Part 1 ITEM NO. 5

______REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE LEAD MEMBER FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING ______

TO CABINET ON THE 13TH OCTOBER 2015. ______

TITLE: Review of Parking, Salford. ______

RECOMMENDATIONS:

That the City Mayor, in consultation with Cabinet approves the following recommendations.

• That parking charges be frozen at levels set in November 2013, through the 2015/16 financial year.

• That the half-hour free parking on car parks is maintained.

• That the currently agreed operating hours are maintained.

• That the £50 per household, annual fee is not increased for future resident parking schemes.

• That the criteria identified at paragraph 2.20 of the report relating to requests for resident parking schemes is implemented.

• That an increase in the number of electric charging points is approved and that the first four hours of free parking for electric vehicles whilst charging, is maintained.

• That the recommendations at section 6 and 8 of the attached report are agreed in relation to the introduction of further pay and display locations, disposal of car parks, policy criteria and changes in management arrangements.

______

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Parking charges were introduced in Salford during the early 1990s on some of the Council’s off-street car parks. The charges remained static over a number of years with small increases being applied throughout the City on an irregular basis, the last being in 2011. Following representations made by some Elected Members, the City Mayor called for a review of parking in the City. This report examines parking in general, the history behind the introduction of parking charges in Salford, the current position and recommendations for future charging policy taking into account charging policies of neighbouring Councils. ______

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS: None (Available for public inspection) ______

KEY DECISION: Yes. Added to Forward Plan 19th August 2015

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KEY COUNCIL POLICIES: Local Transport Plan. Council Budget. ______

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND IMPLICATIONS:- Car parking is provided throughout the City, both on and off-street, mainly free of charge although some car parks and on-street bays are subject to pay and display tariffs. The report recommends no change to the current tariff regimes and possible introduction of charges in other locations. Protected groups have been considered in respect of all the recommendations, especially disabled motorists who receive parking concessions through the blue badge scheme and they would not be affected by any change. The car parks recommended for disposal get little or no use and again no protected groups would be affected. ______

ASSESSMENT OF RISK: The review has been undertaken to examine the wider aspects of parking issues throughout the City to eliminate any risk of under or over provision of amenities and to ensure parking charges are set at an appropriate level.

SOURCE OF FUNDING: Parking Budget/Civil Parking Enforcement ______

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS: Supplied by Helen Chapman, Solicitor. Tel: 234 3227.

Section 32 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides the Local Authority power to provide parking places for vehicles where it appears to the Authority necessary in order to relieve or prevent congestion of traffic, and section 35 of that Act gives the Authority power to charge for use of that place. It therefore follows that the charging structure must be founded on the need to relieve or prevent traffic congestion and provided that this has been the key consideration when determining whether to maintain the existing charging structure there should be minimal legal implications as a result of the decision. ______

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Supplied by Janet Cross. Tel: Ext 2858 Further analysis by Parking Services would be required to fully understand the budgetary effects of the recommendations highlighted within this report. In particular, the impact of additional residents’ parking schemes, the introduction of new pay and display locations and the disposal of current car parks will need to be assessed as these have a potential impact on income generation within the revenue budget.

PROCUREMENT IMPLICATIONS: Supplied by Deborah Derbyshire. Tel: Ext 6244 No procurement implications. ______

OTHER DIRECTORATES CONSULTED: None. ______

CONTACT OFFICER: Mr William L Earnshaw TEL. NO. 0161 779 4924 ______

WARD(S) TO WHICH REPORT RELATE(S): All ______

1. Background

1.1 Following a call by the City Mayor for a review to be undertaken into parking within the City, a small working group was formed to look into the issues.

1.2 The group was comprised of the following Elected Members and Council Officers;

• Chair – Councillor Derek Antrobus, Assistant Mayor for Strategic Planning. • Councillor Richard Critchley. • Lee Evans – Transportation Engineer, SCC Chief Executives Office. • Sally Fletcher – Principal Traffic Engineer, Traffic Management , Urban Vision Partnership Limited. • William L Earnshaw – Group Engineer, Parking Services, Urban Vision Partnership Limited.

1.3 Clear objectives to work towards were set, taking into consideration, the following:

• Any changes to Parking Policy need to be cost neutral • Road Safety • Congestion • Economic Benefits

The Scope of the review was to look at the following:

• Off-street parking – owned or controlled by the Council • On-street controlled parking – the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) and other potential areas currently under consideration. • The recently introduced Car Club. • Residents/Community Parking Schemes. • Railway Stations -Transport Hub – encouraging sustainable transport.

2. Parking Arrangements within the City and Neighbouring Authorities

Off-street Parking

2.1 Salford City Council provide a number of off-street public car parks throughout the City, some of which are managed by various Directorates

2.1.1 A number of others, which are known as ‘Highways’ car parks, fell under the responsibility of the former Development Services Directorate and thirty-four of these are now managed by Urban Vision Partnership Limited on behalf of the Council.

2.1.2 The majority of these (53%) are free of charge to the public but some are regulated by way of ‘off-street parking orders’, subject to parking fees and are enforced by the Council’s enforcement contractor, currently, Vinci Park Services UK Ltd.

2.1.3 A concession to motorist’s parking charges was introduced in April 2012 which, in effect, reduced charges by allowing free parking for the first half hour of use on all the Council’s Pay and Display car parks.

2.1.4 One major addition to the portfolio was the former Salford Royal Hospital Visitor’s car park in Stott Lane following termination of the lease agreement with the Council. Since October, 2012, this car park has been operated by the Council as a pay and display car park offering hospital visitor parking facilities, supplementing those within the hospital grounds and charges reflected those applied to the hospital car parks.

2.1.5 The current operational list of the Council’s pay and display car parks and charges, which apply Monday to Saturday between 0800 and 1800 hours (except where indicated otherwise) are as outlined in section 2 of the review report.

On-street Parking

2.2 In addition to off-street parking, pay and display parking facilities are provided on-street by the Council within an area known as the CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone) where motorists can pay a charge to use marked bays, obtaining tickets from roadside machines.

2.2.1 Enforcement of these bays is also undertaken by the Civil Enforcement Officers who can issue Penalty Charge Notices for contraventions of the CPZ restrictions as well as the various waiting restrictions introduced by the Council under Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs).

2.2.2 The CPZ is located in the Chapel Street area of the City and contained roughly between the inner relief route, Trinity Way and the Manchester City boundary.

Resident Parking Schemes

2.3 Within the City, a number of permit schemes have been introduced to protect streets from extraneous long stay parking preventing residents from using road space, known as ‘Residents’ or ‘Community Parking’ schemes. (Details of current schemes are included at appendix ‘A’).

2.3.1 A decision was made in 1999 to introduce a fee of £50 per household for residents to subscribe to such schemes but this has not been consistently applied and anomalies in charging policies have developed as schemes have been introduced in the intervening years. The Council has received requests to introduce several other schemes covering a number of streets

2.3.2 A high number of requests for such schemes have been received over the last year and there is increasing pressure on limited resources to investigate all of these. Comparisons with Other Authorities

2.4 With regards to Neighbouring Authority approaches, the review considered the operational policy and associated tariffs. Section 3 of the report provides detail with regards to other authority approaches. The findings were, unsurprisingly, that there were differences in approaches, most have seen variations in demand for parking and there have been a variety of charging incentives, with the aim of increasing footfall.

3. Consultation

3.1 As the remit for this review was to look at parking provision in relation to the community and business requirements, it was decided by the panel to consult with the community and obtain views in relation to the car parks serving those communities.

3.2 To achieve this aim, a pro-forma was devised (see report at appendix ‘C’) and sent to all ward Councillors and Community Committees by e-mail, accompanied by a letter from Councillor Antrobus, (see report at appendix ‘D’) inviting responses to the following questions:

• How does this car park benefit the needs of the local community and what contribution does it provide to the local economy?

• Are there any other appropriate sites for additional parking locally?

3.3 A total of thirty responses were received in respect of all the ‘Highways’ car parks together with additional comments concerning parking arrangements at various other locations. A summary of responses is outlined at Appendix ‘E’ of the report.

3.4 The main areas of concern in relation to the car parks were the imposition of charges on the Partington Street car park in Monton, attracting fourteen responses and the Court House car park in Worsley, which attracted five responses.

3.5 Most of the comments received concerning these two car parks related to removal of the charges and a re-introduction of free parking. The main concerns expressed by business holders in Monton were that the charges imposed on the car park were affecting business to the extent that many were in danger of ceasing to trade.

3.6 Further detail and a summary of all responses are included at appendix ‘E’ of the attached report.

4. Sustainable Transport

4.1 The remit of the group included consideration of sustainable transport and its links with car parking. Section 5 of the attached report identifies current activity with regards to rail travel, City Car Club and Electric Vehicles. An example of how such matters have been developed would be the introduction of charging points for electric vehicles on off-street car parks and on-street parking bays. Thirty-nine fast charging bays have been installed to date across nineteen sites with an average of 600 charging sessions per month.

4.2 It was noted that 4 hours of free parking on pay and display car parks, is provided, for electric vehicles when charging, as an incentive to increase use.

5. Findings:

5.1 Off-Street Car Parking

5.1.1 Section 6 of the attached report provides detail with regards to the review findings in relation to Off-Street car parking.

5.1.2 A summary of the recommendations are:

• Irlam and Cadishead – Consider the introduction of pay and display facilities at the Fiddlers lane, New Moss road and Liverpool Road car parks • Swinton – Dispose of the car park at Cemetery Road • Salford: Tully St Car park – recommend for disposal • Eccles o Eccles Fit City – explore potential for car park to be transferred to Salford Community Leisure o Aldred Street 1 and 2 – recommendation to explore disposal or change of management responsibilities to the Church o Green Lane – Either explore disposal or promotion as a railway station car park • Worsley – Standfield Centre – Review the future status of the car park. £18,000 has been spent in the last three years to maintain the car park, although the car park does not fall within policy criteria.

5.2. Potential additional On and Off-street sites have been considered and Section 8 of the report highlights those sites where there is potential to introduce charges, a summary of which are:

Area Site Vehicle Type Capacity Eccles Vicarage Grove 8 P+D Eccles Birkdale Grove 8 P+D Eccles Church Street 11 P+D Swinton Wellington Road 5P+D Swinton Partington Lane 8 P+D Swinton Chorley Road 10P+D Salford Stott Lane 5 P+D Salford Eccles Old Road 6 P+D Broughton George St North 63 P+D Broughton Bury Old Road 14 P+D Broughton Gt. Cheetham St East 15 P+D Broughton Gt Cheetham St West 10 P+D

6. Financials

6.1 Section 10 and associated appendices of the attached report outline the financial position with regards to car parking.

6.2 The overall position in the last two financial years, excluding staff car parking, is as follows:

• 2013/14 – Income £1,533,660, Expenditure £1,595,443, Net - £61,783 • 2014/15 - Income £1,478,925, Expenditure £1,359,968 Net £118,957

7. Conclusion

7.1 A review of car parking provision and charging has been undertaken, which incorporated a review of provision in other districts and a number of recommendations are described below.

7.2 All of Salford City Council’s neighbouring Authorities have different parking charging policies as illustrated in section 3 of this report, with very little in common between them which would also appear to be the case nationally. Most have seen variations in demand for parking, particularly in town centre areas and in an effort to improve footfall, have introduced a variety of charging incentives to attract motorists to use their car parks producing encouraging results in some areas, particularly when introduced to cater for seasonal demands.

7.3 The option of setting differing charges or free parking by area was considered, taking into account the applicable economic conditions relative to the performance of local businesses, the conclusion being that the 30 minute free parking should remain.

7.4 No evidence was submitted in response to the consultation in respect of how parking charges were affecting businesses although there were unsupported statements made by some responders, to the effect that this was indeed the case.

7.5 In the absence of such evidence, the commercial premises vacancy rates were examined on an area basis to gauge economic performance.

7.6 These rates were obviously high around the Mocha Parade and Sussex Street car parks area for example, which is due to be re-developed but the vacancy rates in other areas did not appear to indicate that charges were aggravating local conditions in the way that was put forward in some responses to the consultation. In fact, shop premises vacancies in the Walkden retail area are particularly high despite free parking being available.

7.7 The responses to the consultation suggested that car park charges are not of great general concern except for the two areas where they had recently been introduced.

7.8 There are costs involved in providing, maintaining and managing Council car parks. The financial summary identifies there is a net loss in car parking, when the potential issue relating to chargeable rates at Stott Lane are factored in.

7.9 There are non financial benefits in maintaining car parking restrictions. Road safety is an essential element of any parking restriction scheme, such as those introduced for junction protection purposes for example and in a similar manner, restrictions are instrumental in preventing or reducing traffic congestion particularly on primary routes through the City, a major threat to the local economy.

7.10 There was no evidence to support the view that parking charges were detrimental to the City economy or that current charges do not reflect the local dynamics of any particular area.

7.11 It is the view of the working group that the parking and charging regime currently in place throughout the City is proportional to the economic conditions and that the recommendations made for individual car parks within section 6 of the report, are reasonable and appropriate to the areas they serve.

7.12 The recommendations in relation to car park disposal should not be detrimental to income and are designed to contribute to the Council’s overall savings plans.

7.13 Following much consideration of the findings of this study, it is the opinion of the group that, with the exception of the Walkden area in respect of commuter parking, the City would be sufficiently well served by its off-street car parks following implementation of the recommendations proposed in section 6 of this report.

7.14 It is also the recommendation of the group that there be no reduction in parking charges at this time.

8. Recommendations

8.1 It is recommended that the City Mayor in consultation with Cabinet approves the following recommendations:

8.2 That parking charges be frozen at levels set in November 2013, through the 2015/16 financial year.

8.3 That the half-hour free parking on car parks is maintained.

8.4 That the currently agreed operating hours are maintained.

8.5 That the £50 per household annual fee is not increased for future resident parking schemes.

8.6 That the criteria identified at paragraph 2.20 of the report relating to requests for resident parking schemes is implemented.

8.7 That an increase in the number of electric charging points is approved and that the first four hours of free parking for electric vehicles whilst charging, is maintained.

8.8 That the recommendations at section 6 and 8 of the attached report are agreed in relation to the introduction of further pay and display locations, disposal of car parks, policy criteria and changes in management arrangements.

REVIEW OF PARKING IN SALFORD July 2015

Contents:

Section 1 ...... Background

Section 2 ...... Parking Arrangements within the City

Section 3 ...... Parking Policy – Neighbouring Authorities

Section 4 ...... Consultation

Section 5 ...... Encouraging Sustainable Transport

Section 6 ...... Review of Salford’s off-street parking arrangements

Section 7 ...... Controlled Parking Zone

Section 8 ...... Potential Additional On and Off- street Sites

Section 9 ...... General Parking Restrictions

Section 10 ...... Financial Considerations

Section 11 ...... Conclusions

Appendices:

Appendix ‘A’ ...... Residents Parking Schemes

Appendix ‘B’ ...... Parking Policy – Neighbouring Authorities

Appendix ‘C’ ...... Example of Consultation pro-forma

Appendix ‘D’ ...... Accompanying Consultation letter

Appendix ‘E’ ...... Consultation Responses

Appendix ‘ F’ ...... Car Parks Review

Appendix ‘G’ ...... Map showing ‘CPZ’ area

Appendix ‘H’ ...... Car Park Income and Expenditure

Appendix ‘I’ ...... Parking Operation Cost Breakdown

Enclosure:

Copy of Civil Parking Enforcement Annual Report 2013 - 14

1. Background

1.1 Following a call by the City Mayor for a review to be undertaken into parking within the City, a small working group was formed to look into the issues.

