Programme of implementation for Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ

I am writing to inform you that Councillor Canver has approved the attached delegated report recommending the extension of the Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ to the agreed roads within your wards, as per statutory notification.

Please refer to the following key milestones for the delivery of these extensions.

• Drafting and printing of works notice: Finalised by 1 November
• Distribution of works notices to community: 1-3  November
• Publication of Notice of Making: 3 November
• Start of site works: 7 November
• Go live date for extensions: 12 December

I’ve been pressing the Council to implement the extension as quickly as possible – because many residents are telling me that the parking situation is getting worse and worse, and making life increasingly difficult.

Programme of implementation for Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ

I am writing to inform you that Councillor Canver has approved the attached delegated report recommending the extension of the Crouch End A and Stroud Green CPZ to the agreed roads within your wards, as per statutory notification.

Please refer to the following key milestones for the delivery of these extensions.

Drafting and printing of works notice                      Finalised by 1 November

Distribution of works notices to community            1-3  November

Publication of Notice of Making-                             3 November

Start of site works-                                                    7 November

Go live date for extensions                                      12 December

In September, the Stroud Green Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) will be extended up to and including Ridge Road, and will operate 12 noon until 2pm Monday-Friday.  Many residents are concerned that this will make parking more difficult in the roads just to the north, and after pressure from your local councillors and a public meeting organised by local residents, the Council agreed to hold a consultation.

If residents are in favour, then the Stroud Green CPZ will be extended further to Inderwick, Nelson, Mayfield, Denton and Uplands Roads, as well as part of Weston Park.  This extension could happen as early as October this year.

The consultation ends on the 14th September so residents of these roads only have a few more days to have your say. It’s really important that all residents respond – whether you support or object to the proposed CPZ – so that the Council can find out what people want to happen.

If you haven’t received the consultation document then you can call the Council on 020 8489 1326 to get a copy, or it can be found online here.  Please do have your say.

On Tuesday evening I met with the Haringey Council Cabinet Member in charge of parking, and with parking officers, to put the case for residents of roads north Ridge Road to be consulted on parking problems.  I had previously written to the Council demanding a consultation – and residents had held a public meeting in the Hornsey Vale Community Centre to demand action from the Council (see previous post).  Residents’ fear parking problems caused by new Controlled Parking Zone (CPZs) nearby.

The Council had previous said that a consultation was a possibility in January 2012, if enough residents  demanded one.  But at the meeting they agreed to hold a consultation as soon as possible – either in the Summer or September.  This would be a ‘fast track’ consultation to see if there is support for being included in the proposed new Stroud Green CPZ, which would operate weekdays 12noon-2pm.

It is proposed that the consultation covers all of Nelson, Inderwick, Mayfield, Denton and Uplands Roads, and Weston Park (between Ferme Park and Uplands),  If residents are in favour of joining the Stroud Green CPZ then controls could be implemented from November at the earliest.    Of course, if residents are against the proposal then roads can remain outside the CPZ.

I know many residents are not naturally keen on CPZs – but at least this consultation will give everyone in the area their say.  As ward councillors Ed, Katherine and I will do all we can to encourage all residents to respond.  At the meeting I also raised the need for the shops, schools, park, community centre and Abysinnia Court to be considered in any proposal that comes forward.

The Council want to set up a focus group to discuss the proposed consultation and get resident input on the week commencing 20th June.  If you want to join the focus group but haven’t volunteered yet then please get in touch.

The proposed extension of the Finsbury Park CPZ up to Ridge Road in September could make the situation much worse, which is why since at least October 2010, I have been calling for the Council to hold a parking consultation in the ‘Hornsey Vale’ roads (Nelson, Inderwick, Mayfield, Denton and Uplands Roads and the eastern section of Weston Park).  The consultation should find out if residents now want a CPZ or not.  I get the sense that although many people are not natural supporters of CPZs they are now reluctantly coming to the view they are unavoidable.

