Consultation Open on Potential New Cheriton CPZ: Have YOUR Say

Letters have gone out across a large area this week asking residents in the area to complete a questionnaire online. It is an informal consultation to gauge the level of support for parking controls (potentially a Controlled Parking Zone with Residents Permits) as applications and petitions have been received from some of the residents.

The letter and map that have gone out are below.

This consultation is intitially for residents and businesses in the area. If there is support, there will be a formal statutory consultation with comments from the wider community. If the majority of people in roads surveryed are against a scheme, there should be no scheme imposed. Consulations on other schemes in the district in the last year have resulted in a proposed CPZ not being taken forward.

Cheriton West Councilllor Peter Gane says:

I'm assured this is not a done deal: it’s a consultation. If the majority are against any new controls, there will be no new controls.

"However, its really important residents and businesses respond and have their say."

Residents and businesses can fill in the online questionnaire at https://fhdc.typeform.com/Cheriton-CPZ

District Councillor Tim Prater added:

"There are parking problems in the area, but there are also the needs of shoppers, businesses and residents to take into account.

"There are CPZ scheme in the district - like Sandgate High Street for example - with 2 hours free parking for anyone. Would a variant of that work in Cheriton to dissuade commuter parking but still allow people to use local shops and facilities?

"The consultation needs to listen to local residents about how bad the problem is and if local residents feel there is a scheme that can improve the situation for residents and businesses. If they don't it should NOT go ahead."

The full letter text from Folkestone & Hythe District Council:

Dear Resident/Business,

Proposed Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) Consultation

Folkestone & Hythe District Council has received applications and representations for parking controls to be introduced in your area. The representations indicate that residents are experiencing long-stay parking problems. In response, council officers have carried out site visits and found that the area shown on the enclosed map appears to be heavily parked.

Your road has now been prioritised for a possible scheme following our assessment, and you are now being consulted about whether parking controls would help ease the parking problems for residents and their visitors.

The aim of a CPZ is to prioritise spaces for residents by restricting non-resident parking.

Some of the improvements that could also be provided by a CPZ are:

• Better traffic management- by reducing illegal and disruptive parking

• Improving access for emergency vehicles and waste collection vehicles

• Improving safety for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists through improved visibility

There are, however, some downsides to a CPZ, most notably displacement parking on roads just outside the zone. It is therefore important to give careful consideration to the effects- particularly the increases in parking pressure that may be experienced in your road if a CPZ is introduced in neighbouring roads.

If a CPZ is introduced, this means you will need to apply for and purchase a parking permit. It also means that visitors would need a permit when visiting you during the hours of operation of the zone.

We have compiled ‘useful information’ and ‘frequently asked questions’ sections, which explains what a CPZ is and how it will work, the costs and types of parking permits available, and how the CPZ would affect residents.

We would urge you to complete a questionnaire as we would like the views of enough people to obtain an accurate and conclusive result. You can fill in the short online questionnaire via the link https://fhdc.typeform.com/Cheriton-CPZ.

If you do not have online access and would like a paper questionnaire posted to you, please contact our customer services on 01303 853660. Please note, only one completed questionnaire will be accepted from each postal address.

Please complete the online survey or return the paper questionnaire by the 19^th April 2024. The final decision rests with the Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Polly Blakemore.

If you require any further information on the proposals, please email tro.consultation@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk

Yours faithfully,

Frederick Miller

Transportation Manager

USEFUL INFORMATION

What is a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ)?

• A Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) is an area where all on-street parking is controlled either by yellow lines or designated parking spaces.

• CPZs ease congestion caused by illegal and obstructive parking by introducing waiting restrictions (yellow lines) where parking is undesirable.

• CPZs give priority to residents and the local community, and their visitors during the operational hours.

• Outside the hours of operation parking remains unrestricted, unless otherwise stated.

• Double yellow lines prohibit parking at any time regardless of the CPZ.

• A permit for one CPZ does not allow the holder to park in any other CPZ.

• A CPZ does not guarantee you a space outside your house.

• Residents must purchase parking permits and visitor vouchers for their visitors, should they wish to park or enable their visitor to park during the hours of operation of the zone.

How do CPZs work?

Different types of spaces are provided for specific groups of motorists. In this instance, two types are being considered:

• Permit Holders – for residents of the roads in the area and their visitors, and businesses that require a vehicle for business use.

• Shared use- these may be considered in some roads to allow free limited waiting for non-permit holders, who may require access to local businesses. They are a combination of permit holders, and free limited waiting (usually 1 or 2 hours) spaces.

Any vehicles that are parked illegally are liable to receive a penalty charge notice, issued by uniformed civil enforcement officers, who would regularly patrol the area.

Controlled Parking Zone Permit Charge

How will the permits work?

If you own a car or a van and plan to park on the street during the operational hours, you will need a permit. Similarly, you will need to buy visitor permits online if people visit you by car and you want them to be able to park in a parking space near to your home. If you do not need to park on-street, you will not need a permit.