1.2 The group was comprised of the following Elected Members and Council Officers;

• Chair – Councillor Derek Antrobus, Assistant Mayor for Strategic Planning. • Councillor Richard Critchley. • Lee Evans – Transportation Engineer, SCC Chief Executives Office. • Sally Fletcher – Principal Traffic Engineer, Traffic Management , Urban Vision Partnership Limited. • William L Earnshaw – Group Engineer, Parking Services, Urban Vision Partnership Limited.

1.3 The aims for the review were to look at the contribution parking policy makes towards the City economy and the Mayor had expressed a view that each and every area of the City should have an appropriate parking regime and any charges applied, should reflect the local dynamics.

1.4 Clear objectives to work towards were set, taking into consideration, the following:

• Any changes to Parking Policy need to be cost neutral • Road Safety • Congestion • Economic Benefits

The Scope of the review was to look at the following:

• Off-street parking – owned or controlled by the Council • On-street meter parking – the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) and other potential areas currently under consideration. • The recently introduced Car Club. • Residents/Community Parking Schemes. • Railway Stations -Transport Hub – encouraging sustainable transport.

1.5 The difficulties of setting differing charges or free parking in one area and not another was discussed taking into consideration the relevant conditions which may apply in that area. It was suggested that information regarding the performance of businesses in a particular area may be used as a guide to economic performance and an indicator as to how charges could be determined.

1.6 In this respect, it was also suggested that it may be appropriate to set charges at temporary levels to encourage parking, assisting businesses and adjust these in the future as appropriate.

1.7 It was decided that it would be appropriate to look at other areas of the Country to examine any parking incentives being offered to attract motorists and also to consider any groups in the community who should be consulted, such as traders associations etc.

2. Parking Arrangements within the City

2.1 Salford City Council provide a number of off-street public car parks throughout the City, some of which are managed by various Directorates and departments such as Housing, Children’s Services, Education and Leisure, Community Health and Social Care, for example.

2.2 A number of others, which are known as ‘Highways’ car parks, fell under the responsibility of the former Development Services Directorate and thirty-four of these are now managed by Urban Vision Partnership Limited on behalf of the Council.

2.3 The majority of these are free of charge to the public but some are regulated by way of ‘off-street parking orders’, subject to parking fees and are enforced by the Council’s enforcement contractor, currently, Vinci Park Services UK Ltd.

2.4 Parking on all the City’s car parks was free until 1990 when charges were introduced on a small number, this being extended to others in 1997 but this was restricted to Salford Shopping City, Eccles Town Centre and Swinton Town Centre.

2.5 Two tariff structures operated on the car parks according to location, a higher rate being charged on those car parks located closer to shopping facilities.

2.6 Typical charges in operation at the time, applied between 0800 and 1800 hours, Monday to Saturday and were as follows;

Examples: 0 to 2 hours £0.40p Car parks at Hankinson Way, Tariff structure ‘A’ : 2 to 4 hours £0.80p Salford & John William Street, 4 to 6 hours £1.50p Eccles.

Over 6 hours £5.00p (Also former car parks at Rossall Way & Pendleton Way, Salford.)

Examples: Tariff structure ’B’ : 0 to 2 hours £0.40p Car parks at Irwell Place Over 2 hours £1.00p Eccles & Church Street, Swinton.

(Also former car park at Fitzwarren Street, Salford.)

2.7 Parking charges remained at these levels until February, 2000, when the basic rate on all the car parks was increased by 10p from 40p to 50p and the time limit for the lowest parking rate was extended by one hour from two to three hours on Eccles car parks.

2.8 Parking charges have since been increased on three occasions, firstly in 2003, then 2007 and finally 2011 when the extra basic hour on Eccles car parks was removed, although the two tier tariff remained.

2.9 A concession to motorist’s parking charges was introduced in April 2012 which, in effect, reduced charges by allowing free parking for the first half hour of use on all the Council’s Pay and Display car parks.

2.10 Over the last twenty-five years, some car parks have been sold, such as Salford Shopping City, Swinton and Walkden precincts and others, such as Partington Street, Monton; Corporation Road and Barton Lane Eccles; Cleminson Street, Worsley Court

House; the visitors car parks at the Civic Centre and Turnpike House, have been developed as Pay and Display facilities.

2.11 One major addition to the portfolio was the former Salford Royal Hospital Visitor’s car park in Stott Lane following termination of the lease agreement with the Council. Since October, 2012, this car park has been operated by the Council as a pay and display car park offering hospital visitor parking facilities, supplementing those within the hospital grounds and charges reflected those applied to the hospital car parks. A trial is currently underway on that car park, soon to be extended throughout the City, offering visitors the opportunity to pay parking charges by telephone rather than by the on-site machines. A certain number of spaces are also reserved for staff parking, paid at contract rates.

2.12 The current operational list of the Council’s pay and display car parks and charges, which apply Monday to Saturday between 0800 and 1800 hours (except where indicated otherwise) are as follows:

Car Park Hourly Regime Charges (£) Hankinson Way 0 – ½ hour Free Salford and Church Street, ½ – 2 ½ hours 1.50 Swinton. Over 2 ½ hours 3.50 John William 0 – ½ hour Free Street, Precinct, Multi-storey ½ – 2 ½ hours 1.50 Apron, Irwell Place, St Mary’s Over 2 ½ hours 3.50 Road, Corporation Road, Barton Lane Eccles & Partington Street, Monton.

Worsley 0 – ½ hour Free Courthouse ½ hour – 2 ½ 1.50 (Mon – Fri, 0800 hours to 1800hrs) Over 2 ½ hours 3.50 Council 0 – ½ hour Free Premises Visitor Car Parks, ½ - 2 ½ hours 1.50 Civic Centre & Turnpike House Over 2 ½ hours 3.50

Stott Lane, 0 – 3 hours 2.00 Salford Royal 3 – 4 hours 3.00 East (Operates 4 – 6 hours 4.00 24 hours) 6 – 24 hours 6.00

Cleminson 0 – ½ hour Free Street ½ - 2 ½ hours 1.50

Over 2 ½ hours 2.50

Car Park Hourly Regime Charges (£) Annual Contract 360 plus VAT Parking (All car parks except Stott Lane)

Stott Lane (Hospital Staff 275 plus VAT permits)

(No charge for Blue Badge holders on any of these car parks)

2.13 Some changes to these charges were authorised by the Assistant Mayor for Strategic Planning, which were introduced in December, 2014.

2.14 The changes made are described in more detail in appendix ‘F’ of this report.

2.15 Within the City, a number of permit schemes have been introduced to protect streets from extraneous long stay parking preventing residents from using road space, known as ‘Residents’ or ‘Community Parking’ schemes. (Details of current schemes are included at appendix ‘A’).

2.16 The former Planning and Development Services Committee made a decision in 1999 to introduce a fee of £50 per household for residents to subscribe to such schemes but this has not been consistently applied and anomalies in charging policies have developed as schemes have been introduced in the intervening years.

2.17 The Council has received requests to introduce several other schemes covering a number of streets and as a point of principle, there needs to be consistency in applying the £50 permit cost to new schemes or even consider applying these costs to schemes that have previously been subsidised.

2.18 A high number of requests for such schemes have been received over the last year and there is increasing pressure on limited resources to investigate all of these.

2.19 In consideration of a number of objections to a recently promoted scheme, it was recommended by the Assistant Mayor that scheme promoters should present independent evidence to the Council to show the need for a scheme and provide clear evidence of a problem.

2.20 It is therefore proposed that residents requesting schemes should provide independent evidence of a parking problem meeting the following criteria:

a) Not less than 85% of the kerb space is occupied for more than 6 hours between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday.

b) 50% or more of the residents within the zone should not have off-street parking available or within 200m of their homes.

c) Schemes should be restricted to areas where there are large employers (such as the hospital, Civic Centre, University) or district centres where workers &

shoppers cause nuisance in residential areas seeking to avoid paying parking charges.

d) Schemes should ideally be underwritten by the body/agency creating the problem - this is only possible by way of Section 106 contribution in many cases.

2.21 On-street pay and display parking operates in the Trinity area of the City and is discussed in more detail at section 7 of this report.

3 Parking Policy – Neighbouring Authorities.

3.1 The off-street charges applied by neighbouring Authorities and nationally have been studied for comparison purposes and to establish whether any incentives are offered to motorists, to encourage use of car parks.

3.2 It is immediately apparent that each Authority is different in respect of charging policies and those of Salford’s neighbours are reflected at appendix ‘B’.

3.3 Bolton and Oldham Councils have been particularly active in relation to parking charges in recent years aimed at improving footfall into their town centres by adjusting pricing levels and reducing the cost to the driver, offering free weekend parking or free periods of parking of up to three hours at other times.

3.4 Both towns, in common with other Metropolitan Boroughs in Greater Manchester, have defined town centres and are served by a number of car parks priced according to proximity to shops, offices and other facilities.

3.5 Pricing incentives have been introduced, particularly during Christmas periods, to encourage shoppers into the town centres and evidence does indicate that footfall has increased during these periods.

3.6 A survey was undertaken by Bolton Council’s car parks partner, NCP, during the 2012/13 Christmas season when free parking was introduced on four of the town’s multi- storey car parks at weekends and after 3.00pm during the week.

3.7 Of the of 526 motorists surveyed, 71% knew about the free Christmas parking and of these, 61% were encouraged to drive into Bolton and use the car parks.

3.8 Most but not all major retailers in the town centre, showed increased trading performance which was better than other regional stores and it was generally believed that the initiative’s effect had been positive.

3.9 The weekend offer proved to be the most popular and although the ‘free after three’ incentive showed growth, it was much more modest and was used most during the Christmas week.

3.10 The offer, which was intended to promote use of the multi storey car parks, was in place for three months between the 1st November and the 27th January but there was much less evidence of value during January, after the Christmas build up. However, Bolton Council now offer free parking on three multi-storey car parks at weekends and Bank Holidays throughout the year.

3.11 It is interesting to note that short stay surface level sites where the offer did not apply and would have been the most likely to be affected by the free parking offer, actually showed growth which implies that motorists will pay to park closer, to what is termed in Bolton as, the inner core.

3.12 This is also illustrated by the experience of Blackburn with Darwen Council who, in a similar manner to Bolton, have a number of surface level car parks and a multi-storey facility in and around Blackburn Town Centre.

3.13 The central town centre multi-storey car park is owned and managed by a development company from where direct access is available to the town centre shops.

3.14 An initiative was launched over the Christmas season 2013/14 where free parking was offered on all the Council car parks at weekends and also after 3.00pm on weekdays but this did not extend to the privately owned facility where charges remained in place.

3.15 Whilst proving popular on the Council car parks, it seemed to have no detrimental effect on usage of the private car park with motorists willing to pay for parking, presumably due to the convenience factor.

3.16 However the initiative was considered to be successful in terms of encouraging footfall, the scheme being extended until March 2016 when it will be reviewed by the Council.

3.17 In terms of applying such initiatives to Salford car parks, it is difficult to compare the parking situation with neighbouring towns such as Bolton, Wigan and Bury for example, as there is no defined City centre area.

3.18 As previously alluded to, motorists are given a thirty minute free period on all of the Council’s pay and display car parks throughout the year, except for Stott Lane and parking is free on the three Saturdays before Christmas each year as a concession to shoppers.

3.19 The smaller townships making up the City are reasonably well served by car parks but the majority of those in the commercial areas such as Walkden, Salford Shopping City and Swinton are privately owned and operated, providing free limited parking.

3.20 Eccles is an anomaly in this respect in as much as there are seven Council pay and display car parks within the town centre area together with the further one at Monton. These are supplemented by a privately owned supermarket car park which is subject to pay and display controls, the fee being refundable on the purchase of goods from the store.

3.21 There is also a multi-storey car park in the town centre housed in an ageing structure, leased by the Council from the shopping centre development company, the ‘Apron’ and ‘Precinct’ car parks forming part of its demise. Although previously used as a public contract car park, demand decreased considerably as major clients moved out of Eccles. It is now used by City Council and Urban Vision staff under the workplace parking scheme.

3.22 A study was undertaken into Eccles Town Centre by an independent panel and in their report of July, 2013, amongst other things, it was recommended that the Council ‘engage with the multi-storey car park owners to bring it back into public use, potentially at nominal pricing levels to encourage people to come into the town centre.’

3.23 The car park has recently undergone a structural survey to establish its condition before any decision is made regarding its future use.

3.24 It is apparent that parking charges differ considerably between Authorities and there are few common denominators between Salford and other Towns or Cities in terms of comparing like for like when determining charges.

3.25 Even where incentives such as free periods of parking are offered, maximum daily charges in other authority areas can be significantly higher than the Salford daily rate of £3.50.

3.26 Conversely, some Authorities have introduced low rates, in some cases as little as 10p per hour but any reductions or free parking incentives will usually have a negative impact on parking budgets.

4. Consultation

4.1 As the remit for this review was to look at parking provision in relation to the community and business requirements, it was decided by the panel to consult with the community and obtain views in relation to the car parks serving those communities.

4.2 To achieve this aim, a pro-forma was devised (example at appendix ‘C’) and sent to all ward Councillors and Community Committees by e-mail, accompanied by a letter from Councillor Antrobus, (copy at appendix ‘D’) inviting responses to the following questions:

• How does this car park benefit the needs of the local community and what contribution does it provide to the local economy?

• Are there any other appropriate sites for additional parking locally?

4.3 A total of thirty responses were received in respect of all the ‘Highways’ car parks together with additional comments concerning parking arrangements at various other locations.

4.4 The main areas of concern in relation to the car parks were the imposition of charges on the Partington Street car park in Monton attracting fourteen responses and the Court House car park in Worsley, which attracted five responses.

4.5 Most of the comments received concerning these two car parks related to removal of the charges and a re-introduction of free parking. The main concerns expressed by business holders in Monton were that the charges imposed on the car park were affecting business to the extent that many were in danger of ceasing to trade.

