HERNE BAY AREA MEMBER PANEL 16 TH JANUARY This report is open to the public.

Transcription

1 HERNE BAY AREA MEMBER PANEL 16 TH JANUARY 2018 Subject: Director/Head of Service: Decision Issues: Classification: CCC Wards: Summary: To Note/Comment: Next stage in process: Proposed Charges and Conditions in the Council s Public Car Parks Ian Brown Assistant Director, Planning & Regeneration These matters are within the authority of the Policy and Resources Committee. This report is open to the public. All A number of changes to the charges and conditions in the council s public car parks are proposed and have been be taken to public consultation. The Panel is invited to comment on the proposals. That the proposals contained in Appendix 1 to this report have been taken to public consultation with a view to implementation on 1st April 2018 Policy & Resources Committee, 7 th February. SUPPORTING INFORMATION 1. Introduction 2. Detail Changes to parking charges and other aspects of the operation of the council s car parks are considered in the context of the district parking strategies and the Transportation Strategy. Parking charges are set annually in the Off-Street Parking Places Order (OSPPO). Full details of the proposals in Herne Bay and the justification for the changes are given in Appendix 1 to this report and the financial implications are detailed in Appendix 6. The Panel is invited to comment on the proposals in Herne Bay. Comments will be minuted and reported to the Policy & Resources Committee Within the 17/18 OSPPO it was agreed that a review of parking tariffs and charging periods in Herne Bay should be undertaken, along with a consideration of options for camper van parking. This agreement was made following comments made by the Herne Bay Area Member Panel (HBAMP) A number of parking studies and data analysis have been carried out as part of this review and these are contained in Appendix 3 for information. They include the following :-

2 - A total car park capacity count in Herne Bay in April 2017 and a comparison with September 2016 (Appendix 3A) - ANPR data from William Street car park showing usage between April to September 2017 (Appendix 3B). This data shows that during the peak demand period (11am-3pm) the average utilisation rate of the car park ranged between 63%-84% and total capacity was exceeded on four days. This data is provided as background information and has been used to formulate a number of changes to parking tariffs as outlined in the following paragraphs The current charging period for car parks in Herne Bay is 8.30am-8.00pm. A proposal to increase the evening charging period to 9pm, in line with Canterbury and Whitstable, was rejected last year and at the same time a suggestion was made at HBAMP that the charging period should actually be reduced to 6pm in order to help with the night-time economy in the town. If this suggestion is supported, then it is recommended that it is introduced as a 12- month trial in the William Street car park. ANPR data would be used to assess whether the number of parking acts between 6pm and 8pm increases over this period and this data would be used to determine whether the trial has been successful Parking data shows that although Market Street and Beach Street car parks are defined as Long-Stay, the average length of stay at 2 hours 47 mins is very similar to the average stay at William Street and Neptune car parks at 2 hours 22 minutes. As such it is proposed that the hourly rate tariffs in Beach Street and Market Street car parks are harmonised with those in William Street and Neptune car parks. The five hour cap on charges and the Long Stay designation would remain so that Beach Street and Market Street car parks would still be attractive for those drivers requiring all day parking. The current hourly rate tariff in Beach Street and Market Street is 60p per hour and in William Street/Neptune/Reculver car parks it is 80p per hour. These rates have not been increased since 2013/14 and it is proposed that the new tariff for all car parks is increased to 1.00 per hour. The benchmarking data contained in Appendix 2 shows that this hourly rate tariff would still compare favourably with the majority of the other coastal towns in the East Kent area There has been an aspiration for some time to provide an off-road parking facility for camper vans in Herne Bay to attract them into the town and reduce concerns arising from parking near residential properties. In March 2016, the Herne Bay Area Member Panel agreed to award the sum of 10,000 to provide a water point, wastewater disposal and electricity for camper vans at Swalecliffe Avenue car park. Unfortunately it has not been possible to obtain approval from Southern Water for a wastewater connection point and without this there is a concern that users might be tempted to discharge waste directly into the Plenty Brook. Also there is now a view that a camper van facility should be located as centrally as possible in order to provide the greatest economic benefits to the town, as well as reducing the potential for illegal use by travellers in more remote car parks.

