Parking at Holborough Lakes

Several residents of Holborough Lakes have contacted us regarding the recently painted double yellow lines.

We thought it would be helpful to outline what we have done to help so far, what the guiding principles of parking enforcement should be, and what some potential solutions might be.

We believe the principles of parking enforcement on Holborough  Lakes should work as follows:

On the adopted public highway parking restrictions should only be

• applied AFTER consulting residents
• used in areas where there is: high volume traffic /  a need to prevent dangerous parking / a need to maintain access to properties or to other parts of the highway / a need to maintain highway safety
• painted on the road where they match an approved Traffic Regulation Order (i.e. not in roads like Booth Close and Alisander Close where there is no Order).
• enforced by the local authority (TMBC) and NOT a private parking company
• enforced when the road markings actually match the approved order
• compliant with the law and not seek to restrict parking for commercial vehicles or reserve spaces for visitors, which is not legal

Where roads are NOT adopted, parking restrictions should be

• enforced by a private parking company based on the legal agreement between the developer and the resident 
• primarily enforced in the interests of highway safety

Lastly, no road should have lines painted and then a "retrospective" TRO sought, as this pays no regard to the outcome of public consultations.

What we have done so far:

• We have visited some residents, where they have requested us to do so, and also had email exchanges with several other residents to try and address their concerns.
• Tracey Crouch MP has written to TMBC to ask for more details of how the enforcement will occur. 
• Cllr David Lettington has written to KCC to ask who gave the instruction for the lines to be painted in areas that don't have a TRO in place, and to ask which contractor carried out the actual line painting.
• We have agreed to attend a meeting with residents, which is likely to occur in January.
• Written to the developer to ask them to clarify their claims about what they agreed with KCC (the Highway Authority who approve the TRO) and with TMBC (who will have to enforce the Order).
• Offered support to a resident who has submitted a Freedom of Information request to KCC regarding the agreement between the developer, KCC and TMBC.
• We have established the line painting was paid for by the developer, so at least it is not public money that has been wasted in painting them incorrectly.

Some potential solutions:

There is no easy solution to the current situation. TMBC cannot enforce the double-yellow lines until the markings match the TRO. Many people also feel that the markings are in the wrong place and serve no purpose except to frustrate the daily life of many residents.

Therefore, we will seek to do the following:

• Ensure that residents are given the opportunity to express their views about where there is a need for parking enforcement.
• Persuade the developer not to apply any more road markings without a Traffic Regulation Order being in place first.
• Request removal of double-yellow lines where they serve no purpose, or do not match the principles outlined above, or do not comply with an approved TRO.
• Stop the private parking company from trying to enforce on the public highway.
• The cost of any line removal should be paid for by the developer. 

We recognise that this will not solve all of the parking problems on Holborough Lakes, but we hope it is a good start. We are happy to receive further feedback from residents.

Cllr David Lettington

david_lettington@hotmail.com