Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Members:-

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item  5 - Petitions

Councillor John Hinkley declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he lived in the vicinity of two of the petitions which would be presented by residents at the meeting (Parking in Hatch End Broadway and Pavements in Shrewsbury Road).  He would remain in the room whilst the matters were considered and voted upon.

Agenda Item 11 – Information Report: 2017/18 Traffic and Parking Schemes Programme Update

Councillor Manji Kara declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he lived in the vicinity of the Controlled Parking Zone in Wealdstone.  He would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

Agenda Item 11 - Information Report: 2017/18 Traffic and Parking Schemes Programme Update

CouncillorAmeet Jogia declared a pecuniary interest in that he owned a property on Whitehouse Drive.  He would leave the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

Agenda Item 11 - Information Report: 2017 /18 Traffic and Parking Schemes Programme update

Councillor Georgia Weston declared a non-pecuniary interest in that her daughter attended Pinner High School.  She would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

Agenda Item 8 – Wealdstone Transport Study; Agenda Item 9 – Wealdstone – Liveable Neighbourhood Bid & Agenda Item 11 - Information Report: 2017 /18 Traffic and Parking Schemes Programme update

Councillor Kairul Kareema Marikar declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she lived in Wealdstone.  She would remain in the room whilst the matters were considered and voted upon.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 July 2017 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 July 2017 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  In accordance with Executive Procedure Rule 38.1.1 – Part 4D of the Constitution, the Panel agreed that the following Members could speak at the meeting:

To receive any public questions received in accordance with Executive Procedure Rule 49 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

Questions will be asked in the order in which they were received.  There will be a time limit of 15 minutes for the asking and answering of public questions.

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, Thursday 23 November 2017.  Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk  

No person may submit more than one question].

RESOLVED:  To note that 3 public questions had been received and responded to and in line with the statement made by the Chairman, the recording had been placed on the website.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 47 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

RESOLVED: To note the receipt of the following petitions, which were referred to the Corporate Director of Environment for consideration:

1.            Parking Meters in the Broadway, Hatch End, containing 558 signatures, with the following terms of reference:

‘to enable reasonable access to the essential shops and deter long term parking, we the undersigned local residents, businesses and shoppers request that TARSAP start immediately the process to have parking meters installed in the service roads in the Uxbridge Road, Hatch End.’

2.            Lake View, Edgware, containing 19 signatures, with the following terms of reference:

‘We the undersigned call upon Harrow Council to extend the (zones) TB parking restriction to Lake View and repave the pavement and roads urgently as it needs desperate urgent which is getting very unsafe for all pedestrians.  We expect the situation to become much worse when the parking restrictions for Dukes Avenue come into effect.’

3.            Pavements at Sherington Avenue, Hatch End, contaning 19 signatures, with the following terms of reference:

‘The pavements at Sherington Avenue are in a serious state of disrepair on the basis of the following observations (photos attached):

i.              Irregular & broken/cracked;

ii.            Tarmac leading to driveways lifted and cracked;

a.            Causes:  Age, roots & general ‘wear & tear’;

iii.           Tarmac leading to driveways have mud puddles on either side

a.            Causes:  Old design build, forces vehicles to drive over grass becomes mud puddle;

There are registered partially sighted & elderly residents that have to negotiate the above issues to safely get about their daily lives.  Furthermore, broken tarmac damages the underside of cars when entering driveways.  The broken pavements are also unsightly in a residential locality.  The comparison to the new build is quite evident in the attached photos.

We therefore request the Council to continue the pavement replacement/repair that was started at the Rowlands Avenue end and complete the job to the rest of Sherington Avenue.’

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 48 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

RESOLVED: That, in accordance with Executive Procedure Rule 48 (Part 4D of the Constitution), the following deputations be received:

1.            Update regarding safety concerns about Traffic & Parking on Dorset Drive and Cavendish Drive.

The Deputee stated that:

·                     further to a previous deputation and petition presented to the Panel regarding the above, the incidences of inconsiderate parking of heavy and commercial vehicles by staff at nearby garages continued to be an issue for residents of the above streets.  As a result, residents regularly experienced blocked driveways, litter on their streets, speeding low loaders, noise from the testing of vehicle brakes, loading and unloading of vehicles and flashing lights;

·                     there had been a recent altercation between one of the residents and the driver of one such vehicle who had verbally abused and intimidated the resident;

·                     local residents worked hard, paid their taxes and contributed to society and naturally expected to receive support from the Council in helping to resolve the matter;

·                     deputees presenting at the previous meeting of the Panel had requested officers to look into the business licences of the nearby garages and any Planning conditions and to take the appropriate enforcement action against them.  However, the deputees had yet to receive any feedback from the Council regarding this request;

·                     the Council should consider implementing parking controls on these streets to help deal with the situation and hoped this issue would be considered sympathetically at the February 2018 meeting of the Panel.

A Member added that this had been a long-standing issue for residents of Dorset & Cavendish Drives.  Residents of those streets planned to present another petition before the February 2018 meeting of the Panel.  He hoped that the petition could be put together with support and advice from Traffic officers.  Residents were of the view that the only possible solution would be to extend the times of the existing CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone).

An officer advised that officers had met with local residents to discuss possible solutions.  This issue would be included in the agenda for the February 2018 meeting of the Panel.  He added that officers would rank and score schemes in accordance with policy and that the Panel would make the final decision about which schemes should be progressed.

