Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 16 of the meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission held on 2nd September, 2015, consideration was given to a report presented by Councillor J. Rosling (Chair of the Task and Finish Group) and by the Scrutiny Officer, concerning the preliminary findings of the investigation undertaken by this Select Commission’s Task and Finish Group into car parking within the Rotherham town centre. The report of the investigation referred to:-

-          the Rotherham town centre economy (business, commercial and retail);

-          the availability of both on-street and off-street, short-stay and long-stay car parking within the Rotherham town centre; and whether there is a sufficient amount of short-stay car parking space available;

-          car parking tariffs and the issue of whether parking should be available free of charge at certain times;

-          the proposed development, by the Council, of a car parking policy;

-          the Council’s existing car parking enforcement policy;

-          ‘Blue Badge’ parking areas for vehicles used by people with a disability and the action taken to prevent the fraudulent use of such parking areas;

-          Rotherham town centre shopper survey (2012);

-          the Council’s regular dialogue with Rotherham town centre businesses and traders;

-          the Council’s Transportation Policy which encourages the use of alternative forms of transport to the motor car;

-          the refreshed and developing Rotherham town centre master plan (Arup consultancy);

-          whether there should be a review of the pedestrianised areas within the Rotherham town centre;

-          the report of this preliminary investigation contained recommendations for consideration by the Improving Places Select Commission;

-          the Commissioners to the Council are also investigating issues concerning the Rotherham town centre.

The Select Commission’s discussion of this item included the following salient issues:-

o    criticism of the previous use of some of the town centre’s car park sites for new building development;

o    the car parking master plan will be aligned with the Rotherham town centre development master plan;

o    the card payment system, introduced for the Wellgate multi-storey car park, has been well-received by users of the car park;  a similar system could possibly be introduced at other car parks;

o    the need to ensure that the recommendations of the report of this Task and Finish Group are progressed, initially by reporting to the Commissioners;

o    the increasing residential use of buildings within the Rotherham town centre and the limited space available for residents’ own car parking; the option of ‘car free’ housing (ie: no car space available) in appropriate locations; where appropriate, concessionary permits may be provided, enabling residents to use the Council’s own car parks, in exceptional cases.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the report recommendations of this preliminary investigation by the Task and Finish Group, as now submitted, be referred for consideration by the Commissioners and by the Council.

(3) That the draft Rotherham town centre master plan be submitted to the meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission to be held on Wednesday, 20th January, 2015 for consideration.