Up to thirty minutes will be made available for questions from members of the public on issues relating to the work of the Committee and to receive any petitions.
Minutes:
The following questions were asked of the Committee:
The first question was from a member of the public:
'What assessment has been made of the effect of the proposed parking restrictions on other roads not included in the proposal (eg Woodland Rise), why has the knock-on effect been deemed acceptable to residents, and what will the Council do when the parking problem moves into Woodland Rise as I predict and becomes unacceptable?'
Answer:
“Residents of Woodland Rise were consulted when the area was being surveyed to determine what changes, if any, residents would like to see in the area. 21 of 28 responses to the survey indicated that they deemed yellow lines to be sufficient in this location and this was considered when the proposals were being drafted. As with implementation of any parking restrictions, a displacement may occur, however, the Council monitors any newly implemented parking restrictions to ensure that there isn’t any unintended impact and may, subject to the outcome of the monitoring review, make further recommendations. The monitoring feedback form for the Sherrards scheme will be published on the Council’s website 3 months after the restrictions came into place, provided the scheme is approved by the committee.”
The second question was from Clive Wilson, Welwyn Garden City Society:
“Thank you for the opportunity to ask a question. It’s concerning the Statement of Community Involvement that will be discussed later under agenda item 6. I had posed 4 questions on behalf of the Welwyn Garden City Society but the Council stipulated that these be restricted to a single question and this question has also been edited to remove important context. I understand the full text has been circulated to members and will be made publicly available via the Society website. The question is: In the proposed Statement of Community Involvement, notifications appear to have an overly heavy reliance on online notices. This bypasses many residents who are not online/ do not spend considerable time online. Please could the Council consider increasing measures for ‘offline’ notifications for applications that will have a major impact on the town?”
Answer:
“There was no mandatory requirement for consultation on the draft Statement of Community Involvement. However, as discussed at this panel in August, a six-week consultation in the spirit of meaningful engagement in the planning process was proposed. That consultation was held in September and October.
The consultation did seek to direct residents to online resources, but this was supplemented with offline means of consultation. Offline measures included a notice in the local newspapers setting out key information about the consultation, including where and how to respond. All documentation relating to the consultation was made available at local libraries, town and parish councils and the Council office during opening times. The various means of responding, including via post and telephoning for a response form was also set out.
As set out in the report on the SCI this evening, the SCI reflects the requirements for consultation as set out in planning regulations. It may be appropriate to increase community engagement in some circumstances, and if resources permit, using methods of engagement that move beyond the regulatory requirements. However, it is important the SCI does not commit the Council to actions that cannot be resourced in all cases, as this could then call into jeopardy decisions and actions taken, give rise to disproportionate costs, or cause delays to the planning process.”
The third question was from a member of the public:
As a resident of Greenfield, where there are 21 houses and only 11 parking spaces, what alternative parking provision do you intend to provide and will it mean that residents, particularly women, will have to walk further from their cars to their front doors, especially on dark mornings and evenings?
Answer:
“The entirety of Greenfield is publicly adopted highway. The creation of additional parking provision would therefore fall under Herts County Council as the Highways Authority for this locality. Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will write to Herts County Council and ask them to investigate whether the creation of additional parking provision in Greenfield is desirable and if so whether they would be able to carry out works to implement it.”