2.            Speeding and Traffic Calming issues on Northumberland Road.

The Deputee stated that:

·                     residents of Cambridge & Northumberland Roads had a recent meeting following a walk-about by the Leader where they had discussed traffic calming measures and 20 mph zones;

·                     residents of Cambridge Road and Woodlands Road were not in favour of having 20 mph zones with speed cushions implemented in those streets;

·                     average speeds on Northumberland Road were 40-45 mph and the road was often used as a ‘rat run’.  Whereas, the average speed on Woodlands Road was between 20-25 mph, which was in part due to a poorly designed CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone), which meant that cars were parked along only one side of what was a narrow road.  Officers had refused residents’ request that parking bays be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 158.

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director, Community, which set out details of the petitions that had been received since the last meeting of the Panel and provided details of the Council’s investigations and findings where these had been undertaken.

Following questions and comments from a Member regarding the proposed upgrade of the existing single yellow line to double yellow lines across one side of Howberry Road, an officer advised that the Portfolio Holder had revised the proposals and the section of double yellow lines at the northern end of Howberry Road had now been omitted from the original proposals.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel considered a report of the Corporate Director, Community, which provided an update regarding the Wealdstone Transport Study and set out the objectives, outcomes and recommendations arising from the Study.  An officer did a presentation regarding the Study.

Following questions and comments from the Panel, an officer stated that:

·                     traffic modelling had been undertaken using both strategic and local modelling techniques to determine the current operation of the highway network and predict the future situation.  The modelling, which had taken account of the impact of development sites in Wealdstone and forecast traffic growth and local and through traffic in the area, had predicted a marginal reduction in traffic;

·                     the Council’s Regeneration Programme in Wealdstone, in accordance with the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, was focussed on sustainable travel methods and encouraging modal shift among residents, for example, new residential developments often had few or no allocated parking spaces and their residents were not eligible to apply for parking permits;

·                     the A409, which ran through Wealdstone, was and would continue to be a major route.  Transport for London was responsible for this road and more detailed modelling and further studies would be undertaken in the near future.

Members congratulated officers on an excellent report.  An Adviser to the Panel requested that the slides from the presentation be emailed to him.  An officer undertook to do this.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director, Community, which set out details of the Liveable Neighbourhood bid submitted to Transport for London (TfL) in October 2017.

Members stated that there was strong cross-party support for the scheme and that local residents welcomed the proposals.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director, Community which provided an update on progress with implementation of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) funded by Transport for London (TfL) and the proposed Neighbourhood of the Future (NoF) scheme for Harrow.

Following questions and comments from the Panel, an officer advised that there were 30 electric car charging points in the borough none of these however were on street.  These were funded through the LIP (Local Implementation Plan) monies which amounted to £50k per annum.  A new parking policy and improvements to the infrastructure would further support users of ULEVs (ultra low emission vehicle) to allow them to park for free when topping up.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Panel considered a report of the Corporate Director, Community, which provided an update on progress with the 2017/18 traffic and parking management programme of works.  This included schemes funded by Transport for London (TfL) and schemes included in Harrow’s Capital Programme.

A Member stated that Canons Ward Councillors had not been informed or consulted regarding the outcome of the proposed changes to yellow lines on Howberry Road.  An officer advised that he would seek clarification regarding the matter and would respond to the Member after the meeting.

An Adviser to the Panel stated that there was severe congestion in North Harrow on Station Road between Canterbury Road and Southfield Park due to cars being parked on both sides of the road.  This meant two cars or a car and a bus could not pass at the same time.  He also requested officers to re?consider the proposed relocation of the bus stop and parking bays opposite Canterbury Road as this would mean a longer walk to the bus stop from North Harrow tube station.

A Member back benching stated that:

·                     In June 2014, following proposals to expand Whitefriars School and increase its pupils numbers to 1500 pupils, the Council had commissioned a transport assessment.  The assessment predicted an increase in car journeys and congestion in the vicinity of the school and recommended that Double Yellow Lines be implemented and the existing CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone) be extended.  The CPZ had last been reviewed in 2007 and it was long overdue for re-assessment;

·                     congestion in the area had increased in recent years, with more anticipated once the Whitefriars’ School expansion was complete.  There was additional congestion caused by worshippers at the Sri Lankan Islamic Cultural Centre with worshippers all leaving the centre around the same time after Friday prayers.  Additionally, the introduction of religious classes in the evenings at the Cultural Centre was causing further congestion in the early evenings, which meant local residents could not park near their homes;

·                     the Parking Enforcement team had informed him that, on average, only one ticket was issued each day in the area;

·                     he requested the Panel to forward a Recommendation to the Portfolio Holder for Community calling for a parking Review to be carried out in the vicinity of Whitefriars School within the next 12 months.  He suggested that residents should be consulted about the possible implementation of a one-way scheme, to help reduce congestion in the area.

The Panel Members were advised that the Panel normally made formal  Recommendations to the Portfolio Holder on the basis of formal officer reports which had received the appropriate legal and finance clearances and following discussion with relevant internal stakeholders. 

A Member of the Panel stated that bearing in mind the above information it would not be advisable for the Panel to agree the back benching Member’s request.  He added that it might be possible to fund the Review as part of the proposed Regeneration Scheme for Wealdstone.  Some of the issues mentioned by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 163.

RESOLVED:  That, at 9.59 pm to continue until 10.15 pm.