4.6 Further detail and a summary of all responses are included at appendix ‘E’ but it was notable that other than the Monton area, few responses were received from businesses in other areas

5. Encouraging Sustainable Transport

5.1 Rail Travel

5.1.1 Any review of parking cannot be taken in isolation from other modes of transport and in that respect, parking facilities for railway passengers throughout the City require consideration, as illustrated by the concerns with commuter parking in Walkden. (See app E)

5.1.2 With that in mind, the ‘Salford Railway Stations Development Study’ has been undertaken.

5.1.3 The study audited the existing passenger facilities and accessibility at Salford’s railway stations, resulting in the identification of opportunities for improvements to be made, which includes car parking. A balance of provision is required when improving access to railway stations, such as public transport, walking and cycling. Personal car travel can make up a significant proportion of trips to the station making longer term parking and drop off facilities at stations key issues. It is necessary to consider these both in terms of providing an accessible transport node for users and reducing the negative impacts on local residents such as commuter parking in residential streets.

5.1.4 The station development study identified a range of improvements to parking provision where possible, across all the railway stations; Eccles and Walkden had particular issues and potential opportunities to make improvements were identified. Following the forecourt works at Eccles Station, parking on there is now restricted and proposals for additional long term commuter parking near this station are being developed by the Community Committee. A study to identify potential options at Walkden Station is ongoing.

5.1.5 As part of the Irlam station refurbishment project, drop off facilities and long stay car parking for sixty cars have been completed, which will significantly improve the environment for passengers at the station.

5.2 City Car Club

5.2.1 In April, 2014, the Council and City Car Club worked together to install the first on- street car club location in Salford. Two car club bays were provided on Quay Street close to Salford Central Station which was in addition to the existing sites within the Media City UK and Exchange Quay developments.

5.2.2 City Car Club provides hire cars for short term periods to members, at city centre locations across the UK. The cars are reserved by phone or internet bookings and accessed via the member’s smart enabled membership card. The club provides the opportunity of short term hire for people who do not own a car. The model particularly suits dense urban areas such as large city centres where generally a personal car is not required by residents or it is not practical to own one. The model has also been used to provide large organisations with pool car facilities for staff business use during the day and residential use in the evenings and weekends. The City Car Club has operated in Manchester City Centre for a number of years and there are several car club bays across the city.

5.2.3 Since the introduction of the car club bays on Quay Street, the City Council has implemented a larger car club based around the Civic Centre campus in Swinton. The car club is operated by Co Wheels, a social enterprise company, the scheme being launched in May 2015 and there are currently twenty-one cars available for Council staff to use for business travel during work hours. The cars are available to the public and other business users outside of these core hours. Discussions are currently ongoing with Co Wheels to identify additional sites around the city to expand the reach of the car club and additional sites are expected to be implemented later in 2015.

5.3 Electric Vehicles

5.3.1 The development of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Greater Manchester has been led by TfGM, in partnership with the district authorities and funded through a combination of grants from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and local GM transport funding. The project has been delivered under the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle (GMEV) brand.

5.3.2 Phases 1 and 2 of the GMEV programme are now completed and have been operational since June, 2014. In Salford there are currently thirty-nine charging bays across nineteen sites around the City. The locations are a mix of off-street car parks and on-street parking bays in town or local centre locations which attract high visitor numbers. The chargers are predominately 7kw fast chargers but there is also one rapid 50kw machine. In order to encourage usage of the EV points, parking is free for four hours in all bays.

5.3.3 The average usage of the sites has continued to grow since the launch of the scheme and there are now around six hundred charging sessions taking place in Salford each month, accounting for approximately 25% of total use across Greater Manchester.

6. Review of Salford’s off-street parking arrangements.

6.1 The following list comprises of all the Council’s ‘Highways’ car parks.

Number Name Area Charges Spaces 1 Fiddlers Lane Irlam Free 25 2 New Moss Road Cadishead Free 18 3 Liverpool Road Cadishead Free 20 4 Church Street Swinton P&D 53 5 Civic Visitors Swinton P&D 56 6 Elm Street Swinton Free 23 7 Cemetery Road Swinton Free 15 8 George St North Salford Free 63 9 * Strawberry Road Salford Free 11 10 Tully Street Salford Free 30 11 Princess Street Salford Free 22 12 Mocha Parade Salford Free 80 13 Sussex Street Salford Free 45 14 Hankinson Way Salford P&D 115

15 Stott Lane Salford P&D 481

16 Cleminson St Salford P&D 59 17 Turnpike House Salford P&D 18 Visitors 18 Multi storey Eccles Contract Only 296 19 Multi storey apron Eccles Contract & P&D 31 20 Precinct Eccles P&D 26 21 John William St Eccles P&D 179 22 St Mary’s Road Eccles P&D 43 23 Irwell Place Eccles P&D 83 24 Partington Street Eccles P&D 102 25 Corporation Road Eccles P&D 15 26 Barton Lane Eccles P&D 17 27 Aldred St 1 Eccles Free 30 28 Aldred St 2 Eccles Free 15 29 Green Lane Eccles Free 18 30 Legh Street Eccles Free 34 31 Renshaw Street Eccles Free 26 32 Standfield Centre Worsley Free 40

33 Court House Worsley P&D 41 34 Queen St Worsley Free 12 Walkden

*This car park is now administered by Salix Homes following a block transfer of stock in March 2015.

Details of income and expenditure in relation to these car parks are included at appendix ‘H’ of this report.

6.2 All the ‘Highways’ car parks have been reviewed taking into account comments received as a result of the consultation process, usage and observations taken on site.

6.3 Further details of the review are included at appendix ‘F’ but the following table summarises the recommended course of action to be taken for each car park.

Number Name Area Change No Change Further Proposals 1 Fiddlers Lane Irlam • 2 New Moss Road Cadishead • 3 Liverpool Road Cadishead • 4 Church Street Swinton • 5 Civic Visitors Swinton • 6 Elm Street Swinton • 7 Cemetery Road Swinton • 8 George St North Salford • 9 Strawberry Rd Salford Transferred to Salix Homes March 2015 10 Tully Street Salford • 11 Princess Street Salford • 12 Mocha Parade Salford • 13 Sussex Street Salford • 14 Hankinson Way Salford • 15 Stott Lane Salford • 16 Cleminson St Salford • 17 Turnpike House Salford • Visitors 18 Multi storey Eccles • 19 Multi storey apron Eccles • 20 Precinct Eccles • 21 John William St Eccles • 22 St Mary’s Road Eccles • 23 Irwell Place Eccles • 24 Partington Street Eccles • 25 Corporation Road Eccles • 26 Barton Lane Eccles • 27 Aldred St 1 Eccles • 28 Aldred St 2 Eccles • 29 Green Lane Eccles • 30 Legh Street Eccles • 31 Renshaw Street Eccles • 32 Standfield Centre Worsley • 33 Court House Worsley • 34 Queen St Worsley • Walkden

7.0 Controlled Parking Zone

7.1 In addition to off-street parking, pay and display parking facilities are provided on-street by the Council within an area known as the CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone) where motorists can pay a charge to use marked bays, obtaining tickets from roadside machines.

7.2 Enforcement of these bays is undertaken by Civil Enforcement Officers who can issue Penalty Charge Notices for contraventions of the CPZ restrictions in addition to the various waiting and car park restrictions introduced throughout the City, by the Council. (See enclosed Annual Report for further details of the enforcement operation).

7.3 The CPZ is located in the Chapel Street area of the City and contained roughly between the inner relief route, Trinity Way and the Manchester City boundary. (Map of area at appendix ‘G’)

7.4 Within this CPZ, except where indicated otherwise, parking is generally restricted between 0800 hours and 1800 hours, Monday to Friday and between 0800 hours and 1230 hours on Saturday. The general restriction does not apply on Sunday.

7.5 Charges apply within the CPZ during the general restriction times which, since April, 2011, have been set at £1.00 per 40 minutes, the equivalent of £1.50 per hour.

7.6 Manchester City Council also operate a CPZ which adjoins that in Salford at the respective boundaries.

7.7 The Manchester CPZ is currently divided into four zones in which charges are applied as follows:

Zone 1 Tariff Zone 2 Tariff

0800 – 2000 hours 0800 – 2000 hours

daily. Max stay 2 daily. Max stay 2

hours hours

Up to 30 £1.50 Up to 30 £1.45

minutes minutes

Up to 1 hour £3.00 Up to 1 hour £2.90

Up to 1 hour £4.50 Up to 1 hour £4.30 30 minutes 30 minutes Up to 2 hours £6.00 Up to 2 hours £5.80

Zone 4 Tariff Zone 3 Tariff 0800 – 2000 hours 0800 – 2000 hours daily Max stay 3 daily Max stay 10 hours hours except Up to 30 60p weekends minutes Up to 30 50p Up to 1 hour £1.25 minutes Up to 1 hour £1.85 Up to 1 hour £1.00 30 minutes Up to 3 hours £2.50 Up to 2 hours £2.50 Up to 6 hours £5.00 Up to 2 hours £3.10 Up to 10 £7.50 30 minutes hours Up to 3 hours £3.70 All weekend £10.00

7.8 The Salford CPZ borders zones 1 and 2 of the Manchester scheme and at £1.00 for 40 minutes, is currently considerably cheaper for the motorist.

7.9 Manchester City Council increased the operating times of their CPZ so that the restrictions and charges apply between 0800 hours and 2000 hours, seven days a week, excluding Bank Holidays, with effect from Monday, the 24th October, 2011.

7.10 All of Salford’s pay and display car parks and CPZ on-street facilities are free of charge on Bank Holidays (except Stott Lane) but unlike Manchester, single yellow line restrictions are enforced on those days in common with other neighbouring Authorities.

7.11 However, unlike the Salford CPZ, most restrictions in Manchester City Centre are double yellow lines which prohibit parking at any time and these are enforced on Bank Holidays.

7.12 The restriction operating in the Salford CPZ has been reviewed recently to establish whether or not it is still appropriate in its current form. It was considered that due to its close proximity to the Manchester CPZ that it should be more aligned towards that in terms of hours of operation and its charging regime.

7.13 This has been considered previously and it was proposed that the operating hours be extended to coincide with Manchester, subject to the necessary Traffic Regulation Order procedures being followed, i.e. 0800 hours to 2000 hours, seven days per week. It was also proposed that the area of the zone be increased slightly, however, the required public consultation process generated a negative response from residents and businesses in the area resulting in the former Planning Panel rejecting the plans.

7.14 With respect to charges, it was also proposed that the zone, which is naturally bisected by a railway line passing through the area, be divided into two sectors charging the same rates as Manchester in the sector to the south of the line and a cheaper rate in the northern sector where parking demand is less.

7.15 It was further proposed that where possible, some additional pay and display bays would be introduced in Chapel Street and Quay Street where there is a demand for parking.

7.16 However, charges cannot be imposed for on-street parking simply in order to generate revenue.

7.17 In accordance with s. 45 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, a local authority may by order designate parking places on highways, after having considered both the interests of traffic and those of the owners and occupiers of adjoining property and in particular:

a) the need for maintaining the free movement of traffic; b) the need for maintaining reasonable access to premises; and c) the extent to which off-street parking accommodation is likely to be encouraged there by the designation of parking places under this section.

The policies and objectives of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 should be observed to justify any such decision.

7.18 The 1984 Act imposes a duty upon the local authority to ‘secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic (including pedestrians) and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilities on and off the highway’. Parking regulation is governed by Parts IV, VIII and IX of the Act.

7.19 In that regard, where for the purpose of relieving or preventing congestion of traffic, it appears to a local authority to be necessary to provide within their area suitable parking places for vehicles, the local authority, subject to Parts I to III of Schedule 9 to the Act—

(a) May provide off-street parking places (whether above or below ground and whether or not consisting of or including buildings) together with means of entrance to and egress from them, or

(b) May by order, authorise the use as a parking place of any part of a road within their area, not being a road the whole or part of the width of which is within Greater London.

7.20 The local authority also has the power to set/review charges for the use of such parking places. The procedure for amending the charges is set down in the Local Authorities Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.

7.21 It is a general principle of administrative law that a public body must exercise a statutory power for the purpose for which the power was conferred by Parliament. In that regard, a recent High Court decision in respect of a resident’s parking scheme involving the London Borough of Barnet Council, confirmed that the 1984 Act is not a fiscal measure and does not authorise an authority to use its powers to charge local residents for parking in order to raise surplus revenue for other transport purposes.

7.22 When exercising its functions, the Council must have regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and full impact assessments should be undertaken to measure and record compliance with this duty.

7.23 The future of the CPZ is still under consideration but any proposals will need to take into account the above and the requirements of residential and commercial development following further consultation with these interested parties.

8.0 Potential Additional On and Off-street sites.

8.1 Bearing in mind the legal requirements outlined at paragraph 7.17 et seq, the opportunity to introduce additional off-street sites and on-street pay and display bays outside the Salford Controlled Parking Zone has been examined.

8.2 The following sites have been identified as having potential for the introduction of charges but it needs to be considered that their introduction could deter current use and displace motorists to other areas creating other issues whilst providing no financial benefit to the Council. In some areas, the requirement of pay and display machines could be reduced by the introduction of cashless parking (pay by telephone.)

Eccles • Vicarage Grove limited waiting bay, capacity 8 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine • Birkdale Grove limited waiting bay, capacity 8 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine

Both would need to have a lesser tariff than the adjacent John William Street Car Park such as a limited waiting time of 1 hour with a charge of 20p for example.

• Church Street, Eccles Town Centre, capacity 11 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine.

Total: 27 vehicles – 3 pay and display machines.

Swinton

• Wellington Road, capacity 5 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine

• Partington Lane, capacity 8 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine

• Chorley Road, adjacent to the Sunken Gardens, capacity 10 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine

Total 23 vehicles, 3 pay and display machines.

Salford

• Stott Lane, capacity 5 vehicles (plus additional 10 in Taxi Rank bay), 2 P&D Machines.

• Eccles Old Road Car Park, capacity 6 vehicles, 1 P&D Machine

Total 21 vehicles, 3 pay and display machines

Broughton

• George Street North car park, capacity 63 vehicles, 2 P&D Machines

• Bury Old Road free bays, capacity 14 vehicles in four bays, 4 P&D Machines

• Gt.Cheetham Street East bays, capacity 15 vehicles in three bays, 3 P&D Machines

• Gt.Cheetham Street West, capacity 10 vehicles in two bays, 2P&D Machines.

Total 102 vehicles, 11 pay and display machines

Grand total – 169 vehicles 21 pay and display machines

9.0 General Parking Restrictions.

9.1 Parking restrictions are introduced for a variety of reasons but mainly to maintain traffic flows, improve road safety and reduce pollution.

9.2 Before any restriction can be put into place, a thorough legal process has to be followed which can result in a Traffic Regulation Order being introduced which will then allow enforcement to take place.

9.3 Parking restrictions have been enforced in Salford by the City Council since 2001 when that function, through a process then called decriminalisation, removed the responsibility from the Police.

9.4 The term now used is Civil Parking Enforcement and the Council continue to enforce the regulations under the provisions of the Traffic Management Act, 2004, using an external contractor managed by Urban Vision’s Parking Services section.

9.5 The Civil Parking Enforcement Annual Report for 2013/14 containing information about the operation is included at the end of this report.

9.6 The Government launched a consultation paper on local authority parking enforcement on the 6th December 2013 which closed on the 14th February, 2014.