The Council did initially give the impression that they would prioritise a consultation in these roads in this financial year.  But they are now saying that they will only take action if enough residents complain.  Therefore Ed, Katherine and I are writing to everyone in the area to encourage them to complain to the Council if they want action on parking.  We have also encouraged residents to get together petitions if they are in favour of a parking consultation.  This public meeting is another excellent way of mobilising action.

Ed, Katherine and I have also formally written to the Labour Cabinet Member in charge of parking saying we are in favour of an urgent consultation in these roads.  We have asked the Council to explain if the area can be ‘fast tracked’ into either of the nearby CPZs or not.  Along with councillors from the nearby Hornsey Ward, I’ll be attending this public meeting to find out what the Council’s response is.

If the expansion goes ahead as expected the following roads will now be added in to the Finsbury Park CPZ:

• The whole of Addington, Albany, Elyne, Quernmore and Ridge Roads
• The rest of Stapleton Hall Road, Mount View Road and Oakfield Roads (which are currently only half in the CPZ)
• The remaining part of Ferme Park Road (south of Ridge Road) – with the road north of Ridge Road going into the Crouch End CPZ.

Apparently 69% of respondents wanted parking controls for the minimum 2 hours a day.  The Council are suggesting 12 noon to 2pm – but at the meeting this week some residents wanted different hours, so the officers are going to look at this.  The Council will now draw up detailed proposals showing where all the parking bays will be – and there will have to be a short ’statutory consultation’ on the final plans.  With this further work, the Council have said it will take until November for the new extension to be implemented, which means residents will have to suffer several more months of parking difficulties.

The consultation inside the existing CPZ seems to have got more mixed results, with an almost 50/50 split on whether the hours should be reduced or not.  But the Council are proposing to create  a small inner zone near the tube station to try to deal with particular problems in Woodstock, Perth, Ennis and Oxford Roads.  I’ve asked officers for an urgent meeting to look at the detailed results – to make sure they are fairly representing the views expressed.

During 2009 Ed Butcher and I surveyed several hundred people about whether they wanted the CPZ (see picture) and got a very similar result.  Its a shame its taken the Council well over a year to catch up – but this is a big victory for those residents who have been pushing for a CPZ for all these years.

After years of promising a review of the Finsbury Park Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ), the Council have at last given in to pressure from councillors and residents and are consulting households inside and outside the current zone about what parking controls they want in the future. The consultation started a few weeks ago and ends this Friday (17 December). Anyone who lives in the current zone and on roads north (up to and including Ridge Road) should have received a questionnaire through the post from the Council. If you haven’t received this then you can download a copy of the questionnaire or complete an online version of the survey on the Council’s website.  There are different versions for people who live inside and outside the current CPZ.

It’s now around 5 years since residents were last consulted on parking and I would urge everyone, whether pro or anti CPZs, to have their say. Parking is the issue I get the most calls and emails about and I know how annoyed people are by the current problems and the Council’s failure to listen to residents’ concerns. I’ve been working hard to lobby Haringey Council to make sure this consultation is run better than last time and have helped set up a ‘focus group’ of local residents to work with parking officers to design the consultation questionnaire.

Along with my colleagues Ed Butcher and Katherine Reece, I will be scrutinising the proposals that are brought forward as a result of this consultation to make sure they really reflect the views expressed by residents. We strongly believe that CPZs should be there to help residents, not to raise money for the Council. Therefore it’s disappointing that the Council’s Labour leadership are proposing a big increase in the costs of CPZ parking permits next year (from £90 a year to £150 a year for the largest cars) – and we are pressing them to look again at these proposals.

Roads to the north of Ridge Road are not included in this current consultation. Residents from these roads have now started contacting us about parking concerns too, so we’ve pressed the Council to hold a further consultation in this area as soon as possible, but have been told spring next year is the earliest this can happen.