3 As such the current proposal is to provide six camper van bays in Neptune car park as shown on the drawing in Appendix 4. The bays would be created by relocating the timber bollards currently separating the trailer bay area from the main car park which would slightly reduce the area available for boat and trailer parking. Initially it is recommended that these bays are marked out without providing any other facilities i.e. water point/waste point/electricity. However additional revenue raised through the tariff increases would be ring-fenced for these facilities and they would be installed as soon as possible. As ANPR cameras cannot differentiate between different types of vehicles it is proposed the hourly rate tariff in the Neptune car park and trailer bay area is the same for cars, camper vans and also cars with trailers. To give an indication of the likely costs, a camper van arriving at 4pm and leaving at 10.30am would have to pay 6 at the proposed general tariff rate of 1.00 per hour. Currently the cost of parking a car with a trailer (or trailer only) is 11 for any period between 1st April and 30th September. At the proposed hourly rate of 1.00 this would provide 11 hours of parking so the vast majority of existing users of the trailer area should not be financially disadvantaged. Users of the trailer area during the period 1st October to 31st March currently only pay 1.80 for any period, so this would be a significant increase, however usage in this period is much lower In August 2017, a new car park at Reculver Country Park was opened providing 78 car parking spaces, 8 camper van spaces and 2 coach bays. It is proposed that the tariff for camper vans (and mini buses) is set at 10 for any period (max stay 24 hours) and at 15 for coaches Following the review of permit prices last year, the permit prices that have been agreed to come into effect on 1st April 2018 are provided in Appendix 5 for information Similar to the proposal for Whitstable, it is recommended that a new Herne Bay Residents Off-Street (Limited) Permit is offered at the following prices :- 2018/ / This would be available for all car parks except William Street car park which is the car park in the town with the highest demand. 2.2 Other Changes One of the comments received during last year s OSPPO was that the council should make it easier for people to pay for annual parking permits by allowing monthly direct debit payments. This system is currently being developed by our payment supplier and the new permit software supplier, and it is anticipated to be available for the 2018/19 financial year Once the ANPR system is extended into other car parks in the district, the opportunity to extend seasonal tariffs and introduce differential pricing to reflect

4 usage at peak times of the day will be considered. This will be part of a further review in due course. 3. Relevant Council Policy/Strategies/Budgetary Documents These proposals help to fulfil the objectives of the Corporate Plan, the draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy and the Coastal Parking Strategies. The financial implications are considered within the context of the Council s overall budget position. 4. Consultation planned or undertaken 5. Implications The consultation period ran from late November to early January. The proposals were formally advertised in the Kentish Gazette, and public notices were displayed in all of the affected car parks. (a) Financial Implications The financial implications and justification for the changes are detailed in Appendix 6 to this report. (b) Legal Implications The proposed changes will require amendments to the Off-Street Parking Places Order which are made under the provisions of the Road Traffic Regulation Act (c) Equalities Implications An Equality Assessment relating to these proposals is attached as Appendix Conclusions The report sets out the proposed changes to car park charges and other conditions through the Off Street Parking Places Order. The background to the proposals, benchmarking and other reasons for the suggested changes are also set out along with the detailed financial implications. The views and comments of the Panel will be reported to the Policy and Resources Committee on 7th February. Contact Officer: Job Title: Contact Details: Richard Moore Transportation and Environment Manager richard.moore@canterbury.gov.uk Appendices Appendix 1: Detailed Proposals and Justification Appendix 2: Benchmarking and Comparison Tables Appendix 3: Herne Bay Parking Data Appendix 4: Proposed Camper Van Bays in Neptune car park Appendix 5: Permit Prices (previously agreed)

5 Appendix 6: Financial Implications Appendix 7: Equality Assessment