9.7 The consultation asked a number of questions and invited views on various aspects of local authority parking enforcement. These were:

• Do you consider local authority parking is being applied fairly and reasonably in your area? • What are your views on Government proposals to ban CCTV cameras for parking enforcement? • Do you think the Traffic Adjudicators should have wider powers to allow appeals? • Do you agree that guidance should be updated to make clear in what circumstances adjudicators may award costs? If so, what should those circumstances be?

• Do you think motorists who lose an appeal at a parking tribunal should be offered a 25% discount for prompt payment? • Do you think local residents and firms should be able to require councils to review yellow lines, parking provision, charges etc in their area? If so, what should the reviews cover and what should be the threshold for triggering a review? • Do you think that authorities should be required by regulation to allow a grace period at the end of paid-for parking? • Do you think a grace period should be offered more widely - for example a grace period for over-staying in free parking bays, at the start of pay and display parking and paid for parking bays, and in areas where there are traffic restrictions (such as loading restrictions, or single yellow lines)? • If allowed, how long do you think a grace period should be? • Do you think the Government should be considering any further measures to tackle genuinely anti-social parking or driving? If so, what?

9.8 The Government’s response, published in June 2014, is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-authority-parking and as a result, minor changes were introduced in April, 2015 including a 10 minute ‘period of grace’ to be allowed at the expiry of permitted parking time, on or off-street, before a PCN can be issued.

10.0 Financial Considerations

10.1 Details of the income, including contract parking and expenditure in respect of the City’s car parks for the last financial year are included at appendix ‘H’.

10.2 A surplus amount of £376,042 was generated overall from the off-street operation, contributing to the Parking Budget.

10.3 As previously referred to, in light of the financial climate at the time and in an attempt to assist local businesses, a free half hour of parking was introduced on Salford Council’s pay and display car parks in April 2012. This is dependent upon motorists obtaining a free ticket from the pay and display machines on entering the car parks or buying a ticket, paying for any additional time they may require.

10.4 This free parking time provides the opportunity for a motorist to make a short visit to the local bank, grocery shop or other such business, without incurring a charge.

10.5 Income from the off street facilities has increased year on year for the last three years which in part is due to the Stott Lane car park. However, it needs to be acknowledged that not all of this income is profit and that there are considerable costs involved in running the car parks including maintenance, waste water charges and in some cases, business rates.

10.6 In the case of the Stott Lane car park for example, the facility was assessed last year by the Valuation Office retrospectively, for business rates over the last five years, with the Council being liable for payment of £165,000 since taking over its operation, i.e. from the 1st October, 2012.

10.7 As alluded to, the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, permits local authorities to introduce off-street car parks and make a charge for motorists to use them, as Salford have done for a number of years. Income should be used for the provision and maintenance of car parks and the running of parking operations but can be also be used for any other purposes for which the authority may lawfully incur expenditure.

10.8 This is unlike Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) income which must be used to cover the costs of Civil Enforcement operations, any surplus being directed towards local transport issues or highway improvement schemes. The amount of income received from parking penalties both on and off street during the year amounted to £747,922 representative of some 26,613 PCNs issued.

10.9 Taking into account expenditure against income for the parking operation, the total actual income of £835,189 did not meet the Council’s planned income of £932,357 and is unlikely to meet the plan for the current year.

10.10 A breakdown of the Council’s expenditure/income plan for the parking operation against actual expenditure/income figures is included appendix ‘I’.

10.11 However, this does not take into account the management fee payable to Urban Vision Partnership Limited in the sum of £458,000 for providing parking services to the Council.

10.12 New contracts in respect of I.T. provision and the outsourced operational Civil Parking Enforcement service were awarded last year to reduce expenditure.

10.13 Off-street parking income makes a substantial contribution towards the parking budget and any negative variation of charges from the current levels would have a detrimental effect on future target aspirations.

11.0 Conclusions

11.1 All of Salford City Council’s neighbouring Authorities have different parking charging policies as illustrated in section 3 of this report, with very little in common between them which would also appear to be the case nationally.

11.2 Most have seen variations in demand for parking, particularly in town centre areas and in an effort to improve footfall, have introduced a variety of charging incentives to attract motorists to use their car parks producing encouraging results in some areas, particularly when introduced to cater for seasonal demands.

11.3 This is especially relevant against the backdrop of shopping developments such as the Trafford Centre where parking is free, offering an obvious attraction to the motorist but this has to be balanced against the costs of actually driving to such locations. There is still a demand and requirement for local car parks to serve businesses, recreational venues etc. and it is obviously a requirement to tailor parking charges according to the demand and facilities available.

11.4 Obviously, fees which may seem to be acceptable to the motorist for parking in City Centre Manchester, for example, would not necessarily be viewed in the same way in a more outlying area.

11.5 As alluded to in this report, towns such as Bolton and Blackburn have seen increases in footfall in their town centres when free parking has been introduced. However, these are traditional shopping areas with a wide variety of retail outlets attracting visitors from neighbouring areas. Indeed the Bolton survey referred to in this report, indicated that 22% of those surveyed lived outside the Bolton postcode area with people travelling from Wigan, Preston, Blackburn and Oldham for example. It should be noted that such incentives are usually introduced when there is a seasonal increased consumer demand and any improved footfall is not necessarily maintained throughout the year.

11.6 Options that could be considered for introduction on Salford’s car parks would include longer free parking periods, reduced short term hourly charges or increased long term charges but it must be recognised that any changes in the current charging regime may result in reduced parking income having a detrimental effect on the Council’s budget expectations.

11.7 The option of setting differing charges or free parking by area was considered, taking into account the applicable economic conditions relative to the performance of local businesses.

11.8 No evidence was submitted in response to the consultation in respect of how parking charges were affecting businesses although there were unsupported statements made by some respondees, to the effect that this was indeed the case.

11.9 In the absence of such evidence, the commercial premises vacancy rates were examined on an area basis to gauge economic performance.

11.10 These rates were obviously high around the Mocha Parade and Sussex Street car parks area for example, which is due to be re-developed but the vacancy rates in other areas did not appear to indicate that charges were aggravating local conditions in the way that was put forward in some responses to the consultation. In fact, shop premises vacancies in the Walkden retail area are particularly high despite free parking being available.

11.11 There are costs involved in providing, maintaining and managing Council car parks. Although a number are provided free of charge, it is permissible by legislation and reasonable to impose a charge on Council owned car parks, to be paid for by the user rather than them being subsidised through Council Tax by residents who may not be car owners, or indeed, at the expense of the vulnerable.

11.12 Parking charges in Salford are not excessive and it is unreasonable to compare, as some do, Salford’s parking provision to facilities provided by commercial enterprises such as the Trafford Centre, where parking costs are absorbed indirectly.

11.13 It is the view of the working group that the parking and charging regime currently in place throughout the City is proportional to the economic conditions and that the recommendations made for individual car parks within section 6 of this report, are reasonable and appropriate to the areas they serve.

11.14 Whilst it is alleged that parking charges are affecting businesses, this appears to relate mainly to one area of the City and has not been supported by any substantial evidence.

11.15 The responses to the consultation suggested that car park charges are not of great general concern except for the two areas where they had recently been introduced, neither of which could be considered areas of social or economic deprivation.

11.16 As stated in section 1 of this report, in terms of the objectives of the review, cost neutrality, road safety, congestion and economic benefit have been at the forefront of this exercise.

11.17 The recommendations in relation to car park disposal, for consideration on an individual basis, should not be detrimental to income and are designed to contribute to the Council’s overall savings plans.

11.18 Road safety is an essential element of any parking restriction scheme, such as those introduced for junction protection purposes for example and in a similar manner, restrictions are instrumental in preventing or reducing traffic congestion particularly on primary routes through the City, a major threat to the local economy.

11.19 There was no evidence to support the view that parking charges were detrimental to the City economy or that current charges do not reflect the local dynamics of any particular area.

11.20 Income from the parking operation comprising of on and off-street charges combined with that from Penalty Charge Notices used to cover the cost of the enforcement operation, does not currently meet the income plan set by the Council and any reduction in parking charges would result in a further shortfall.

11.21 Following much consideration of the findings of this study, it is the opinion of the group that with the exception of the Walkden area in respect of commuter parking, the City would be sufficiently well served by its off-street car parks following implementation of the recommendations proposed in section 6 of this report.

11.22 It is also the recommendation of the group that there be no reduction in parking charges at this time.

11.23 This report is forwarded for the information of and consideration by the City Mayor.

Appendix ‘A’ - Residents’ Parking Schemes

A.1 Permit schemes varying in size between over one thousand residences and as little eight, operate at the following locations:

• Fire Station Square – located off the Crescent close to the University and Chapel Street area

• Encombe Place

• Swinton Community Parking scheme – applies to streets around the Civic Centre and district shopping centre for residents and businesses

• Crompton Street, Swinton.

• Guild Avenue, Walkden – close to Walkden railway station and local community centre.

• Egerton Road, Walkden

• Hodge Road , Walkden, medical bays

• Salford Royal Hospital area – encompassing numerous streets in the vicinity of the hospital.

• Monton – various side streets off Monton Road.

• Ordsall Area – Salford Quays.

A.2.The Swinton scheme was originally introduced following the imposition of charges on the shopping centre car park by the developers which displaced motorists onto the surrounding streets. This was later exacerbated by Council Staff from the Civic Centre using the side streets initially as an overflow car park and latterly to avoid workplace parking charges. It was decided that, in the circumstances, there would be no charge to the residents and business holders for permits.

A.3 The Salford Royal Hospital scheme was introduced in three phases to address the problem of hospital staff and visitors parking in the surrounding residential streets made worse by expansion of the facility. The scheme was underwritten by an agreement made with the hospital Trust under section 106 of The Town and Country Planning Act 1990, resulting in the Trust financing the scheme but that agreement has now expired.

A.4 A ‘resident’s dispensation’ scheme was introduced to the Monton side streets in 1974. This allows permit holders to park on the single yellow line restriction operating during the day and there have been numerous requests to extend this to other roads in the area

A.5 One such road is Algernon Street and residents of this street have petitioned the Council to extend the existing scheme to include them. This cannot be done as this type of restriction is outdated and would no longer be appropriate for new schemes. A modern stand alone residents’ parking scheme could be introduced for Algernon Street but this would incur a cost for those residents which their neighbours within the existing arrangement would not be liable to pay. This raises the question of whether Algernon Street residents should be charged for permits as opposed to those residing within the old scheme simply because the legislation has changed and the now obsolete scheme is still in place.

A.6 This is especially relevant considering other resident/community schemes within the City funded by the Council rather than by residents or businesses and raises a general question about the principle behind the application of charges. For example, where action taken by the Council, such as the introduction of parking charges, causes parking displacement to another area, is it reasonable to introduce a resident’s permit scheme to alleviate the problem and then charge the resident?

A.7 The Council has had requests to introduce several other schemes covering a number of streets, i.e:

• Cleminson Street area – in view of the significant number of developments with limited off-street parking, there is a need to manage the demand for on-street parking to protect all residents in the area.

• University area – Strawberry Road, Broad Street, Coconut Grove etc - issues with student parking nuisance; possibility of introducing on-street pay and display which could subsidise permit costs for residents.

• Walkden Station – a consultation has been carried out with residents to introduce a scheme to manage long stay parking around the station.

• AJ Bell Stadium – there are a number of requests for a match day scheme for this area. Currently an advisory scheme is implemented which has had some limited success but there are on-going revenue costs for implementing this for each match. This could be replaced by a permanent event day scheme.

A.8 As a point of principle the Council must make a decision as to whether the £50 permit cost should now be applied to residents in areas where these costs have been previously subsidised, i.e. Monton and the Salford Royal Hospital area.

A.9 It is estimated that the income which could be generated by the three major schemes which are currently free of charge, i.e. Salford Royal, Monton and Swinton, is c£100,000 per annum whilst that received from the small chargeable schemes amounts to less than £3,000 per annum. This does not cover the cost of issuing permits and neither the maintenance of schemes nor their implementation.

A.10 The Community Parking scheme around the Civic Centre in Swinton has recently been extended and consideration is being given to introduce a scheme around Walkden Station and shopping centre (close to the scheme on Guild Avenue).

A.11 Over the last year, a high number of requests for schemes on streets in the City have been received. The Council has a policy for introducing schemes but there is increasing pressure with limited resources to investigate all requests.

A.12 Considering a number of objections to a recently promoted scheme, the Assistant Mayor recommended that scheme promoters should present independent evidence to the Council to show the need for a scheme and provide clear evidence of a problem.

A.13 Requests are regularly received to extend the Salford Royal hospital scheme but there is currently no income to undertake surveys or capital funding for the signage to extend this scheme.

Appendix ‘B’

Parking Policy – Neighbouring Authorities.

Authority Tariffs Incentives

Bolton Joint venture with NCP. Free parking on multi-storeys Parking charges vary Saturday, Sunday and Bank considerably between car Holidays, also after 1500 parks and range from 90p for hours over Christmas period 1 hour up to £10.00 over 4 subject to Council approval. hours depending on location. No concessions on surface level car parks. Bury Range from 10p for ten £2.30 up to 3 hours on minutes to £10.00p per day Market car park. depending on location. Mid range tariffs increased by (Free 15 minutes on-street 10p to £2.00p for two hours removed July, 2013) & to £5.00p over two hours. Flat rate of £1.00 introduced for Sunday parking. Rochdale Range from 50p per hour to Three hours free parking £6.70p per day. anytime Monday to Saturday and free all day Sunday in Town Centre car parks. Free on Bank Holidays throughout the Borough.

Wigan Range from £1.00p up to one Some car parks have low all hour to £6.50p over six hours day charges on Saturdays ranging from £1.00p to £2.00p. Some have low daily rates during the week of between £1.00p and £2.00p. Oldham Joint venture with NSL. Fees First 2 hours were free until vary widely according to April 2013 now discontinued location from 80p for 30 & replaced by 3 hours free, minutes to £8.00 maximum Saturday and Sunday. Free for the day. 30 minutes on some Pay and Display car parks.

Manchester Joint venture partnership ‘Earlybird’ incentive if parking with NCP. Prices vary widely between 0600 and 0900 according to location from hours, £4.10 up to 12 hours £1.00 for one hour up to and discounted pre-paid on- £20.00 over 6 hours. line bookings.

Appendix ‘C’ – Example of Consultation Pro-forma

NAME OF CAR PARK: FIDDLERS LANE, IRLAM FREE CAR PARK ACCESS ON FIDDLERS LANE

NUMBER OF SPACES: 25 DISABLED SPACES: 0 NUMBER OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINTS: None CONSTRUCTION/DRAINAGE : Bituminous Macadam, 1 gully LIGHTING COLUMNS: None SIGNAGE: Yes OTHER: Signs and height barrier to restrict Commercial vehicles. Condition good, no markings. SURVEY/USEAGE DATA: 18/06/13 at 12:50- 9 vehicles. 16/08/13 at 15:40- 7 vehicles. RESIDENT’S PARKING SCHEME NEARBY: No LOCAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS: PROXIMITY TO RETAIL CENTRE: Several local shops nearby. OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE: 2011/12 £ 2012/13 £ 2013/14 £ MEMBERS TO COMPLETE FOLLOWING CONSULATION WITH COMMUNITY COMMITTEE • How does this car park benefit the needs of the local community, and what contribution does it provide the local economy?

