Agenda item

Report No:   CAB/SE/17/002

Portfolio Holder: Peter Stevens       Lead Officer: Mark Walsh

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)     the all-day tariff for long stay parking in St Andrew’s Street Car Park, Bury St Edmunds not be changed, and that the Annual Update Report on Car Parking, usually presented to the Committee in November be moved to January 2018, following the completion of the Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Master Plan; and

(2)     the Committee’s recommendation regarding the alignment of the footpath in St Andrew’s Street Car Park, as provided in Report No: CAB/SE/17/002, be noted and included in the evidence being gathered for the review of car parking in Bury St Edmunds which will inform the forthcoming Town Centre Masterplan.

The Cabinet considered Report No: CAB/SE/17/002, which sought decisions on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations following its consideration of Councillor David Nettleton’s Motion on Notice.

On 20 December 2016, Councillor Nettleton had submitted a Motion on Notice to Council, which upon being seconded, had been referred without debate to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration at its meeting on 11 January 2017.

The Motion, which proposed changes to St Andrews Street Car Park in Bury St Edmunds, was reproduced in Report No: CAB/SE/17/002, and had been considered in detail by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Peter Stevens, Portfolio Holder for Operations, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including thanking the Committee for its thorough examination of the contents of the Motion, and considered its recommendations to be acceptable in part.  He agreed that the tariffs for St Andrews Street Car Park should not be changed in isolation as this may impact on other car parking provision in the borough, and should also be looked at in the context of the emerging Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Masterplan, as recommended.  However, the Committee’s recommendation regarding its proposed reinstatement of the previous alignment of the footpath in this car park (which if carried out, would result in a requisite loss of parking spaces) should be noted at this stage, as he considered this needed to be assessed further and included within the evidence base when a review of car parking in Bury St Edmunds would be undertaken as part of the development of the Town Centre Masterplan.  Councillor Stevens subsequently moved a revised recommendation to replace Recommendation (2) proposed by the Committee, as follows:

‘The Committee’s recommendation regarding the alignment of the footpath in St Andrew’s Street Car Park, as provided in Report No: CAB/SE/17/002, be noted and included in the evidence being gathered for the review of car parking in Bury St Edmunds which will inform the forthcoming Town Centre Masterplan’.

The Cabinet acknowledged the work of the Committee regarding its examination of this matter, and agreed that consultation with Ward Members on the proposed realignment of the footpath could have been handled more effectively.  Recognition was however, given to the number of additional car parking spaces created as a result of the current realignment and how the path had met the relevant health and safety requirements and therefore the Cabinet would not wish to take any action at this stage without considering the wider implications.  Support was therefore given to Councillor Stevens’ revised recommendation.

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)     the all-day tariff for long stay parking in St Andrew’s Street Car Park, Bury St Edmunds not be changed, and that the Annual Update Report on Car Parking, usually presented to the Committee in November be moved to January 2018, following the completion of the Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Master Plan; and

(2)     the Committee’s recommendation regarding the alignment of the footpath in St Andrew’s Street Car Park, as provided in Report No: CAB/SE/17/002, be noted and included in the evidence being gathered for the review of car parking in Bury St Edmunds which will inform the forthcoming Town Centre Masterplan.