Lee Manor Society has challenged Lewisham Council’s Sustainable Streets team to meet residents and explain its plans for new parking restrictions and other measures.
The team was meant to speak at the final meeting of the Lee Green assembly earlier this month, but failed to turn up. At least 60 people had attended the meeting to find out more details about the proposals, which include possible all-day Controlled Parking Zones, Monday to Friday.
The Society has suggested the team could attend its next meeting on Thursday March 13th (7.30 pm at St Peter’s Church Hall). If that is not possible, the Society will arrange another date.
Since the end of the Assembly programme it falls to community groups like the Lee Manor Society to arrange face-to-face events where important local issues can be explained and debated.
Charles Batchelor’s letter says: “This is a matter of vital importance to the local community. Residents deserve a proper explanation of what is planned and why this particular format – full-day parking controls, extensive yellow-lining – has been chosen.
“Lewisham council does not have a good name when it comes to connecting with residents and the failure – at very short notice – of an officer to attend on February 6 has only strengthened that impression.
“I understand our local councillors, who it appears were as surprised as residents at the failure of sustainable streets to turn up on February 6, have contacted you to request a meeting.”
If you wish to encourage the Sustainable Streets team to attend, please leave a comment. You can also email Sustainable.Streets@lewisham.gov.uk or
Lewisham Council has provided more information about its plans for new parking restrictions, including possible all-day Controlled Parking Zones Monday to Friday, in five wards including Lee Green.
The Council has told the Lee Manor Society it received more than 4,000 responses to the second stage of its consultation, covering Brockley, Lee Green, Hither Green, Catford South and Telegraph Hill. These were the wards where residents highlighted that they experience commuter parking pressures or issues with pavement parking.
The second stage of the consultation ended on February 3rd. The Council said a report was now being prepared to go to the Mayor and Cabinet in May, setting out recommendations, including whether or not to proceed to implementation and where.
The Council told us: “Where Mayor and Cabinet decide to proceed to implementation, there will be a further statutory consultation in the summer. This would involve all residents and businesses in the area receiving leaflets with information about the proposals via post, in addition to promotion through the Council’s various communications channels. Residents/businesses can respond to the consultation online or on a paper form.”
The Council said it does not have any estimates of what the income of each scheme would be, as it is still processing the feedback from the recent consultation in order to make more concrete proposals.
Its statement stressed “Our Sustainable Streets programme aims to create better streets for residents, reduce the number of car journeys made in Lewisham and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport.
“With unrestricted parking on 75% of our roads – the highest of any inner London borough – improving parking management and introducing more sustainable transport measures are both crucial for reducing the number of unnecessary car journeys and tackling traffic, congestion, and pollution.
“Income from parking permits is ring-fenced by legislation to fund transport and highways projects. In Lewisham, we are using the income to subsidise concessionary travel, such as the Freedom Pass, for older and disabled people (though it does not meet the full cost of these services).”
Lee Green Councillors faced a barrage of protests from angry residents about the plans for Controlled Parking Zones at the last meeting of the Assembly.
The Council had promised that an officer from the Sustainable Streets Programme would attend the meeting to answer questions, especially about proposals to introduce all-day CPZs in four areas of the Borough, including parts of Lee Green.
At least sixty residents attended the meeting at Lochaber Hall. Many reacted furiously to the news that no officer could attend, saying they had come expecting to get some answers to their questions about the CPZ plans.
One member of the audience said “I think a lot of us have lost faith after the fiasco of the Lee Green LTN and the implementation of that. I don’t think any of us believe our views will be taken into account”
Cllr Eva Kestner, who chaired the meeting, said that due to “last minute issues” no one was available to attend. She accepted a lot of people were angry and apologised, saying she herself had only been told that morning. She would instead read out a briefing on the progress of the programme.
Cllr Kestner stressed that the Sustainable Streets programme was about reducing car journeys to help encouraging walking, cycling, and using other public transport, and to help reduce air pollution, decrease traffic and congestion.
She said that there were three stages to the consultation; it was currently in the second stage. She said the results would be fed in to the process to see where there might be revisions.
“Just to be really clear, what you have seen in the consultation is not a decision that is being finalised,” Cllr Kestner told the meeting.
“I appreciate the strength of feeling. I really, really do, but I think it’s important to say that this is a huge consultation exercise, so it is looking at everything in the round.”
Cllr James Rathbone added : “The first stage of the consultation was at a very high level. What are the issues in your area to do with your streets? What would you like to see change? And various components came back in responses, something which lots people said was, we have problems with parking, with too many commuters parking. Then they went through the second stage, which is what we are in right now, which is an indicative proposal at a very high level and people are asked to think back and consult with that, which is what has just been going on, where people have been asked to comment on proposals. Do you like them?
“Stage three is officers will then draw up proposals based on what you have said. It’s too early at this point in time to say what the proposal for any one specific road would be.
“If you get a road where 95% of people say, we don’t have a parking problem, we don’t want a CPZ. I can guarantee I would go to the town hall and I’ll say to officers, 95% of the people on this road said they don’t have a problem and they don’t want it. But I can’t promise you that the outcome will be there isn’t one.”
Cllr Rathbone noted: “If you go back to the last time there was a consultation on this, one side of Burnt Ash road responded, but they would like a CPZ, and the other side said they wouldn’t like one. That’s why one side of road has it and the other side doesn’t.”
The Lee Manor Society has voiced opposition to all-day CPZs and said that 10 AM-noon restrictions should be enough to discourage commuter parking in roads near Lee station.
Here are the maps which the Council has posted on its website with proposals sketched out:
It’s suggested that the Council’s longer-term plan is to implement all-day CPZs in other areas which already have a two-hour parking restriction to prevent commuters parking on residential streets all day.
Residents in a CPZ would be able to buy a parking permit so they can park on the road. The council has set out the costs as follows:
All non-housing estate residents receive a 15% discount in the first year, with the yearly for between £42 – £372 depending on your type of vehicle. Permits for residents of housing estates are between £10 – £87. It will also be possible to buy vouchers for visitors, though of course it would be expensive if someone was visiting all day.
The Council says its Sustainable Streets programme aims to reduce the number of car journeys made in Lewisham and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport, to reduce air pollution, traffic and congestion, improve road safety and lower carbon emissions.
Its proposals include a range of other ideas:
More street trees
Secure cycle storage
Electric vehicle charging points
Safer crossing points
Car club bays
Charles Batchelor of the Lee Manor Society has written to Lewisham Council objecting to the plan for all-day CPZs, which he said would impose an unnecessary inconvenience on local people moving around. He added “ On the other side of Burnt Ash Road, in the conservation area, the parking restriction runs from 10am to noon. This is perfectly adequate to deter commuter parking while allowing residents to go about their business unimpeded for much of the day. I can see no reason why these more limited hours would not work in the Leyland Road area.”
Frances Migniuolo of Lee Fair Share and the Lee Manor Society added “The proposals seem very crude and are likely to discriminate against certain groups. They will not affect residents in big houses with generous driveways as much, as they will have space for two cars plus on their driveways. They would impact more on those living in terraced housing with little or no driveways.”
