected by the way the traffic, highways and parking in the Borough are maintained and delivered.  It is imperative for everyone to have arrangements in place for a well-managed highways system and appropriate arrangements for parking.  It impacts on families, businesses and the community as a whole.  Residents and visitors should be able to move around the Borough efficiently and affordably and this has been demonstrated in feedback from the recent IPSOS Mori Survey of residents, which highlights local highways and parking as being of concern.

The report under consideration details a Parking Strategy and a Highways Resurfacing Policy which is designed to shape services and help to keep Havering moving in the future.

The pace of regeneration and the pending completion of Crossrail make it even more imperative for parking and well maintained infrastructure to be an essential priority.

There are many challenges in dealing with the pace of new development and to this end the Parking Strategy before Cabinet is a very broad document. It reflects the links between parking and transport, environmental, economic, health and planning issues.  The Strategy is written to complement other strategic policies such as the Local Plan and the Air Quality Action Plan as well as the Mayor of London Strategies such as the London Plan.  It takes into account what is happening in other parts of London and Essex and recognises that consistency can be helpful but also takes account of the fact that strategies elsewhere may not be the best for Havering.

The Strategy is also mindful of the level of car ownership in Havering which is among the highest in England. Over 75% of households in Havering have at least one car.

Cllr Dervish went on to outline the Highways Resurfacing Policy to Cabinet.  Maintaining the Highways in Havering is challenging and expensive but Havering have a statutory duty to do so.  With a restricted budget for this work it is crucial that funding is spent in the most effective way possible to get the maximum benefit for the highways network.  The Policy set out in Appendix B of the report sets out the objectives by which locations for any available resurfacing investment will be determined to enable the Borough to tackle the roads and footways most in need.

Horizons is a web based mapping application allowing users to visualise, manage and optimise asset management strategies.  The software identifies and prioritises highway maintenance schemes and determines the cost implications of various treatments.  The “worst first approach” methodology has been applied within Horizon for determining which roads and pavements are to be repaired.  Additional inputs can also be used to give priority and weighting to various other factors should the council wish to in the future.  It is intended to use the Policy in its current state for a period of three years.  It would then be reviewed and updated if appropriate.

This year a full set of road surveys has been completed.  This has previously been done on a three year rolling programme and it is believed that this will increase confidence in the “worst first approach”.

Councillor Barrett highlighted some issues and indicated that the Environment Scrutiny Sub Committee should have a full role in scrutinising the consistency of approaches:

·       Havering is different to other authorities yet benchmarking has been mentioned.

·       Controlled Parking Zones need to be considered in the light of financial implications.

·       Consideration must be given to whether the system is fair

Dipti Patel, Assistant Director of the Environment indicated that the Road Surfacing Policy had been through the Scrutiny Committee but the Parking Strategy had not.  The documents are high level and further detail will ensue. 

Further work is needed and an Action Plan would assist.  Input from all Councillors is welcomed.  However, work needs to be done without delay.  Residents are clear that road surfacing work and parking issues should be dealt with as soon as possible.  Roads can deteriorate very quickly especially in bad weather and so it is important that there is continual review of the condition of the roads in the Borough.

Additionally, the Parking Strategy must work for all.  Councillor Martin Goode stated that it is essential the Council acts to assist and support small businesses in the Parking Strategy.

Cabinet:

·       Agreed the Parking Strategy at Appendix A of the report;

·       Agreed the Highways Resurfacing Policy at Appendix B of the report;

·       Delegated to the Director of Neighbourhoods in consultation with the Lead Member for Environment authority to take all necessary steps to enable and complete the strategy documents including minor revisions to the Parking Strategy and the Highways Resurfacing Policy and the future introduction of the service Parking Operation Plan.