Agenda item

(The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services attended in connection with this item)

 

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

 

1.1       A report to update Members on the outcome of the public consultation on the Council’s draft Car Parking Strategy, seek endorsement from elected members on the proposed final strategy and outline next steps for implementation was deferred by Committee in April to allow for further elected member briefings and consideration. 

 

1.2       The strategy makes recommendations relating to Council owned car parks and car parking provision outside our ownership. A key component of the strategy is to facilitate and encourage stakeholders to work together to achieve the vision and objectives.  The Council wish to provide a strong civic leadership role for the promotion of a modern, safe, accessible and integrated transportation system for the City of Belfast and its wider region.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to

 

·        note the issues raised during the party briefings and proposed response as outlined on modern.gov:

·        note the main issues received during the public consultation process and if appropriate agree the Council’s proposed response on how it will influence the final strategy content; and

·        endorse the final strategy for publication and note the proposed next steps for the implementation of the action plan.

 

3.0       Main report

 

3.1       Public Consultation

 

3.2       The draft car parking strategy was published for public consultation on the Citizen Space platform from the 30th August 2016 to the 21st November 2016 and received 84 consultation responses with 11 additional responses received outside the Citizen Space platform. A public consultation event was held in City Hall on the 4th October 2016 which was open to elected members, key stakeholders and members of the public and was attended by over 30 representatives.

 

3.3       The overall response from the public consultation has been supportive of the strategy in particular the strategy objectives and the Council priorities. The consultation requested views on the Council’s vision outlined in the strategy ‘Belfast is a city offering sufficient, high quality and appropriately located parking which supports economic development and regeneration within the city by balancing the requirements of residents, businesses, commuters and visitors.’ 42% of respondents agreed with the vision whilst 38% disagreed. The general comments relating to the vision showed that car parking is a highly divisive issue with respondents either requesting that there should be increased car parking provision at lower cost or that car parking provision should be restricted in the city centre to improve the amenity for residents and visitors to the city. It is suggested that the vision remains unchanged as we our advocating a balanced approach to car parking provision in the city. The strategy recognises that car parking in suitable amounts and locations is vital for the city centre to function properly. A balance is therefore necessary between car parking and other transport modes and between the needs of short-stay and long-stay parking users.

 

3.4       It is clear that the relationship between parking availability, cost, length of stay and its effect on retail trade is a complicated and emotive one. Evidence from Christmas 2015 suggested that the Council’s offer of free car parking increased congestion, reduced accessibility and may have had a negative impact on footfall and retail trade. The Council’s decision in 2016 to work with Translink to improve and incentivise public transport as an alternative to free car parking whilst controversial has proved highly successful with BCCM reporting average sales up by 7.8%, footfall up by 4.8% and Translink reporting ½ million extra passengers travelling into Belfast over the Christmas period.

 

3.5       There is currently a high volume of commuters travelling by car to Belfast which is leading to problems of increasing congestion and associated emissions resulting in poor air quality in a number of areas in the city. It is recognised that there is limited capacity in the city’s highway network and therefore the promotion of public transport along with the appropriate provision for cars as part of a balanced approach is outlined in the strategy.

 

3.6       The public consultation responses showed strong consensus on the following issues:

 

·        the need to introduce residents parking schemes in areas affected by all day commuter parking;

·        the proposal for consolidation of low quality surface car parking sites into multi storey/underground car parks with the caveat that adjacent local communities are consulted on the location and design;

·        the setting up of a Parking Forum with a number of groups expressing a willingness to participate in the Forum;

·        the need to improve quality, safety and security of car parking provision and to encourage car parking operators to achieve Park Mark standard; 

·        the need to improve the information on parking availability and use of smart technology; and

·        measures to deter all day commuter parking in free car parks at district centres to allow turn over and provision for shoppers.

 

3.7       A number of areas were highlighted that were missing from the strategy or needed more emphasis:

 

·        the need for close consultation with local communities on any proposals to consolidate surface car parks and develop high capacity provision;

·        improved enforcement to prevent parking at bus stops, parking across dropped kerbs, parking on pavements and to prevent potential fraud and misuse of Blue Badges; and

·        parking initiatives to promote the evening economy and provision to cater for overnight/weekend visitors to hotels travelling by car.

 

3.8       The response from the Department for Infrastructure is generally supportive of the strategy and action plan, however, they would advocate for a clearer message on the need to reduce the supply of long stay commuter car parking in the city to support more efficient and cost effective public transport. They call for a more collaborative working approach on a number of issues which would be welcomed by the Council.

