Thanet council has postponed indefinitely plans to change free parking to seasonal pay and display at one road in Birchington and several in Westgate and says there will be a review of Westbrook roads.
The decision follows a consultation on proposals which received more than 5,300 responses.
The consultation, which ran from Wednesday 2 May to Tuesday 29 May, invited residents and local businesses to make representation and raise any objection to the proposals.
Responses included emails, letters and petition signatures expressing their points of view and commenting on the proposed changes.
Thanet council says that having reviewed all of the feedback and taken into consideration the views of residents, two locations will not be included in the Orders that will be discussed by the Joint Transportation Board committee next month and a third area will undergo analysis.
The locations which have been removed from the proposals are The Parade, Minnis Bay and Cuthbert Road, St Mildred’s Road and Station Road in Westgate.
Canterbury Road and Royal Crescent in Westbrook will undergo traffic surveys and ‘analysis.’
The council says the decision has been made to allow more time to analyse the challenges and to explore a range of potential solutions to resolve issues around congestion, lack of turn-over of spaces and pedestrian safety which these proposals intended to address.
TDC leader Cllr Bob Bayford said: “We would like to thank all the people that took the time to review the proposals and got in touch to give their feedback. We do listen and as a result of that we have decided that we will be taking a longer look at some of the areas where changes had been proposed.
“Our aim is to achieve an outcome that works well for everyone; local residents, local businesses and our visitors, all of whom are important to us.”
The seasonal charges were first proposed by the council in April last year as part of a three phase scheme.
Following the public outcry amendments were made to the scheme last October.
Thanet council said the revised scheme would bring in additional annual revenue of approximately £390k per year. The aim was to plug the gap left by cuts to council grants from central government.
The charges were approved by councillors at the end of last year.
Angry residents in Birchington raised a petition against the changes. Traders and residents in Westbrook and Westgate were also furious, saying the charges would “kill business.”
The group took action with “Highway Robbery” posters appearing on sign posts across the area and planned a protest march for the evening of the Joint Transport Board meeting on June 7. The march will go ahead, leaving Goodwins Tools, opposite the Old Sea Bathing Hospital on Canterbury Road at 6pm to march to the TDC offices, with Westbrook traders demanding the two roads in their area are also removed from the proposals.
The Minnis Bay proposal received 3,855 objections followed by Westgate with 1,282.
Westgate councillors Sam Bambridge and Carol Messenger handed in a petition to Thanet council this week objecting to the plans.
Cllr Bambridge said: “Cllr Messenger and I are so pleased with the result having fought hard to remove these unfair parking charges that would have had a detrimental affect on our local traders in Westgate. We collected 1028 signatures of residents that were strongly opposed.”
Pay and display proposals
DYL” means no waiting at any time
SYL means no waiting Mon-Sat 8am to 6pm
ROADS IN BIRCHINGTON
EASTFIELD ROAD – Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with resident’s bays.
PADDOCK ROAD – Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with resident’s bays.
STATION APPROACH – Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents ‘bays.
ROADS IN BROADSTAIRS
BRADSTOW WAY – Introducing DYL – On the eastern side from a point 10 metres from the junction with Carlton Avenue for a distance of 7 metres in an easterly direction.
CARLTON AVENUE – (1) Change the SYL to DYL On the eastern side from a point 3 metres north of the boundary of 17/19 Carlton Avenue to a point in line with the boundary of 21/21a Carlton Avenue. (2) On the western side (a) between points 15 metres north of the northern kerbline of High Street and 15 metres south of the southern kerbline of Lawn Road; (b) between points 46 metres north of the northern kerb line of Lawn Road to a point opposite the boundary of 21/21A Carlton Avenue.
LLOYD ROAD – Change the SYL to DYL On the north-eastern side from a point 4 metres north-west of the boundary of 9/11 Lloyd Road. to a point in line with the southern boundary of 21 Lloyd Road.
PIERREMONT AVENUE – Change the SYL to DYL On the western side from a point 15 metres south of the southern kerbline of High Street to a point 50 metres south of the southern kerbline of High Street.
PAY AND DISPLAY
ELMWOOD AVENUE – Pay and Display from 10am until 6pm every day 1st April to 31st October inclusive.
On the north-western side from a point 20 metres from the junction with Joss Gap Road for a distance of 590 metres in a south-westerly direction.
ROADS IN MARGATE
CONTINENTAL APPROACH – Introducing DYL On the western side of Continental Approach from a point 16 metres from the northern kerbline of Enterprise Road for a distance of 17 metres in a northerly direction. On the eastern side from a point 16 metres from the northern kerbline of Enterprise Road for a distance of 17 metres in a northerly direction.
GLADSTONE ROAD – Introducing DYL – on both sides of the junction with Buckingham Road for a distance of 10 metres in a southerly direction.
BUCKINGHAM ROAD – Introducing DYL – on both sides of the junction with Gladstone Road for a distance of 10 metres in an easterly direction and 10 metres in a westerly direction.
THE COURTS – Introducing DYL – on both sides of both junctions with Westbrook Avenue for a distance of 10 metres in a southerly direction.
WESTBROOK AVENUE – Introducing DYL – on both sides of both junctions between points 10 metres east and 10 metres west of the junction with The Courts.
WALPOLE ROAD – Introducing DYL on the western side from a point in line with the southern boundary of 1 Walpole Road for a distance of 9 metres to a point in line with the northern boundary of 2 Walpole Road.
The Insertion of a PROHIBITION ON LOADING AND UNLOADING 9am to 6pm every day for –HIGH STREET on the eastern side from a point opposite the boundary of 80/82 High Street for a distance of 10 metres in a southerly direction.
BROAD STREET – Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents’ parking scheme.
FORT ROAD Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents’ parking scheme.
LOMBARD STREET Added into the residents’ parking scheme
NEW CROSS STREET Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents’ parking scheme.
NEW STREET Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents’ parking scheme.
THE PARADE Change the time limited bays to shared pay and display with residents’ parking scheme.
ROADS IN RAMSGATE
KEVIN DRIVE – Introducing DYL – on both sides of the junction with Saxon Road for a distance of 10 metres.
SAXON ROAD Introducing -DYL – on both sides of the junction with Kevin Drive for a distance of 10 metres.
NETHERCOURT GARDENS – Introducing DYL –on both sides of the bend from a point in line with the southern boundary of 1 Nethercourt Gardens for a distance of 10 metres to a point in line with the northern boundary of 3 Nethercourt Gardens.
PAY AND DISPLAY PARKING PLACES WITH SHARED RESIDENTS’ PARKING SCHEME
CLIFF STREET- The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
NELSON CRESCENT– The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
PARAGON — The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
PROSPECT TERRACE — The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
ROSE HILL- The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
SION HILL – The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
WELLINGTON CRESCENT- The existing free on street parking will become pay and display parking places with shared residents’ parking scheme.
ROADS IN WESTBROOK – To undergo analysis
CHANGE THE TIME LIMITED BAYS TO PAY AND DISPLAY PARKING PLACES.
CANTERBURY ROAD – Change the time limited bays to pay and display parking places.
ROYAL CRESCENT – Change the time limited bays to pay and display parking places.
