Council responds to claims by furious traders in Hatch End that changes to parking will "kill trade"

5:30pm Thursday 21st February 2013 in News By Jaber Mohamed

Parking measures will "increase availability" of spaces, says council Parking measures will "increase availability" of spaces, says council

Pay and display parking in Hatch End will increase the number of available spaces, according to Harrow Borough Council.

This follows claims by furious shopkeepers that new parking regulations in the high street would kill their business by further restricting the already limited spaces.

The council originally planned to introduce “pay and display” parking in Grimsdyke car park, the service roads and Hatch End Station car park.

After representations from traders the council’s Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel (TARSAP) decided to remove the service roads from the scheme.

It also plans to introduce Controlled Parking Zones in many of the residential streets.

Caroline Bruce, corporate director of environment and enterprise, said the council develops parking schemes that will benefit the community and always in consultation with people affected.

She said: “Pay and display parking would help to manage demand and increase the availability of parking spaces.

“Currently there are no controls in place and parking spaces are frequently taken up by commuters who park there for several hours and deny access for short stay visits.

“The nearest available spaces to the centre are often up to five to ten minutes away on foot.”

Ms Bruce added that the TARSAP also recommended that residential parking controls be introduced in a small number of roads around the station, following numerous petitions from residents and a recent public consultation.

Of the 451 responses the council received from their consultation, 52.1 per cent of residents in Hatch End did not consider parking to be a problem in their street compared 44.1 per cent who did.

However, the 44.1 per cent lived closer to Hatch End’s high street and therefore their responses were given more consideration.

The consultation showed 68.7 per cent of residents did not support pay and display parking bays in the Hatch End Broadway area so the council no longer proceeded with.

But only 28.2 per cent of residents supported changes to the existing parking bays in Anselm Road and Cornwall Road.

Three petitions were presented to the council at a TARSAP meeting in June of last year – two of which were against the proposals, with combined total of 180 signatures.

The petition which supported the changes had 29 signatures.

Last week the council announced a policy that would give shoppers 20 minutes' free parking across the borough from Christmas onwards.

Comments(12)

SeaBee says...
9:20pm Thu 21 Feb 13

" “Pay and display parking would help to manage demand and increase the availability of parking spaces."

Or in ordinary English - there will be fewer cars because all of the customers will have gone elsewhere.

Harrow's Labour administration would appear to be hell-bent on reducing Hatch End to the wasteland status of much of the rest of the Borough.

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SeaBee says...
9:22pm Thu 21 Feb 13

"Caroline Bruce, corporate director of environment and enterprise, said the council develops parking schemes that will benefit the community and always in consultation with people affected."

Or in ordinary English - we will generate lots of income from fines to waste on our pet projects and stuff what the local inhabitants want.

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SeaBee says...
9:24pm Thu 21 Feb 13

"Of the 451 responses the council received from their consultation, 52.1 per cent of residents in Hatch End did not consider parking to be a problem in their street compared 44.1 per cent who did.

However, the 44.1 per cent lived closer to Hatch End’s high street and therefore their responses were given more consideration.

Or in ordinary English - stuff democracy

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SeaBee says...
9:26pm Thu 21 Feb 13

"Three petitions were presented to the council at a TARSAP meeting in June of last year – two of which were against the proposals, with combined total of 180 signatures.

The petition which supported the changes had 29 signatures."

Or in ordinary English - stuff democracy, this time with bells on.

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SeaBee says...
9:30pm Thu 21 Feb 13

"Last week the council announced a policy that would give shoppers 20 minutes' free parking across the borough from Christmas onwards"

I hope that you meant to write 'before Christmas' but I wouldn't be at all surprised by anything emanating from the current administration. Twenty minutes for your Christmas Shopping?

I thought that we now had care in the community. From the available evidence it would appear that this has now been reversed and all of the mentally challenged are now housed in the Civic Centre.

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surfnutt says...
10:52pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Every time i go there i cannot get a space because the spaces are taken by shopkeepers and commuters, So i end up going somewhere else, everyone has to pay to park why does hatch end think its exempt? Suck it up more spaces available means more people actually able to park and shop the only objectors are commuters and shop owners.

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SeaBee says...
11:57pm Thu 21 Feb 13

surfnutt, there would appear to be a logical inconsistency in your argument. Shopkeepers are unlikely to object to paying for their car parking spaces if they believed that increased availability would lead to increased trade. The commuter problem, if that is what it is, could be readily addressed at little cost by either banning parking before, say, 10 a.m. or by having a no parking hour in the middle of the day.

I would be interested to know what it is that you intended to buy on your frequent visits to a shopping centre that is predominantly restaurants and capital goods shops. Perhaps you come to top-up your fake-tan, have
your fingernails extended or your highlights touched up.

By the way extending a disastrous car-parking policy to an area which to date has not suffered its effects is nothing short of spite. A more sensible proposal would be for other shopping centres to adopt the Hatch End model.

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surfnutt says...
8:05am Fri 22 Feb 13

Seebee i use the post office and Tesco's also the bank and visit family who live there in, are you by any chance a shop owner in Hatch end? You seem very bitter towards Harrow Council, I also suggest if you want to debate something stick to the facts, By making silly comments about people you lose credibility. I agree with the 1 hour no parking to combat the commuter problem.

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SeaBee says...
10:35am Fri 22 Feb 13

surfnutt, be careful what you wish for, it might come true. Tesco has its own car parking spaces which would suffer increased pressure if paid-for parking was to be introduced in the service roads (which it now apparently isn't, at least not yet) Using the Post Office and one of the two banks, fair enough - but be aware that if parking charges are introduced there will be no free period as there is in Hillingdon. Visiting family, if they live close to the Broadway then they will now likely be in a CPZ and you will have to pay for the pleasure of visiting them. The main losers however will be the parents of children using the scout huts adjacent to the car park who will now have to pay to drop off/pick their children up from scouts/guides/playgr
oup and users of the many restaurants which are the lifeblood of the Hatch End shopping centre. Oh and no, I don't own or operate any premises in Hatch End.

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SeaBee says...
10:59am Fri 22 Feb 13

surfnutt, I just wanted to add that imy reference to tanning, fingernails etc was not intended as a personal insult or slight, it was just indicating that apart from furniture shops and restaurants, there is little to attract a shopper to Hatch End.

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surfnutt says...
10:17pm Fri 22 Feb 13

Seabee thank you for your reply hmm i do not see a way round this parking malarky maybe we should all use the bus instead i think the charges will come in regardless of what people want, time will tell i guess.

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diligaf says...
6:04am Sat 23 Feb 13

Here we go again the new caroline bruce at harrow robbing council probably needs to top her new salary up like her mentor aka michael lockwood... hes still on £200,000 per year i should imagine bruce is not far behind... staff at harrow council are suffering wage cuts or redundancy.... one easy solution get lockwood and co to take a 50% drop or simply get rid of the fat cats at harrow council greedy little so and sos they all are, but typical british no back bone... lockwoods laughing in the face of all his employees sitting awkwardly on his fat wallet!

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