• Are there any other appropriate sites for additional parking locally?

Appendix ‘D’ - Accompanying Consultation Letter

Dear Colleague,

The City Mayor has called for a review of car parking in the City to be undertaken, particularly in relation to car parks and parking fees.

To this end, a small working group of Council Officers together with myself and Councillor Richard Critchley, have been looking at various issues and information has been obtained in respect of all the car parks under the control of the Council’s Environmental Services.

It is believed appropriate to obtain the views of the local communities as part of the review and to this end, I have attached some information sheets relating to the car parks which are self explanatory.

Some of the car parks are subject to charges whilst the majority are free, however, all incur some level of expense to operate whether it be to cover business rates, waste water charges, power supply, litter removal, gritting, general repairs or maintenance .

Expenditure incurred on these car parks varies and whilst some may be subject to certain fees to the motorist and others are not, income resulting from parking fees is used to fund all the car parks, not just those generating income. The operational expenditure indicated on the sheets is that incurred through the parking budget and does not necessarily reflect the total amounts spent on the car parks. Some operations such as sweeping, litter picking etc, may have been undertaken as part of other operations taking place in the surrounding areas funded by other budgets.

The percentage value indicated on some of the information sheets under Local Economic Conditions, relates to vacant retail premises.

I would be obliged if you could consult with your local communities in relation to the car parks in your areas of responsibility and seek views on two questions.

• How does this car park benefit the needs of the local community and what contribution does it provide to the local economy?

• Are there any other appropriate sites for additional parking locally?

Obviously, you are not restricted to the space allowed on the information sheets for a response and your views would be welcomed if some of the facilities in your areas are no longer required, due to lack of use for example.

As it is intended to produce a report in June relating to the review, an early response would be appreciated and in any case by the 5th of May, 2014.

Thank you for your co-operation. Please address your response to Mr W Earnshaw, Group Engineer for Parking Services at [email protected]

Yours sincerely,

Councillor D Antrobus, Assistant Mayor for Strategic Planning.

Appendix ‘E’

Parking for Prosperity Review Consultation – Responses

E.1 One response from a local Councillor summarised most of the issues in Monton:

‘In relation to Monton Car Park, the view of local councillors has been long held that the introduction of charging for this car park has had a damaging effect on local businesses and the local community. Local businesses and the Community association have submitted well documented evidence to this effect and the parking situation on roads outside the parking dispensation zone is becoming intolerable at a time when the car park is under-used.

Lengthy free parking for cars provided by supermarkets in Swinton, Pendleton and Walkden put the businesses in Monton at a competitive disadvantage.

The car park is vital for the future of Monton and the space is currently under-utilised leading to congestion on the surrounding roads.

I believe the best policy would be to return to free parking, obviating any costs associated with charge enforcement, failing that, a reasonable free parking period of 3 hours (comparable with Pendleton and other areas) would bring Monton much needed economic support and relief for residents from parking congestion.’

E.2 In relation to the Worsley Court House car park, the following extract from a response by a local Councillor reflected most of the views:

‘The car park opposite the Court House is hardly used. It cannot be a viable proposition. Cars now park down Farm Lane for the day, Worsley Rd for the day, Barton Rd after the designated area, for the day and by Mill Brow for the day. This results in certainly Farm Lane being a danger and a head on is inevitable at some stage.’ - ‘Therefore I recommend the “Pay” be scrapped and at least remove some of the burden from local residents.’

E.3 Other comments included the following observations – ‘the car park is an eyesore, under used asset – little or no use to needs of community – fees have caused exodus of workers and customers of local businesses.’

-‘The imposition of parking charges triggered a change in parking behaviour away from the car park to nearby streets, which remains problematic for local residents and businesses.’

-‘Future planning for parking in Worsley Village needs to be addressed in the round. There is a potential negative impact both to the legitimate requirements of local residents and businesses, and to the economic benefits deriving of the Heritage project.’

E.4 The Walkden area in the vicinity of the railway station and lack of parking for rail users was also a matter of concern raised by local Councillors and residents.

E.5 The review process highlighted the fact that motorists were relying on residential streets for parking bays, much to the frustration of people living in the area.

E.6 Comments made were – .....‘parking is becoming much more difficult in Walkden and will continue to get worse ..... There is already a campaign and several applications to make all remaining on-street parking in central Walkden and around the station, residents only due to convenience, access and safety concerns leaving the station with zero parking within the immediate area....’

E.7 It was pointed out that as part of this study, ‘it is important to plan for the future prosperity of Walkden for without parking and access to transport links, Walkden woud suffer. The station is already exceptionally busy and passenger numbers are growing every year, which is likely to continue further when a lane of the A580 is closed this year for the cross-city busway.’

E.8 It was suggested that every effort is made to identify land for a future car park. This is supported by residents and the local campaign group ‘Friends of Walkden Station.’

E.9 Although the purchase of land was believed unlikely to be an option due to the severe budget pressures, reference was made to the council owned depot on Chestnut Avenue, of which mention has been made as possibly becoming surplus to requirements. It was stressed that this land must be considered as essential for future plans to address the severe parking difficulties in central Walkden.

E.10 Irlam & Cadishead was also highlighted in respect of the car parks at Fiddlers Lane, Irlam, New Moss Road, Cadishead and Liverpool Road, Cadishead.

E.11 All three car parks are very similar in that they support local shops including libraries, the post office, a pharmacy and job centre.

E.12 The point was made that the car parks have always been free and accommodate vehicles which otherwise would park on the surrounding roads

E.13 Reference was also made to the regeneration work done in the area in conjunction with the ‘Hamilton Davies Trust’ including the removal of waiting restrictions where possible, the refurbishment of Irlam Station and resistance to the introduction of charges there, proposed by the Trust.

E.14 There is a desire to keep the car parks tidy but it is recognised that funding in this respect is not high.

E.15 Swinton Councillors raised a number of local issues as follows:

• Members strongly supported free car parking at the Civic Centre at the weekend to sustain local business – this was introduced some years ago and temporary signs were placed at the main entrance on Chorley Road and also on Partington Lane at the staff car park entrance but take up was minimal. The Civic Centre Visitor’s car park is currently free on Saturdays and Sundays and free parking is also available at the front of the Town Hall.

• They felt there was a need for more disabled spaces at the Civic Centre car park – current spaces on the site comply with Government guidelines in terms of 6% disabled spaces. The ‘Equal in Salford’ team, representing disabled employees have been involved in discussions over the last few years and various issues have been resolved. A demand for more designated disabled parking bays on the visitors car park has not been apparent but blue badge holders can also park free of charge in any of the other bays there.

• They felt that there should be charging at the new ‘Gateway’ – it is not intended to make specific arrangements for public parking at the Gateway other than what is already available on the Church Street Pay and Display car park.

• They felt the Cemetery Road car park should be sold because of the anti-social behaviour it attracted. – A decision was made some years ago to dispose of this car park but the land has not been not sold as yet due to a public right of way issue across the car park.

• They felt more information about the use of the Elm Street car park should be provided. There was a concern that there may be an impact of nearby streets if

charging was introduced. - the car park is well used in connection with the local business units. It is possible that Council staff may also use it as it is not too far from the Civic Centre and the nearby Sutherland House but it is a public car park available for anyone to use.

• Vine Avenue, Pendlebury, is not identified in the consultation survey. Ideally it could be managed by a third party since it is not maintained but is used by the schools and restaurant. - the Vine Avenue facility is not a ‘Highways’ car park and is managed by the Urban Vision Property Management Section. It was leased to a local restaurant until 2011. As the railway runs through a tunnel underneath, there is little that could be done with the land in terms of development. It is designated as a community car park and there are no recommendations to introduce charges on it as motorists would simply be displaced onto the unrestricted surrounding streets.

• Lees Street former playground needs to be reopened as a car park. - this land, opposite the mill on Lees Street, is currently subject to a twenty year lease from 2013 as a car park for Vanguard Mill for use in connection with their business.

E 16 Summary of all responses.

Monton 1. Bruce Thompson, Chair, Ellesmere Park Residents Association, 22, Clarendon Crescent. – Monton car park charges. 2. Louise Barton, Loubelle’s Flowers, Monton Road – Monton car park charges 3. Joy Woods, Algernon Street, Monton – Monton car park charges 4. John Williams, 1, Printers Stone Apartments, 39, Monton Green – Monton car park charges 5. Justine Gray – Monton resident and business owner – Monton car park charges 6. Professor Rajan Madhok, 34, Stafford Rd, Ellesmere Park – Monton car park charges 7. Janine McDonald, 34, Greenwood Place, Monton – Monton car park charges 8. Richard McGarry, 2A Granville Street, Monton – Monton car park charges 9. Sara Hughes, Monton resident – Monton car park charges charges 10. Caz Moore – Monton business owner – Monton car park charges 11. Mrs Cath Broadhead, Monton resident – Monton car park charges 12. Maxine Coyle, Resident and Secretary, MVCA – Monton car park charges 13. Florence McCarthy, Monton resident – Monton car park charges 14. Councillor Peter Wheeler – Monton car park charges reflecting the general views of the above respondees, reproduced at paragraph E.1.

Worsley Court House 15. Councillor Clarkson, Worsley Court House car park – Provides only reasonable parking facilities for the Court House, library, local shops and walkers .(No comment re charges) 16. Councillor Compton, Worsley Court House car park charges - The car park opposite the Court House is hardly used. It cannot be a viable proposition. Cars now park down Farm Lane for the day, Worsley Rd for the day, Barton Rd after the designated area, for the day and By Mill Brow for the day. This results in certainly Farm Lane being a danger and a head on is inevitable at some stage. Exiting Farm Lane, which I have to do every time I go out, it is impossible to see if there is any oncoming traffic. The double parking on Worsley Rd also borders on the being dangerous. Mill Brow is a nightmare to exit. Double yellows would not be an answer in these areas as it would only lead to the problem being moved further up the roads. Therefore I recommend the “Pay” be scrapped and at least remove some of the burden from local residents. 17. Councillor K. Garrido, Worsley Court House charges comprehensive response – eyesore, under used asset – little or no use to needs of community – fees have caused exodus of workers and customers of local businesses.

18. Brian Yung, regular visitor to Worsley – Court House car park – introduce free 1 hour and restrictions on Worsley Road and Barton Road. Clovelly Rd restrictions serving no purpose. 19. John Chapman, Neighbourhood Development Officer – Worsley Court House - The imposition of parking charges triggered a change in parking behaviour away from the car park to nearby streets, which remains problematic for local residents and businesses.

This car park is integral to the plans now commencing implementation using the Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the development of Worsley Delph and the Bridgewater Canal as Heritage resources and Tourism attractions. Part of the work to be undertaken includes significant physical changes (beginning with a long period of closure) to this car park over the next 12 to 18 months.

Future planning for parking in Worsley Village needs to be addressed in the round. There is a potential negative impact both to the legitimate requirements of local residents and businesses, and to the economic benefits deriving of the Heritage project.

Standfield Centre, Boothstown

20. Helen Wiles, Chairperson of Boothstown Village Hall – Standfield Centre car park fully utilised and essential. St Andrew’s Primary School problematic. Spare land Leigh Rd/Vicars Hall Lane could be used as car park? 21. Councillor Cheetham, Standfield Shopping Centre – opposition to any introduction of charges.

Eccles 22. Friends of Eccles Station – St Mary’s Road and station parking area – improvements to car park 23. Joseph Graham – Eccles car parks – in answer to question re benefit and contribution to local economy – Barton Lane - None whatsoever, Corporation Rd - none whatsoever, Eccles Multi-storey – leave alone, Eccles Precinct – leave alone, John William Street – leave alone, St Mary’s Rd – Leave alone, Irwell Place – leave alone, Monton car park – leave alone, Aldred Street – not needed, build on, Green Lane – not needed, build on, Renshaw Street – not needed, build on, Legh Street – either start charging or build on.

Stott Lane

24. Councillor Paul Wilson – Salford Royal East car park (Stott Lane) – Prices should be aligned with the hospital car parks – it should be pay on exit.

Strawberry Road 25. Resident’s group – Strawberry Road car park – Well used between 0900 and 1500 by students making it difficult to park – no problem outside those times. If car park taken away, significant increase in parking and congestion in the area.

Mocha Parade 26. Jonathon Drake, Head of Neighbourhood Services, Salix Homes – comments about Mocha Parade and Sussex St car parks supporting local shops and communities. The land is contained in the Countryside Development agreement and has outline planning permission for commercial development.

Queen Street, Little Hulton 27. Councillor B Ryan – Queen St, Little Hulton – well used and important to community, near to shops and Doctor’s surgery and serves as drop area for local school. Does not think it appropriate to charge. Spare land at end of Bridgewater Street could be used for school drop off point but apparently leased to City West.

Walkden

28. Councillor Richard Critchley supported by Councillor B Ryan - lack of council owned car parks in Walkden. The railway station has zero dedicated parking, relying on residential streets for parking bays. Parking is becoming much more difficult and will continue to get worse. A council owned car park was recently disposed of close to the town centre as part of the sale of an office building. A residents parking scheme has recently been applied on Guild Avenue, close to the centre and this is due to be expanded to all surrounding streets later this year. There is already a campaign and several applications to make all remaining on-street parking in central Walkden and around the station residents only due to convenience, access and safety concerns. This will leave the station with zero parking within the immediate area, with commuters having to compete for on-street parking further away with visitors to Salford City College and the expanding Mesne Lea primary school. As part of this study it is important to plan for the future prosperity of Walkden and without parking and access to transport links, Walkden will suffer. The station is already exceptionally busy and passenger numbers are growing every year, which is likely to continue further when a lane of the A580 is closed this year for the cross-city busway. I suggest that every effort is made to identify land for a future car park. This is supported by residents and the local campaign group, Friends of Walkden Station. Purchasing land is unlikely to be an option due to the severe budget pressures but the council does own a depot on Chestnut Avenue, which has been mentioned may become surplus to requirements. This land must be considered as essential for future plans to address the severe parking difficulties in central Walkden.

Irlam and Cadishead

29. Councillor Roger Jones - three council owned car parks highlighted –

• Fiddlers Lane, Irlam, • New Moss Road, Cadishead. • Liverpool Road, Cadishead.

All three car parks are very similar in that they support local shops including libraries, post office, pharmacy, job centre etc and they take a lot of cars off nearby roads.

We have never charged for these car parks simply because it would result in many people parking on the roads.

I also want to highlight two issues :

1. We have reviewed the whole of Liverpool Road and we are spending a lot of money along with Hamilton Davies Trust (HDT) in regenerating the Cadishead & Lower Irlam areas including removing the double yellow line restrictions wherever possible.