 

3.9                            The Council’s website provides further details on the main comments emerging from the public consultation process and our suggested response. It contains the proposed final strategy and action plan. It is proposed an executive summary will be devised for the final version containing a narrative on the purpose of the strategy and a summary of the objectives, priorities and actions.

 

            Implementation

 

3.10     The City Centre Regeneration & Investment Strategy identified car parking as a major issue for Belfast City Centre and recommended that the Council work with the Department for Infrastructure to develop and implement a strategy for car parking for Belfast. Representatives from DfI have been involved in the project steering group and the process has involved engagement with a wide range of partners and stakeholders. The strategy has outlined a number of objectives and priorities for action which is dependent on external bodies such as DfI, Translink and private car operators to deliver. It is proposed the delivery of the action plan will be cross departmental with the City Centre Development Team taking the lead and involvement from the City & Neighbourhood Services department, Planning & Place and Property & Projects.

 

3.11     The proposed next steps include:

 

Key next steps	Lead Department
Publication of final Car Parking Strategy and action plan including timeframe for implementation	City & Neighbourhood Services
Review of Council’s off street parking provision to consider issues such as pricing, operation and naming through the internal Parking Order Working Group	City & Neighbourhood Services (currently underway)
Establish joint working arrangements with DfI and consider priorities such as the review of the current city centre car parking provision/location and options to progress the implementation of residents parking schemes	It is proposed that the governance and delivery will be raised at the Transport Workshop meetings chaired by the Chief Executive with involvement from elected members, Council officers and senior officials from DfI and Translink.
Establish the Parking Forum - Agree terms of reference and membership; and - agree priorities for action such as improved parking information/smart technology.	City Centre Development
Provide guidance to inform the development of the Council’s Local Development Plan in terms of transport policy and the review of the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan.	Planning & Place / DfI
Review of Council owned surface car parking provision to consider potential options for consolidation and redevelopment Visioning exercise to establish good design principles in relation to integration of high capacity car parking provision within the urban context Carry out a consultation process with local communities on any proposals to consolidate car parking provision and potential locations and design options	City Centre Development, Property & Projects & Place & Place
Report to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee to outline resources required for the implementation of the car parking strategy action plan.	City Centre Development & City & Neighbourhood Services

 

3.12     Finance and Resource Implications

 

            Additional resources may be required for the implementation of the car parking strategy. If endorsed the recommendations will have future implications on Council revenue such as the resourcing of a Parking Forum, loss of parking revenue due to the redevelopment of city centre surface car parks, costs of improving car parks, introduction of charging in some free car parks in district centres and the introduction of free disabled car parking in Council owned off-street car parks. These have not been quantified in the research and will be reported to a future Strategic Policy & Resources Committee once the strategy is finalised.

 

 

3.13     Equality and Good Relations Implications

 

            Equality and good relations screening was conducted in parallel with the proposed consultation processes.”

 

            A Member stated that discussions with the Department for Infrastructure were still to take place in relation to residents parking schemes.  The Member also emphasised that residents should be consulted at the earliest possible stage in relation to the proposed placement of multi-storey carparks within the vicinity of inner city neighbourhoods. 

 

            In response to a further Member’s question, the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services reported that the implementation of Residents Parking Schemes was being considered alongside the Local Development Plan and the Belfast Rapid Transit scheme.

 

            The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services confirmed that, if the Car Parking Strategy was to be agreed, it did not prohibit discussions with inner city residents from taking place.  The Chief Executive added that community consultation was essential before any multi-storey car parks would be agreed.

 

            During discussion, the Committee agreed that any references to multi-storey car parks in specific areas around the inner ring should be removed from the Strategy, given that the positioning had not yet been agreed.

 

            In response to a further Member’s question regarding the income that the Council received from each car park, it was agreed that this information would be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee.

 

            It was further agreed, in response to a request from a Member, that a letter be sent to the Department for Infrastructure in support of two hour waiting limits being introduced for car parking spaces which were positioned in local community areas near to bus stops, in order to prevent all-day commuter parking, given the impact that commuter parking was having on small, out-of-town shops.

           

            The Committee:

 

1.     noted the issues raised during party briefings and the proposed response as outlined;

2.     noted the main issues received during the public consultation process and agreed the Council’s proposed response on how it would influence the final strategy content;

3.     endorsed the final strategy for publication, with the removal of references to any specific areas of the city around the inner ring, so as not to pre-determine the positioning of proposed multi-storey car parks;

4.     noted the next steps for the implementation of the action plan;

5.     agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting on the income which was generated by each Council-owned car park;  and

6.     agreed that a letter be sent to the Department for Infrastructure in support of two hour waiting limits being introduced for car parking spaces in local community areas near to bus stops, in order to prevent all-day commuter parking.