Ealing Council announced on Wednesday 9 April they will not pursue proposed plans for a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Greenford following overwhelming community opposition.
A public engagement on the plans found that of the 3,801 respondents, only 7% were in favour of the measures, which proposed a designated area for on-street parking to be regulated, enabling spaces for residents, businesses, and their visitors.
Greenford has seen incredibly high traffic and parking pressures in recent years, with an Ealing Council survey of areas in the proposed zones last May showing parts of Greenford South and Greenford Town soaring far north of 100% occupancy, indicating that vehicles are parked there in areas not deemed for parking, such as the pavement.
Pro-CPZ Greenford resident Gemma Fleming, 54, said: “In my particular road which is a cul-de-sac there’s not enough parking because a few of the households have multiple cars and they double park.
“I’ve had a few in the middle of the night hospital visits to A&E and sometimes I’m frightened that I’m blocked in and I can’t get out.”
Fleming, who also added that she has been late to a number of doctor’s appointments due to being blocked in by her neighbours, had hoped the CPZ would increase the presence of parking enforcement officers to clamp down on double-parked cars.
She also thought it could have acted as a financial deterrent for the ownership of multiple cars, particularly as penalty charge notices (PCNs) have risen this month by up to 37.5% across London.
The most congested areas according to the council survey were The Grove and Princes Avenue in South Greenford, boasting 199% and 183% occupancy respectively on weekends.
However, the survey indicated that levels vary across Greenford, with streets such as Camden Road and Oxford Gardens never having reached 100% occupancy.
Ealing Council had hoped the proposals across Greenford South and Greenford Town Centre would ease some of these pressures by prioritising residential parking and balancing it with short-term visitor parking.
However, the results from the public engagement which ran from 13 November to 5 December, with information leaflets delivered to almost 7,000 households and businesses across both proposed zones, suggest a more nuanced approach may be required, particularly given the varying occupancy levels across Greenford.
Feedback from the constituents, who responded via either hard copy or an online survey, showed the main concerns centred on the impact of an increased cost of parking in an already challenging financial period.
Respondents were also concerned that the measures would result in decreased footfall for local businesses, and present accessibility challenges for disabled and elderly residents.
An Ealing Council statement said: “We recognise that Greenford Town Centre and Greenford South are areas where parking pressure is high, and measures like CPZs could offer benefits.
“We’ve carefully considered the feedback through our public engagement and understand most respondents did not support the proposals and so we will not be moving forward with them.”
They added that they will continue to monitor parking conditions in the area and work with the local community on any future measures.
Image credits: Gemma Fleming
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