This consultation is something Katherine, Ed and I have been pushing hard for – after we did a survey of residents which indicated many people in this area were now in favour of a CPZ.  I’ve helped the Council to recruit volunteers for focus group of local residents to help design the consultation questions, which was a very successful event.  There will be two separate consultation documents – one for people outside the CPZ asking if they would like it extended, and what hours they would like.  The other will go to everyone inside the existing CPZ asking if they would like the rules and hours of the zone changed.  Many residents are pushing for the CPZ to be divided into a smaller inner zone with long hours, and outer zones, with minimal hours.

This consultation will follow hot on the heels of the Crouch End CPZ consultation, which has been very high profile.  This consultation extended east from the centre of Crouch End as far as Ferme Park Road.  The results of this consultation will be available soon.

Roads that are north of Ridge Road and east of Ferme Park Road (Nelson, Inderwick, Mayfield, Denton, Uplands) are left out of both these consultations.  Understandably some residents here are concerned about the risk that parking pressures will soar if the CPZ boundary moves closer.  I’ve asked the Council how quickly a new consultation could be organised in these roads if residents demand it – and have been told that it could be possible in the 2011/12 financial year.

A further complication is that the Council are about to start a review of the costs of resident and visitor parking permits.  I’ve been told that proposals will go to the November cabinet.  I’ve written to the Labour cabinet member in charge of parking saying that a hike in charges will only heighten cynicism about the councils motives in extending CPZs, and should be avoided.  Parking controls should be there to help residents, not as backhand source of revenue for the Council – and we will scrutinise any proposals on charges to make sure they are fair.

The full consultation with residents will happen in the Autumn, with residents inside the CPZ being asked if they still support the CPZ and whether they want the rules changed (different hours and different sub-zones within the CPZ). Residents outside will be asked if they want the CPZ extended, and what the hours of the extension should be.

It is proposed that the consultation will extend up to and including Ridge Road.  Roads to the north of Ridge Road would be notified about the consultation, but as there is no strong campaign for a CPZ in those roads the Council do not plan to include them in the formal consultation area.  There will be a simultaneous consultation on extending the Crouch End CPZ which will cover Ferme Park Road and and roads to the west.

Over the next few months the Council will be drawing up the consultation questions and finalising the consultation zones, and will be running focus groups of local residents from different roads to help them with this.  If you want to take part in the focus groups then please get in contact.

The process is very ponderous, and any changes or extensions to the CPZ will not be implemented till 2011.  However, these focus groups should hopefully mean that the consultation works better and that there is less criticism of the consultation process than last time.

This news should strengthen Stroud Green residents resolve to fight these A&E cuts.  At Monday’s Full Council meeting we made the Whittington A&E the topic of our opposition business.  We argued for decision-making in the NHS to be more open, democratic and accountable, as it is completely unclear to local residents who is making these proposals to close our A&E.

Later on in the meeting I managed to speak on the Whittington and challenged the Labour councillors who say they are against the cut to put that message to the Labour Health Ministers who are ultimately responsible.  Our local Labour politicians are in a difficult situation on this – they try to take the credit for any good news stories about the NHS (such as the new health centre on the Hornsey Hospital site), but say its nothing to do with them when cuts are proposed.  They can’t have it both ways.  Residents in places like Chettle Court deserve better.

Therefore, we were surprised to find the bins at the top of Inderwick Road and Mayfield Road (both at the Ridge Road end) were empty apart from some litter.  We immediately contacted the Council yesterday to ask them to urgently refill it.   I know that the bins at Chettle Court on Ridge Road were empty a few days ago too, and residents were having to keep asking for them to be refilled.

The Council is supposed to check and refill the bins regularly over winter – but it appears this hasn’t been happening.  Obviously main roads have to be a first priority, but the Council can’t ignore entirely the need to keep pavements in residential areas clear and safe.   And it makes sense to give residents the opportunity to do their bit.