2. We have just got planning permission for the refurbishment of Irlam Station and TfGM will be providing a free car park. HDT wanted to introduce charges, but TfGM and local councillors insisted that it must be free - for exactly the same reason. If charges are introduced then people will park on the roads.

The only other comment I would add is that we want the car parks to look tidy, but we do not expect a lot of money to be spent on them. Recently we have done minimum improvements to the Liverpool Road, Cadishead car park.

Swinton

30. A number of comments from Swinton Councillors contained in paragraph E.15.

Appendix ‘F’

Review of ‘Highways’ car parks.

F.1. Fiddlers Lane, New Moss Road and Liverpool Road – these are free car parks serving the local communities of Irlam and Cadishead, situated near to local shops, a library, post office and other facilities. All are reasonably well used and the main expenditure is comprised of business rates and waste water charges.

F.2 Funding, from the Irlam and Cadishead Community Committee through their devolved highways budget, was provided to repair the surface of the Liverpool Road facility in 2014. Planters were also supplied to enhance the appearance of the car park by the Hamilton Davies Trust which will be maintained by the Rotary Club of Irlam.

F.3. It is considered that car parks are a valued asset in the area and should be retained. The point has been made by a local Councillor that they have always been free of charge, removing vehicles from the nearby roads and that there is a need to invest in them as some are in poor condition.

F.4. Although maintenance costs have been minimal, there are still the cost implications of business rates and waste water charges to be considered. The introduction of Pay and Display parking could be examined on all three car parks but this would have to be balanced against the possibility of displacement onto surrounding roads.

F.5. Pay and Display set up costs could amount to c£10,000 for each car park which would need to be considered against any likely future income and running costs.

F.6. The possibility of offsetting waste water charges by tree planting, under the Red Rose Forest scheme can also be explored, reducing operational costs.

F.7. There are two Pay and Display car parks in Swinton, both located in the Town Centre.

F.8. One is situated in Church Street opposite St. Peter’s Church serving the Church, local shops in Chorley Road, the Shopping Precinct, the adjacent Police Station and the new Gateway facility. The other is for visitors to the Civic Centre.

F.9. The standard charges apply to both car parks and they are well used.

F.10. There is no recommendation for change in relation to these car parks.

F.11. There are also two free car parks in the Swinton area located at Elm Street and Cemetery Road South.

F.12. The Elm Street facility is extremely well used serving local businesses and residents who have made demands for a residents parking scheme within the area.

F.13. Not all areas including this one, meet the criteria for such schemes for many reasons and the provision of this car park relieves these demands.

F.14. In this respect, it is recommended there be no change to the arrangements for this car park.

F.15. The Cemetery Road South car park, which a recent survey revealed did indicate some light use, is subject to littering and anti-social behaviour. It has previously been considered for disposal but it is believed that a public rights of way issue held up the process. It is recommended that attempts be made to resolve this matter and that the car park be disposed of.

F.16. Other parking facilities in the Swinton shopping centre area are provided at the Asda, Morrisons, B & Q and Aldi stores for customer use.

F.17. Following redevelopment in the Salford Shopping Precinct area, the Council have only one pay and display car park serving that part of the City, located in Hankinson Way.

F.18. The standard charging rates apply on this car park but demand has reduced since free parking for three hours was introduced on the new Tesco and Shopping City facilities in November 2012.

F.19. However, there are still a number of annual contract holders using the car park and it also provides a cheaper daily long stay rate alternative to the privately owned shopper’s car parks. For example, eight hours parking on the Council car park would cost users £3.50 as opposed to £5.00 on the other facilities.

F.20. It is anticipated that this car park may be redeveloped in the future but in the meantime, the surface does require some remedial work.

F.21. There is no recommendation for change at the moment.

F.22. Cleminson Street Car Park was until 2013, only available for lease holders or contract permit holders mainly working at the nearby Magistrates Courts in Bexley Square and was administered by Urban Vision Property Services.

F.23. Access was only available to motorists holding a key for the barrier but following the closure of the Courts, it became apparent that a large number of unauthorised keys were in circulation allowing free use by commuter motorists who appeared to be parking there and walking into workplaces in the surrounding area or Manchester.

F.24. As part of the Trinity area parking study, it was decided to utilise the car park as a Pay and Display facility opening only between 0800 and 2000 hours daily.

F.25. The car park became available for public use in May, 2013 with charges set at £1.00 per hour following a free period of 30 minutes.

F.26. Since that time, there had been very little demand for the facility which was believed to be due to what was perceived as a high hourly rate.

F.27. Some privately owned car parks located in areas closer to Manchester are currently charging daily rates as low as £2.40.

F.28.To remain competitive and encourage use of this car park, it was believed that the charges needed to be significantly adjusted and that a daily rate of £2.50 should be introduced together with a contract rate reflecting the other Council car parks, i.e. £360 (+ VAT) per annum.

F.29 This needed to be complemented by a suitable hourly rate (following the initial free 30 minute period) which was decided would be £1.50 for up to 2 ½ hours.

F.30. These changes were introduced in December 2014 and have resulted in a far greater demand for its use.

F.31. The City Council took control of the Salford Royal East Car Park situated in Stott Lane, from the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust following expiry of the hospital’s lease on the land in October, 2012.

F.32. The hospital Trust had operated the car park as a ‘pay on foot’ facility where access and egress was barrier controlled, dependent upon the motorist purchasing a ticket for the used parking time.

F.33. This method of control is further dependent upon staff being available on site to assist motorists in respect of lost tickets or other difficulties experienced in attempting to exit the car park barrier.

F.34. However, as there were no Council resources to staff the facility, Pay and Display machines were installed to control it as on other Council car parks and charges were introduced, except for disabled motorists, to mirror those applying on the Trust’s two internal car parks within the hospital grounds as follows;

Hourly Regime Charges (£) 0 – 1 hour 1.00 1 – 3 hours 2.00 3 – 4 hours 3.00 4 – 6 hours 4.00 6 – 8 hours 6.00

F.35. A consequence of the introduction of the one hour period was that some visitors/patients attending the hospital only obtained a ticket for the minimum amount of time, failing to make allowances for any delays which could be encountered.

F.36. This resulted in numerous penalty charge notices being issued for over-staying the one hour period and many challenges to such penalties.

F.37. The Hospital Trust have since removed the one hour minimum period on their internal car parks. To minimise the likelihood of motorists over-staying on the East car park, it was decided that the Council’s charges be modified slightly by abolishing the one hour charging period and replacing it with a minimum charge of two pounds for up to three hours, again, mirroring the hospital charges but still allowing free parking for disabled motorists. It was also decided that the maximum parking period advertised as between 6 and 8 hours be clarified to apply as a daily rate, as illustrated below:

Hourly Regime Charges (£) 0 – 3 hours 2.00 3 – 4 hours 3.00 4 – 6 hours 4.00 6 - 24 hours 6.00

This change took place in December, 2014 and not only has this resulted in a reduction in PCN issues but there has been a slight increase in parking income.

Additionally, as alluded to at paragraph 2.11, a cashless parking trial was introduced in February, 2014, providing an alternative payment method by telephone which has had take up rates averaging about 325 transactions per month. This trial is due to be extended throughout the City.

F.38. As part of a discussion in December, 2013, concerning the car park, it was suggested by hospital governors that the Trust may wish to take over its operation, running it in a similar manner to their on-site facilities, whilst paying due regard to the Council’s interest in it but since then, there have been no further proposals put forward. However, there are regular exchanges of communication between the Parking Services section and the hospital’s Facilities Management covering general matters and it is known that demands on the on-site car parks are continually changing. In this respect, best practice for the car park’s future will be discussed and any recommendations for change will be reported.

F.39. The only other Pay and Display car park in this area is the visitor’s car park for the Turnpike House Council offices for which there is no proposed change.

F.40. George St North car park is a well used free facility serving the Bury Old Road, Cheetham area and has capacity for sixty-three vehicles.

F.41. There are issues with expenditure on this car park in terms of business rates, surface repairs, tree management and litter collections resulting in a total spend over the last three years of £24,400.

F.42. It is believed that pay and display parking could be introduced on this facility and it is recommended that this be given consideration.

F.43. Mocha Parade and Sussex Street car parks are free facilities attached to the Mocha Parade shopping centre.

F.44.The area is due for re-development which will include parking provision and there are no recommendations for change at this time.

F.45. Tully Street car park is located off Great Cheetham Street East. It is under-used and recently accommodated a site compound for contractors undertaking work in the area. It is considered that this thirty space facility is surplus to requirements and is recommended for disposal.

F.46. Strawberry Road and Princess Street car parks are both free facilities providing eleven and twenty-two parking spaces respectively. They are both well used by students and businesses in the area. There were no recommendations for change but the Strawberry Road facility was recently subject to a stock transfer to Salix Homes and is no longer under Council control.

F.47. There are twelve car parks in the Eccles area, seven of which are Pay and Display.

F.48. As alluded to at paragraph 2.8 in respect of two tier charging, Eccles was the only district where this still applied and it was decided that it would be appropriate to eliminate the higher tier and align the charges with most of the other car parks in the City, a move which took place in December, 2014, i.e.

Hourly Regime Charges (£) 0 – ½ hour Free ½ - 2 ½ hours 1.50 Over 2 ½ hours 3.50

F.49. Eccles multi-storey car park comprises of three elements which are the main structure; an exterior deck area known as the ‘Apron’ and a partial open area at ground level known as Eccles Precinct.

F.50.The whole complex is leased by the Council from the shopping centre owners, Threadneedle Property Investment Services Limited but the Council have a responsibility for maintenance.

F.51. The main structure is used for contract parking only at the moment by Council and Urban Vision Staff as is the Apron area, although that is available for public Pay and Display parking at the weekends.

F.52. The Precinct area provides a free disabled parking area and public pay and display.

F.53. The multi-storey structure, dating from the 1960s, has presented many problems such as water ingress into shop units underneath the parking decks and requires considerable financial investment to fund repairs.

F.54. Its condition has recently been surveyed and this needs to be considered as part of any plan for future development of the town centre.

F.55. It is recommended that no action be taken in respect of the facility until it is determined exactly what remedial work is required.

F.56. John William Street and St. Mary’s Road Pay and Display car parks are surface level facilities providing parking for visitors to the town centre and Eccles Railway Station.

F.57. Both are well used and effective in terms of income generation, which exceeds operating costs and it is recommended that no change takes place in their operation.

F.58. Irwell Place surface level car park is attached to the Eccles Fit City recreational centre. It is a well used public pay and display car park providing parking for town centre visitors and motorists attending the recreation centre, again, income exceeding operating costs.

F.59. Eccles Fit City, which is operated by Salford Community Leisure (SCL) Limited, is the only SCL facility in the City which does not have its own car park and requests have been made on numerous occasions by SCL to provide some form of concession for the car park to encourage use of the centre.

F.60. A proposal was made that SCL actually take control of the car park on re-imbursement of an annual fee to the Council but this has not progressed. Any such arrangement would need to ensure that public parking remain available and that the car park would not be totally dedicated to Fit City clientele only.

F.61. Partington Street, Monton is a surface level car park located off Monton Road providing parking close to the commercial area of the district.

F.62. Free parking was provided on the car park until charges were introduced in October, 2011 although approval was actually granted to do this in 2002. However, this was not implemented at the time due to a number of factors.

F.63. Prior to and following the introduction of charges in 2011, there was much concern expressed by residents and traders in Monton about the situation and the possible consequences for the future of the area as referred to at paragraph 4.5 of this report.

F.64. The car park is not as well used as it was prior to the introduction of charges but still generates sufficient income to cover its operational costs.

F.65. Contract parking is available for regular users of the car park at £360 plus VAT per annum which equates to £8.31 per week as opposed to the daily rate of £3.50.

F.66. Discussions are currently taking place with a potential developer in respect of new business premises in the area for which the car park would be integral and it is recommended that there be no change to the current arrangements.

F.67. Corporation Road and Barton Lane are relatively new pay and display car parks located close to the Irwell Place facility, providing parking close to the town centre.

F.68. Corporation Road is attracting annual contract holders and its general use is increasing following the introduction of on street waiting restrictions on surrounding roads.

F.69. Barton Lane gets very little use since charges were introduced in December, 2013 and in fact the total amount collected from the machine since it became operational until March, 2015, is £234.00 gross.

F.70. However, the car parks are still relatively new facilities and it is recognised that it can take time to attract users. It is therefore recommended that there be no change to their control at the moment and that the situation be reviewed in two years time.

F.71. Aldred Street 1 and 2 (Patricroft) comprises of two car parks accessed from Aldred Street but situated on both sides of the road opposite each other.

F.72. Aldred Street 1 is located to the front and side of Holy Cross Church, the front part being owned by the Church but dedicated to the Council as a public car park. The area to the side is Council property but maintenance responsibilities are subject to a complicated arrangement contained within the deed of dedication.

F.73. Aldred Street 2 is located on the opposite side of the street and is owned by the Council who are responsible for maintenance.

F.74. Both car parks, which are free of charge, are particularly well used by the Church congregation and visitors to the nearby Springfield Health Centre which also has its own dedicated car park. Visitors to other premises in Liverpool Road also use the car park but the main demand is at weekends.

F.75. There is a demand for the car parks but it is recommended that the possibility of disposal or transferring management responsibilities to the Church be explored.

F.76. Green Lane is a small free facility located near to the former Eccles Police Station providing eighteen parking spaces. It currently gets little use which would suggest its suitability for disposal but due to its reasonably close proximity to Patricroft Railway Station, the opportunity for promotion of its use as a station car park needs to be explored.

F.77. Legh Street car park is located off Liverpool Road, Patricroft next to the former Bridgewater Mill and alongside the Bridgewater Canal.

F.78. It is free of charge and well used by the occupiers of the various businesses units within the mill who are unable to park on surrounding streets due to parking restrictions.

F.79. Landscaping work has recently taken place to improve a recreational area alongside the canal accessed from the car park.

F.80. There is no recommendation for change of use.

F.81. Renshaw Street car park is located off Liverpool Road. It is free of charge and is well used, servicing shops located on the major road.

F.82. There is no recommendation for change of use.

F.83. Standfield Shopping Centre car park at Boothstown is located at the rear of the shopping centre. It is free of charge and well used, providing an alternative to on-street parking in the nearby residential estate.

F.84 The ownership arrangements of this complex are unusual in as much as the commercial premises are in the possession of one company whilst the car park’s ‘sub-soil’ is owned by Peel Investments (North) Limited.

F.85. However, the question of maintenance in respect of this car park was discussed at a Council meeting in 1976 and despite the former Greater Manchester County Council’s policy not to adopt car parks that do not form part of the highway, Salford City Council’s Planning and Development Committee resolved that this car park be adopted as highway and maintained thereafter, out of the general maintenance budget for car parks.

F.86. A total of £18,000 has been spent over the last three years on maintenance of the car park’s surface and it may now be appropriate to re-consider the Council’s future responsibility in that respect.

F.87. Worsley Court House car park provides parking for the Court House facility, people visiting Worsley Woods, nearby business premises and due to its location near to the M60 Motorway, motorists wishing to car share.

