Parking and Housing
A special meeting of Rye Town Council was held on Monday July 11 to approve the borrowing application to purchase a house to let at a discounted rent and then to consider whether to support in principle the introduction of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) to Rye.
Rother District Council are in the process of deciding whether to support, under the powers of ESCC as the enforcement authority, the introduction of CPE, if convinced of the business case.
Discussion of the CPE question was convoluted.
The general tenor of the meeting was that the District Council could do more to reduce on-street parking problems by making its own car parks more attractive by reducing its charges – and that, should CPE be initiated, the Town Council would like to be more involved in the process.
The Highways Authority, the County Council, will not act unless it has the support of RDC which via the good offices of one of our RDC Councillors has consulted RTC.
The “pros and cons of the issue could be discussed ad nauseam” it was time for a “yea or a nay” in the opinion of one councillor.
Other members felt that caution might be a better watchword and that one should be careful what one wished for. Citing instances of mismanagement of such schemes by private companies, imbalances of costs and projected incomes and the introduction of exorbitant charges having deleterious effects on regeneration and development, councillors urged prudence.
There was a suggestion that such projects were perhaps too easily embarked upon but difficult to stop. Once parking had been decriminalised it might unlikely that it could be ‘undone’.
Perhaps a less ambitious or adventurous RDC could be encouraged to adapt their existing parking strategies. By reducing car parking fees in their off-street sites thereby encouraging their use, they might ease the pressure on Rye streets.
The cheaper private carparks in town tended to be full, provided an excellent service to the town and might provide an exemplar for RDC.
The Council decided not to the support the motion, caution was required, “sit and wait and see” was the maxim and it should be made clear to Rother District Council that Rye Town Council wished to be further involved in the decision making process.
So the aforementioned councillor had his way there was a deal of discussion and it was a “nay” to the principle of supporting the introduction of CPE.
The Council agreed that borrowing approval for the Discounted Accommodation proposal be sought and the application form submitted.
At the close of the Council Meeting there ensued a hiatus for coffee, cigarettes and musical chairs as personnel moved around and The Planning and Townscape Committee discussed applications, The Neighbourhood Plan (NP) and The Community Structure Levy (CIL).
The Committee received an update on the Neighbourhood Plan from Anthony Kimber and readers are directed to the excellent and highly informative website.
http://www.ryeneighbourhoodplan.org.uk/rye-neighbourhood-plan/
The list of improvement priorities under CIL will be referred to and discussed by the Full Council. The only proviso made by the Planning Committee was that the Station Approach Safety issue was the top priority.
photo: library image