Resident Permits - Permits will be issued only to residents whose vehicles are registered at the address within the proposed zone. Residents will be entitled to up to two permits per household.

Resident Visitor Permits - Residents will be able to purchase visitor permits for their visitors online. It is not necessary to hold a resident permit to purchase visitor permits. The number of visitor permits residents could purchase will be limited to 100 a year to prevent abuse such as sales to non-residents. However, this number can be increased in exceptional circumstances.

Business Permits - Businesses based within the CPZ may purchase permits for vehicles essential to the operation of the business (e.g. delivery vehicles). They will not be issued for the purpose of commuting to work.

Health and Care Workers Permits - Residents are eligible to apply for a Special Permit if they receive regular visits from care or other support service organisations, for example, home helps, carers. This permit is free.

Tradesperson’s Permits - Builders and other tradespersons can use residents’ visitor permits to allow vehicles to park close to their client’s homes while work is being carried out. Tradesmen can also buy parking waivers or an annual trade permit directly from the council.

Shared Permit - If you have off-street parking for one vehicle, and your household/business has more than one vehicle, it may be possible to be issued with a shared permit. The permit will cover the registration numbers of the vehicles but will allow only one vehicle to park on-street at any one time during the hours of control.

Special Parking Groups

Disabled Badge Holders (blue badge holders) – Any vehicle displaying a valid Disabled Badge will be able to park without a permit:

• in any permit or shared use bays within the zone

• on yellow lines without loading restrictions for a maximum of three hours, provided they are not causing an obstruction

• in any disabled bay

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Why must I buy a permit to park in my own road?

A. The new parking scheme will make it easier for you to park, but the scheme will cost money to set up, run and enforce. Therefore a small charge needs to be made to cover the running costs of the proposed system.

Q. I pay Council Tax and road tax, why do I have to pay for a parking permit as well?

A. Council tax and road tax contribute towards services that are available to the entire population such as education, social services and highway maintenance. Controlled parking schemes only affect a small area. By law, the costs need to be met by the scheme itself through sales of permits.

Q. I am a business owner. Are my staff allowed a business parking permit?

A. No. The business permit aims to make parking easier for rate-paying business owners who require a vehicle for operational reasons. It is not meant to provide subsidised parking for employees.

Q. Will owning a parking permit guarantee me a space outside my home?

A. No. A controlled parking scheme on the public highway cannot reserve specific spaces for individual users and therefore we cannot guarantee a particular parking space. However, by preventing long-stay parking by non-residents in your area, a CPZ makes it much more likely that residents are able to find parking spaces near to their homes.

Q. Will the scheme make it easier to park at night?

A. No. Problems at night occur in areas where some households own more than one vehicle, off-street parking is limited, and there is not enough space for the number of cars. What a CPZ will do is prevent commuter and long-stay parking and so increase the number of spaces for residents and businesses during the hours of operation.

Q. I have a crossover (a driveway crossing the pavement) and at the moment I park over it. Will I still be able to do this?

A. Yes. Unlike some councils, Folkestone & Hythe schemes are designed so that you can continue to do so with a valid parking permit.

Q. Can my visitors park in the controlled parking zone?

A. You will be able to buy resident’s visitor permits online to enable your visitors to park in the ‘permit holders only’ or ‘shared use’ spaces. Visitors will also be able to park without a permit in ‘shared use’ bays for up to the maximum period indicated on the signs.

Q. What about tradesmen, engineers or builders working at my home?

A. A maintenance engineer or builder undertaking a call would be able to use a resident’s visitor permit to park in a ‘permit holders only’ or ‘shared use’ space. Special arrangements may be possible when long-term building works are being undertaken.

Q. What about deliveries?

A. Provided no obstruction is caused, legitimate delivery vehicles will be able to park without a permit for as long as necessary in permit spaces or on yellow lines while loading or unloading provided there are no loading restrictions in place at that location.

Q. We don’t have a parking problem so why include my road?

A. If we introduced a parking scheme to a busy road, many people will park further out -perhaps in your road if they can park there for free. So it may be in your interest to be part of the zone rather than just sit outside it - but of course, this is a matter for you to consider.

Q. Yellow lines give us less room to park. Why have them?

A. We will only install yellow lines where parked vehicles would cause danger or obstruct other motorists or pedestrians using the highway. We put yellow lines only where they are absolutely necessary.

Q. Do we have to have signs, posts and lines?

A. To enable a CPZ to be enforced, it is necessary to install road markings and signs in some roads. However, we are very conscious of the appearance of the street scene, so we try to keep signage to an absolute minimum. We also try to locate signs in places that minimise the visual impact from properties.

Q. What about outside the hours of operation?

A. Outside the operational hours of the zone, no restrictions apply and parking in permit areas is not controlled or restricted. Single yellow line controls will not apply either, so you may park your vehicle on them subject to the Highway Code. The only exception is where double yellow lines exist, which prevent parking at all times.