Agenda item - To receive petitions and e-petitions.

To receive any petitions to be presented to the Mayor by members of the public and/or Members as notified by the due date of 5 December 20024 (10 working days).

1)               That the petition concerning South Portslade Parking Permits be noted.

50.1    The Mayor stated that he had been notified of three ordinary petitions to be presented today. He reminded the Council that these were petitions with less than 1,250 signatures and they are presented and responded to without debate. The mayor advised that petitioners had up to three minutes to outline the petition and to confirm the number of signatories and that the petition would then be responded to by the relevant Cabinet Member.

50.2    Carole Ward presented a petition titled ‘South Portslade Parking Permits’ which had received 30 signatures at the time the agenda was published.

50.3    The mayor thanked the lead petitioner and invited Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm to respond.

50.4    Councillor Muten responded:

Thank you Carole for your petition. In short, the answer to your question is yes, we will, but thank you for bringing this petition today   for residents of South Portslade.  The area was included in a wider South Portslade parking scheme consultation, which took place between 2019 and 2020.  

Residents in this area then voted against a parking scheme, hence why these roads are not included. However, having met with yourself and many residents and ward Councillor Robins in September where we walked around Southdown Avenue, Beaconsfield Road, Victoria Park and surrounding streets and discussed in some detail the concerns as raised in your petition, and as you have so kindly explained to Council today, I do appreciate the difficulties residents there are facing daily and would like to be reconsulted to join the existing Zone in this area. 

Therefore, we have added your area to our Parking Scheme Priority timetable. Our Parking Scheme Priority timetable aligns with our Parking Review actions and strategy we agreed earlier in the year. This enables us to take a fresh approach to the future of parking in our city to ensure parking is fairer and less complex for our residents, visitors and businesses and parking services truly serve communities, such as yourselves, across our city. 

Our plan within this priority timetable is to first focus on consultations within the Hollingdean and Nevill areas in this upcoming year where there is particularly significant high demand for parking causing issues to residents. The timetable will be reviewed once these consultations have taken place to ensure the South Portslade area is prioritised to follow. 

50.5    The lead petitioner for the petition titled ‘Newtown Road Traffic Measures’ which had received 46 signatures at the time the agenda was published was not present at the meeting.

50.6    The Mayor noted that a written response would be sent to the petitioner.

50.7    Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm provided the following response:

Thank you for your petition. It has been a pleasure meeting with you and residents of Newtown Road, Fonthill Road, and nearby streets regarding this hazardous junction. 

The Council's Safer, Better Streets programme is committed to improving road safety and quality of life for all residents. This junction was identified as one of the city's more hazardous. As then Chair of the Transport and Sustainability Committee, I approved funds last year to make this junction safer, with plans for a raised table junction. I insisted that residents and local stakeholders be consulted before proceeding. 

On 19th June, I stood at this junction with Newtown Road residents and observed many HGVs and vans cutting across. I then attended the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum Management meeting on 26th June where there was broad agreement with the raised table design, however, concerns were again raised about rat runs through the junction.  

During the Newtown Road Street Party on 13th July, many residents expressed concerns to me about this junction and the number and speed of vehicles. On 16th July, I arranged for officers to visit the site with Newtown Road Action Group representatives, again witnessing the hazardous conditions firsthand. It was very apparent that something had to be done. 

After carefully considering your request to restrict vehicular access at the Fonthill/Newtown Road junction, Transport team officers assessed possible changes to road infrastructure, aiming to limit speeds and traffic volume. They proposed an amended design to close one arm of the junction to vehicle traffic. 

We consulted local residents and stakeholders on this amended design from 21st October to 6th December. During this period, I met with Newtown Road Action Group representatives on 5th November and Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum members on 20th November to discuss the design. 

The Council received over 200 responses, with overwhelming support for the design, including from the Trustees of the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum, who fully supported the Council's proposal for the Fonthill/Newtown Road junction - including closing the westbound Newtown Road arm. 

In response to your request, we have designed improvements that limit through traffic to main roads like the Drive and Old Shoreham Road, reduce speed, and are expected to reduce rat running on Newtown Road and Fonthill Road including those cutting under the Fonthill Road tunnel and turning left onto Newtown Road. The new design maintains access and improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists, with more space for turning in response to consultation comments and new street trees and cycle parking. 

Beyond these junction improvements, a citywide consultation on other aspects of traffic flow and road safety will launch early next year as part of the Local Transport Plan 5 (LTP5). I have discussed with the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum Management Committee how this will link with their neighbourhood transport plan. I encourage residents to provide feedback on traffic in this area as part of the upcoming consultation. 

50.8    The lead petitioner for the petition titled ‘Flawed and rushed consultation on school boundaries for Brighton & Hove’ which had received 350 signatures at the time the agenda was published was not present at the meeting. 

50.9    The Mayor advised that a written response will be sent.

50.10  Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration provided the following response:

Thank you for this petition and for raising your concerns with us. I believe you are referring to the engagement exercise which took place in October. This was conducted to inform proposals that were put to Council on the 5^th December. A public consultation has now started and runs until the end of January 2024.  

Further data has been provided for this process and the council are exploring what additional information may be able to be shared with the public before the consultation closes.  

Questions are specifically formatted within the consultation survey to enable residents to provide a wide range of responses – including ‘Not sure’, ‘Don’t want to answer’ or ‘Prefer not to say’. Each question comes with a text box where residents can provide any further views on the topic.  

I recognise the importance of this matter and the very real questions and concerns this can raise with families and I recommend responding to the consultation that is now live, to ensure that your views are captured.  

Thank you for your time today.

50.11  Resolved –

1)       That the petition concerning South Portslade Parking Permits be noted