Agenda item

To consider the outcomes arising from the Car Parking Strategy and to agree that the strategy be monitored by the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion.

58.1           The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 53-57, provided an update on the outcomes arising from the Car Parking Strategy.  Members were asked to agree that no changes be made to the existing strategy and that it be monitored by the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, with a report brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee where appropriate, should any amendments need to be considered.

58.2           Members were informed that, following a review by an Overview and Scrutiny Working Group, the Council’s Car Parking Strategy had been approved by the Council on 27 January 2015 with the new charges introduced on 1 April 2015.  The overriding aspiration in the strategy was to support the economic viability and vitality of Tewkesbury and Winchcombe Towns and whilst the strategy had not proposed an increase in parking charges, it had removed the categorisation between long and short stay car parks and changed the charging periods and charges to encourage visitors to stay for longer.  Other key recommendations had included the introduction of a new off-peak permit; replacement of signage and introduction of new signage; and introduction of mobile telephone technology as an alternative payment method.  It was considered timely to review the outcomes of the strategy in terms of the actions and effectiveness of the new charges and, as part of the review, an analysis of parking usage and income had been undertaken for the first full 12 months of the strategy.  A table of ticket sales for 2014/15 and 2015/16 was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and showed that the aspiration to encourage visitors to stay longer had been successful with ticket sales increasing for those staying over three hours. Overall ticket sales had increased by over 4,500 which demonstrated that the strategy seemed to be working well and achieving its aims.  In terms of permits, the take-up of the new off-peak permit had been low and it was felt that further promotion of this, and other permits available to businesses, should be undertaken.  Whilst the signage in car parks had been improved, and on-street signage removed where practicable, the delivery of further directional signage at town gateways had been delayed to allow for the completion of other signage projects.  A programme of inspection and maintenance was in place and improvements such as line painting and installation of barriers had been carried out with plans to replace existing lighting with LED lighting.  Given these outcomes, it was recommended that no changes be made to the strategy and that it be monitored by the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, with the caveat that it could be brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee if any amendments were considered to be necessary.

58.3           A Member felt that the new strategy was an improvement on the previous one and the overall report was positive; he welcomed the introduction of the LED lighting and agreed that the permits should be advertised more widely as they did offer very good discounts.  Conversely, he had been made aware of several issues with visitors being unable to find the car parks and he questioned what was being done to address that.  He also queried whether Tewkesbury and Winchcombe Town Councils had been asked for feedback on the strategy and whether income from tickets sales had increased over the last two years.  In response, the Head of Finance and Asset Management reiterated that old signage had been removed where possible e.g. long/short stay car park signs, however, a lot of highway signage was multifunctional so it was difficult to remove certain parts.  He provided assurance that Officers were working with County Highways where possible and advised that the gateway signage would come forward in 2017.  Feedback from the Town Councils would be welcomed and he undertook to contact them, along with the Chamber of Commerce, to obtain their views.  With regard to income, the figures for 2015/16 were on par with the previous year; when the new strategy had been introduced it had been anticipated that there would be a reduction of £33,000 in car parking fees but that had not materialised so this was a significant improvement for the Council.

58.4           A Member expressed the view that it was important to publicise the fact that a review had been carried out.  He agreed that clear signage was vital, particularly for visitors, and this could be addressed relatively easily.  His main concern was regarding the condition of the car parks and he felt that more could be done to improve this.  The Head of Finance and Asset Management took on board the point about maintenance, however, he advised that a £5,000 maintenance budget was available and had helped to improve their condition over the last 12 months.  Officers worked with Ubico to ensure any issues were addressed and they would continue to do that going forward.

58.5           A Member noted that the number of coaches staying in Tewkesbury Town for half a day was increasing but they did not tend to stay for a whole day and she queried whether anything could be done to address that.  The Head of Finance and Asset Management undertook to feed this back to the Economic and Community Development Manager to take into account within the Review of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy but pointed out that Tewkesbury was viewed very much as a half day destination and it was a question of whether it had enough to offer to encourage longer stays.  Whilst he realised the Council had little control over on-street parking, a Member raised concern that the car parking attendants could be overzealous at times, which may discourage visitors, and the Head of Finance and Asset Manager indicated that he would pass this comment on the appropriate Officer to take forward.

58.6           It was subsequently

RESOLVED          1.   That the outcomes arising from the Car Parking Strategy be NOTED and it be AGREED that no changes be made to the existing Car Parking Strategy.

2.   That it be AGREED that the strategy be monitored by the Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, and a report brought back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, where appropriate, should any amendments to the strategy need to be considered.