Agenda item

Review of car parking across South Kesteven following post implementation changes.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Commission a feasibility study in order to identify additional parking capacity in Stamford.

2.    Approve a new single charge of £3 at the Cattlemarket car park Stamford Monday to Thursday to encourage greater usage.

3.    Instruct officers to undertake the necessary steps pursuant to the introduction of a maximum 3 hour free parking limit at all Council Pay and Display car parks for blue badge holders.

4.    Agree to amend the Parking Order to reduce the parking limitation periods at SKDC car parks in Bourne town centre to the following: South Street – up to 12 hours

Burghley Street – up to 3 hours

Corn Exchange – up to 3 hours (excluding authorised parking)

5.    Agree to review and update the current waiting times at all other Council operated car parks across the District to ensure they remain appropriate for the usage requirements.

6.    Agree to a review of the controlled parking arrangements across the District following a six month implementation period.

7.    Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement the establishment of a new season ticket offer for Cattle Market car park (Stamford) following changes to the daily parking charges.

Reasons for the decision

Making greater use of the available capacity meant the Council would better serve the needs of local residents and businesses.

The current disabled parking policy was not consistent with an ambition to ensure that where parking capacity was limited, an equitable offer was established.

Implementation of controlled parking measures in Bourne was recommended to limit parking periods, support turnover of spaces to increase footfall for local businesses and ensure regular visible enforcement of parking to ensure proper use of space provision.

Other options considered

Taking no action was not an option due to the ongoing parking pressures and issues identified at specific locations and car parks across the district.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Commission a feasibility study in order to identify additional parking capacity in Stamford.

2.    Approve a new single charge of £3 at the Cattlemarket car park Stamford Monday to Thursday to encourage greater usage.

3.    Instruct officers to undertake the necessary steps pursuant to the introduction of a maximum 3 hour free parking limit at all Council Pay and Display car parks for blue badge holders.

4.    Agree to amend the Parking Order to reduce the parking limitation periods at SKDC car parks in Bourne town centre to the following: South Street – up to 12 hours

Burghley Street – up to 3 hours

Corn Exchange – up to 3 hours (excluding authorised parking)

5.    Agree to review and update the current waiting times at all other Council operated car parks across the District to ensure they remain appropriate for the usage requirements.

6.    Agree to a review of the controlled parking arrangements across the District following a six month implementation period.

7.    Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property and Public Engagement the establishment of a new season ticket offer for Cattle Market car park (Stamford) following changes to the daily parking charges.

Other options considered

Taking no action was not an option due to the ongoing parking pressures and issues identified at specific locations and car parks across the district.

Reasons for the decision

Making greater use of the available capacity meant the Council would better serve the needs of local residents and businesses.

The current disabled parking policy was not consistent with an ambition to ensure that where parking capacity was limited, an equitable offer was established.

Implementation of controlled parking measures in Bourne was recommended to limit parking periods, support turnover of spaces to increase footfall for local businesses and ensure regular visible enforcement of parking to ensure proper use of space provision.

The following points were highlighted during debate:

• The proposals were discussed and recommended to Cabinet at a recent meeting of Finance and Economic Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC).
• The Council appointed the consultants (Tetra Tech) who had been previously utilised to provide car parking studies. The detailed report was provided at Appendix A – Car Parking Update 2025.
• Officers were constantly seeking to get the maximum usage out of all the district’s car parks. Access to the car park at Bourne Corn Exchange was controlled by a barrier; careful thought would be given to its future usage.
• Tetra Tech have been used previously for similar studies; using them again allowed for continuity as they have experience and existing knowledge of the district’s car parks. They also acted as a critical friend. There were other companies that carried out this type of work, but as they started with no prior knowledge of South Kesteven, their costs may be higher.
• A number of these recommendations were subject to further analysis.
• The new parking charge change at the Cattle Market car park, Stamford would have to be advertised for 21 days to give members of the public the required notice.
• The decision taken on blue badge holders (resolution 3) did not introduce a 3 hour parking limit, it was the start of a formal process. As part of this process an Equality Impact Assessment would be completed.
• The success of the car parks would be measured by a change in overall income. A measure of success in Stamford would be more availability of car parking spaces. There was a rich dataset from ticketing figures that was reviewed on a regular basis.
• All were encouraged to promote the use of the parking app as it made life much easier. 50% of car park users in Stamford used the app.