Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability presented a report which proposed targeted amendments to both East Herts District Council’s (EHDC) Resident Permit Zones (RPZs) Operational Guidance and EHDC’s Resident Permit Parking Policy. Two key changes were proposed: reducing the non-resident parking occupancy threshold from 40% to 10% and lowering the requirement for on-street parking capacity from 75% to 50% of households in a proposed zone.

Councillor Hoskin proposed that the recommendations in the report be supported. Councillor Wilson seconded the proposals.

Members broadly welcomed the proposed changes to the Resident Parking Zone (RPZ) policy. It was suggested that the proposed changes were expected to remove longstanding barriers to progressing zones, although funding remained a concern. Members urged further engagement with Manchester Airport Group and the County Council, given the overlap between parking and road safety responsibilities.

Members thanked officers for incorporating scrutiny feedback and for including the analysis from Citisense. Members hoped resource-limited recommendations, such as use of a digital map, would be revisited in the future.

Concerns were raised in relation to enforcement, noting complaints of illegal parking near schools and insufficient warden resources. Member were assured that enforcement remained active, with sufficient presence to act as a deterrent.

Reservations were expressed with regards to reducing non-resident occupancy to 10%, noting that in some areas non-resident occupancy could consist of local businesses.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That Council adopts the below changes to East Herts Resident’s Permit Zone (RPZ) Operational Guidance policy:

•         That the requirement that non-resident parking must exceed 40% occupancy at peak times, as a condition for implementing an RPZ, be reduced to 10% of occupancy at peak times;

•         That requirement for there to be sufficient kerb space to enable 75% of households in a proposed area to park one vehicle on-street as a condition for implementing an RPZ, be reduced to 50% from the guidance.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability presented a report which proposed targeted amendments to both East Herts District Council’s (EHDC) Resident Permit Parking Schemes (RPZs) Operational Guidance and EHDC’s Resident Permit Parking Policy.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability advised that the Council’s 2024 Parking Strategy had committed to reviewing the RPZ approach in response to community concerns about parking availability and enforcement. In early 2025, Citisense was commissioned to independently assess the RPZ guidance and policy. The review made several recommendations as detailed in Appendix B of the report. Two key changes were proposed: reducing the non-resident parking occupancy threshold from 40% to 10% and lowering the requirement for on-street parking capacity from 75% to 50% of households in a proposed zone. These changes aimed to improve flexibility, reflect best practice and better align policy with lived experience in high-stress parking areas.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability made a minor amendment to the recommendation in the report to highlight the referral to Council. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability proposed that the recommendation, as amended, be supported. The Executive Member for Neighbourhoods seconded the proposal.

Following a request in advance of the meeting to speak on this matter, Mr Ian Bailey was invited to address the Executive. Mr Bailey asked the Executive to review one of the recommendations made by Citisense (to reduce the requirement that more than 50% of households must respond before the consultation is taken forward to engagement stage) as it was not proposed to be adopted. Mr Bailey highlighted that a 50% response rate was an unrealistically high target and provided a local example by where consultation had not progressed due to a 40% response rate. Mr Bailey suggested that the scheme provided provision for officer discretion and requested the proposal in question be reviewed.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability responded by recognising that the policy aimed to meet most requirements and confirmed reluctance to alter the 50% democratic approach.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability noted that the views of residents with a neutral stance needed to be expressed and recognised that hyperlocal elements within zones were important. He thanked Mr Bailey for his contribution and offered him a meeting, alongside the relevant ward Councillors to discuss his local situation.

The Executive Member for Resident Engagement welcomed the proposed changes noting his wards proximity to Stansted Airport and queried if there would be flexibility over restricted parking times. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability noted that there were several examples across East Herts where parking schemes had been embraced by local communities. These had been developed through consultation with residents, including the introduction of a "spoiler hour" to deter all-day parkers. He acknowledged that whilst this approach might not suit every area, it demonstrated how such schemes could be managed with flexibility.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability queried whether an increase in RPZs would be accompanied by sufficient resources to ensure proper enforcement. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability confirmed that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 186

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability submitted a report that sought the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on some targeted amendments to both the East Herts District Council’s resident permit parking scheme and the operational guidance which accompanies that policy.

Members were advised that the proposed changes aimed to enhance accessibility, reduce procedural barriers and better align the guidance and policy with the council’s strategic priorities. The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability referred in particular to sustainability, air quality, community wellbeing and economic growth.

Members were advised that the recommendations were based on public feedback from the 2024 parking strategy engagement and an independent review provided by Citisense, who were the architects of the parking strategy and had been instrumental in benchmarking against best practice from comparable local authorities.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that the changes were set out within the paper. He said that there was to be an amendment to the requirement that non-resident parking must be considered in awarding an RPZ scheme, specifically that non-resident parking must exceed 40% occupancy during times of peak period. The recommendation was that this be reduced to 10% to allow some more holistic assessments based on the local context, resident feedback and officer observation.

Members were advised that there was also a provision for Officer discretion which was also recommended to ensure that borderline or exceptional cases could be considered where there was compelling evidence to do so.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that the second recommendation was that the council amend the policy that 75% of households in a proposed zone have on street parking capacity for one vehicle. The proposal was that this requirement be reduced to 50% to reflect the practical constraints in historic mixed use or high-density areas such as constrained street layouts, pre-existing loading restrictions and compelling and competing demands on limited road space.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability summarised the report’s three recommendations and welcomed comments from the Committee. The Parking Services Manager responded to questions from Councillor Jacobs regarding the Citisense report and the recommendations.

Councillor Jacobs requested that officers come back to the committee at some point regarding the Citisense recommendations contained within an appendix to the report.

Councillor E Buckmaster acknowledged the flexibility that was being introduced. He said that many Members dealt with parking and highways on a daily basis and he expressed wariness about introducing resident parking zones. Councillor E Buckmaster referred in particular to urban areas close to transport hubs or sports clubs and the issue of how an RPZ would impact on a wider area and move a problem elsewhere.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that this was a valid concern. He emphasised that RPZs were an imperfect solution to a tricky problem and said that RPZ schemes in Hertford bled into each other, leaving a question mark about the areas in between.

Members were advised that the paper sought to make the situation regarding RPZs more practical  ...  view the full minutes text for item 151