New Borough Parking Strategy

The Borough's Parking Strategy identifies the borough's main parking problems and the solutions that will be implemented in order to resolve them. Some of the document is dependent upon action by the Highway Authority (the County Council).

A meeting of the Environment Committee on 20th June adopted the Strategy document. It should soon be available for viewing on the council's website epsom-ewell.gov.uk. The document has taken around 4 years to complete. Lib Dem councillors pressed for a Borough Parking Strategy to be adopted well in advance of any County Council policy, in the hope that it could influence what the County Council would eventually dictate across the whole of Surrey. The Residents Association run Borough Council made such slow progress after the first year, that the County completed its own Parking Strategy well before even a draft of the Borough's own ideas was on the table. In the event, the Borough now has little option but to agree with what the County Council has already decided in terms of permit costs, etc.

Some of the problems identified include the conflicts between residents and businesses, shoppers and commuters. Illegal on street parking along the A24 is an issue. Deliveries to commercial premises sometimes cause problems. The needs of Epsom town centre, Ewell village and Stoneleigh Broadway are identified. Parking on the "hospital cluster" sites is also mentioned and on some of these new housing estates residents have complained that there is not sufficient off street and on street parking. There are issues with the parking capacity on some areas of Longmead, where some of the property is accessed only by footpaths.

Other sections in the document cover future housing developments, front garden parking, illegal parking on footways and grass verges, school run parking, Epsom Hospital parking and parking around railway stations.

Residents Permit Schemes (RPS) have already been agreed for some roads near Epsom but only where a majority of residents are in favour. Other areas are still being investigated and further consultation will take place in due course. The Highway Authority has already set the parameters for RPS with the first permit costing £50 pa. RPS cannot be implemented until the detail of how they will operate has been sorted out, i.e. where can visitor permits be purchased, how many, etc.

For further information contact Colin Taylor or Julie Morris