titlepage/contents pg 1-16 - British Parking Association

130 Chapter 8Consultation on aParking StrategyPreparation of a ParkingStrategy is set out in Chapter 4.A decision will need to be madeas to whether the publicinvolvement and consultationshould be separate or part of theDevelopment Plan or LocalTransport Plan process. Thequestions to be addressedinclude:●Are the parking issues likelyto be sufficiently complex orcontentious to justify aseparate consultation?● Is the preparation timetablecompatible with otherconsultation programmes?● Is there a danger of“consultation fatigue” ifseparate consultations areundertaken simultaneouslyor consecutively?● Is the content too detailedand specific to be included inconsultation on broad policyissues?The content, in particular, mayneed to be adjusted in order toenable an appropriate publicinvolvement programme to becarried out. For example, thesplit between the policy, schemeand management elements maybe important. For example, itmay be simpler to undertake aseparate consultation on parkingif the broad policy issues havebeen dealt with in the localDevelopment Plan and LocalTransport Plan processes.Consultation on parkingcontrol SchemesStatutory consultation onindividual Traffic RegulationOrders will need to beundertaken separately andparticular care must be takenwhen doing so. The Road TrafficRegulation Act 1984 requiresauthorities to publish proposalsfor traffic orders and to considerany objections received beforeconfirming the orders. Theorders have to be published in alocal newspaper and streetnotices should be displayed inthe areas affected. Six weeksare allowed for submission ofobjections. Whilst the statute lawdoes not require any furtherpublic consultation, the courtshave determined that thereshould be earlier non-statutoryconsultation in certaincircumstances. Residents in thePrimrose Hill area of Camden(London) sought a judicial reviewof a proposed resident parkingscheme on the basis ofinsufficient public consultation,and were successful. (1)Internal organisation andconsultationGood channels ofcommunication will also beessential within the authority, forexample between leisure,tourism, corporate policy,planning policy, legal, finance,press office and the parkingstrategy teams. County anddistrict councils will need tocooperate to ensure compatibilitybetween on-street and off-streetpolicies.Valleley (2) suggests “thedevelopment of anorganisational structure whichallows all of the officers from thevarious departments who areinvolved with parking policyformulation, management,operation and enforcement to beunified”. This would help toovercome many of theorganisational difficultiesexperienced in developing acohesive Parking Strategy.Alternatively, Valleley suggeststhat by “placing all responsibilityfor developing and implementinga comprehensive parking policyin a single local authoritydepartment” a unified structurecould be achieved, but this wouldbe more applicable to a unitaryauthority rather than within atwo-tier local governmentstructure. At the very least, somearrangement (such as a workinggroup) should be established toensure that parking is not treatedin isolation.