Issue - meetings

The Committee is asked to receive a petition which requests the Council to include Fairfield Avenue into the parking permit area being arranged for Gosforth Lane, as detailed below.  The petition has been signed by 58 residents.

"We, the undersigned, call upon Three Rivers to include Fairfield Avenue into the parking permit area being arranged for Gosforth Lane.  We have the same parking problems with people using the Social Centre and garage using Fairfield Avenue as a free car park, leaving residents with nowhere to park.”

Christine O’Reilly, the Lead Petitioner, presented a petition which requested that the Council include Fairfield Avenue into the parking permit area being arranged for Gosforth Lane.

Councillor Chris Lloyd responded to the petitioner on behalf of the Lead Member for General Public Services, Councillor Sarah Nelmes, who was not present at the meeting, as follows:

‘Thank you for your petition, and as a committee we are sorry to hear of the issues that you have in parking on Fairfield Avenue.  Consideration for adding Fairfield Avenue to the existing Gosforth Lane scheme would fundamentally change the scope of the scheme and heavily delay its progression through the Traffic Regulation Order process. However - and this is why we are grateful you have brought this petition - we will be adding your petition to our parking management request list and will review it for inclusion at the earliest opportunity.

You have a County Councillor here from your area and also a District Councillor; if the problems continue please do speak to them and they will obviously speak to officers.  There are officers here from that team who have heard what you have said.’ 

Councillor Lloyd also read the following comments about the petition which had been received from the ward councillor, Councillor Stephen King:

‘As discussed this afternoon, we would like the Gosforth Lane scheme to proceed as soon as possible.

Problems started when Rickmansworth Sports Cars moved to Oxhey Drive with insufficient parking for customers, resulting in cars being left in surrounding streets.  Parking outside the Centre entrance, customers ignore the signs to not park outside, even parking on the bus stop.  They block the pavement meaning buggies and wheelchairs cannot use the pavement.

The petition at the meeting tonight has been brought forward by residents who live in Fairfield Avenue and have continuously been prevented from parking on their drives or in the road near their homes since the redevelopment started.  Since the rise in car parking charges at the station car park, commuters are using Fairfield Avenue as a car park.’

Councillor Lloyd highlighted that serious parking infringements, such as those which prevented buggies and wheelchairs using the pavement, could be reported to the Police, who had previously issued tickets in such circumstances.

Councillor Lloyd also asked officers to look at raising the impact of increased parking charges at station car parks on parking in nearby roads with the relevant rail operating companies, as this was causing issues in a number of areas in the District.