F.88. Charges were introduced on this car park in 2009 but demand has reduced since then and there was considerable local opposition to the charges but it does provide an alternative long stay option to the restricted nearby on-street provision.

F.89. Work is currently being undertaken in the area using the Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the development of Worsley Delph and the Bridgewater Canal as Heritage resources and tourism attractions, which will see the car park configuration altered significantly.

F.90. It is not recommended that there be any change made to the charging regime in place until the outcome of the development scheme can be assessed, its continued use taking into account any incentives which could be introduced to encourage car sharing and also any future tourism requirements.

F.91. Queen Street, Walkden, provides free parking for visitors to a nearby Doctor’s surgery, local shops and to parents dropping off and collecting children from St Edmund’s RC Primary School.

F.92. There is no recommendation for change to this car park.

Appendix ‘G’ – Map of CPZ Area

Appendix ‘H’

Car Park Income and Expenditure 2014/15

Number Name Income £ Expenditure £ Surplus/ - Deficit £ 1 Fiddlers Lane, Irlam 0 0 0 2 New Moss Road, Cadis. 0 1,607 -1,607 3 Liverpool Road, Cadis. 0 2,541 -2,541 4 Church Street, Swinton 24,392 9,625 14,767 5 Civic CentreVisitors 44,821 1,807 43,014 6 Elm Street, Swinton 0 0 0 7 Cemetery Road, Swinton 0 0 0 8 George St North, Salf. 8 0 3,958 -3,958 9 Strawberry Rd, Salford 6 0 105 -105 10 Tully Street, Salford 7 0 0 0 11 Princess St, Salford 6 0 0 0 12 Mocha Parade, Salford 7 0 0 0 13 Sussex Street, Salford 7 0 4,239 -4,239 14 Hankinson Way, Salf.6 50,642 13,890 36,752 15 Stott Lane, Salford 6 235,742 76,732 159,010 Cleminson St, Salford 3 16 11,481 18,087 -6,066 Turnpike House Visitors 17 3,352 1,121 2,231 18 & 19 Eccles Multi storey 26,325 29,903 -3,578 (including apron) 20 Eccles Precinct 9,022 1,146 7,876 21 John William St, Eccles 57,689 21,988 35,701 22 St Mary’s Road, Eccles 20,710 4,747 15,963 23 Irwell Place, Eccles 49,828 2,599 47,229 24 Partington St, Monton 38,636 11,087 27,549 25 Corporation Rd, Eccles 9,212 2,511 6,701 26 Barton Lane, Eccles 195 720 -525 27 Aldred St 1, Eccles 0 0 0 Aldred St 2, Eccles 28 0 100 100 Green Lane, Eccles 29 0 0 0 30 Legh Street, Eccles 0 100 100

31 Renshaw Street, Eccles 0 0 0 32 Standfield Centre Boo/tn 0 0 0 33 Worsley Court House 3,870 1,123 2,747 34 Queen St, Little Hulton 0 139 -139

Total 585,917 209,875 376,042

All above figures exclude VAT where applicable

Standard charging rates: Hourly Regime Charges (£) 0 – ½ hour Free ½ - 2 ½ hours 1.50 Over 2 ½ hours 3.50

Appendix ‘I’

Parking Operation Cost Breakdown

2014/15

Cost elements Total Plan Actual National Non-Domestic Rates 89,596.00 89,596.04 Programme Maintenance & Works 0.00 4,266.04 SECURITY SYS R 0.00 215.00 UV Day to Day Repairs 1,490.00 1,490.38 Principal Road Maintenance 0.00 185.00 Refuse Disposal 0.00 241.96 Pest Control 0.00 11,000.00 Electricity 7,974.00 9,843.45 Water 21,212.00 20,291.08 Building Security Equipment 0.00 170.00 Cleaning Services 0.00 1,442.98 Grounds Maintenance 6,577.00 3,492.31 General Repairs 10,000.00 22,997.97 Printing & Photocopying 2,500.00 3,062.64 Stationery 5,937.00 17,286.19 MFP Devices -1,507.00 0.00 Debt Collection Agents 23,000.00 25,844.00 Mediation Service between SCC and Bolton 18,000.00 13,146.40 Other Professional Fees 25,000.00 619.00 Consultants 803.00 3,650.00 Contractors 790,000.00 641,009.24 Refunds 0.00 1,045.67 Computer Software (no annual fee) 7,500.00 5,036.99 IT Licence Fees 0.00 24,874.87 Postage 0.00 260.84 Mobile Phones 0.00 900.00 1,008,082.00 901,968.05

Reimbursements 0.00 -90.00 Fees & Charges -1,653,439.00 -1,468,553.16 Staff car parking income -287,000.00 -258,142.18 Income from OPCC 0.00 -10,372.49 Customer and Client Receipts -1,940,439.00 -1,737,067.83

Total -932,357.00 -835,189.78

Parking Services Urban Vision Partnership Limited www.salford.gov.uk/parking September 2014

Contents

Section 1 ………………. Introduction

Section 2 ………………. Penalty Charge Levels

Section 3 ………………. Enforcement

Section 4 ………………. Enforcement Arrangements

Section 5 ………………. Immobilisation (Clamping) and Removals

Section 6 ……………….. Appeal arrangements

Section 7 ……………….. Relationships with other agencies

Section 8 ……………….. Car Parking

Section 9 ……………….. Local/National Liaison

Section 10 ……………… Performance

Section 11 ……………… Further information

Appendices

Appendix A …………….. Enforcement Policy

Appendix B …………….. Financial Report

Appendix C …………….. Statistical Report

Appendix D …………….. Contravention Codes

Appendix E .……………. Correspondence Targets

Civil Parking Enforcement in Salford Annual Report for the period 1 April 2012013333 to 31 March 2012014444....

1.1.1. Introduction

This report, relating to Salford’s Civil Parking Enforcement operation, is prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

The City of Salford is in Greater Manchester and is bounded by Manchester, the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Wigan, together with Warrington.

Decriminalised Parking Enforcement was introduced in Salford in April 2001, the Council being granted powers to do this by Central Government under the provisions of the The Road Traffic (Permitted Parking Area and Special Parking Area) (City of Salford) Order 2001.

Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act, 2004 (TMA) introduced numerous changes to the scheme which became known as Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE).

The key elements and objectives of CPE in Salford are summarised as follows:

• There are over 3500 Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) for waiting restrictions in Salford. • Waiting restrictions are intended to improve road safety, maintain traffic flows and reduce pollution. • Some of the city’s car parks are controlled by TROs and are subject to Pay and Display conditions. • The TMA introduced differential penalties depending on the contravention. • The objective of CPE is to contribute towards the Local Authority’s transport objectives through close involvement with the Council’s Traffic Management Unit, the Police and Fire Services together with other agencies such as Transport for Greater Manchester and the Disabled Drivers Association.

2. Penalty Charge Levels

Parking penalties outside London are much lower than in the capital but are set nationally by Central Government. There are two levels of penalty applicable to parking contraventions dependant upon the severity of the contravention and the following table provides details of the variable levels of charges under the charging band operating in Salford:

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Higher level Lower Higher level Lower level Higher level Lower level penalty level penalty penalty penalty charge penalty charge penalty charge paid charge paid paid after charge charge early early service of paid after charge service of certificate charge certificate

£70 £50 £35 £25 £105 £75

Parking contraventions are classed as higher or lower level dependant upon the severity, determined by Central Government legislation. Columns 1 and 2 refer to the penalties at their respective levels.

Penalties paid within 14 days of issue attract a 50% discount for early payment as illustrated in columns 3 and 4.

Penalties remaining unpaid and unchallenged, result in a charge certificate being issued a minimum of 60 days following the issue of a PCN which increases the penalty by 50% as illustrated in columns 5 and 6.

30,085 PCNs were issued to motorists in Salford during the year, a decrease of 4,699 or 13.5% on the previous year and information relating to their disposal is included at Appendix C.

A total of £804,890 was paid in penalties, a decrease of £156,311 (16.25%) on 20012/13 and a full breakdown of all parking income is included at Appendix B.

3. Enforcement.

Parking Enforcement is undertaken throughout the City on all highways and car parks subject to regulation, by Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) who are empowered to issue PCNs. This operation takes place throughout the year including Bank Holidays, the regulations on highways also being applicable on those days contrary to some motorist’s perception. Signs indicating a restriction, normally accompany yellow lines and these should always be checked when parking to avoid the risk of a penalty. However, it should be noted that double yellow lines indicating ‘no waiting at any time’, no longer require accompanying signs. In addition to ensuring that motorists comply with parking restrictions, those Local Authorities granted CPE powers are also empowered to enforce other traffic matters and some also enforce certain environmental crimes.

Misuse of Bus Lanes.

Currently, bus lanes in Salford are enforced by the Police although the Council, having Civil Parking Enforcement powers, are also empowered to perform this function.

However, following improvements made to the bus lane network in the City and further expansion of a bus priority scheme being introduced along the A580 East Lancashire Road, a compliance survey was undertaken on the A6 and Chapel Street in Salford. This identified almost 5,000 vehicles in contravention of two bus lanes over a six day period.

The methods of bus lane enforcement are quite different to those of parking enforcement. Civil Enforcement Officers do not have powers to control or direct traffic so they cannot stop unauthorised vehicles being driven in bus lanes. In these circumstances, drivers can only be dealt with by recording their movements via cameras which must be what is termed, ‘Approved Devices’.

As it is important to keep bus lanes clear of other traffic, the City Mayor has decided that the Council will exercise its powers to undertake bus lane enforcement using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) equipped CCTV cameras.

To this end, it is planned that a scheme will be introduced during the last quarter of 2014.

Pedestrian Crossings.

The TMA also empowered Local Authorities to enforce ‘zig-zag’ markings at pedestrian crossings, which until then, had solely been an endorseable offence dealt with by the Police.

Under the TMA, whilst the offence of parking in the ‘zig-zag’ area has retained its endorseable status under criminal law, it has also become a civil contravention enforceable by CEOs. However, should the Police witness such an offence that has been dealt with by way of a PCN issued by a CEO, they have the discretion to override that notice and substitute it with an endorseable Fixed Penalty Notice which takes precedence in terms of judicial administration.

In Salford, during the reporting period, 80 PCNs were issued by CEOs for pedestrian crossing contraventions.

Dropped Crossings

Enforcement action can now be taken in respect of motorists parking across dropped crossings, i.e. locations where footpath kerbs have been lowered to provide ease of access to pedestrians at road crossing points. These lowered kerbs are particularly helpful to wheelchair users or people with restricted vision wishing to cross the road, whose progress can be severely impeded by inappropriately parked vehicles.

This power also extends to vehicle crossing points over footpaths such as driveway entrances, to help deal with instances where these access points are obstructed by unauthorised vehicles. The Council only deal with this type of contravention on complaint from a property owner as the legislation allows such owners to park across the access to their own property or permit others to do so.

Most of these locations are not identified by signage or line markings although some may have the familiar white ‘H’ marking painted in the road but advice is contained within the Highway Code in respect of parking where kerbs have been lowered for these purposes. The Council have also previously publicised the intention to enforce these contraventions.

School keep clear markings.

One of the major areas for concern caused by parked vehicles is outside primary schools, particularly at starting and finishing times.

Most school entrances are protected by ‘keep clear zig - zag’ markings which generally denote that vehicles are prohibited from stopping there during the school day.

The restrictions are intended to improve road safety ensuring that children crossing the road are not masked by parked vehicles.

As the number of schools is greater than the CEO’s capacity to visit each day, a rolling programme of monitoring is in place.

4. EEEnforcementEnforcement Arrangements.

Operational parking enforcement in Salford continued to be undertaken by our contracted service provider, NSL Services Group up to the 31st March, 2014. They patrolled the city streets and car parks under Council direction.

Following an extensive procurement exercise, Vinci Park Services (UK) Limited were awarded a contract to provide the service with effect from the 1st of April, 2014.

CEOs can issue PCNs for parking contraventions (details included at appendix D) and in Salford, they are additionally empowered by the Local Authority under the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, 2005, to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for offences of dog fouling, littering, fly posting and graffiti.

PCN processing, which includes dealing with correspondence, payments and appeal file preparation, is dealt with by a small team of Council Officers seconded to Urban Vision Partnership Limited, final authority being sought from the City council.

The Council’s Parking Enforcement Policy is included in this report at Appendix ‘A’.

5. Immobilisation (clamping) and Removals

Clamping and removal of vehicles is permitted in certain circumstances under the TMA in Local Authority areas where CPE is undertaken.

In Salford, we limit this action to circumstances where there are a number of PCNs outstanding in respect of vehicles, which cannot be pursued due to there being no current ownership details recorded at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Clamping and the issue of parking tickets on private land is not governed by the Traffic Management Act and is not something undertaken by the Council.

The introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act, 2012 now prevents the clamping of vehicles on private land by or on behalf of land owners and new arrangements are now in place for motorists to appeal parking tickets issued on private land. Further information in this respect is available on the British Parking Association website at www.britishparking.co.uk

6.6.6. Appeal arrangements.

Motorists wishing to contest PCNs, have various options open to them to do so.

In the first instance, a motorist may make a written challenge to the Council either by letter or e-mail. Should this be rejected and the PCN remains unpaid, a Notice to Owner is sent to the vehicle keeper who may then make representations, again to the Council.

If such representations are rejected, motorists are able to formally appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT), where an independent adjudicator will hear the case.

TPT appeals can be heard in person, by post and now by telephone which assists in speeding up the process, providing more convenience to all parties. Indeed, the Council has taken part in a number of telephone hearings during the year saving time and the expense of attending a hearing in person.

In all cases, the Adjudicator’s decision is final and binding on all parties.

Further information in relation to the work of Traffic Penalty Tribunal can be accessed at http://www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk/site/index.php

7.7.7. Relationships with other agencies.

Police

The enforcement contractors are encouraged to develop close working relationships with other agencies, particularly the police. Indeed, they have actively taken part in a number of policing initiatives throughout the city, including the locally organised ‘Snap’ weeks which look at reducing various aspects of anti social behaviour and encouraging community cohesion.

DVLA

CEOs also provide details of vehicles not displaying excise licences to the DVLA who have powers to clamp and remove any which are not taxed, enabling excise duty recovery action to be taken by them.

Social Services

We are currently working closely with the Council’s Social Services Department in an attempt to reduce the fraudulent misuse of disabled persons parking permits, commonly referred to as ‘blue badges’.

8.8.8. Car Parking

The Council operate a number of Pay and Display car parks situated at the following locations:

• Salford o Hankinson Way, off Loganberry Avenue, Salford. o Stott Lane, (Salford Royal Hospital East) o Cleminson Street o Turnpike House Visitor’s car park

• Eccles o John William Street, off Albert Street, Eccles. o St Mary’s Road, off Church Road, Eccles. o Irwell Place, adjacent to Eccles Recreation Centre, Barton Lane, Eccles. o Eccles Precinct, John William Street, Eccles. o Corporation Road, Eccles. o Partington Street, Monton. o Barton Lane, Eccles.

