Minutes:
In the absence of the Chairman of the Evening Car Parking Task Group Councillor M. Glass, a member of the group, provided a verbal update on the progress of the review.
Since the previous meeting of the Board Members had interviewed a number of expert witnesses. A survey had also been issued, to which the group had received 5 responses from local traders who operated during the day and 10 responses from the public. Though it was difficult to reach any conclusion based on such a small sample, a significant number had called for free parking mid-week or on Sundays.
Councillor Glass explained that, based on the evidence that Members had gathered to date, it had become clear that it was difficult to measure the impact of the introduction of free evening car parking. Any recommendations that might be brought forward by the group on this subject would be based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence. However, the group was mindful of the impact that parking could have on economic development and regeneration in the town centre. In this context Members had reached the conclusion that it would be helpful to extend the terms of reference for the review in order to assess whether car parking provision in the town centre was adequate to meet the needs of visitors and traders. This would also require an extension of the group’s deadline to March 2016.
Following the provision of this update Members discussed a number of issues in further detail:
· The value of a more detailed review into car parking provision in the town following regeneration of the town centre, recent development proposals for the former market hall site and forthcoming works on the new leisure centre.
· The risk that the terms of reference could become too wide to address by the proposed new deadline of March 2016.
· The need for the group to have focus in order to make a constructive contribution to the Council’s approach to managing car parks in the town.
· The potential for the review to make a constructive contribution in terms of economic development in the town and the need to involve the Economic Development Unit in the group’s work.
· The option for the group to consider external research.
· Previous scrutiny reviews of car parking and the need for the group to avoid duplicating work that had already been undertaken.
· The need for an interim report, outlining the group’s findings in relation to evening car parking, to be produced in advance of the Council’s budget setting process.
In summary the Chairman noted that the Board was willing to let the group extend the timeframes for their review if they focused on economic regeneration. In particular, if the group discovered that free evening car parking was not the best option to enable economic regeneration within the town centre Members would be expected to identify alternative options that would have a more positive impact.
RESOLVED that
1) The title of the investigation be changed to Evening and Weekend Car Parking Task Group in order for the Task Group to complete its key objectives – in particular bullet point 3 “what alternative options are available and how do these compare to free evening parking for both customers and the traders in Bromsgrove?”;
2) The timescale for completion of the final report be extended to March 2016 in order for the Task Group to complete its in depth investigation;
3) An interim report be presented to the Board at its meeting on 18th January 2016; and
4) The report be noted.