‘Divisive’ parking zones on the way

Plans to introduce paid for parking zones across the city are a step closer – despite most respondents to a public consultation opposing it.

The citywide parking management plan would see 21 new controlled parking zones created to cover almost every residential street in Chichester.

A public consultation on draft plans for the zones found 57 per cent of people who responded were against the scheme.

But West Sussex County Council is now moving to draft up traffic regulation orders (TROS) for the parking plan, to be advertised publicly towards the end of this year.

There will then be an opportunity for people to comment on those TROS before a decision is made on whether to implement the scheme.

Summersdale Residents’

Association has said the scheme is ‘divisive’.

The implementation of a citywide parking management plan is not yet final.

The public will have another chance to comment on updated plans when traffic regulation orders are advertised, a stage officers hope to achieve before the end of this year.

It also follows two stages of large-scale public consultation, the first of which was in 2017.

Should the plans go ahead, implementation is expected to begin in June 2020.

Council reports have suggested a charges freeze on on-street parking charges should the PMP go ahead to avoid permit holders facing a scheduled price increase at the same time as the new controlled zones.

Any income and expenditure for on-street parking is required by law to be contained within the county council’s on-street parking account for highways and parking area maintenance or similar projects.