• Swinton o Church Street, near to the Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton. o Civic Centre Visitor’s car park.

• Worsley

o Worsley Court House, Barton Road, Worsley.

Controlled Parking Zone.

There is a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in the Blackfriars and Trinity areas of Salford bordering onto the City of Manchester, throughout which waiting is restricted.

Highway signage outlines the applicable restriction at all entry points into the zone. Generally speaking, waiting is restricted between the hours of 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday and 8am and 12.30pm on Saturdays.

Additional signing within the zone gives details of other applicable restrictions in force at that point, particularly in relation to loading or unloading operations.

Waiting is permitted on some roads within the controlled zone in marked bays subject to the purchase of a pay and display ticket, available at roadside machines.

The car parks and CPZ are both covered by regulations enforced by the CEOs.

Charges

Annual contracts are available on all our Pay and Display car parks and to encourage use of cleaner burning vehicles, we offer a discount of 25% off contract parking charges for vehicles officially classified as producing low emissions.

Car parking charges remained static throughout the year although it is intended to reduce charges on the Cleminson Street facility and some Eccles car parks. The free 30 minutes parking period introduced in 2012 will continue.

In general, tariffs range from £1.50 for up to two hours to a maximum of £4.50 for the day, depending upon location, with annual contracts priced at £360 (exc.VAT). However, charges on the Cleminson Street and Stott Lane sites do differ from the standard rates currently at a maximum of £12.00 for the day on Cleminson Street and £6.00 for twenty-four hours on Stott Lane, matching the hospital on site fees. CPZ on-street charges are £1.00 per 40 minutes.

Charges apply to Council employees and Elected Members parking on workplace car parks which entitles all who subscribe, to park on any car park attached to Council workplaces. Fees are deducted at source from salaries/allowances.

Electric Vehicles

The development of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across Greater Manchester has been led by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), in partnership with the district authorities and funded through a combination of grants from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and local GM transport funding. The project has been delivered under the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle (GMEV) brand.

In total there will be 34 charging bays in Council car parks and on the highway across the city available for public charging.

The Council offers 4 hours of free parking on pay and display car parks for Electric Vehicles when they are charging as an incentive to increase usage. Since the launch in June 2013, there have been more than 840 charging sessions across the network in Salford. The usage of the sites has continued to grow since the launch of the scheme, those in Salford accounting for approximately 25% of total use across Greater Manchester. The most popular sites in Salford are Corporation Rd, Eccles; Irlam & Cadishead Leisure Centre and Quay Street.

9.9.9. Local/National Liaison

Over 250 local councils now undertake Civil Parking Enforcement, including all those in Greater Manchester and the Council is usually represented at the various meetings and seminars held both at local and national level where matters of best practice are discussed.

We have maintained our membership of the British Parking Association (BPA), an organisation dedicated to formulate and further the highest standards of its members in all parking matters.

10.10.10. Performance

PCN issue levels in Salford have decreased considerably over the previous year whilst on and off-street parking income has increased. Financial and statistical reports are included at appendices ‘B’ and ‘C’.

Challenges and representations made to the Council in respect of PCNs are considered on their own merits and we believe that matters are dealt with in a fair and proportionate manner, discretion being exercised where appropriate.

All of our notice processing team are experienced in dealing with parking enforcement and in addition to answering telephone queries, they consistently deal with all written challenges or representations within the statutory time restraints working towards dealing with correspondence against the targets shown at Appendix ‘E’.

111111.11... Further Information

Civil Parking Enforcement is now more widespread as an increasing number of Councils take on the powers, it being a necessary activity to maintain traffic flows.

Most motorists avoid being issued with a PCN by parking correctly but PCN issue levels in Salford have remained fairly constant since CPE commenced in 2001.

Further information concerning CPE and parking in Salford may be obtained from the following web addresses;

http://www.patrol-uk.info/

http://www.salford.gov.uk/parking

Appendix A

Enforcement Policy.

Waiting restrictions are introduced following a procedure involving consultation with interested parties such as residents, business holders, the emergency services, the passenger transport executive and finally, approval by elected members of the Council.

The reasons for their introduction are manifold but are usually for the purposes of minimising traffic congestion, which can in turn, reduce pollution from idling vehicles. They may also be introduced to aid road safety by improving site lines at junctions, for example.

Some restrictions are introduced for limited periods of the day and may include times when loading operations are not permitted, for example during peak periods, again to aid traffic flows.

Other restrictions apply at all times but usually permit drivers to undertake such functions as loading/unloading or allowing passengers to board or alight or take part in other activities where the use of a vehicle is necessary.

The benefits of these restrictions are not always appreciated by some motorists who do not comply with them and their actions sometimes result in the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice by a Civil Enforcement Officer, (CEO).

It is normal procedure in Salford for contraventions of the regulations to be enforced when observed but it is accepted that there may be good reasons why a vehicle was parked on a restriction, which may not have been apparent to the CEO at the time.

It is for this reason that there are avenues of appeal. If you feel the Penalty Charge Notice has been wrongly issued you can appeal - or what's called 'make a challenge' - against the charge using our online challenge form at www.salford.gov.uk/parking.

If you prefer, you can make a challenge in writing to Salford City Council at the address shown on the notice.

Should this challenge be rejected and the penalty remain unpaid, a Notice to Owner (NtO) form will be issued that will provide a further opportunity to make representations to the council. Should these representations be rejected, an appeal may then be made to an independent body, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. Further information can found at www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk.

Representations should be made not later than the last day of the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which the NtO is served and any representations which are made outside that period may be disregarded. However, should late representations be made, although not obliged to, the Council may consider them if there are good reasons for their late submission.

The matters considered by Council Officers before any decision is made in relation to a challenge or representations are as follows.

• Does it appear that a contravention has been committed?

• Has the Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) been issued correctly? (i.e. handed to the person appearing to be the driver or affixed to the vehicle or in some cases sent by post)

• Has the PCN been completed correctly (i.e. correct contravention code used, vehicle details etc.)

• Is the Traffic Regulation Order valid? (this is the legal instrument for introducing the restriction)

• Is the signing and lining correct on the road? (Are the yellow lines of sufficient quality? Are there any signs missing? Please note, there is now no requirement for signs where double yellow lines are present.)

• Was the vehicle exempt from the restriction (i.e. loading/unloading taking place where permitted; used for building operations, removals etc)

• Was the vehicle exempt in respect of the Blue Badge scheme? (Disabled motorists)

• Was the vehicle broken down or made immobile due to unforeseen circumstances?

• Are there any mitigating circumstances or compassionate grounds to justify cancellation of the PCN?

This list is not exhaustive and there can be many reasons to take into account when considering challenges or representations.

Each case is different and is considered individually, the Council always having the option to exercise discretion as to whether or not cancellation of a PCN is appropriate, taking into account the severity of the contravention, fairness and proportionality.

However, it has to be stated that where there is evidence that a contravention has been committed and there do not appear to be grounds to cancel a PCN, the Council will require payment of the relevant penalty and if necessary present a case to any subsequent appeal hearing.

Subsequent non-payment of enforceable penalties may ultimately result in the issue of warrants, which are referred to independent bailiff companies for execution and recovery of payment or seizure of goods.

This is of course a last resort and such action can result in bailiff charges escalating costs considerably. It is obviously not in the best interests of the motorist to allow matters to progress to that stage but it is quite often the case that warrants are issued because no action has been taken following receipt of a PCN and subsequent letters or notices have been ignored.

To avoid this situation, it is necessary to take some form of action following the receipt of a PCN, which would be;

• pay the penalty, or if you believe you have grounds, • challenge it supplying supportive evidence as appropriate or, • respond to a Notice to Owner and any subsequent correspondence but it is not an option to ignore it, the problem will not go away and the Council will pursue outstanding penalties.

To avoid receiving a PCN, it is advisable to always comply with road markings/traffic signs and relevant conditions for use of car parks.

Further advice may be found within the Highway Code.

Appendix B

Financial Report for 2013/14 £

Total income in the parking account …… ……………………. 1,533,660

Total expenditure ……………………………………………….. 1,595,443

Net deficit . ……………………………………………………… -61,783

The deficit forms part of Salford City Council’s overall financial position which is managed by the Head of Finance.

Income breakdown

Off street Pay and Display ……………………………………….. 452,743

On street Pay and Display ……………………………………….. 127,979

Off street contract …………………………………………………. 148,048

PCN income ……………………………………………………….. 804,890

Total …………………………………………………………………. 1,533,660

Appendix C

Statistical Report for 2013/14

• Number of higher level PCNs issued………………………………………... 19,133 • Number of lower level PCNs issued…………………………………………. 10,952 • Number of PCNs paid…………………………………………………………. 21,469 • Number of PCNs paid at discount rate………………………………………. 17,872 • Number of PCNs against which an informal or formal representation was made ……………………………………………………… 8,144 • Number of PCNs cancelled as a result of an informal or a formal representation being successful …………………………………………….. 4,700 • Number of PCNs written off for other reasons (e.g. CEO error or driver untraceable) ……………………………………………………………………… 2,007 • Number of PCNs awaiting resolution …………………………………………. 1,909 • Number of vehicles immobilised ………………………………………………. 1 • Number of vehicles removed …………………………………………………… 0

• Total Number of PCNs issued ………………………………………………. 30,085

Higher / lower level PCNs issued 2013/14

10,952

19,133

Number of higher level PCNs Number of lower level PCNs

PCN status 2013/14

1,909 2,007 3,597 4,700

17,872

PCNs paid at full rate PCNs paid at discount rate PCNs cancelled as a result of an informal or a formal representation PCNs written off for other reasons PCNs awaiting resolution PCN representations 2013/14

8,144

21,941

PCNs against which an informal or formal representation was made PCNs against which no representation was made

Appeals to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal – April 2013 to March 2014. Statistics in respect of such appeals are normally provided by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal but at the time of publication of this report, they are not available for this reporting year.

Appendix D

Contravention Codes

On-Street Parking

Code Description Level 01 Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours Higher Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and 02 Higher loading/unloading restrictions are in force 04 Parked in a meter bay when penalty time is indicated Lower 05 Parked after the expiry of paid for time Lower 06 Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket or voucher Lower 07 Parked with payment made to extend the stay beyond initial time Lower 08 Parked at an out-of-order meter during controlled hours Lower 09 Parked displaying multiple pay & display tickets where prohibited Lower Parked without clearly displaying two**** valid pay and display tickets when 10 Lower required 11 Parked without payment of the parking charge Lower Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place without clearly displaying 12 Higher either a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place 13 - - - - RESERVED FOR TfL USE (LOW EMISSION ZONE) - - - - N/A Parked in an electric vehicles' charging place during restricted hours without 14 Higher charging 16 Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit Higher 17 - - - RESERVED FOR TfL USE (CONGESTION CHARGING) - - - - N/A Using a vehicle in a parking place in connection with the sale or offering or 18 Higher exposing for sale of goods when prohibited Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place or zone displaying an 19 Lower invalid permit, an invalid voucher or an invalid pay & display ticket 20 Parked in a loading gap marked by a yellow line Higher 21 Parked in a suspended bay/space or part of bay/space Higher 22 Re-parked in the same parking place or zone within one hour* of leaving Lower 23 Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle Higher 24 Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space Lower 25 Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading Higher Parked more than 50cm from the edge of the carriageway and not within a 26 Higher designated parking place. 27 Parked adjacent to a dropped footway Higher 30 Parked for longer than permitted Lower 31 London only - Entering and stopping in a box junction when prohibited N/A 33 London only - Using a route restricted to certain vehicles N/A 34 Being in a bus lane N/A 35 Parked in a disc parking place without clearly displaying a valid disc Lower 36 Parked in a disc parking place for longer than permitted Lower Parked in a designated disabled person's parking place without clearly 40 Higher displaying a valid disabled person's badge 41 Parked in a parking place designated for diplomatic vehicles Higher 42 Parked in a parking place designated for police vehicles Higher

Code Description Level 45 Parked on a taxi rank Higher 46 Stopped where prohibited (on a red route or clearway) Higher 47 Stopped on a restricted bus stop or stand Higher 48 Stopped in a restricted area outside a school Higher 49 Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track Higher 51 London only - Failing to comply with a no entry sign N/A A commercial vehicle parked in a restricted street in contravention of an 55 Higher overnight waiting ban 56 Parked in contravention of a commercial vehicle waiting restriction Higher 57 Parked in contravention of a coach ban Higher London only - Using a vehicle on a restricted street during prescribed hours 58 N/A without a valid permit London only - Using a vehicle on a restricted street during prescribed hours in 59 N/A breach of permit conditions A heavy commercial vehicle wholly or partly parked on a footway, verge or land 61 Higher between two carriageways Parked with one or more wheels on any part of an urban road other than a 62 Higher carriageway (footway parking) 63 Parked with engine running where prohibited Lower 67 ---- RESERVED FOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS ---- N/A 68 ---- RESERVED FOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS ---- N/A 99 Stopped on a pedestrian crossing and/or crossing area marked by zig-zags Higher

* Or other specified time ** Or voucher *** Sometimes applies during term time only **** Or other number

Off-Street Parking (Car Parks)

Code Description Level 70 Parked in a loading area during restricted hours without reasonable excuse Higher 73 Parked without payment of the parking charge Lower Using a vehicle in a parking place in connection with the sale or offering or 74 Higher exposing for sale of goods when prohibited 77 - - - RESERVED FOR DVLA USE - - - N/A 80 Parked for longer than the maximum period permitted Lower 81 Parked in a restricted area in a car park Higher 82 Parked after the expiry of paid for time Lower Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket or 83 Lower voucher or parking clock Parked with additional payment made to extend the stay beyond time first 84 Lower purchased 85 Parked in a permit bay without clearly displaying a valid permit Higher 86 Parked beyond the bay markings Lower Parked in a disabled person's parking space without clearly displaying a valid 87 Higher disabled person's badge Vehicle parked exceeds maximum weight and/or height and/or length 89 Higher permitted in the area 90 Re-parked within one hour* of leaving a bay or space in a car park Lower 91 Parked in a car park or area not designated for that class of vehicle Higher 92 Parked causing an obstruction Higher 93 Parked in car park when closed Lower Parked in a pay & display car park without clearly displaying two**** valid pay 94 Lower and display tickets when required Parked in a parking place for a purpose other than the designated purpose for 95 Lower the parking place 96 Parked with engine running where prohibited Lower

* Or other specified time ** Or voucher *** Sometimes applies during term time only **** Or other number

Appendix E

Correspondence Targets

Suggested Target from Activity date of service, receipt of Statutory limit. communication or relevant activity.

Response to challenge or 14 days None (Guidance states ‘In pre – NtO correspondence a timely manner’.)

Response to representation 21 days Must reply within 56 days against PCN

Response to referral by the 35 days Adjudicator for reconsideration of mitigation

Despatch of Notice to 56 days 6 months from the ‘relevant Owner date’ – normally the date on which the PCN is served